Burminco is a hidden little store/collectors heaven. Teachers love it here. It is an awesome educational experience that keeps the kids attention, because there are pretty shiny things;) They have been in business since 1946. The rooms are chock full of rocks and minerals. When you’re driving down the street you really have to look for it. It blends in with the houses around it. It’s a dark little store. It almost feels like you’re walking into a mine when you go inside. The kids can take an egg carton when they walk in and then fill it with their selections, that’s if you want them purchasing rocks. You could just go to look. But we found it hard to walk out without starting a collection. The guys that were working there seemed really knowledgeable and answered many questions that we had. I think they have a lot of field trips come through…so I think they are use to multiple questions. There were also rooms in the back where it sounded like they were chopping up more rocks and minerals. I bet you can’t leave without learning something new.

If you’re debating whether or not to spend the extra money to go to Goof’s kitchen… I say do it! The buffet selection is right up any kids alley…and there was plenty for the grown ups too. Even though we went to Disney after…this was still one of the highlights. It was a great time to be able to sit down with the kids and enjoy their company before the craziness of Disney began. It also helped to build the excitement before actually going to the park.
Again…it’s not cheap…but it was worth every penny for us. The characters were of course wonderful and the kids got their own special time with them…which they may not get in the park.

This really is a little hidden treasure for the Pasadena and surrounding areas. I had never even heard of it until this past summer and wow…it’s a treasure. It’s a little park built with nature. A nice quiet place for families to observe birds or other wildlife. When you get there they even let you borrow (for free) nature equipment. You can check out binoculars, sketching sullies and many other things to help you explore. They have nature experts to answer your questions at the welcome center. Or you can just walk right though and enjoy the park. They have a play house and other play equipment. They also have a mini gorge that the children can operate a pump to have the water trickle down. It’s a very interesting space. Bring a packed lunch a camera and plan to stay a while.
I think they also have other programs throughout the year that are both educational and fun. If you live in the area…it’s a must see. I know the address says LA…but Google it…Pasadena and South Pasadena are very close. I hope that gives you an idea as to where it is.

We went here on a camping trip with a group. So we stayed at the group camping site. We really liked the group site. The group site is more tucked away that the regular camping area. The only draw back is that you have to walk all of your stuff to the site. Cars are not allowed past a certain point. It doesn’t feel that far on the first trip…but on your 7th…it seems like a much longer walk. There was plenty of nature around to see, including rattle snakes. We went during rattle snake season…so watch yourselves in the tall grass;) or heck any grass for that matter.
Believe it or not we didn’t spend all that much time on the beach. The low tides were at times that the kids were done with exploring and were hungry and tired. Maybe next time we should bring a picnic with us to low tide;)

What a great find! This is a wonderful beach! There is a path (of concrete) that leads down the middle of the beach. That way when you are lugging all of your families things…you don’t have to trek through miles of sand. It makes the walk down to the water very nice. The beach was pretty clean and so were the restrooms (at the beginning of the day…spotless even…) We have always had a nice time at this beach. The food at the café seems reasonably priced, for beach food. We have always brought our food…but we might splurge at some point;)
The other great thing about this beach is that there is a pool! In fact an historic pool. You normally have to make reservations…but there was one day of the week that was dollar day and it was first come first serve. So get there early. Also if you don’t get there early enough to get in on the first round and if it’s really busy…they can put you on a waiting list. They will tell you to come back at a certain time. However…this does not mean that you are guaranteed a time slot. You still need to show up and they start taking from the top of the list. I did see quite a few upset families that thought that if they were on the waiting list they were automatically in. They only let a certain amount of people into the pool area for safety. So it all depends on how many people have left from the earlier time slot.
It was really nice to spend the morning at the beach and then head on over to the pool. A very relaxing day:) There are also special events, programs and the Marion Davies Guest House to tour.
Please note that the pool is closed to the public during the winter.