doubleadventure's Passport
 | Been to 397 Attractions |
 | 206 Reviews |
 | 110 First to Review |
 | 543 Photos |
 | 121 Helpful Votes |
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Send a ComplimentAbout Me & My Family
We are a travel obsessed, outdoor loving, family of four living in Orange County, CA. I have five year old twins (a boy and a girl) and I try my best to expose them to as many new experiences as possible. We love hiking, beaches, and National Parks but we also enjoy some time by the pool at big resorts. I serve as editor of The Talking Trekaroo, Trekaroo's blog.
Our Family's Travel Personality
adventurous, curious, independent, energetic, spontaneous, scheduled
We Just Got Back From
The new Disney Aulani Resort in Hawaii! A-mazing.
Our Favorite Vacation Spot
Any National Park
A Place We'd Love To Visit
Any National Park
Favorite Vacation Memory
Climbing up the side of a mountain to Inspiration Point at Grand Teton National Park with my then two year old twins. It was something nobody thought our children could do and the view fro the top was incredible.
Worst Travel Moment With My Kids:
Forgetting the portable dvd player on the way home from Yosemite National Park after exploring the park all day. Tired and cranky children with no source of entertainment make for a very loud car.
Websites I Like:
Spooky Festivals and Attractions in Southern California
October is such a fun month! Festivals and events are happening every weekend all around the state culminating with a Halloween on the last day of the month.
Make sure that the events you are going to are suitable for your children. Some children are more sensitive than others so it is not really a matter of age but rather how easily they can get scared.
1313 Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, California
Comment:
On Tuesdays, Fridays, and Halloween night kids will have a blast at Mickey's Trick or Treat Halloween Party. Kids dress up in costumes, meet characters, and trick or treat inside the park. The event occurs in the evening after the park is closed (6-11 or 7-12PM) and is not included with general admission.
8039 Beach Boulevard
Buena Park, California
Comment:
Knott's Scary Farm is a Southern California classic. During the day, Camp Snoopy has a non-scare celebration for younger children complete with a dance party, pumpkin patch, and corn maze. At night things take a turn for the frightening. This event is good for teens who like a good fright. I went when I was about 20 and it scared me to death! Lots of haunted houses and people jumping out at you. Its very fun but be prepared to jump out of your skin!
1 Legoland Drive
Carlsbad, California
Comment:
Legoland's Brick or Treat is a wonderful celebration perfect for kids aged 2-10. The park is decorated in Halloween colors and includes more than one fantastic holiday themed Lego creation. After 5PM half the park closes and the celebration really kicks in. Kids wander down the Brick or Treat trail and collect goodies. They also enjoy performances, costume parties, and a castle light show.
reviewed on: December 21 2009
"Fun for toddlers who love legos"
We took our kids to Legoland for their third birthday. They had a great day but I know they liked Disneyland alot more (probably because they are in to Disney right now and not legos). I really enjoyed the reproductions of cities and a couple of the rides were different and fun but for the most part I thought it was overpriced. I will say the water areas were awesome and if we lived a little closer it would be worth having a season pass just for that but if you live in SOcal you do have to pick and choose where you get your passes and I am choosing Disneyland for now.
5333 Zoo Drive
Los Angeles, California
Comment:
Families visiting the zoo October 30 and 31st can enjoy Boo at the Zoo. Eucalyptus Grove will become a giant Pumpkin Patch with jack-o-lantern carving, photo opportunities, and eerie crafts. You may even get to see one of the animals enjoying a pumpkin treat!
2920 Zoo Drive in Balboa Park
San Diego, California
Comment:
From October 16th through the 31st, families can enjoy a Spooky Sleepover on weekends. Meet animals that wear their colorful costumes all year-round. Your ghostly camp director, Dr. Zoolittle, and his ghoulish experts will greet you at check-in with a slithery animal friend. Make a Halloween craft and take an exclusive bus tour that will introduce you to some scary and strange animals before delivering you to “haunted” Camp Timbuktu, where you and your child can settle down in your tent.
After dinner at Camp, kids will “trick or treat” around the Reptile House while meeting spooky animals. Back at camp, kids can participate in a costume parade, make yummy Halloween s'mores, and be entertained around the campfire. (info courtesy San Diego Zoo website)
1126 Queen's Highway
Long Beach, California
Comment:
The Queen Mary is famous for being haunted and come the Halloween season, Queen Mary's Dark Harbor event is sure to fright with 160 monsters, 20-foot tall flames, 3 shipboard & 2 onshore mazes. Due to the scary nature of this event, children under 13 or kids who don't like to be spooked are not advised.
