Angelica_L

Hi everyone, we are travelling to California over the Christmas holidays for 2 weeks with our 2 young children. We'll be spending 1 week in LA (doing the usual sightseeing and theme parks) then San Diego and last Las Vegas.

I would lke to do some national parks but we want to avoid long hours in the car (our youngest is 2 1/2). The grand canyon seems too far to me from LV and so does death valley, joshua tree from LA...

We'll be only 3 days in SD so we'll concentrate on the town.

Where would you suggest going from LA and from LV , without too many hours in the car, maximum 2, to have a good idea and feel about the desert or NP? The more I read the more I get lost on places and beauties of the area!!

Thanks for your help!!

cferrb

You can get to Anza Borrego state park fairy easily from SD or LA. Here's a link: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638. Red Rock Canyon is easy to get to from Las Vegas: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo/..._rock_nca.html.

Be aware, some of those cacti look pretty and fuzzy, but they will be really nasty if the kids touch them. Also be aware that it can be quite cold in the desert here in the winter, so be sure to have a couple of layers just in case.

janisj

The theme parks will be absolutely SLAMMED over the holidays. For Disneyland you'd want to stay on property or across the street so you can return to the hotel during the day as needed. Hard to imagine how crowded it can be.

jamie99

You want to stay in Anaheim, not LA, when you visit the theme parks (both Universal and Six Flags are not geared toward younger children). Anaheim is in a different county than LA. Young children might also like Knott's Berry Farm which has Camp Snoopy section and other stuff for younger children as well as some roller coasters which the parents could take turns on if so inclined.

qwovadis

www.furnacecreekresort.com/directions-533.html

couple of hours from Vegas best for desert part

classic.mapquest.com roadtripusa.com www.lasightseeing.net

betterbidding.com get best hotel deals bidding priceline.com

Anaheim is chock a block with mousekateers far from all else

I would rather have a root canal than stay a week there

Prefer the Westin Bonaventure from $70 bidding priceline

Westin La Jolla in SD from $80 for me in the past

www.hoteldel.com for a visit or a stay if budget Perfit

Venetian Treasure Island or Luxor based on budget do Vegas

on week days will be tonnes cheaper also maybe

www.grandcanyontours.com chopper in if you can for

the experience of a life time.

Happy Travels!

qwovadis

Forgot usually get my cheapest prices for carrentals.com

with Fox out of LAX.. Plan carefully and have fun,

MichelleY

I would reconsider LV with small children. Not really kid friendly, plus the weather will be quite chilly. S. Cal has plenty more to keep you busy.

lynni

I would fly from LA to Vegas... the drive is long and hideous.. no scenery, nowhere to stop, nothing. You might like to take your children to The Lion King production that is shown at Mandalay Bay only through December... my children loved it, as did I! They also loved the Hoover Dam and the M and M Factory. Happy to answer specific questions if you have them.

Angelica_L

Hi guys, thank you very much for your answers!!
I will go through all your suggestions!

It feels like I'm doing it all wrong though... ! 1 week in LA is already booked and it's in silver lake. Flight back from LV also booked, so we are going there, really hope I can find something for the kids. Btw, any suggestions for a good show to watch? We have seen the Lion KIng in London and loved it, I have been suggested one of Cirque du Soleil...but which one? Apparently, Mystere is for the whole family, no age restriction on the website. But there are so many, which one to chose? My eldest loves shows, theatre, comedians, magicians... "O", "Believe"? Has anyone seen any of those?

Also, we would love to go whale watching, I read a very good review about one of San Diego sailing ships... Would it be as good if we did it in Long beach or near LA?

Not a fan of cold weather really... (I am southern italian, a lot of sunshine, but live in rainy England, so hope it isn't worse than here!)

The plan is still to drive to LV, in fact we will now be driving from SD! How bad is that?? Aren't there really any places to stop?? I love deserts (have been to Egypt and middle east but imagine californian ones to be very different) so what might be boring for you could be fascinating for me!

Lynni, could you tell me more about the Hoover Dm, havent had time to research it really, any particular activity you do, how long a drive from LV? MandM factory sounds good too!
thanks again!!

cferrb

The drive to Hoover Dam from LV is less than an hour. How old are your children? You can just walk across the dam or you can take tours that go inside the dam. There are plenty of places to stop along the route to LV. There is an outlet mall before you get to Barstow, and then in Barstow itself there are fast food places. In Baker there is a place called the Mad Greek where you can get Middle Eastern food (gyros, salads etc). There is another mall right at the border of CA and Nevada.

nanabee

I would not bother with Joshua Tree or Death Valley. The only national park I would go out of my way for in the Southwest would be the Grand Canyon (which of course is quite a bit out of your way!)

There is a lot to do in San Diego especially with kids - there is the
*San Diego Zoo,
*the Wild Animal Park,
*Sea World,
*Lego Land,
*Balboa Park & the many kid friendly museums there,
*along the Embarcadaro you'll see the Midway (a former Navy ship open to the public)and a beautiful old sailing ship,
*Birch Aquarium,
*Cabrillo Monument (where the Europeans first landed)
*Scripps Institute of Oceanography (which has tours)
and then even though the ocean will be cold (that is why god invented wet suits!) there are lots of
*fun ocean activities things to do like kayaking, sailing, snorkeling, etc. The weather should be nice.

tracys2cents

If you tell us your arrival dates etc, we might be able to help you navigate the best days for doing Disney etc. Lots of traffic from Silverlake and I hope you did your homework regarding the exact neighborhood. There are some nearby neighborhoods that you'll want to stay out of.

Many of the pools in Vegas are closed in December, hopefully with kids you booked one with an open pool? New Years Eve weekend will be crazy there and maybe a good time to venture elsewhere.

