Suggestions for 1st visit to California
 

We have just started planning for our trip in November so any information would be useful. We are taking our 2 kids aged 19 & 15 and will be in Long Beach for 4 days and then have 4 days following to do what we want. We are thinking of going to Catalina Island for a night or two but uncertain if the "teens" would enjoy this. At this point in our planning we are open to any suggestions.

How about a drive down to San Diego www.sandiego.org or maybe a trip up scenic highway 1 along the coast stopping at Santa Barbara and also up to San Simieon for a tour of Hearst Castle www.hearst-castle.org Make reservations for Hearst Castle tours. There are various places to stay overnight in nearby Cambria. If time permits, head about 60 miles up Highway 1 from San Simeon to see the spectacular scenary of Big Sur.<BR><BR>Have a great trip.

head down to san diego - try getting a room at the catamaran or pacific beach terrace (i think that's what it's called - someone correct me if i'm wrong) or best western blue sea lodge. these are all on or close to pacific beach which is a great location for a quick trip with lots of things for "kids" your age to do. if you've never seen anything similar, sea world is really good. <BR>or, if you like laying around pools and have never seen the desert, head to palm springs and spend one day at joshua tree national park.

Why Long Beach for 4 days? Not the most exciting place in Southern California.

You could spend a day in Hermosa Beach. It's a nice surfer town, lots of young people for your kids to meet. Many restaurants, shops, and a nice beach. It's about half an hour north of Long Beach.

Catalina is really boring for kids, unless you fork out the extra cash to go to the west side of the island and watch the buffalo roam. I'd recommend either going south to San Diego, hitting the gaslamp district (have lunch at Dick's Last Resort), check out the Wild Animal Park and the SD Zoo. Absolutely worth every penny! If you want you could also go north and drive through Old Towne and check out the Huntington in Pasadena.

While in Long Beach, explore the historic Queen Mary ocean liner, permanently berthed there as a floating hotel and museum. As a teenager I enjoyed exploring the huge ship on a guided tour. As an adult, I enjoyed spending a night on the ship in a former first class stateroom and having "exclusive" run of the ship once it had closed for the day for tours.

Catalina's boring for kids, but the Huntington Library is going to wow them? I'd guess that Tina might not have kids. <BR><BR>A day trip to Catalina would be fine with teenagers.

"X" We are in Long Beach for a conference.<BR>Thanks for asking, and so far everyone's ideas and suggestions have ben appreciated.<BR>

I'm a resident of a posh Orange County community who, because of business, has spent significant time in Long Beach because of my occupation. Frankly, I've developed quite a soft spot for Long Beach and think it is one of the only cities in SoCal that has any sense of real history and honest personality. On top of that, coastal Long Beach is rare amongst SoCal cities in that it is extremely pedestrian-friendly and has great, free local transportation.<BR><BR>When in LB, I think your kids would love a stop at the aquarium there, a stone's throw from the convention center. I also think they would like Catalina, if not the shops there, they would love the boat ride there and the chance to ride around the quaint streets of the island in a rented golf-cart-type vehicles. You could probably do Catalina in a long day, leaving in the morning and returning in the evening on the last boat, just in time to catch dinner back on the mainland.<BR><BR>The kids might also enjoy Hollywood (during the DAYTIME). Go to Gromans Chinese, let them check out the handprints of the stars and catch some grub at the new Hollywood and Highland mall. San Diego might be a great road trip, but would probably consume two or three of your free days as would Santa Barbara, another GREAT destination. You could do either, but probably not both given your time frame... both are lovely in their own way. I would lean towards Santa Barbara, a longer drive from LB but much more different than the cities south of it (LA, LB, SD, etc).<BR><BR>And finally, let's not overlook the obvious. Have your kids been to a Disney park? Disneyland/California Adventure is a very easy drive from LB if you haven't yet been.<BR><BR>I'm always a fan of Santa Monica for visitors, perhaps the most tourist-friendly area of LA county in my humble opinion... I'd suggest arriving at the 3rd street promenade area and park in a surrounding parking structure in the early afternoon, before the rush begins. Stroll around the promenade and find a restaurant that suits your taste, and make a reservation for later in the evening. While waiting, or after dinner if you eat earlier, you can enjoy the lights, sights, music, and street performers. Probably BEST done on a weekend evening, but entertaining any day.<BR><BR>Hope this helps. Happy traveling.

Note that the "kids" are 15 and 19, so in most respects they're going to have similar tastes to most adults. They're all old enough to have a lot of input on what they'd like to do on their vacation. Why not have them do some research and planning for the trip - that way they can't complain that they're not having a good time.