December highlights

Once Halloween is over, we start thinking about the holidays.  Here are some wonderful local events that you don't want to miss!

December 1: Belmont Shore Christmas Parade - Long Beach
December 1: Penelope Lane Boutique - Old Ranch Country Club - Seal Beach - $1 admission (kids free)
December 1-2: Victorian Christmas - Banning Museum - Wilmington - free
December 1-25: ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas movies
December 2: CHN Holiday Bazaar - Anaheim Community Center - 250 E. Center St. - 2pm-6pm
December 5-9: Journey to Bethlehem - Manhattan Beach - free
December 7: First Fridays - Bixby Knolls
December 7-9: Portaits of Peace outdoor Christmas pagaent - Long Beach - free
December 15: Family Art Workshops - LB Museum of Art - free
December 18: Free day at South Coast Botanical Garden, RPV

October events!

October 1-31: Kids free at San Diego Zoo, Safari Park & SeaWorld (ages 3-11)

October 5: First Fridays - Bixby Knolls
October 12: Indiana Jones exhibit opens at the Discovery Science Center
October 13: Los Angeles Latino Book & Family Festival - CSU Dominguez Hills
October 13-14: Battle of the Old Woman's Gun reenactment - Dominguez Adobe - Carson - free
October 14: Japan America Kite Festival - Seal Beach - free
October 14: Readers Festival & Middle Ages - Mission Viejo - free
October 16: Free day at South Coast Botanical Garden, RPV
October 21: Family Art Workshops: 3D Postcards - LB Museum of Art - free
October 21: Autumn Sea Fair - Cabrillo Aquarium - San Pedro - free
October 24-31: Pirate Ship in Seal Beach - corner of Heather & Fir - free
October 27: Zombie Walk - Marina Green - Long Beach
October 28: Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade - Belmont Shore
October 28: Children's Harvest Festival - Rancho Los Alamitos - free
October 28: Wings, Wheels, & Rotors - Los Alamitos - free admission
October 30: Space shuttle Endeavor exhibit opens - California Science Center

Dinosaur Train at the Natural History Museum!

http://www.nhm.org/site/activities-programs/dino-train

Saturday, August 11

All aboard! We’re celebrating Dinosaur Train’s BIG BIG Dinosaurs Week airing on PBS SoCal with a special premiere of a BIG BIG Dinosaurs episode.  Come and join Buddy for an amazing NHM adventure!

 

Hours

Members only
7:30 am - 9:30 am
The NHM Grill will be open early for breakfast.
General admission
9:30 am – 3 pm (Museum is open until 5 pm)

Activities and Schedule

Free with Admission

7:30 am – 3 pm (Members only from 7:30 - 9:30 am)

• Catch the premiere of a BIG BIG Dinosaurs episode.
• Take your photo with stand-up figures of Buddy and the train.
• Watch an NHM Dinosaur Encounters performance (first-come, first-served seating).
• Explore the new Dinosaur Hall and the rest of the Museum.
• Join PBS SoCal’s Nature Trackers Club.

Limited Capacity; First Come, First Serve

Meet and greet with Buddy
7:30 am – 2:30 pm (Members only from 7:30 - 9:30 am)

• Meet Buddy and pose for a photo or just give him a big hug!
• Due to Buddy's popularity and limited capacity, we anticipate long wait times.
• Because of high demand, limited quantities of Raptor Passes are available for members at the Patron Family level and higher.

Live Performances of Dinosaur Train’s Craig Bartlett and His Band at: 8 am, 9 am, 10 am, 11 am, and 12 pm (Members only at 8am and 9am)

• Watch Craig Bartlett and his band perform the show's music live!
• Limited quantity of timed-tickets available at the door for 10 am, 11 am, and 12 pm shows.
• NHM members, reserve your timed-ticket now!

Local camping!

Maybe this is your little ones' first camping trip, maybe you're not a seasoned camper.  Don't worry, there are local camping spots that make the trip a bit easier.

One place is Rancho Jurupa Park in Riverside.  This is easy camping for those that want the experience, but not into roughing it.  Rancho Jurupa has a nicely maintained campground with many amenities and close to town.  And since it's only 50 miles away, you can pack up in the morning and make the 2pm check in.

Rancho Jurupa allows tent camping, trailers, and RVs.  There is electricity and water located at each site.  Be sure to get a spot with a tree.  The online reservation system has photos for each site to make it easy.  BTW, we like site 40.

The campground has a water play area for the kids and a fishing lake.  The small store is open at 7am if you want to take an early morning walk for a cup of coffee.  The bathrooms and showers are clean and not very busy since half the campers have RVs.

And when you're ready to come home, it's only an hour to your doorstep and you have plenty of daylight to unpack.

Rancho Jurupa Park is located one mile west of downtown Riverside, near the junction of the 60 & 91 fwys.

For more information, go to Rancho Jurupa Park.

Fireworks!

On the morning of the 4th, join Justin Rudd and his Great American Kids' Bike Parade
10am, registration opens at 9:15am
Enter the beachfront parking lot at the end of Granada Ave.
Free to enter. 2012 is the 9th year for this event.
The out-and-back, two-mile parade route travels east along the bike path and continues down Bay Shore Avenue to Second Street.  Bring a chair and a cheering section for these youngsters.

