Three Generations in Southern California

If you are in Southern Californa and have children, make sure you visit Sea World in San Diego. I have been to Sea World in Florida and Ohio, and this is by far the best one. It has lots of interactive activities and pools where kids can actually touch stingrays and starfish. Kids can also feed dolphins and seals fish (but look out for the seagulls - they try to steal the fish right from your hand). And don't miss the Shamu night show, House of Douse but be prepared to get wet if you sit in the first 20 rows or so. The park sells ponchos for those who want the thrill of sitting close but not the soggy clothes. And before the show is a wonderful tribute to our armed forces.

For adults who love wine, the wineries in Temecula are wonderful and a great way to spend a day. They are conveniently located all in one general area down a main road. You can sample several different types of wines at a very reasonable price.

For kids of all ages, we loved both Universal Studios and the Starline LA Grand Tour with Movie Stars' homes. My daughter enjoyed the thrill rides at Universal and my mother and I enjoyed seeing the movies sets and the special effects. The Starline tour was a great way to cram a lot of Tinseltown into a short time, which is all we had.

Quick Tips:

If you have family/friends in the military, they get great discounts to attractions like Sea World, Universal Studios, Disneyland and the like. Southern California has a lot of military personnel in the area and theme parks are more than happy to show their appreciation.

If you're not so lucky, look for combination tickets. They have a Southern California Value Pass that is sold online at both Sea World and Universal Studios' websites. The pass gets you into both parks as often as you wish for 7 days from the first day of use.

Best Way To Get Around:

We rented a car and it was nice to have while we were in San Diego, as it gave us lots of flexibility. However, we returned it a day early when we went to Los Angeles because the traffic there is very overwhelming if you aren't used to it. Also, our hotel was on the Beach Express trolley line so we could go for FREE down to Manhattan Beach pier, Manhattan shopping plaza, or several stops in between.

This hotel was a good value for the money we paid and was very conveniently located just off the 405. It has lots of food choices in the area. It has an outdoor pool that was clean and maintained. The rooms were spacious and clean. The staff seemed eager to please and were always friendly. A word of caution - this is an airport hotel and there are some rough areas nearby. We even saw hookers across the street - but the hotel has a visible, ever-present security staff that keeps any rough element away from the the grounds. The hotel has a restaurant and room service. The restaurant food was good and affordable. It has an airport shuttle that runs 24 hours/day every half-hour. The shuttle was always on time when we needed it.

The best part about this hotel has to be that it is a stop on the Beach Express trolley line. The trolley is free to ride. It makes nine stops at seven other hotels near the airport on its way to Manhattan Beach. The pier area has lots of interesting shops and a few restaurants. We felt the restaurants in this area were a little pricey and the food was nothing extraordinary. It also stops at the Manhattan shopping center, which has a few chain restaurants and shopping.

This park has everything from educational interactive activities to hand-on experiences to thrill rides. We went as a group with my family and the ages ranged from 9 to 76, and everyone had fun and found something that they really enjoyed. And the kids loved watching the adults get soaked on the water rides and at the Shamu show. The park has a lot of variety in its eating choices as well - everything from budget to dining with Shamu before the night show. We had thought we would only spend one day there, but we ended up going back for another half-day to get in all the activities and to repeat our favorites. One tip - the Atlantis and Shipwreck Rapids ride get very busy and have long lines, so do these first if you get there when the park opens and/or during the night show, as that is when the lines are the shortest.

Starline has several tours, but we only had one day and wanted to see everything. This tour started out with a tour of the Hollywood Bowl with a great view of the Hollywood sign. The tour guide showed us historical landmarks and had lots of good information about them. We also stopped at Graumann's Chinese Theater, where we could take pictures of ourselves standing in stars' footprints, literally. There was a stop on Rodeo, and then we saw lots of movie stars' homes, or at least the parts visible from the street. The farmer's market has tons of stores, street vendors, and restaurants. My daughter shopped in all the trendy stores and had a blast. This tour was a great way to see a little bit of everything you think of when you picture Hollywood.

Coronado Beach is a very large beach near the Navy base. It is a great place to spend a day. We found tons of sand dollars and my daughter and great nieces enjoyed hunting for them. There is also a section that allows dogs for those travelling with the family pet(s). But don't miss the Hotel Del Coronado, or Hotel Del, as the locals call it. The hotel was built in 1988 and has been designated a national historic landmark. It is beautiful and right on the beach. It has boutique shops and a wonderful restaurant. And the ice cream shop was delicious! Next time I go, I am definitely going to stay there. It is beautiful, right on the beach and very romantic.

Manhattan Beach is a very wide stretch of beach that was remarkably not crowded the two afternoons we spent there. The sand was clean and warm, and the surf was fun for my daughter to try her hand at boogie-boarding. There is a bike path along the beach that has some beautiful views - what a great way to exercise.

The Temecula wineries are very easy to find. All of the wineries have tastings daily. Most charge a small fee for the tasting but you get to keep the glass as a souvenier of your adventures. They are all in close proximity. We only had 3/4 of a day and were able to visit six wineries and did not feel rushed. Temecula is also very easy to get to as it is just off the highway and it is marked "wine country" on the signs. It was a great way for the adults to unwind at a reasonable cost.