Question for those in California
 

Hi Everybody!

I'm usually just a lurker, reading what everyone else has to say but you all seem so nice and helpful I thought I'd ask for your advice.

My family and I are leaving Saturday for vacation in California. We're staying in Oceanside between San Diego and Los Angeles. We've never been there before (we're from the Midwest) and are really looking forward to the trip. I was wondering if I could get some recommendations from those familiar with Southern California. We are planning on spending only one day at a theme park and we cannot decide between Knott's Berry Farm, California Adventure or Disneyland. Our kids are 12, 4 and 3 and so we're just not sure which place is going to be the best for a one day stop. Also, we are planning on hitting the San Diego zoo and hopefully Hollywood on another day.

Any recommendations, tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and/or respond! :)

Disneyland wins for theme park - CA adventure is OK, but doesn't have as many of the classic/favorite rides and attractions. Knott's Berry Farm has more extreme rides, and might be less fun for your younger ones. And everyone should go to Disneyland at least once!

What sort of recommendations are you looking for in the Hollywood area?

Disney is best for the kids. Go on a weekday if you can. Knott's is just eh. As far as Hollywood...the center of it all is the intersection at Hollywood & Highland. You're next to the Chinese Theatre and across from the El Capitan, where they do all the Disney films and have special exhibits. You can also go to the top of H & H for a spectacular view of the Hollywood Sign. That is also where the Kodak Theatre is where they do America Idol and a lot of other awards shows. They also have a lot of Celeb impersonators and characters out there for photos.

If you decide to spend a day in Hollywood...don't try to park down there. If you are driving up from the SD area, your best bet is to drive to Union Station or somewhere like that and take the RED LINE subway which will take you right to the heart of Hollywood. You can get day passes super cheap and go all around all day and you can park all day at any of the parking lots for the Metro. Also, at H & H you'll be near a lot of the better stars on the Walk of Fame too.

Have a great trip!

~Julee

I would vote for the Wild Animal Park rather than the San Diego zoo. Have a great time! Take a day for the beach!

I agree that Disneyland is best! Have a great time!!!:D

My vote goes to Disneyland also. Knotts might not be fun for the smaller kids. also agree with juliecees --go to Hollywood and Highland, walk the streets. Its a lot of fun

DL is always fun but don't count out Sea World or Universal Studios or even LeggoLand as you have a couple of little ones. But, if you are only going to one theme park you cannot go to CA and NOT go to DL. Personally, I/my kids prefer Sea World to the SD zoo...unless you can do all three (with the wild animal park..).

Boy, there is so many things for you to do in that area - but are you thinking museum? Shopping? Sporting events? The list is endless in So Cal!

Disneyland is my fav...but I also LOVE Knott's. Honestly, I think I am partial to Knotts only because I grew up there and we have a tradition of going to the Chicken Dinner Restaurant EVERY TIME we are there. I don't think the food is as good as it was...but its tradition. I would suggest Sea World too. It is SOO much fun. They even have a few rides and the shows are great for all ages. I took my niece when she was 4 and again when she was 6.

ETA: You can get the hopper passes that allow you to jump back and forth with Disneyland and California Adventure.

If it comes to a choice between California Adventure or Disneyland: definitely go to Disneyland. Knotts Berryfarm would be almost last on my list of theme parks to visit, but that's just me. :)

I have only been to California Adventure once, and that was plenty. I have no desire to ever pay to get into that place. I had free passes the one time I did go, so at least I didn't feel like I was ripped off. The best part of my day there was the long, wonderful lunch I had at one of the restaurants (which isn't even there anymore).

If you are interested in seeing a movie studio while you are in Hollywood, you could check into taking a tour at the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank. It's literally on the other side of the hill from the Universal Studios theme park and it is a real, working studio as opposed to a theme park. Yes, you can take a tram tour of the Universal Studios back lots where some movies are filmed, but Warner Brothers is not as tourist-y IMHO. However, your younger kids might not find a studio tour very interesting.

Another theme park somewhere in SoCal is the LegoLand Adventure park. I really don't know where it is, but from all the commercials I've seen it looks like a great place for the little ones. Lots of interactive rides, and fun kid-oriented stuff.

If you are looking to witness a little bit of the nutty SoCal stereotypes, a visit to Venice Beach is a must on a weekend. There are plenty of street performers, artists, and crazies out there to see.

When you are in Hollywood, be prepared for the costumed characters all over the place. They will pose for pictures with your family, for a price naturally.

If you are staying in Oceanside you will be only a few minutes from Legoland in Carlsbad ~ about 45 minutes from Sea World ~ less than an hour to the San Diego Zoo and museums ~ a little over an hour to the Wild Animal Park...nice this time of year...not too hot. I would pick Disneyland over Knotts and Ca. Adventure.

The Carlsbad flower fields are realy pretty right now...a big hit with the kids!..lol...kidding! They are real close to Legoland.

Thank you all so much! Everything sounds fabulous and this is just the insider type of information I'm needing. I'm going to show my husband all of this advice and hopefully we can formulate some kind of plan from there.

From you all's advice Disneyland sounds like a good bet and I've been doing some reading about Hollywood and Highland and that sounds like it would be really interesting for all the TV/movie/celebrity stuff. We'd love to do a studio tour or see a taping of a show but the ages of the little guys prevents us from some of that type of stuff. I'll definitely look into some of the other suggestions regarding the zoo and the wild animal park.

I've read somewhere that there is a train station in Oceanside near our condo and that you can take the train into LA and avoid some parking/traffic problems that way. Although I have to say, I have an irrational fear of leaving one of my kids on a train that I can't catch up to.

I've been trying to plan an itinerary for months and all I keep coming back to is that a week is not nearly enough time do everything! We travel a bit but this trip has me intimidated and I'm not sure why. Gee, now I sound like a real hick!

The epicenter of last week's earthquake was about 40 miles from our house. We figured we were just getting prepared for our California experience.

Thanks again for taking the time to help us out!

http://www.citypass.com/city/socal.html

This ^^ is a good deal. ;)

This one is okay too. >> http://www.sightseeingworld.com/tour...p?TourCode=572

The train depot in Oceanside is simple to access...not sure if it still does, but it used to stop at the Los Angeles Angels Stadium which is near Disneyland.

If you want to do 'beachy" stuff...go next door to Carlsbad too.

I grew up in Oceanside and I recently went to both Knotts Berry Farm and Legoland.

Legoland is great for kids. Knotts does have an area for small kids but I think it'd be better for kids over 10. Disneyland is good for various ages and is classic.

You might be really interested in going to Universal Studios if you are interested in Hollywood. There is also a little shopping center outside of Universal studios which you can walk around in as well.

Since you will be in Oceanside, I'd just generally recommend a visit to the Oceanside Pier. There is a Ruby's (50s diner place) at the end of it. I also enjoy visiting the Carlsbad beach walk between Carlsbad Village Drive and Tamarack.

The San Diego Zoo is a great place to visit so I'd definitely not change your plans regarding that.

You haven't really experienced LA until you've encountered the traffic problems. ;)

And don't worry about the earthquakes. They are kinda like thrill rides: just stay away from anything that could fall on you and ride it out! I barely take notice of them unless they are over 5.0 magnitude. :D