I definitely would "bother" with Joshua tree, just take the longer route to Vegas and also stop and see Hoover Dam. Lots to do and see with kids in Vegas and they'll never be bored. Kid's Discovery Museum, Natural History Museum, Shark habitat, Dolphin Show, Lion Cubs, Amusement Park, Circus shows, magic shows, Wildlife habitats, Aquariums, Lake Mead, Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon, Mt. Charleston, even snow skiing at Mount Lee.

LSky

Vegas was very kid friendly the last time I was there, I was surprised, and it's even more so now. It's a 6 hour drive from San Diego and I would plan a picnic in Joshua tree and a hike. Leave San Diego in the early morning.

December is a nice time for the desert, unless it rains.

The Hoover Dam is a nice break from LV. Back in the day some people called it the "Boulder Dam" because they didn't like H. Hoover.

lynni

Angelica,

I was told by others that pools in Vegas are not heated in December but when I mentioned that to others (as the reason I took my kids to Vegas in 113 degree weather... that yes, in fact, some pools are heated... to ask.) So that's just a suggestion.

We stayed at The Monte Carlo Hotel, which I would describe as "modest." It is smaller than many of the hotels on the strip and not super luxurious but very serviceable and for $60 pernoght was a good value for a standard room. You do NOT have to walk through the casino to get to the elevators and therefore the smell of smoke is not bothersome.

Hoover Dam was wonderful for my kids 7, 10 and 12. I dont remember the exact prices but they are on the website. There is a a lot to look at, a short movie, a museum that has some interactive "exibits" for the kids and of course, the actual tour. My boys greatly enjoyed it but my youngest was a little scared about "going down into the tunnels." He also declined to go to the top of the observation deck. The heights can be a little overwhelming, even for the adults. All in all, I would plan to spend at least a few hours there.. its a pleasant 30 min drive from the strip and you barely need a map.

More soon... I actually started a trip report on our recent trip there but I havent finished it yet. If you click on my name you can see it.

jpie

To address your question about cirque de soleil. We have seen both Mystere (didn't like it much) and "O". O is great because of the specially built pool, water stunts etc. It is the only one I would consider-I think the kids being young would probably understand it the best as well.

Here is a comparison chart for the pool in LV as well. If you look at the individual reviews for each hotel I believe it tells you whether it is heated or not.

San Diego will be great with the kids for the zoo, seaworld and lego land. And just FYI, it is about the same driving distance to LV from San Diego as Los Angeles so it shouldn't amke any difference with your plan.

tomfuller

I agree with linni you should fly from SOCAL to LV.
Allegiant Airline has flights from Long Beach to LV. They have deals on hotels, shows and car rentals. http://www.allegiantair.com/

Check to see where else Allegiant flies that you might want to go in the Christmas season

cferrb

I agree about the Monte Carlo. It is usually quite reasonably priced and is perfectly pleasant. If you like breakfast pastries, you can walk across a covered bridge to the Aria next door, and walk through their casino to a delicious pastry shop for breakfast. It is not much more expensive than Starbucks, and is much, much nicer.

BTW, cigarette smoke in the upscale casinos in Vegas is not nearly the problem that it used to be. It's still there, but you don't reek of smoke at the end of the evening in some of the nicer casinos. Maybe their air circulation systems are better.

jpie

Sorry I forgot to post the link with the pool comparisons for LV:

http://www.cheapovegas.com/vegas_cas...oolrank&limit=

Angelica_L

Thank you everyone!
There seems to be a lot to do in SD, shame we'll have to miss many!

We arrive in LA on the 18th (had initially thought about spending Christmas day in disney world (just to do something special) but you are making me think twice about it! Which would be the less crowed days? When does school break in CA?

The plan was to head to SD on the 26th but now that I havent got a plan for Christmas day (ideas anyone??) we might travel down to SD early on Christmas day and perhaps have Christmas lunch at the Del(looks like they have a xmas buffet from 12-6) How does that sound?

We are a bit stuck with days in LA as we have already booked ot for one week. How is Silver lake? It seems to me that it's a nice and safe neighborhood and a good base to explore. Tracy, no, I haven't researched yet on specific areas, please give us a list of off limits areas!! that would really help. Which do you think it would have been a good base to explore? We'd like to visit, universal studios, disney world, hollywood, malibu, venice, possibly santa barbara... havent completed my homework on LA yet. so still researching!

So 18/12-26/12 (possibly 25) Los Angeles
25 or 26/12-29/12 San Diego
29/12-1/1 Las Vegas
2/1 looong flight back home!

We haven't sorted out the accomodation in SD and LV yet. We would possibly use some of my husband's hilton rewards, it's probably going to be 3 nights, so we'll either use them for SD or LV. whichever will leave us the best cheepest option to pay, which I tend to think is LV? Will look at the montecarlo hotel too, thanks.

I would have loved to spend NYE in grand canyon but it seems a bit too much travelling for my little one who'll be 2 1/2. So I guess we'll be stuck in LV for NYE any suggestions??

LSky, I really like your idea about a picnic in joshua tree on the way to SD!! How longer will I make the journey? Which exit/diversion/spot would you suggest? Hoover dam, joshua tree and red rock, which one is easier to do on the way to SD? and perhaps we'll make a trip on the new years day to the other ones.

I would love love to visit the grand canyon, I am even considering to go by myself (hubby has been there years aback) and leave all the boys in LV, I am sure they'll have fun and wont miss me! Or perhaps take my eldest, who is 6 1/2, but it might be too many driving hours for him too. we'll see...

Thanks again everyone! You are being a great help and source of info!!

Angelica_L

Sorry, a few mistakes (spelling and places)on my previous post (it's been a long day!)" but it doesn't look like I can edit the reply once posted. "joshua tree and red rock, which one is easier to do on the way to SD?" meant LV!