drivable places near LA
 

My husband and I and my children will be in LA in February for approximately 4-5 days. We were considering driving to San Francisco but I have read conflicting stories about the drive. Where else could we drive to from LA that would be scenic and not require an overnight stay? (Not San Diego - we've already gone there) I assume we could do up to two hours each way without any problems.

You can drive to Santa Barbara...that should take you about 2 hrs. from L.A.

Ooops, hit post too soon. You can also drive to Palm Springs in about 2 hours. That's a fun trip!

Big Bear Lake is a good option.. less then 3 hours, also you can actually get to North Fork CA and Bass lake which is in the lower part of Yosemite in about 3 hours. Also, Palm Springs, Ventura, Ojai or San Louis Obispo. San Francisco is really a pretty long drive.

Going south, there's the Queen Mary and a seaport village shopping/dining area in Long Beach; Surf City USA at Huntington Beach (there's no specific attraction called Surf City-that's just the well-deserved nickname for the pier and harbor area of HB); in Newport Bay, there are bay cruise boatrides, the beach, pier, and Balboa Fun Zone (a small coney Island type place); Laguna Beach is a neat place to walk around and has a wide variety of art galleries; Dana Point has a marina chock full of moored boats, shopping botiques, and dining choices and just south, the Doheney State Beach is a great white wide expanse of sand and recreation that goes down the coast for miles; San Clemente has a beach, pier, and a seafood restaurant on the pier I enjoy. After that you're into Camp Pendelton (a restricted access Marine Base) where, if your timing is good, you can see from the highway ships, hovercraft, and helicopters practicing beach assaults.

February weather along the coast is chancy. It may be perfect (today is going to be 74 degrees and sunny), it could be overcast and cool, or it could be rainy and cold (for here). You need to be prepared for any of those conditions and hope for the best.

Have a great visit to our Paradise by the Pacific.

You can do Catalina by boat in a day without an overnight. Look at www.catalinaexpress.com. Maybe a whale watching excursion out of Ventura Harbor? Also, depending on the age of your kids, consider driving day trips to the Long Beach Aquarium and the Santa Barbara Zoo. Have fun!

thank you for all those wonderful suggestions. 74 sounds fabulous. I am in the East Coast with 3 degrees weather today. I can't wait to go. The Catalina whale watching sounds very interesting. Can anyone who has been on it comment? Is the water ok or choppy pacific? My children are 6 and 11.

Can't tell you about the Ventura Harbor whale watching tour, but I give a trip to Catalina Island a big thumbs up. It's a nice change of pace from the buzz of the city. They have glass-bottom boats tours (the water is SO clear compared to around the mainland), bus tours to see the wildlife (buffalo, wild boars, etc), neat shops, and beautiful, quiet streets. It's been several years since I took the Catalina Express over there so I don't remember how the trip was, other than it was well worth it! There's probably a chance you'd see a whale or two on the way over, although the boat won't seek them out.

As for the condition of the water, it really depends on the weather. Some days the pacific is very smooth and sometimes it's very choppy or there are significant swells.

When I was a kid my class took a boat trip from Ventura harbor to Anacapa Island. Every kid in the class loved it - even the ones who got seasick on the way out.

Hi lia. Actually, Catalina and whale watching are 2 separate trips. Catalina is an island 26 miles from the mainland. Not a ton to see and do, but certainly enough to fill a day. For whale watching, check out www.islandpackers.com. I think the season is right when you'll be there.

Nobody has mentioned San Diego which is "America's Finest City". By the way that is what is is called and not my doing. San Diego is a beautiful city with lots to do and see. One of our favorite things to do is to take the Coronado ferry from downtown San Diego, next to the Broadway Pier, to Coronado Island. We then walk from the ferry on Coronado to the Hotel Del Coronado. We eat at Miguel's Cocina ( delicious Mexican food at a reasonable price in a nice ambiance ) across from the Hotel Del. There are many other things to do and see like the world famous zoo, Sea World, Old Town, downtown, the harbor, Point Loma, etc.

I lived in San Diego for 19 years so if you have any questions, ask away.

jwc - You're right. Dan Diego is great. But the poster said not San Diego (already been there). And its not exactly a convenient day trip from LA without an overnight.

All wonderful suggestions, I am still leaning towards whale watching one day and then drive to Santa Barbara another.
I thinking of the Embassy Suites near the airport (can anyone comment on it). It seemed like a good home base, especially since we will be arriving late don't want to drive far after a long trip. The next day while my husband attends a conference, I will have the day with my kids. I was thinking of going to the Santa Monica Pier and walk the promenade. Is it easy to get there with no car (hubby will have car) from the Embassy Suites? Are the taxi's expensive. I will have all day so I don't mind taking some sort of public transport as long as it's safe and easy to use. Or should I rent an additional car for the day to go over there. IF I do, is parking easy to find at Santa Monica?

Can't comment on Embassy Suites by LAX (I live in the area), but I can tell you that you could pretty easily get up to Santa Monica on public transportation. The hotel might give you a lift, or you could take a cab (short ride), to the LAX bus transportation terminal. From there, take the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus (I think it's #3) up to Santa Monica (careful-- sometimes it goes all the way to UCLA). You can get off the BBB at Fourth and Arizona, then walk toward the water a block to the Third Street Promenade. Note that the Pier is at the end of Colorado-- you could also get off the BBB at Fourth and Colorado. Your choice.

Cabs aren't prohibitively expensive. Best thing to do is to get recommendations from the front desk at the hotel. You don't have to rent a car-- parking in SM is a little expensive, and lots can fill up, depending on what day it is.

If you go to Catalina, make sure you book the FAST boat which leaves out of Long Beach near the Queen Mary. There is a slower boat out of San Pedro, I believe, that is nauseating if you are prone to sea sickness.