I was a little hesitant making the reservation for lunch at Ariel's Grotto and getting my daughter excited about dining with the princesses, but was pleasantly surprised by the entire experience. Not only was my daughter in complete princess heaven, but the princesses and the wait staff were incredibly sweet and wonderful. We went to Disneyland for my daughters 4th birthday and she really wanted to meet the princesses. I heard that the 2 ways to see princesses was either to go to the Princess Faire in Disneyland or the meal at Ariel's Grotto. The Princess Faire when we were there was over an hour wait - even on a Thursday and later I heard they only had Cinderella and Princess Minney there. Ugh. But when we went to the meal we met the big 5!! Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White, and Belle. My daughter had made cards for each princess and when the princesses came around they stayed and talked with her for at least 5 minutes each. They even gave hugs & cooed at my 1 year old boy. They signed her autograph book, wrote sweet messages, and took pictures with my daughter (who was all dressed up as Sleeping Beauty). And my husband, who is Mr. Frugal - loved the experience too. Now don't get me wrong - it's not cheap - $120 for the 3 of us (thankfully, my son was free) - but such an amazing & memorable experience. If you have a daughter that is in love with the princesses - this is definitely the place to go. The food wasn't horrible either - nice antipasto tower, entrees were pretty good (we had the tri tip, ravioli, and daughter & son got the seashell pasta) , non-stop drinks and then a yummy assortment of desserts. They even came out to sing my daughter Happy Birthday and gave her an extra treat. This was seriously one of the best highlights to an AMAZING adventure to Disneyland!! We are planning on going back every March for our kids birthdays and completely plan to go back to the Princess meal as long as my daughter wants to see the princesses! Have fun!

I like this museum, it is fun for the kids, but the layout is less to be desired. The building is a three-story building where there are different things for the kids to do at the different levels - kitchen, fire truck, trains, and more! However, I have to say the one in Santa Maria is more enjoyable, because the kids can see all that is there and choose easily where they want to play - much better layout! But the SLO museum just became members with the Association of Children's Museums, so a membership here can get you in to many other museums in the US - the SM is not a member:-(

I can't believe that Lompoc is so lucky to have this incredible facility and that I haven't gone here until now. My husband and I took our 2 children (3 yrs daughter & 4 month old son) and were blown away. My daughter had a blast going up and down the play structure, spraying water on people, going down the slides, and waiting for the bucket to fill and tumble out on top of her. My son & I splashed in the shallow water by the structure then headed over to the family pool/therapy pool. My niece (11 yrs) came with us too and she couldn't get enough of the big kid slides (my husband loved them too). We live 45 minutes away, but will definitely go back! And the best was, that although there were quite a few people there, it didn't seem crowded at all - the place is huge!! I highly recommend going to check it out!

My husband and I took a group of 8 teenagers here in 2005. It was great fun, but I was so sore after the ride because we were on mules and they are so wide! We went almost the whole way to Nevada Falls and it was so incredible.. These animals are so gentle and so sure-footed, there were times I thought for sure my mule would step off the trail and we'd tumble down the cliff, but he knew exactly where he was going. Not sure if this adventure would be very good for young kids, but 10+ a definite!

This hike is a must when you're in the valley. And an easy hike for all kids - even the beginner walker. Be sure to stand on the bridge below the falls and hopefully you get a bit of spray. There are also caves to explore on the way up to the falls in the rocks off the path - see if you can find them (with older kids, of course)

If you're up for an adventure and have older kids - take the hike up to the top of the lower falls or even all the way to the top. An incredible hike, tough, but amazing views of the valley and surrounding mountains.