mcfam's Passport
 | Been to 556 Attractions |
 | 470 Reviews |
 | 283 First to Review |
 | 2061 Photos |
 | 222 Helpful Votes |
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Send a ComplimentAbout Me & My Family
My husband and I have 4 kids... 3 boys and then our girl. We homeschool them all and travel when possible. We just started letterboxing and are finding ourselves a little obsessed with it.
Our Family's Travel Personality
adventurous, curious, structured, relaxed, simple, independent, spontaneous, easy_going
We Just Got Back From
White Stallion Guest Ranch in Arizona
Our Favorite Vacation Spot
Camping in Kings Canyon or Yosemite
A Place We'd Love To Visit
The Redwoods in Northern California
Favorite Vacation Memory
Walking the meadows of Yosemite with my family. The quiet, the sparkling water, the rustling grasses, and a dip in the river made for an amazing day.
Worst Travel Moment With My Kids:
Anytime throw up is involved. Especially when one kid triggers another. And when we are in the car. And when they choose to use the box that is holding all their library books and toys.
Websites I Like:
Inexpensive Kid Date Ideas in Orange County, CA
Looking for a fun place to take your son or daughter in Orange County, CA that won't break the bank? Here are some fun ideas!
Balboa Island
Newport Beach, California
Comment:
Take a stroll around the island on the cement boardwalk to see the variety of boats and beautiful homes. Chocolate covered bananas and ice cream bars are a favorite treat. Ride the cheap ferry across to the Balboa Fun Zone and take a ride on the Ferris Wheel.
reviewed on: June 02 2010
"Boardwalks and Ice Cream"
After you drive across the bridge on Jamboree Rd. and find a place to park on this beautiful little island, enjoy walking on the boardwalk. You will see beautiful homes, docks, boats, Newport Bay, and a street with fun shops to explore. My kids enjoy walking along the sand and picking up shells while we push the stroller along the boardwalk (which is constructed from cement). You must check out the ice cream at Balboa Bars, or enjoy a yummy lunch at Wilma's Patio. Travel the ferry by car or as a pedestrian to the other side of the bay which is Balboa/Newport Peninsula. There you will find Balboa Funzone which includes a ferris wheel, carousel and an arcade.
The beauty of this place is amazing with the sunlight, beautiful boats and amazing houses.
1540 South Disneyland Drive, #101
Downtown Disney District Anaheim, California
Comment:
This fun workshop is located in Downtown Disney which means double the fun for a kid date. Although building a bear may not be the cheapest thing to do, watching free fireworks over Disneyland (usually showing at 9:30 pm), licking ice cream from Haagen Daaz, and listening to live music in Downtown Disney can make for a super fun time.
Orange County Fairgrounds
Costa Mesa, California
Comment:
This working farm is nestled into the OC Fairgrounds and is free to the public most afternoons and Saturdays. It's a fun place to bring a picnic and visit the baby animals each spring.
reviewed on: June 09 2010
"Working farm"
This working farm in the heart of Orange County is a great place to show kids how things grow and how animals live. The grounds are well kept and the animal pens are easy to see into. In the spring, many animals have babies which is a delight to visit. I couldn't resist showing my young boys (2,4) all the different vegetables and how they grew. I wanted them to know that they didn't grow in the grocery store. The barn is a fun place to visit and we saw 2 oxen get hooked up to their yoke, ready for plowing.Be sure to note that the farm is closed to the general public on weekday mornings. The farm is only open to registered groups.
1 Irvine Park Road
Orange, California
Comment:
Ride the rails in this historic park nestled under ancient oak trees. Be sure to sign up for their emails to receive discounts and notices of special events. Besides riding the train, take a pony ride, visit the small zoo, play on the playground, or feed the ducks in the large pond.
reviewed on: June 09 2010
"Great ride"
Kids of all ages and parents alike will enjoy riding this miniature railroad. No fear, parents, of having to endure cramped quarters or a repetitive ride in an endless circle. This train has roomy benches led by a quaint red engine and a conductor decked out in his pinstripe overalls. The ride takes you through the lush grounds, large oaks and sycamores and around the lagoon while the conductor shares history on this 100 plus year old park. All aboard for a fantastic ride!
