Heading to CA for spring break, March 16th thru the 21st. Have already booked a room in San diego the first two nights at the Catamaran and plan on going to Sea World. What about the next 4 nights? Have heard different opinions on Knottsbeery farm Vs. Disneyland........Legoland any good? Is Universal too much for a 6 and 8 year old? Will be staying the last 4 nights in Glendora. Which beach is best for kids? I'd like to go to Newport to eat at the crabcooker....last time there was 88....is it still a good place? Any other suggestions?

My 10 year old grandson loves Legoland, likes Knott's Berry Farm and could care less about Disneyland. When he asks his father (my son) to go to a park, it is Legoland. I have no personal experience with any of them, but trust his likes.
My son says that Knott's Berry Farm is not as good as it once was.

***Will be staying the last 4 nights in Glendora.***

Are you visiting family or on a business/pleasure trip? If not, know you're going to be doing a lot of driving to the main attractions.

Knott's Berry Farm isn't in the same league as Disneyland.
And yes kids love Legoland!

Ages 6/8 is perfect for Legoland, don't miss it. Knotts is great for 4/5 year olds and teenagers, your kids would be in limbo there, not much to do.

Universal definitely not.

Staying in Glendora with relatives? If not try to change your hotel, not convenient at all to anything. If you're stuck there, avoid driving to or from beach or attractions from 7am to 10am and from 4pm to 7:30pm.

Newport best done on your drive up from San Diego if at all, from Glendora it's a hell-drive for a day trip.

La Brea Tar Pits and the fossil museum would be fun. Natural History Museum and the nearby Science Center both have a lot of things geared towards kids. Los Angeles Zoo is fun on a nice afternoon followed by sunset up at nearby Griffith Observatory. Griffith has a snack bar for a light supper overlooking the city at sunset.

Yes...staying in Glendora with relatives. This is a pleasure trip so we have plenty of time. I for darn sure don't want to spend a lot of time in traffic!

So skip disney for Lego and Knotts berry? I agree with Universal being to adult for my kids.

My cousin works on the TV show "Chuck" so we are going to vist the set of that show for a bit.....guess I better watch it at least once between now and then!

I may have to skip newport. I also plan on hooking up with Magicain Dean Dill in Glendale....anybody heard of him?

" I for darn sure don't want to spend a lot of time in traffic!"

Well - you won't be able to avoid that since Glendora is miles from any major sites. It is about 30 miles (and close to an hour's drive) from Anaheim. And from Buena Park (for Knott's) it is a bit farther/and longer. To Santa Monica (about the nearest beachy area) it is more than 40 miles and could take anywhere from one to hours depending on traffic.

"So skip disney for Lego and Knotts berry?"

Knotts isn't in the same league as Disney. For 6 and 8 yo children Legoland and Disneyland would be the vacation from Heaven. I really like Knott's Berry Farm - but it really doesn't hold a candle to DL.

If your cousin is at WB he/she can get you into the WB museum where there is a great Harry Potter exhibit for the kids. Burbank is next to Glendale so you could do that same day as Dean Dill. Nope never heard of him, hope he doesn't get you in a pickle.

oops -- meant to post >> . . . could take anywhere from one to two+ hours depending on traffic.

I agree that Knott's isn't worth the time an effort compared to Disneyland. It's just not as much fun and the rides and experience isn't worth all the hassel. Most teens I know feel Knott's is a little dated and run down. But, maybe things have changed since our kids were teens.

If you are staying at the Catamaran in Pacific Beach, I would recommend you spend time in La Jolla (just up the road about 10 minutes north of Pacific Beach). PB is great for college kids, has lots of bars and nightclubs. The beach has it's share of homeless people hanging out, partiers, and bars along the boardwalk.

I prefer La Jolla's beaches especially the La Jolla Cove for kids as the tide pools are wonderful. The beach is a small and protected cove. There are also seals on the rocks and the beach has life guards. There is also La Jolla Shores which is a bit further away but has adaquate parking. The Shores is super kid friendly, has a little grassy park area with children's play equipment. It is also a guarded beach. The little town of La Jolla Shores has great restaurants which are an easy walk from the beach. There are also a lot of dive, kayak, surf shops which provide fun day trips to the La Jolla Caves. Just up the hill from the Shores is a great aquarium called The Birch Aquarium - from their observation deck you can spot migrating whales.

