Places to go: Things to Do in Southern California Before or After Congress
(all times approximate)
Orange County is a great family destination. Plan to bring the family and grandkids and make a vacation out of it! Check out the Orange County Visitors Bureau for more information, maps, etc…
HOST SOCIETY RECEPTION
- Newport Bay Harbor Cruise on Saturday aboard the Hornblower Endless Dreams.
POSSIBLE TOURS
Mission San Juan Capistrano dating from 1776, with lunch at El Adobe restaurant and visit to historic district- Nixon Presidential Library, Birthplace and Museum
- Reagan Presidential Library (Thursday after Congress)
- Huntington Library & Gardens
Museums
Bowers Museum (10 to 20 minutes)
https://www.bowers.org/
Autry Museum of the American West (1 hour)
https://theautry.org/
J. Paul Getty Museum (1 hour)
http://www.getty.edu/museum/
Getty Villa (1 hour)
http://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/
Huntington Library & Gardens (1.5 hours)
http://www.huntington.org/
Places of Interest
Newport Back Bay
http://newportbay.org/
Queen Mary, Long Beach (40 minutes)
https://www.queenmary.com/
Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach (40 minutes)
http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/
Battleship Iowa (45 minutes)
https://pacificbattleship.com/
Catalina Island
https://www.catalinachamber.com/
Amusement Parks
(may be a bit crowded in July)
Disneyland
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/
Knotts Berry Farm
https://www.knotts.com/
Arts and Theater
Irvine Art Museum (5 minutes)
http://irvinemuseumcollection.uci.edu/
Segerstrom Center for the Arts (5 minutes)
https://www.scfta.org/
South Coast Repertory Theater (5 minutes)
https://www.scr.org/
Laguna Beach Art Festivals (20 -30 minutes)
https://www.foapom.com/
https://sawdustartfestival.org/
Shopping
South Coast Plaza
http://www.southcoastplaza.com/
Fashion Island
https://www.shopfashionisland.com/
The Lab “Anti-Mall”
http://www.thelab.com/
Irvine Spectrum
https://www.irvinespectrumcenter.com/
Fun Activities
Electric Boat rental
http://www.duffyofnewportbeach.com/
Parasailing
http://balboaparasail.com/
Bike rental (regular or electric)
https://www.beachandbikes.com/
https://www.newportcruisers.com/
https://www.pedegoelectricbikes.com/dealers/corona-del-mar/
Angels Baseball
https://www.mlb.com/angels
Newport Beaches
https://www.visitnewportbeach.com/things-to-do/beaches-and-parks/
Huntington Beach
https://www.surfcityusa.com/
Dana Point
https://danapointharbor.com/
San Diego
(90 minutes)
San Diego Zoo
http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/
Balboa Park
https://www.balboapark.org/
U.S.S. Midway
https://www.midway.org/
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
http://sdzsafaripark.org/
Wine Tasting
Orange County
http://ocwinetrail.com/
Temecula (90 minutes)
https://www.temeculawines.org/taste/winery-listing.php
Santa Barbara/Santa Ynez (3 hours)
https://www.sbcountywines.com/