Need Advice on DL and the surrounding area

[DakotaDisney]

I am going to Disneyland in February next year. I am going to a conference at the Hyatt Regency in Orange County, just down the road from Disneyland. I have been to this hotel and DL before. I am going to spend a couple days at Disneyland, but this time I would also like to see something else. But I don't know what to do. If you had one to two days what would you do beyond DL?
Should I rent a car and drive somewhere or should I go on a tour? The Hyatt has a shuttle to DL, so I will spend some time there, but what else should I do? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Crow]

the only other thing i got a chance to do was go to Universal. I liked it and it wont take a full day.
otherwise i would have liked to see Hollywood and the area.

[badkitty]

If you have a car, San Diego is a great destination. The San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park (I think it has a new name now) is really cool.

[mook3y]

Boy, without knowing your likes, dislikes, etc that is really a hard question to answer.

From that area, you are very close to Knott's Berry Farm if you want to try another amusement park with bigger roller coasters and great food (try the chicken dinner).

If you get a car, then I would suggest going to Newport Beach and then a little farther south to Crystal Cove (if you check tide tables for low tide - lots of tide pools). Universal is cool, Six Flags if you want more big roller coasters.

Staying in the area your at, "The Block" in orange in kind of cool - shopping, food, theatre. (but I would rather do Downtown Disney).

Going into LA then west to Santa Monica and Venice is a neat day.

you have a couple of missions you could go check out - San Juan Capistrano is probably the closeest.

if you PM more of your likes, I could tailor more suggestions. I grew up 15 miles from DLR resort area.

[DakotaDisney]

I have been to San Diego and SD Zoo. Very Nice!

I would like to see some of the popular sites of LA, Hollwood, etc. or studio tours.

I'm not to interested in amusement parks beyond Disney, but I would be interested in Universal Studios.

Is renting a car the best option, or are tours better, if you haven't been to LA before. If I am going to do something other than Universal I would like to see as much as possible in a day or two.
Thanks!

[BrerGnat]

There are tours to Hollywood and the surrounding area. You can probably find a few that leave from DLR area by doing a simple Google search.

In my opinion, the Hollywood area is very overrated, but if it's something you really want to see, you should do it since you'll have the opportunity.

My advice would be to rent a car as long as you have a GPS you can use. Traffic can be a hassle, and it's good to have a GPS to get you alternate routes if you hit a snarl. There are a few rental agencies right in Anaheim within a couple blocks of the resort. You'll find Avis, Dollar, and Alamo right along Harbor Blvd/Katella.

In February, I'd recommend against going to the beaches. TOO cold!