Local firework displays begin at 9pm.

Queen Mary
1126 Queens Hwy.
562-435-3511
view from any shoreline in Long Beach or San Pedro

Joint Forces Training Base
11200 Lexington Dr.
Los Alamitos
714-229-6700
Gates open at 4pm
Free admission, parking $5
Everyone over 16 years old must bring ID
Arrive by 7:30pm to gain entry
Two entrances: Lexington Dr. & Orangewood Ave.
Food court, vendor fair, kids fun zone (additional fee), military displays, WW II re-enactment
Lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged
No alcohol, dogs, fireworks, or motor homes

Lakewood Block Party happens on the Saturday before July 4th
Parking lot south of the Angelo M. Iacoboni Library.
4pm-9pm, some activities require tickets
Family fun, a rockin' good time and a professional fireworks show return to Clark Avenue and the Lakewood Civic Center on Saturday, June 30th.  The block party includes fun for kids and families.  The family fun zone features a giant slide, obstacle course, bouncers, rock climbing wall, and pirate ship.


Party on the Pier
Belmont Pier
562-434-1542
Enjoy live music, a fish fry and BBQ, beer and wine gardens, boat rides on the shoreline.
Reserve seating for fireworks in advance.
$20/adults; $10/kids

Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way
562-590-3100
Enjoy the aquarium at night and get a fish-eye view of the Queen Mary fireworks.
Guests can choose special combo tickets to enjoy admission to the aquarium plus
an Independence Day BBQ buffet.
Special discounted hours only 5pm-10pm: $14.95/person
4th of July BBQ: Enjoy the aquarium from 9am-10pm
Dinner 6-8pm $37/adult
Advance reservations required for dinner
http://www.aquariumofpacific.org

Harbor Breeze Cruise
This year Harbor Breeze Cruises will be hosting two fireworks events.
July 3rd features fireworks from the LB Firefighters Memorial Assoc. and July 4th will feature fireworks from the Queen Mary, as well as other local shows.
100 Aquarium Way Dock #2
Join Harbor Breeze Cruises for a spectacular fireworks display from the water
in beautiful Rainbow Harbor
7:30pm-10pm
$30
http://www.2seewhales.com

AND there will be fireworks on Tuesday, July 3rd:

Long Beach Firefighters Memorial Association
The Alamitos Bay Yacht Club
7201 East Ocean Blvd
$25/adults (dinner included)
Kids 10 years old and younger are free
Menu: Tri-tip, chicken, drinks are extra
Live entertainment

Time to Cool Off!

Lakewood residents are so lucky.  They have six parks with wading pools.  Good thing LB'ers can join in.
Open 11am-4pm for kids 3-7 years old from June 16 to September 3.
Open everyday: Mayfair, Palms
Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Del Valle & San Martin
Open Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, & Sunday: Bloomfield, Boyar
Wednesdays: Boyar, Del Valle, Mayfair, San Martin will be open 5pm-7:30pm on Wednesdays
(June 29-August 29).
Weekends: all pools open 11am-4pm May 26-September 30

In Cerritos, Liberty Park has a great little splash pad for the toddler set.
You can also cool off at the water play areas at Long Beach Towne Center and the Cerritos Library.

Splash Pad at Sigler Park in Westminster is free and open every day from Noon-5pm starting June 18 to September 3.  7200 Plaza St., Westminister.

Atlantis Park in Garden Grove. $1 admission.  13630 Atlantis Way, Garden Grove, CA 92844

A little bit further is the Lemon Park Spray Pool. 701 S. Lemon, Fullerton

Buccaneer Bay in La Mirada.  The family-fun “Buccaneer Bay” combines the excitement of a water park with pirate themed features throughout. Buccaneer Bay features a flowing river channel, three water slides, a children’s interactive play structure, zero-depth beach entry and two spray pad areas. Pirate themed elements include: a marooned ship, a dramatic skull rock, shade canopies that resemble sails, cannon walls, wharf plank benches, and crow’s nests.  Open daily till September 3rd. 10:30am-5:30pm.  $17.95/person, under 48" $12.95.  Family Friday Nights June 29-August 17 4pm-8pm. $14.95/person, under 48" $10.95.
13806 La Mirada Blvd.
La Mirada, CA 90638
Phone: (562) 902-3191

Summer Fun!

I just updated the calendar above.  See? ^

Lots of fun in the LBC this summer: movies in the park, movies on the beach (Jaws, anyone?), $1 movies at the Towne Center.  Besides movies, the South Coast Botanical Garden is free every third Tuesday of the month.  Okay, you're asking, 'What's in our neck of the woods?'  The Pirate Invasion hits Belmont Shore June 30-July 1.  There is free Shakespeare By the Sea in Long Beach, Lakewood, and Rossmoor.  The Origami Festival is at the Japanese Gardens at CSULB on July 15.  And the first ever OC Mini-Maker Fair is July 14!  And lots more, so get out your planners/iPhones. :-D