doubleadventure's Passport
 | Been to 397 Attractions |
 | 206 Reviews |
 | 110 First to Review |
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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 Halloween & Haunted Houses in Southern California
There is nothing like a good scare during Halloween to get you in the mood. Here are some places to find one!
26101 Magic Mountain Parkway
Valencia, California
Comment:
Not to be outdone by Knott's, Magic Mountain puts on Fright Fest. It also features scary mazes, rides, and and plenty of opportunities to scream your head off. Only for brave teens and adults.
8039 Beach Boulevard
Buena Park, California
Comment:
Every year Knott's puts on one scary event called Knott's Scary Farm Haunt. It is filled with haunted house, rides, and monsters ready to jump out and scare you at every turn. Definitely not for kids under 12. Last time I went I nearly peed myself!
1126 Queen's Highway
Long Beach, California
Comment:
Queen Mary has always been referred to as one of the most haunted places in the country and during weekends in October (Fri, Sat, and Sun) Queen Mary hosts an event called Dark Harbor which promises mazes and madness, food and cocktails, and live bands. Children under 13 are not recommended. Costumes are not allowed.
4730 Crystal Springs Ave.
Los Angeles, California
Comment:
This takes places at the old Griffith Park Zoo and brings to life the nightmares of a zoo keepers children. The 25 minute hayride features giant monsters, 400-year old children, and scary clowns. There is also a haunted maze which has an "I'm a baby" ripcord you can pull if you get too scared so they can pull you out. A human side show gives revelers some twisted entertainment as well.
424 Market Street
San Diego, California
Comment:
Voted on of the best haunted houses in the United States by Haunt World Magazine, this
6th & Juniper at Marston Point
San Diego, California
Comment:
Take a walk through Balboa Park like never before. On this one mile trail is through pines and oaks features all sorts of scary creatures that could jump out at any moment is definitely not for kids under 10 (or 'fraidy cat adults like me!)
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, California
Comment:
If you love the Haunted House at Universal Studios then you will really love their Halloween Horror Nights.
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.
