Am considering a trip to southern California in December (prior to Christmas). Any input as to what are some of the best sites (other than Disneyland) for two adults traveling without children?

There are so many places to see. How long are you going to be there? Any favorite activities?

One definite recommendation is an afternoon at the Getty Center. It's one of my favorite museums. Not only does it offer great artwork, but the architecture and gardens are well worth seeing.

Tina:

We will probably be there 5-7 days. We enjoy museums, so thanks for the tip on the Getty Center. We also enjoy beautiful drives, wildlife, shopping, dining at unusual restaurants, movies and tv memorabilia. What is your opinion on Universal Studios?

I'd second the suggestion for the Getty Center. You should also head to Laguna Beach and spend a day or two. Beautiful beach town with great restaurants and art galleries.

A few days in Santa Barbara is also a good option. It would offer nice scenic drives, goot restaurants, and shopping.

Not sure where you're from, but if you've never been to Las Vegas, I would also consider taking an overnight drive there to see the adult fantasyland. Definitely not the most scenic drive, but the Las Vegas Strip is unlike anything you'll see anywhere else.

Otherwise, I have to agree with the suggestions of Santa Barbara or Laguna Beach.

Where are you basing yourself in Southern California on your stay?

I just spent two weeks in San Clemente. My husband dragged me to the Nixon library, also where he and Pat are buried and Nixon's birthplace. It was a great visit, his bith house is on the property and the museum is very interesting. I was a reluctant tourist and it was a highlight of the trip. We also enjoyed the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

Just for clarification, the Nixon Library is in Yorba Linda, not San Clemente as is implied in the previous post.

My husband & I visited Universal Studios around 8 years ago and didn't like it, but we didn't go on any rides (too long of lines) and basically just did the tour. But this past week we just visited Pasadena and had a good time. We visited Huntington Library & Gardens but there's also the Norton Simon Museum & Pacific Asian Museum - and walking on Colorado Ave in Old Pasadena was shopping & eating fun. Our friend said it was quite a scene at night (we were lunching), similar to the 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica, which may also be fun.

Thanks to everyone for their input. We don't have a definite base in mind, just wherever most centrally located to the sites we want to visit. We live in Idaho. We were planning to stop a couple days in Vegas also. Thought we would go the the San Diego Wild Animal Park since I missed it when I visited the San Diego Zoo before. Saw a special last night on the Universal Studios Orlando on the travel channel and think we will probably skip it. Looks like it is mostly roller coaster-type rides. I love the ocean, so will definitely hit the beaches. I am so land-locked in Idaho that I crave the ocean!!

I'd suggest starting out down in San Diego and driving up the coast to Santa Barbara. Make stops along the way in La Jolla, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach (Balboa Island), Santa Monica, Ventura and Santa Barbara.