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One of the main attractions for our family visit to Universal Studios Hollywood was of course The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Having just finished book number 5, my 7 year old was hankering to visit our neighborhood theme park. While the Wizarding World of Harry Potter isn’t a huge section of Universal Studios Hollywood, […]

It’s almost that time of year again! The day little boys (and girls) look forward to all year long – trash truck open house! My son equates spring and summer with several things and the opening day to summer in his mind is the LA Sanitation Department’s open house (and the Fire Service Recognition Day!).  This […]

It has taken us 5 years of living in Los Angeles, but we finally made it to Universal Studios Hollywood. Wow! I wish we went sooner, but I am also sort of glad we waited. My son is just now 48 inches which meant he could go on every ride at the park. Visiting Universal […]

One of the reasons we renew our annual passes at Disneyland every year is because of the many yearly holiday celebrations. We love Mickey’s Halloween party, the fantastic Christmas decorations and holiday themed rides and of course, Easter. There aren’t fancy decorations or unique parades, rather, following in modern tradition, there is an Easter egg […]

Since we first moved to LA I have had a list of things to do and places to visit. San Juan Capistrano has been on that list now for years. A few weeks ago we finally had the opportunity to head down to see what it’s all about. Read on to see what we thought […]

For years I have had it on my massive LA bucket list to take the train down to check out Mission San Juan Capistrano. However not being a California native I am not too up on California history so I wasn’t sure exactly why I needed to visit this jewel of missions so it continued […]

Last week we headed up to the mountains for a day of skiing and snow play. I was so excited to finally don some winter wear and check out Mountain High (Mt High), Los Angeles’s closest ski resort. Unlike our last visit to Mt High, this trip was a total success. We left bright and […]

Growing up in the 80s and 90s, Joshua Tree for me symbolized music, not a National Park.  But because of the music, the park has always held a certain allure. Once I discovered how close it was to LA, it moved to the top of my local travel list. But, even then, it took me almost a year of […]

We set out on a foggy overcast day for the mountain town of Skyforest, just outside of Lake Arrowhead and about 30 miles from Big Bear Lake, in search of winter fun at Santa’s Village. As we weaved through light traffic on the 210 freeway, the entire mountain range of the San Bernardino National Forest […]

The holiday season is upon us which means an overload of things to do in Los Angeles. Even though we don’t get the snowy cold weather, this city knows how to celebrate for the holidays! Parades, neighborhood Christmas light extravaganzas, Santa photo ops and of course classically southern California winter fun – sand sledding! If […]

As much as we love to venture off to distant lands, we also love exploring here at home in Southern California. One place I had yet to visit was the small mountain town Idyllwild, popular with hippies and hikers alike. Idyllwild is nestled in the San Jacinto mountains about 2 hours from Los Angeles. Tall […]

Every year the number of traditions that my son institutes seems to grow exponentially. It’s tough to keep up with all the things he wants to do each year to signify and celebrate the coming Halloween holiday. For him it’s not just the one day of trick or treating, rather it’s the build up that is […]

Most southern Californian residents know Long Beach either for it’s spectacular aquarium or as the home of the famous Queen Mary. Situated on the coast, only 30 minutes from LAX or Downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach is an easy day trip destination for most SoCal families. However, as we recently found out, this cute harbor town […]

California is home to 28 national parks and sites scattered throughout the state. From the iconic Half Dome in Yosemite, to the desolate in Death Valley and the big trees in the North at the Redwoods, there is no shortage of vast beauty in California’s parks. One of the last few remaining parks that we […]

The last thing I wanted to do after finding my car broken into was drive 80 miles south of Los Angeles to Oceanside for a planned weekend getaway. Turns out, it’s exactly what I needed. Packed up and ready to head out for a mother-son weekend, we had one last stop to make at my son’s […]

Even though we live only 90 minutes away from Legoland in Carlsbad, it has taken us years to finally get there. My son isn’t a lego fanatic, so we weren’t pushed to make the trip. I regret now that it took us so long to get there. Being annual passport holders at Disney just up […]

Visitors flock to Southern California for vacation looking to fill their days and nights with as much fun as they can afford! If you are visiting Buena Park or nearby Anaheim you probably have on your itinerary to attend an interactive family dinner. The decision is which one to attend – Medieval Times or the Pirate’s Dinner […]

One of the best places in Southern California for star gazing is in and around Joshua Tree. We have been out several times specifically to do this, but only recently learned about the Sky’s the Limit Observatory in 29 Palms. On our last visit to the northern part of Joshua Tree we noticed the observatory’s white […]

I have been to Joshua Tree many times, and while there is still a ton to explore on my own, I was excited to get off the beaten path with Joshua Tree Excursions during my last visit. Joshua Tree Excursions is a locally owned company providing privately guided off-trail experiences with the thought that life is about the journey […]

Touch-a-truck events are becoming the spring and summer thing to do. Some are fundraisers for public schools or charity organizations and some are just free community events. The Touch-a-Truck day in Thousand Oaks is our favorite of all the ones on offer throughout Southern California. (more…)