188 South Coast Hwy.
Laguna Beach, California
Comment:
This 50's diner specializing in burgers and shakes is located right across the street from Main Beach in Laguna Beach. Spend the afternoon playing on the playground and surfing the waves, and then top it all off with an ice cream sundae.
28241 La Paz Road
Laguna Niguel, California
Comment:
Rent a small rowboat for about $15 an hour or simply cast a fishing line from the shore of this small lake. A fishing gear shop and small snack bar are located on the west shore.
reviewed on: June 02 2010
"Beautiful park"
We have enjoyed the playground at this park many times. The play structures offer great fun to a wide variety of ages. The bathrooms are a little walk from the playground. Group picnic sites are available around the park, including one that is near the playground. These are available for reservations for parties.
There is a little creek down a little hill from the playground that has rocks to climb on and ducks to visit. There are often rangers present that discourage feeding or chasing of the ducks, which can be favorite activities of children.
1585 Disneyland Dr
Downtown Disney District Anaheim, California
Comment:
Also located in Downtown Disney, this LEGO super store is adorned with super large LEGO structures of Buzz and Woody, and Beauty and the Beast. After spending lots of fun inside, check out the small race track outside and let your kid design his car and then race it against yours. Lots of other fun things to do and eat at Downtown Disney will make for a super fun date.
reviewed on: March 22 2011
"LEGOS everywhere!"
My kids love this store. My older boys (10 and 8) have been here many times. But my 4 year old's eyes were just alight with the awe of seeing a life sized Woody and a gigantic giraffe all made out of LEGOS. We took pictures next to Woody, Darth Vader and R2D2 and then they played in the bins of LEGOS set up for kids of all ages to put block together. A new feature we loved was the digital image on a screen of a LEGO set all put together and animated. The amazing thing was that it was digitizing the box set that we held in front of it. Too cool!
We love coming here as an outing and visiting all the wonderful LEGO sets and marveling at the LEGO statues. On occasion, we even plunk down some money for a new set. But most of the time, we have a fun free visit to this store.
Orange County Great Park
Irvine, California
Comment:
Take a FREE helium balloon ride and see Orange County below you from a safe platform. Also located at the Great Park is a playground, carousel (free to ride), large playing fields, and free sports equipment to rent.
reviewed on: June 10 2010
"Lofty view"
If you are ever in Orange County, you will most likely see this huge orange sphere high in the skies over the city of Irvine. Don't just enjoy this odd shape, go to it and take a ride. It's free, it's safe, it's fun.I was quite happy to learn that the cage where the passengers are assembled for the flight in the balloon is a sturdy steel structure with enclosed sides and mesh netting above the rail. I was so glad to realize my kids were going to be very safe. After that, I enjoyed the softly moving ascent into the skies of Orange County and was amazed to see for miles. The large acreage of the former El Toro Marine Base was below us and we could see the Great Park taking shape.
We can't wait to come back for a night flight.
#1 Main Street
(on the end of the pier) Huntington Beach, California
Comment:
This iconic restaurant is located at the END of Huntington Beach Pier which is a super fun way to end a date of playing at the beach in the waves and on the playground.
3333 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, California
Comment:
Ride the carousel, sample free chocolates at Sees Candy, admire the fish in the huge aquarium at Rainforest Cafe, and stop for a cheap ice cream cone at McDonalds inside this large shopping mall.
reviewed on: June 16 2010
"Day time destination"
This mall can be a great destination point to spend a morning or afternoon with your kids. We would head towards the east side of the mall and enter the side entrance near Bloomingdale's off of Bristol St. There is a carousel on the ground floor that the kids loved to ride and there are quite a few "kid stores" in that area, including Pottery Barn Kids, Gymboree, and the Disney Store. Rainforest Cafe is down the hall towards Sears and is a great place to grab lunch and peer into the large aquarium tanks. Another favorite approach to the mall is to park in the underground parking at Crystal Court which is across Bear St. from South Coast Plaza. At Christmas time there is a large mountain display in the center court with a toy train circling around it. On the second floor is a train ride for kids around the balcony of the center court. My boys love walking across the outdoor pedestrian bridge over to South Coast Plaza and then back. There are some unique fountain displays in the stair cases of these malls as well that captivate my children's attention.
