Though squashed between to tourism powerhouses, Orange County offers extensive vacation activities, some of which are world famous. Below is a small assortment ordered by distance from the conference hotel. At the bottom are some popular suggestions for activities in LA and San Diego as well. |
Orange County Fair - one of OC's biggest events for locals boasting around a million visitors in recent year. This attraction running from 7/13/07-8/5/07 offers carnival rides, live shows, concerts, demonstrations, and an array of food and things to buy. Theme this year is: "Cowabunga! The year of Herefords, Surfers, and Sand." Check out events calendar. Best to go at night! |
3m |
Balboa Fun Zone - a carnival-style beach-front activities on Balboa peninsula. Offers bumper cards, carousel, ferris-wheel, etc. as well as harbor tours of the rich-and-famous, beach craft rentals, nautical museum, and beach shopping. Lots of places to eat too. |
9m |
Little Saigon - the oldest, largest, and most prominent Vietnamese population center outside of Vietnam. This wide-spread community dots the Westminster and surrounding areas with Vietnamese and Chinese shopping, restaurants, and culture. |
9m |
Wild Rivers - waterpark for the family, this attraction offers waterslides, lazy-rivers, wave pools, and much more. Just down the street from the Irvine Spectrum. |
10m |
Disneyland - this attraction needs no explanation. There are three parts to this park, Disneyland Park (traditional rides), Disney California Adventure (roller-coasters, etc.), and Downtown Disney (shopping, live music, restaurants). Discount tickets are available through AAA and similar organizations. Disneyland offers some hotel pick-ups. |
14m |
Knott's Berry Farm - don't be fooled by the name! Billed as America's first theme park, this attraction offers roller coasters and the like in their Theme Park and water rides at Soak City. Discount tickets are available through AAA and similar organizations. |
15m |
Sawdust Art Festival - if an art musuem and a county fair were crossed, this open-air art show/market/live-demonstration would be the resulting progeny. Located 0.5m up the street from Laguna Beach this venue is open days and nights: 6/29/07-9/2/07. Don't miss the live colored-glass blowing. |
15m |
Art-A-Fair - one of SoCal's most well-known art draws, this close-cousin to the Sawdust Art Festival offers in- and out-door viewing of a variety of art, both in its finished form and undergoing creation. Located 0.3m up from the beach, this venue is open days and nights: 6/29/07-9/2/07. There is also performance art. |
16m |
Aquarium of the Pacific - billing more than 12,500 animals, this attraction offers shark lagoon, animal shows, exotic species, live animal petting and holding, and a lorikeet aviary. |
28m |
LA Area - the Los Angeles area is packed with things to do, such as: Santa Monica, Malibu, Hollywood (Walk of Stars, Grauman's Chinese Theatre), Beverly Hills, Getty Museum, LaBrea Tarpits, Universal Studios, Griffith Obeservatory, LA Philharmonic (Disney Concert Hall), Fashion District, Six Flags: Magic Mountain, Hollywood Bowl, etc. Travel times vary by location. |
40m |
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