Free or low cost things to do in Southern California About This Page:

[Karyn89]

Besides the obvious Legoland and DL in CA....what other Free or low cost things are there do to? We are planning our California Adventure for July 08' so the kids will be 12 & 13 by then. We plan on going to San Francisco, Oceanside, San Diego, Carlsbad, Anaheim, LA, and Hollywood over 2 weeks.
I can use all the advice I can get!!!

[aka pastor guy]

Youch... that's a lot of ground in two weeks. As a long-time resident of California (1970-1986, 2003-present) I've barely scratched the surface of wonderful things to do & see in the state - you're going to have a hard time narrowing that down in 2 weeks.

San Diego
Old Town is kind of neat... there's some good places to eat & some interesting history to look at.

Balboa Park (which is where the zoo is) is full of museums & other stuff. The zoo itself is a 2-day trip to see everything.

Oceanside/Carlsbad
Given the choice between the SD Zoo and the Wild Animal Park, I'd take the Wild Animal Park. OTOH, you're going in July, so it's going to be VERY warm that far inland.

Your kids are probably a bit old for Legoland unless they're Lego nuts.

LA Area
You can get TV tickets pretty cheaply - and your kids are the right age to think that's kind of cool.

Universal Studios is pitched at their level - much more so than Legoland.

I like Griffith Observatory - and it's esp. cool if you know the movies it's been featured in.

I grew up in the L.A. area, so the whole "see the stars" thing isn't a big deal to me, but it's kind of fun to do if that's your thing.

San Francisco
The Exploratorium is the best science museum ever. (Of course, the Science Center next to USC in downtown L.A. is very good.)

Walking along the waterfront & seeing all the street acts (jugglers, magicians, singers, oddball stuff) is fun, too.

You should probably ride a cable car.

The Maritime Museum is good, too, though not as cool.

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I'll write more if I think of something.

[MelissaL]

Long Beach is in between Anaheim and Los Angeles along the 405 freeway -- you may want to consider visiting the Long Beach Aquarium and the Queen Mary oceanliner, which is moored nearby.

I second the thoughts above that Universal Studios Hollywood is a better choice for older kids than Legoland, unless your kids are really interested in Legos (and in seeing things made out of Legos).

Happy planning!
Melissa

[Karyn89]

My son who will be 13 is obessed with Lego's (he has Autism-High Functioing) and we will hopefully be getting a new Legoland near us (we live in KC Metro Area) so we all want to see what it is like

Thanks for all the suggestions above. We know we are crazy to try to cover what we can in the short amount of time but that is all the time my hubby can get off from work and still try to fit the kids into there summer camp they love so much!

[IdahoDisneyMom]

You've got some great ideas already! I'd also look at what's playing at the Hollywood Bowl while you're there. They usually have a night or two with the orchestra playing movie theme music that's really fun to listen to. If you can't see a performance, they let you sit in the stands and listen to practices for free if it's a rehearsal day.

Also free (or at least it used to be) at Dorothy Chandler Pavillion in downtown LA, they let you listen to rehearsals. This is where the Academy Awards was until recently. Now it's held at the Kodak Theatre, an easy venue to visit if they're playing something good while you're in town.

If you do enjoy seeing stars, you can shop at the Beverly Center. I used to see at least one or two famous people while there. The Hard Rock Cafe is located there as well.

I don't know if your other kiddo is a daughter, but American Girl Place is now located at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles, and even if you just go look around it's incredible. The Grove center is beautiful as well, and offers free movies and other activities some evenings in the summer.

If I think of more I'll let you know!!

[chezp]

I think everyone's given you some great ideas already - some of the things we enjoyed on our trip were Balbao Park and the Old Town in San Diego, seeing Mann's Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, visiting Beverley Hills (not spending anything there) and Long Beach and the Farmer's Market was wonderful to walk around.

In San Francisco, Alcatraz really is a must, as is a cable car ride and we loved Lombard Street - make sure you walk down it, rather than up it though! The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park was a real treat for us and well worth a visit.

[Diz]

Originally Posted by chezp

seeing Mann's Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, visiting Beverley Hills (not spending anything there)

I have to agree. We just came back from a DL trip and we drove up to Hollywood. It's fun to look at the stars and the imprints in front of the theatre. You can easily spend absolutely nothing if you want to. But I saw kids having a ball getting a photo taken with the countless "stars" up and down the street. There were some realistic ones - a Captain Jack Sparrow who is better than some we've seen at Disney! If you think your kids would like that, take your camera and some dollar bills. When you get a pic, you tip at least a buck.

We drove through Beverly Hills all the way to the coast. It was a great ride! And the Pacific Ocean was breathless at sunset!

[DebiDebiDebi]

As far as FREE or Low Cost...may I suggest a walk on the Oceanside Pier?

The view is spectacular, there is (of course) a beach to walk and very near by is a wonderful little local place that serves the most incredible (and inexpensive!) Mexican food!

Johnny Manana's
312 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, CA