Any advice accepted....Cheer leading comp, at the Convention center in Anaheim. We should be in Aneheim on Fri ,& Sat....We are arrving in CA on a Wed.....Back to Boston on a Tuesday................The girls are ages 13,12, & 11...........what would you do? Where would you stay? Thanks so much!

1. Rent a car.

2. Stay in Anaheim. You're centrally located to the entire LA area staying there.

3. Thursday, you could head up into LA-- tour Hollywood, hit Beverly Hills, head to Santa Monica and walk the Third Street Promenade, look around the Santa Monica Pier, etc.

4. Sunday, head to the coast. Long Beach and the Queen Mary or the Aquarium of the Pacific, lunch in Shoreline Village; then drive down PCH to Huntington Beach, or down to Newport Beach, or even down to lovely Laguna Beach.

5. Monday, Disneyland/CA Adventure. Have dinner in Downtown Disney.

Just some random thoughts. Others will have other suggestions. You'll have a great time in any case.

Just thought of something: What are the hours of this cheerleading camp? You'll certainly want things to do in the evening. And will you be tied up with it, or will the girls be doing things and you'll be free? If you have a shopping jones while you're in the area, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa will give you a nice fix (think Newbury Street and Fifth Avenue in NY, but indoors), as will Fashion Island in Newport Beach. There's a good high-end outlet mall in Carlsbad as well (but it's somewhat over an hour to get there on the I-5). Give us a bit more info, and I'm sure among us we can fill your itinerary.

The itinerary above is great, IMO. I wouldn't do dinner at Downtown Disney, though. Far too expensive for what you get. However, if you feel like splurging one night, and the girls find something they like, hey go for it!

As far as places to stay, what sort of budget are you looking at? There are tons of hotels around the convention center, and Anaheim has really worked on cleaning the area up. Some hotels are closer than others, and most of the big properties not only have shuttles to D-land, but also have transportation to places like Universal Studios in LA.

One thing you might want to think about, considering the ages of the girls, is a trip to Knott's Berry Farm/Soak City. Touring LA can be fun, but I'm not sure if girls that age would get a whole lot out of Santa Monica or Beverly Hills. It depends on their interests. Knott's has more of the rides that kids in this age group enjoy and they may enjoy that. Of course, D-land one day and Knott's another might drive you bonkers, but...

Chele60 makes some excellent points. The convention center area does indeed have great gobs of hotels, including a big Marriott essentially next door. Think of your travel needs and budget, then come back here and you will get lots of help on lodging.

Knott's is another cool idea, and yeah, good for kids those ages. But I think Santa Monica is pretty cool too-- especially the Pier. At least for an hour or two.