Highlights Orange County
The living is easy, especially when you have so many fun things to do in the beautiful Orange County. Here are some of the visitor´s favorites:
Disneyland
The Disneyland Resort sits in Anaheim, California. It is the base to the original Disneyland Park, which opened on July 17, 1955, a darling among visitors to Southern California from all over the world for over half a century. Joined in 2001 by a sibling park, Disney California Adventure, a stylized recreation and recognition of California’s rich history and culture.
Visiting Disneyland could be expensive. Tickets usually sell at several levels: the base ticket is the Single-Day Theme Park Ticket and allows admission to only one of the two parks for a full day. In contrast, the 1-Day Park Hopper allows you to see both parks on the same day and to move between the parks. Admission for kids under age three is free. Discounts are hard to attain, but California residents (bring a driver’s license or utility bill as a proof of residency) will sometimes receive a small discount.
Knott’s Berry Farm
For over one hundred years, Knott’s Berry Farm has been drawing fans from all over. What once started as a small family farm, soon grew into a world-famous stop thanks to Mrs. Cordelia Knott’s legendary fried chicken dinners, boysenberry pies and an Old West Ghost Town. Since then, the once small family farm has grown into a 160-acre family fun destination; home to the Knott’s Berry Farm park, Knott’s Soak City Waterpark and Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel.
Enjoy the rides and Halloween haunts, spend an afternoon having fun at the waterpark and then, celebrate for two essentials: the title entree at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant, followed by a slice of her boysenberry pie.
You can obtain a single day admission ticket or season pass as well as groups tickets directly at their website. Opened from 10 am to 5 pm, but it depends on the event of the day, take a look at their calendar at their page.
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano is a California landmark, cultural icon, and destination for travelers as well as the faithful and school children from all over California and the world. Mission San Juan Capistrano, founded as the 7th of 9 missions once established by Saint Junipero Serra on November 1, 1776.
Spend an afternoon wandering the grounds and taking in the historical value of this seventh of the state’s 21 missions, a sacred spot as old as the Declaration of Independence. Once the sun goes down, take the ghost tour of the city’s Los Rios St, the oldest residential neighborhood in California.
Open daily 9 am to 5 pm. Offers discounts for seniors and children. You can download their app for free earbuds.
Huntington Beach Pier
Measuring 1,850 feet, the iconic Huntington Beach Pier is one of the longest piers on the West Coast. Extending out into the Pacific Ocean at the crossing of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway, it expresses the heart of Huntington Beach and is the most photographed place in town.
The pier and the city came to existence together in 1904, and thanks to historical surfing demonstrations by legendary Hawaiian surfers George Freeth and Duke Kahanamoku, this landmark is an essential part of Huntington Beach surfing lore. The pier, rebuilt after two storms in the 1980s, is all about simple pleasures.
Richard Nixon Library and Presidential Museum
The Richard Nixon Presidential Museum and Library in Yorba Linda, California, sits on nine acres in southern California just 15 minutes away from Disneyland´s theme park.
In addition to the newly opened galleries, the grounds include President Nixon’s Helicopter and Birthplace. You can also see a replica of President Nixon’s Oval Office which offers visitors an immersive journey of the most famous office in the world, including an opportunity to sit behind the president’s desk and take a selfie.
Opens Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm also, Sunday´s from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Laguna Art Museum
The museum traces its roots to the Laguna Beach Art Association, formed by California local artists in 1918 and consolidated in 1920 with artist Edgar Payne as president. At first, the members met and displayed their works in a converted board-and-batten cottage. However, in 1929, following a successful fundraising headed by a Laguna Beach painter, Anna Hills, they opened a grand, custom-built gallery designed by Los Angeles architect Myron Hunt.
It collects, cares for, and exhibits artwork either created by California artists or representing the life and history of the state itself. Unlike any other gallery in the state, it collects only California art, and ranges across all periods and styles, nineteenth-century to the present-day.
Opens Monday to Tuesday, Friday to Sunday from 11:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. Thursday´s 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Free for children every day or the general public the first Thursday of every month from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. The rest of the days they offer discounts for students and seniors.
