By Robert Vaux
The pleasant weather and cosmopolitan lifestyle of Southern California make it a natural destination for vacationing families. The sheer number of things to do there boggles the mind, but parents with children want specific Southern California attractions that they can all enjoy together. Luckily, some of Southern California's most famous locations and activities were built with families in mind. It shouldn't be too difficult to find a few that are right for yours.
Disneyland
Your kids will never forgive you if you plan a trip to Southern California and neglect to include Disneyland. The Happiest Place on Earth is open 365 days a year, rain or shine. The wealth of rides and attractions include both classics like the Matterhorn and newer twists like Jack Skellington's Christmas invasion of the Haunted Mansion. There are daily parades in the park, and fireworks take place on weekends and during the summer months.
Disneyland
1313 S. Disneyland Drive
Anaheim, CA 92802
Telephone: 714-781-4565
The San Diego Zoo
The world famous San Diego Zoo houses over 4,000 different animals, kept in expansive habitats that closely mimic their native lands. The zoo also runs a Wild Animal Park just north of San Diego, which allows multiple species to roam free across a Southern California landscape very reminiscent of the African plains. Both are very easy to reach from downtown San Diego, and both offer guided tours and other attractions for visitors.
The San Diego Zoo
2920 Zoo Drive
San Diego, CA 92112-0551
Telephone: 619-231-1515
Wild Animal Park
15500 San Pasqual Valley Road
Escondido, California 92027-7017
Telephone: 760-747-8702
SeaWorld
Just down the road from the San Diego Zoo lies SeaWorld, a seaside aquarium and theme park that has expanded to include additional parks all over the country. San Diego's was the first, featuring tropical fish displays, walruses, dolphins, sea lions and a water show centered around a killer whale named Shamu, as well as seasonal events and fireworks displays on summer nights.
SeaWorld San Diego
500 SeaWorld Drive
San Diego, CA 92109
Telephone: 800-257-4268
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm bills itself as the world's first amusement park, springing up from a Buena Park fruit preserve business for which the park is named. Though it's not quite the draw that Disneyland is, it contains a number of popular rides and attractions, including a children's area focusing on Charlie Brown and Snoopy. In October, the park takes on a Halloween theme and "Knott's Scary Farm," as it is called, remains a perennial Southern California favorite.
Knott's Berry Farm
8039 beach Boulevard
Buena Park, CA USA 90620
Telephone: 714-220-5200
The La Brea Tar Pits
10,000 years ago, the area that now constitutes Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles held a vast field of bubbling tar pits. Countless animal species were caught in the tar, preserved for all time in one of the greatest paleontological discoveries of all time. The George C. Page Museum allows kids to view fossilized skeletons of mammoths and saber-tooth tigers, as well as experiencing what it was like to get caught in the tar.
The La Brea Tar Pits
5801 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Telephone: 323-934-7243
About the Author:
Robert Vaux has been a professional writer and editor since 1995. He has traveled throughout Europe and North America as well as parts of North Africa. Since 2000 he has been a professional movie critic at Flipside Movie Emporium, the Sci-Fi Movie Page and Mania.com. Vaux has a Master of Arts in English literature from Syracuse University.
