2011 Summer Road Trip - Day 2

Visiting these mega parks on a weekday kept our day sane and smooth. We were able to leisurely see all 4 shows (Shamu, Cirque de la Mer, Sea Lions, Pets), a 4-D movie, ride on the cable car and Sky Tower, feed sea lions, touch a dolphin, get on a wild arctic ride, check out sharks, penguins, polar bears and various marine life and around the park, all with minimal wait times and crowds. Enjoy:

2011 Summer Road Trip - Day 1

This trip proved that kids don't always need big amusement parks to have lots of fun. Sure - they enjoyed Sea World and Legoland, but playing at beaches and skipping rocks underneath a waterfall brought just as many giggles (if not more). I also found last-minute spontaneous activities can end up being highlights of a trip. The stops at all the beaches, an obscure county park, and many other places were totally unplanned, but many of them were what made the trip special.

Originally we were going to hit the major attractions using a discount pass that required going to different theme parks on consecutive days, but then decided to take it easy and play it by ear as we go. After finding a good deal at a Newport Beach hotel, we stopped there the first day to break up the long drive to San Diego. The ferry ride, beach, and museum the following day were all last-minute destinations. It happened to be a free day at New Children's Museum that day, and a couple of hours there before closing was a perfect way to end our first SoCal day.