2 weeks in California; What are the best things to do?

Hi,

I%26#39;m flying with my husband and sister for the first time to Los Angeles this april. We%26#39;ve booked the Anaheim Desert inn%26amp; suites and a car for two weeks. I would love some advice from people who know the area. What is the top 10 things we need to do when we are there.

We love Disney, thrill rides, sun and shopping.

I%26#39;m looking forward to some tips.

Love,

Nadia

2 weeks in California; What are the best things to do?

Two weeks, well, I would look into getting something like an 8 day Disneyland ParkHopper (or a Deluxe AP, but you need to watch the blockout dates).

Thrill Rides, then Six Flags Magic Mountain is at top of the list, alas, the new version of ';X';, called ';X2'; won%26#39;t open until around late May.

Knott%26#39;s Berry Farm also has some great Roller Coasters, and you can find some great discounts if you check the following link just before you go...

http://www.knotts.com/hot/index.asp

And since you are into Disney parks, a day at Universal Studios might also be a fun day for you.

As for the Sun, head down to the ocean, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach/Balboa are close and very nice locations, both have piers with restaurants on the far end.

Shopping, well the Block of Orange is close and big, as is Main Place. A bit farther away, but well known is South Coast Plaza, it is high end, so watch your wallet ;)

I like the corner of Harbor and Orangethorpe (about 3 miles north of the DLR), a lot of discount shops, including the Disney Character Warehouse (closeout park merchandise) and some great places to eat. I am a fan of In-n-Out Burger.

Plan your days, the parks tend to be less busy when it opens, so spend a few hours in the park, then head back to the hotel for a break. Grab a bite to eat and lay out by the pool (and swim if you want), then head back after a couple of hours in the sun.

You have plenty of time, so relax and take your time...

2 weeks in California; What are the best things to do?

Darkbeer covered it pretty well. One place you definitely need to visit, though, is San Diego. San Diego is the hottest tourist city in So. Cal right now, the #1 destination, and just an hour and a half from Anaheim. Visit the San Diego Forum for more detailed info about what to see there. Some people like to split their vacation between Anaheim and San Diego. Some do day trips.

Anyway, here is my top 10. Not in any particular order.

1. Disneyland Resort

2. Knott%26#39;s and Mrs. Knott%26#39;s Chicken Dinner

3. Laguna Beach

4. San Diego - various sights downtown along San Diego Bay

5. San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park

6. Coronado Island - a pennisula just a few minutes away from downtown San Diego, accessible by bridge or ferry, with beautiful beaches and the historic Hotel Del Coronado

7. The Block in Orange

8. LA - The Grove shopping center and the Farmers%26#39; Market, right next to CBS Television City (you can get free tickets to see a taping of a show by writing for them in advace.)

9. Universal Studios in LA

10. Sightseeing in LA

You have to understand that Anaheim/Disneyland is not L.A. or even L.A.County.

8 Days disneyland sounds like to much of a good thing to me. Two days yeah, but seriousely there is more to Southern California than just theme parks

If you are looking for thrills, deffinatly spent a day at Magic Mountain.

Spending 3 days(or 4 including Universal) is at least in my opinion enough out of two weeks at a themepark(as great as they are)

I would also not stay at a hotel in Anaheim for your entire stay. You end up being on the freeway more than actually visiting sights.

You should get a good tourbook or read to FAQ in the Los Angeles Forum and see what peaks your interest.

Maybe spent the first three nights in Anaheim and visit Disneyland and move on from there

Note, Anaheim tends to have the lowest per night hotel rates, and is central to the Southern California area.

Based on your priorities, I don%26#39;t see LA being a major part of your trip, maybe a day or two.

As mentioned above, San Diego is the number 1 tourist location, and that is about a 90 minute to 2 hour drive if you take advantage of the Carpool lanes.

And the cost between a 4 day ParkHopper and a 8 day ParkHopper is not that much, and I am NOT recommending that you spend 8 full days at the Disneyland Resort. I think 3 to 4 full days are great, but if you are in the area, having the opportunity to see the fireworks one evening, or just stop by after a day at the beach and ride one or two attractions in the evening.

I would dissagree but that is what this forum is for, to get different opinions.

Since when is San Diego the # 1 Tourist Attraction? That would be news to me, i thought it was Disneyland with close to 14 million visitors and Venice Beach with something like 13 million right behind it

In any case, i would not spent the entire time in Anaheim. It might be ';central'; if you are talking about places between San Diego and Los Angeles but you would still spent most of the time in your car. Does not sound like a relaxing vacation to me.

Anaheim is great for visiting Disneyland, there is nothing really besides another park(knotts) of interest in the area. Plain and simple

NadiaN will spend 芦2 weeks in California; What are the best things to do?禄

Well, California%26#39;s best things aren%26#39;t in or near Anaheim or Valencia.

Yes, Magic Mountain is good for thrill rides; DisneyLand is very nice; Knott%26#39;s Berry Farm is wonderful.

California%26#39;s best things are the Cabrillo Highway from San Lu铆s Obsipo to San Francisco; the Mendocino Coast; Yosemite; Santa Barbara; the San Diego Zoo; the Nixon Birthplace and Library; Sequoia National Park; Avenue of the Giants; Mount Lassen Volcanic National Park; the de Young Museum; Eureka%26#39;s Carson House; Ferndale; San Francisco%26#39;s Union Square for shopping and O-so-much more.

But what you%26#39;ve planned sounds like fun.

Thanks for all the comments! I like to see all the different opinions so I can read up books about the things you advice!! I%26#39;ve been to San Francisco so that%26#39;s not an option for this year.

X Nadia

Nadia, We like to travel with Loney Planet as our guide book. The books are well laid out so you don%26#39;t need a complicated legend to figure out the recommendations. See if they have one for Southern California. Note: Guide books are date sensitive if you want the information accurate, do not buy a 10 year old used book from Amazon.com. The research, rewrite, update and print-publishing cycle is already at a year, and then whatever the copyright on the book is....You want to get whatever the most current edition is and if a company hasn%26#39;t updated recently, get someone elses book who has.

Have oodles of fun!

Beaches: Santa Monica and it%26#39;s lovely pier, Huntington (nearest to Disneyland), Laguna, and San Diego.

Theme parks: Disney first and foremost...and Knotts, and Magic Mountain, and Sea World in San Diego.

The San Diego Zoo is great too if you%26#39;re spending two or three days in San Diego.

Shopping, the Block at Orange is nice...but my teens, love the quirkly little shops all along the beach cities best.

Hollywood...if you haven%26#39;t seen it, go snoop it out, the Kodak Theater, Mann%26#39;s Chinese Theater, the stars on the sidewalk, the ';Hollywood'; sign in the hills.

I would at least take two nights to explore Los Angeles. The Orchid Hotel in Hollywood gets great reviews on Tripadvisor and is right smack in the middle of Hollywood(where you can walk to all the touristy attractions and great restaurants and bars at night)

From there it is also easy to explore Beverly Hills/Bel Air/Santa Monica/Downtown L.A./Universal Studios/Farmers Market-The Grove and more

What can i say, they call me Los Angeles Expert, so of course i would like you to see my neighbourhood aswell, not just themeparks and trust me, I looooove Magic Mountain(proud season pass holder since 1991,lol)

software