anaheim
 

We will be in Anaheim late from 27 Mat for 10 days with our 2 kids (girls 7 & 10), we have a 5 day Disney pass & a 1 day Knotts Berry farm visit. Just wondering what else we can do in the area with the kids. We are going to Hollywood after so just the Anaheim area. We are from Melbourne Aust, might go to Venice beach to see if its really like whats on TV. Any other suggestions??

There is a huge shopping center - i think it is called the Mall at Orange. It is an outdoor shopping center with lots of shops and restaurants if you are into that. Also, the Crystal Cathedral and its grounds are something to see, if you do not mind something a bit on the religious side. It is quite impressive.

Depending on the traffic, you are a relatively short ride from Long Beach, where you could tour the Queen Mary. There is a "fun" ghost tour that the kids may enjoy.

Do you mean May 27? The Anaheim Angels (major league baseball) will be in town. You could catch a game.

I know you said just Anaheim, but if you ventured a little bit away, you could go see the Nixon Library. It's a museum and also the house where he was born is there. And driving along Pacific Coast Highway by the beach cities can be a lot of fun. Laguna Beach is a hit with kids that age because there is so much to see. If you're interested in shopping, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa is an enormous mall with many stores, upscale and not so much. The reason I mention it is that more than once I have waited in checkout lines next to Australian tourists taking a break from Disneyland to do shopping there.

Oh, and yes. The Angels are in town May 27 for several days. Try the Angels website for tickets, including the ticket exchange. I'm a season ticket holder and it's really fun to take kids. I think they play Baltimore and Minnesota FYI.

So far, pretty good suggestions. I think you may have reserved too many days in Anaheim (other than Disneyland, there's not really any There there), but you can still have an interesting time using it as a base for some exploration. FYI, Venice Beach is over 40 miles from Anaheim in LA County, so when you're in Hollywood (are you really staying there?!), Venice will be a closer day trip there. And note that Venice is both exactly like what's shown on TV and nothing like it. Best to go there on a Saturday or Sunday to see it in full bloom.

The Queen Mary in Long Beach is a nice attraction. Not far away in downtown LB is the Aquarium of the Pacific, a very nice facility focused on marinelife of the Pacific Ocean. Near that is one of Long Beach's marinas and a fun, hokey little area of shops and eateries called Shoreline Village. I would rate Long Beach as a "nice to see if you have the time" attraction, but not a must-see (disclosure: I live there and love it). If big boats or swimming fishies don't do it for you, you can skip it.

Strolling towns up and down the Orange County coast can be a nice way to while away an afternoon. Seal Beach's Main Street, Balboa Island in Newport Beach, downtown Laguna Beach, and San Clemente are all lovely. The drive down the coast between Newport and Laguna is beautiful. In fact, I'm wishing I could play hookie from work right now and drive it-- it will be gorgeous today (lovely blue skies after our rainstorms, lively surf).

The shopping suggestion of South Coast Plaza is a no-brainer. It's decidedly upscale, and you can arrange multilingual personal shoppers (the facility is very popular with wealthy Japanese tourists) to accompany you on your retail therapy sessions. NOTE: South Coast is actually three malls that have been stapled together, one by a sweeping pedestrian bridge over Bear Street. Lots of walking, which may make the 7-year-old cranky.

(I'm just sayin'....)

If you want to have a real excursion, you could drive south early in the morning to San Diego and hit the world-famous San Diego Zoo or the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Maybe two hours in the car to get there, if traffic isn't too bad.

My 7 yr old is cranky at the best of times, we are thinking of hiring a car for a few days, they love shopping but I think why go all the way to shop!! Also here that driving is a bit horrendous in LA and surrounds so might no be the best for a tourist!

A day trip to San Diego is a great idea.
Irvine has the Wild Waters Water Park if that interests you.

There's also the mission at San Juan Capistrano. And I love Balboa Island, as someone else suggested.

In the Knotts Berry Farm area is a Ripley's Believe it or Not museum and a Wax Museum. Also, I believe, a Medieval Times Dinner theater place.

EnricoIV: That wax museum has been closed since this past Hallowe'en and its contents auctioned off.