Southern CA itinerary ideas

[Kenny1113]

So, we are looking to do CA for Spring Break I would like to see if anyone has some ideas (or where to go to get ideas) for great iteneraries for touring CA. Because of time limitations we will probably be sticking to LA, Anehiem/Disneyland, San Diego, la jolla, a national park (recommendations please) etc. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[TheDuckRocks]

My very favorite State Park is Big Sur, but it is a very, very long drive when you are just there for a limited time.

[AllDisney]

Try and get to the Getty Museum. It has some wonderful items.....if you are into that kinda stuff

[DisneyDINK]

I grew up in LA and I get down there about twice a year. I guess that makes me a so-so resource when it comes to what to do as a tourist in LA/Southern California. But I will say...

Yosemite is a beautiful National Park, but spring break might not be the time to do it and it is a long way from LA. The same goes for Sequoia, closer to LA though. Death Valley - spring break is a good time to visit,but, again, a bit of a hike. All are great national parks.

Yes, the Getty in LA is an awesome museum.

Get a burger at In-N-Out. (I prefer a chili burger at Tommy's, but most prefer In-N-Out)

Legoland in Carlsbad is good for young kids.

Have fun!

[Kenny1113]

Thanks for all the suggestions thus far!

Yes I definitely want to hit Yosimite some time in the future, unfortunately we will only be there a week.

How is Joshua Tree? Ob the maps, It doesn't look too far from LA or San Diego.

[BrerGnat]

Joshua Tree is pretty far from LA. It's about a 3 hour car ride. Honestly, I'm not much of an outdoorsy person, but that particular park is basically a desert. If that's interesting to you, then go for it, but it is not on the same level as Yosemite or Big Sur. I wouldn't personally spend an entire day just to go there.

A little more information about your traveling party would be helpful. There is a lot to see and do in So Cal, but recommendations really will depend on whether there are kids or not and what types of things you like (beaches, zoos, theme parks, museums, good restaurants/bars, etc.).

[Kenny1113]

Joshua Tree is pretty far from LA. It's about a 3 hour car ride. Honestly, I'm not much of an outdoorsy person, but that particular park is basically a desert. If that's interesting to you, then go for it, but it is not on the same level as Yosemite or Big Sur. I wouldn't personally spend an entire day just to go there.

A little more information about your traveling party would be helpful. There is a lot to see and do in So Cal, but recommendations really will depend on whether there are kids or not and what types of things you like (beaches, zoos, theme parks, museums, good restaurants/bars, etc.).

Thanks for the clarification on Joshua Tree!

We are a family of 4, 2 boys 11 and 9. I think we will definitely hit Disneyland and that will be it as far as theme parks. If we have time I think we will hit the San Diego Zoo, but it not a must do.
We do enjoy museums and had a great time in DC last summer with all the museums. That said, a good museum would be cool, but not missed if we ran out of time. We would like to check out the beaches and plan on hitting la jolla to see the sea lions(???). We do enjoy trying the local restaurants and my kids are not picky eaters.

[AZ Disney]

My boys are 14 and 9 and grandparents live in San Diego, so we have vacationed in the area a lot. A southern CA City pass might be a good value for your trip or the GO LA card which includes some San Diego area destinations too. We have used both and loved each of them.

My suggestions for LA area:
1)Hollywood - the kids will love it.
2)Take a open top bus tour through the area
3)Knotts Berry Farm - it's not Disney, but it is a fun park for a thrill seeking family.
4)LA Zoo - great zoo.
5)Beaches (Manhattan, Newport etc)

San Diego:
1)North County Beaches (Carlsbad, Encinitas, Del Mar, etc
2)La Jolla Cove (seals)
3)La Jolla Shores (long stretch of beach)
4)Point Loma (Cabrillo National Monument - historical coastal area
5)Coronado Island (The Del hotel, lovely beach, brunch, small little island)
6)Downtown San Diego Waterfront - shopping, boat museums, etc
7)Legoland (your kids may have grown out of it already)
8)Great pizza place called Luigi's (not the one on the beach, but close to the zoo. It is worth the effort to find it. Cash only.
9)Mission or Pacific Beach - we prefer north county beaches as they are more family oriented, but these are fun too. Lots of people watching and boardwalk walking.

Have Fun!

[BrerGnat]

I would personally recommend the San Diego Wild Animal park over the Zoo any day. Your boys would probably really love it. Check it out...it's up sort of near Escondido, which is a bit inland from Carlsbad area. It is more like Animal Kingdom, where the animals are roaming on large plots of land, in a "natural" setting that you view from trams. They have all the big African cats there as well as a neat Cheetah run exhibit. You could easily spend a few hours at the Wild Animal park and then visit Carlsbad beach, which is very family friendly. There are a number of good restaurants in Carlsbad along with a nice upscale outdoor outlet mall. My personal favorite restaurant in that area is Claim Jumper, but there is also a great NY pizza place by the beach called Knockout Pizza. Used to go there a lot! Legoland also has a stand alone Aqaurium which is pretty neat. It's also rather cheap for admission (something like $10/person). It's sort of fun how they incorporated Legos into an aquarium. Could provide an hour or two of interesting fun.

San Diego itself is beautiful. I second the recommendation to drive over to Coronado island and check out the Del. Coronado is home to many good restaurants as well, or you can stop by the Gaslamp District in downtown San Diego for a good meal. If you like Mexican food, there are good places in Old Town San Diego as well.

If your kids would like the "classic" Southern California beach experience, I'd probably head to either Huntington Beach or Santa Monica Pier. Both are fun, family friendly areas. You'll see a lot of surfers at Huntington Beach, but one of the best places to see that is on the drive down between Orange County and San Diego. Along I-5, there is a place you can pull off the road (Vista Point, or something like that) and you can park the car and watch the surfers in the ocean below. If you time it right, it's an excellent place to watch the sunset as well. Keep in mind, spring break in CA is NOT "beach weather." Temps will be in the 70's, but the water is usually in the upper 50's at this time of year. The surfers will all be in full wetsuits.

Personally, I have a hate/hate relationship with L.A. I hate it. I find nothing there of interest and I hate almost everything about the area. Even the beaches are marred by oil refineries within sight. No thanks! Orange County and San Diego have so much more to offer than L.A. and they are much nicer areas. Hollywood is beyond tacky and seedy, and I could not in good conscience recommend spending any time or money there.

[sisterslovindisney]

I love the Old Town Trolley tour in San Diego. It takes you to a lot of neat places where you can get off and on. Also, while we were out there for a work conference one year I also took my son on a deep sea fishing excursion one morning. We had a blast!

[Kenny1113]

Thanks this is all very helpful!!!

I agree I don't see us spending a lot of time in LA/Hollywood, but my kids really want to see it!

[HollyB]

If you haven't already finished your vacation, I recommend checking out Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. A day trip from either LA or San Diego, this is high desert, with desert wild flowers in bloom in the spring. One of the trails, wanders through a canyon crisscrossing a small river (really weird for a desert!) to an oasis with palm trees and waterfalls. It makes the whole hike pretty surreal, but it is a very doable hike for the whole family. We really enjoyed our visit there.