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, California
Comment:
Universal's extremely popular Halloween Horror Nights often sell out, and for good reason. Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Vampires, and Saw all come to life as mazes in this scary experience. This is an event not recommend for kids under 13 or kids that don't like a good fright.
reviewed on: September 05 2011
"Perfect for teens and preteens"
Every year, my niece and nephew come out from Texas to escape the heat and enjoy some California fun. It gives us the chance to be tourists in our own neck of the woods and see travel from a teenage perspective. This summer we headed to Universal Studios for a day of Hollywood fun. It had been a couple decades since I had last visited Universal. Just to put it in perspective, Jaws was the newest attraction... Yeah.... I'm old.
I had been told to take the studio tour first so we walked down to the trams and grabbed a complimentary pair of 3D glasses. Yes, things had definitely changed since the early 80s. The tram tour went beyond all my expectations. It was so fun to visit real sets and learn about all the movies which had been shot in that very location. While my husband and I appreciated learning about classic films and television, my niece and nephew were happy to know they were in the very spot Lady Gaga shot a video. Driving down Wisteria Lane (home of Desperate Housewives) was especially cool even though I haven't seen an episode in at least 5 years.
The special effects that we experienced on the tour were the ultimate highlight. The King Kong experience of the studio tour was incredible- true Hollywood magic. It was intense and realistic and probably not suitable for children under age 7 or 8 who scare easily.
Since Universal Studios is located on the backlot of an actual studio, the ride have to be inside to keep noise (aka: screams) down. Many of the rides are 3D or 4D simulators, not exactly ideal for those of us that are prone to motion sickness. I opted to go on the Simpson's Ride because I figured I wouldn't be able to handle very much motion and it sounded like the most fun. The ride itself was great and everyone in our party loved it. I did close my eyes a few times just to avoid too much nausea. I didn't ride The Mummy (my stomach was still sour) but my niece and nephew loved it and rode it more than once. One shouldn't ride that shouldn't be missed is Jurassic Park,The Ride. The ride does a great job of bringing the movie to life. My niece and nephew didn't know what Jurassic Park (which made me feel old) but the ride made them want to watch the movies. Be prepared to get soaked on this ride, especially in the summer when they turn the water up!
There are several shows at Universal and out of the shows we saw, we thought Water World was the best.The stunts are incredible and the actors do a great job at keep the audience involved. If you don't want to get drenched, be sure not to sit in the benches in the first several rows. We saw people get entire buckets of water thrown at them. I passed on Terminator 2:3D but the rest of our group saw it and deemed it to be just "okay". The Shrek 4D show was cute and tame as far as 3D goes.
One experience that both myself and 12 year old niece found to be too scary was the House of Horrors. Truth be told, it scared me so much that we had to duck out early! It was essentially a haunted house on steroids. Not for those of us who don't like horror or heart attacks! My husband and nephew braved the entire haunted house and admitted to jumping out of their skin a few times as well. If you love to be scared, don't miss it!
Since I was visiting Universal Studios on behalf of Trekaroo, I was given media entry which included front of the line passes. These passes are available to the general public for an additional $75 fee per person. It was incredibly nice to skip lines and get preferred seating at shows because allowed us to see and do everything that we wanted at a leisurely pace. Buying these passes would be ideal for families with the budget who might be pressed for time and hoping to pair up time at Universal with another local experience. As much as I really enjoyed the experience, I couldn't help but find it to be a bit elitist. Normally, my family wouldn't have had the budget to splurge on these passes and would have been in line with the majority of the park-goers.
Bottomline: I am glad we left our preschool aged children with grandma because while there were a couple attractions geared towards young kids, most of the park was not suitable for them. I don't plan on bringing my kids to the park until they are at least 7. However, I highly recommend the park for preteens, teens, and adults. The combination of Hollywood history, rides, and shows was nothing less than top notch!
Disclosure: My family received complimentary entry and front of the line passes so that I could complete this review and a subsequent story on the blog featuring the park. Universal did not ask that I express any particular opinion and all of those stated above are entirely my own honest thoughts.
