California-no doubt about it. If you’ve been following our family travels then you are full aware of our Fifty Nifty Challenge. That’s right we set a family goal to visit all 50 states by the time our Row goes to college. It’s getting fun! We did agree to split California into Southern and Northern trips since there is just so much to do there. We snagged an airfare deal to Los Angeles and off we went!
Here are our top family spots in Southern California!
- Disneyland-you know you saw this one coming. You can’t visit soCal and not go to Disneyland. I carved out one day for Disneyland and sadly we didn’t get close to doing everything! I would definitely plan for two days. Disneyland is tiny if you’re used to Disney world. The castle is amazing and the churros are necessary. Make sure you stop and see Toon Town. I mapped out a list of all the events and rides only available at Disneyland and made those a priority-you’ll see them in an upcoming post.
- California Adventure-you have to go to both parks….especially if you’re only going once like us! It’s literally next door to Disneyland. California Adventure has a boardwalk feel with a completely cool Bugs Land and Cars Land attached. Make sure you ride the ferris wheel but I will warn you-go on the stationary one!
- The Chinese Theater and Walk of Fame– It’s a quick visit into Hollywood. Easy to park. Once you get on Hollywood Boulevard the stars are everywhere and oh so fun! The Chinese theater is a quick visit but seeing all those stars of days gone byes hand prints are priceless and are definitely something to do while you’re there! Oh and it’s free! There is also always some kind of event happening in that area for film releases so check it out online for the day you visit.
- Hollywood Sign-Come on-it’s a classic. There are many spots you can stop at while driving-we especially liked that we could find a spot on our way to the next place we were going and knocked out two bucket lists item in one visit. Keeping it real with this picture!
- Griffith Observatory- This one is also free. You can pay a small fee to see the show but otherwise visiting is free. The views are amazing and there are tons of cool exhibits like a Tesla coil. So many films and tv shows have used this amazing place as a set.
- Santa Monica Pier-It’s so much fun to drive on the boardwalk! We rode the ferris wheel, rode some kiddie rides, peered off the edge to see the Pacific and smelled the sea air. The rides are a bit pricey but it costs nothing just to walk. I highly recommend the ferris wheel!
- Randy’s Donuts– My husband had no idea what this place was…..shocking. It’s the place with the huge iconic donut on the top of the building! It’s right on your way back to the airport and easy to stop at as you leave. Go for the Texas Sized donut-it was amazing.
There are so many more places we could have gone! I would definitely plan on staying at least 7 days to get everything in! Happy traveling!
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