Good one joesorce!! LOL!! La Jolla sounds really nice...I'll look into that. Yes, Glendora is def on the outskirts. Is there anything in Hollywood to see?

Hollywood, can be rather seedy - think Sunset Strip. But as you drive closer into the downtown L.A. area there are more touristy type things to see.

One more question....our flight leaves LAX at 8:00 am tuesday...should we get a hotel close by or get up early and leave from Glendora? If Hotel...are they all pretty much the same quality around LAX?

My wife took my two kids Southern California last year while I was recuperating from surgery. At the time they were 8 and 7.

They LOVED Lego-land and spent two days there. There are several water rides so bring a bathing suit.

Sounds like you're set for hotel, but if looking at something near Lego-land there is a Westin attached to the park.

For an 8am flight you'd need to leave Glendora around 5am at the latest which means waking up around 4am and hopefully in the car by 4:45 or so. Traffic won't be bad at that time.

Staying nearer the airport you could get 90 minutes more sleep plus not have to worry about any traffic jams or a long early morning drive. You could also gas up the rental car the night before. Rental return is quick and easy so you'd need to leave your hotel around 6am.

Marina del Rey is very close to the airport and a nice place to spend your final night near the ocean and the yacht harbor. FoghornHotel.com and jollyrgr.com are two hotels there. Nearer the airport is not as nice an area but La Quinta Inn, Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard Marriott are all nice. Some of the cheaper motels nearby are pretty noisy all night with flight staff checking in at all hours, shuttle bus noise etc...but Travelodge on Century and Best Western Airpark will do in a pinch.

How about this plan for newport beach....our flight lands at 9 a.m. I figure by the time we get our luggage and van it will be 10.....then we drive down to newport beach and eat at the crab cooker on our way to san diego?? Do I take highway one down the coast or the freeway??

"<I figure by the time we get our luggage and van it will be 10."

Count on later -- 10:30 if you are lucky. 11:00 w/ any glitches at all. You'll have to wait for a rental car shuttle. Then wait in line at the rental agency. I've sometimes waited a good 30-45 mins to get my car AFTER waiting curbside 10 mins for the shuttle, AFTER waiting 15 mins for luggage

this will be my first expierence renting a car at an airpot...It will prob be like steve martin in PTA!

Crabcooker is still good and a fun place to stop for a bite. You'll be close to also Balboa Island - a fun place to walk and grab a frozen banana at one of the ice cream shops. Our family prefers D-land over Knotts. Disneyland is much cleaner and has a friendlier atmosphere. You may also want to a check out Downtown Disney which has shops and restaurants. One more thought would be to catch an Angel game at Anaheim Stadium. Have fun!

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I don't think Hwy 1 (for practical purposes) really exists anymore - other than in bits and stretchs of road, which are city streets in some areas. You will want to take the 405 to 5 South into San Diego from Newport Beach.

And watch the timing of your lunch in Newport Beach, you'll want to leave there by 2:30pm so that you don't hit rush hour messes further down as you head into San Diego. Or, don't go all the way to San Diego that first afternoon, stay the night in Carlsbad and get an early start at Legoland next morning. Sounds like you only have 3 or 4 actual "sightseeing" days and you want to do a lot, so some streamlining is in order.

I can't quite figure out your plan but it sounds like two nights in San Diego and four nights in Glendora? So one day is a travel day from San Diego to Glendora and a visit with cousin? Then a day from Glendora to Disneyland and another day from Glendora to Burbank and Glendale. I think that's all you have time for if I'm adding up the days correctly.

Day 1 Arrival and Newport Beach
Day 2 Legoland
Day 3 Sea World
Day 4 Travel to Glendora
Day 5 Disneyland (long day!)
Day 6 Warner Brothers