Here Are Vacation Destinations Offering Exciting Roller Coasters

There is no place better vacation destination than Southern California if you are a lover of thrill rides. In particular, Orange County and Los Angeles County are home to two of the best theme parks for thrill rides. Although the Disneyland Resort does offer some fun rides, it is not in the Top Two.

The two parks that come to mind when speaking of roller coasters are Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm According to the SoCal Vacation Guru website, these parks have made roller coasters a strong priority in competing against The Mouse.

Magic Mountain is crazy with wild coasters; the place is lousy with thrill rides. Of course some in your group may not be roller coaster fanatics, and there are many other rides and activities to be enjoyed, as you can learn at the SoCal Guru website.

The second Southern California theme park with a strong emphasis on roller coasters is Knott’s Berry Farm, although it too offers many activities such as Ghost Town. We have talked to employees who can confirm that several of the roller coasters at Knott’s will push you to the limit of comfort.

Speaking of dinner, if you go to Knott’s, don’t forget to allow time to eat at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. It is a landmark, serving thousands of dinners weekly since the Great Depression years. There is also good information at the SoCal Vacation Guru on Knott’s Berry Farm. The site covers hotels near the park, and provides useful information about other theme parks and vacation opportunities in SoCal.

No doubt you are aware that there are other great parks nearby, and you can find useful information at the Guru website. You’ll find some fun thrill rides at other parks, but they don’t stack up to what they offer at Six Flags Magic Mountain. I hope this is helpful if you love coasters!

Take The Railroad Train to The San Diego Area To Enjoy A Leisurely Vacation

Maybe this is the time for you to look into an Amtrak vacation, especially if you have never done that sort of thing before.  The national train network makes it possible to get around from most major cities.  Getting there can be half the fun on some of the more scenic routes.

Of all the many great vacation destinations accessible by train, San Diego must be near the top of the list.  It is easy to take a train to the historic station and then use public transit for getting around locally.  San Diego is spread out over a smaller geographical area than other parts of SoCal, notably Los Angeles.  You can even get around to a lot of vacation attractions by walking if you enjoy that.

 

There is no shortage of fun places of interest in San Diego.  Visiting all of the beaches, museums, historical attractions and other amusements could truly take weeks.  So it is safe to assume that you can engage yourself in a week of both relaxation and activity in this harbor city.  One of the major features that San Diego offers its guests and residents alike is its wonderful, moderate weather, especially in the summertime.

Perhaps you would like to make an even more ambitious train travel event, in which case you can take the train up the coast.  It is easy to take the train from San Diego all the way to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, with maybe ten stops in between.  This would make it possible to spend an easy week or two in Southern California without your car.

Don’t forget that a trip by train can add several days on to the total schedule compared to flying, but if you have the right mindset the traveling can be part of the overall enjoyment of the trip.

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I’ve Got A Few Summer Travel Ideas

As we watch our vacation budgets carefully, a question that arises is “Where’s a great destination with lots of variety?” Southern California would be a good possibility for your summer travel planning. It’s got the beaches, theme parks, roller coasters, Hollywood and lots more.

Another possibility would be Hawaii. It’s hard to beat the beautiful warm ocean water, but it does not offer as much overall variety as Southern California. There’s a friendly comparison between vacations in California vs. Hawaii at the SoCal Vacation Guru that you might find interesting. The beaches in SoCal do not have as many rock outcroppings and the sun is less intense (as is the humidity). You’ll find the ocean water to be warmer in the Aloha State, but the cooler California water might actually seem more inviting on a hot summer day.

Of course, the vegetation in Hawaii is often magnificent and the local culture adds much to the experience. On the other hand, there are many different cultures to be experienced in the Southern California melting pot.

The beach is not the only attraction in Southern California. There are a half-dozen major theme parks to be visited. Don’t forget about the seven world-class theme parks waiting for your visit. If you are traveling with a lover of thrill rides, then Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm should be on your list; Six Flags and Knott’s roller coasters are especially noteworthy. Both offer many coasters and other fun rides. In fact, they offer more thrill rides than Disneyland, although the Magic Kingdom does include some fast attractions such as the Matterhorn and Space Mountain.

You won’t find many roller coasters in Hawaii, although surfing on the North Shore of Oahu in winter would qualify as a thrill ride. It may be that California offers more ways to trim the budget, but sometimes there are great Hawaii vacation packages to be found on the internet or in the newspaper Travel section.

Add Some Diversity to Your Summer Travel

I’d like to make a suggestion for a vacation destination where you can find a great deal of variety in the type of local attractions offered.  Everybody has different goals for their summer travel.  Some of us want to visit Disneyland and some just want to relax on the beach.  Others love to see historical sites and still others love to play golf.

Summer California actually offers activities in all of these categories.  There are many golf courses between the Pacific Ocean and Palm Desert.  And, of course, you’ll find plenty of beach action for sun worshipping.

Another obvious destination is the Disneyland Resort, which includes Downtown Disney and Disney’s California Adventure (by the way, Disney is spending like a billion dollars on a major renovation of California Adventure over the next several years).

If you haven’t been to Anaheim in several years, you’ll be amazed at the changes.  California Adventure exhibits the diversity of California culture, from citrus orchards to downtown Los Angeles to the northern California Wine Country.  You will observe an international blend of cultures in the visitors at the parks and at Downtown Disney.  It is a great place for people watching—a veritable cultural melting pot.

Speaking of a cultural melting pot, Southern California is a concoction of people and cultures from around the world.  There is a particularly strong presence from Pacific Rim countries, but Europe, Asia and Africa are likewise well represented (not so many folks from Antarctica).

You’ll find quite a number of ethnic communities scattered throughout Southern California, and worth a visit in your summer travel activities.  The first community that comes to mind is Chinatown, just north of the Los Angeles central business district.  Just to the east of downtown is Little Tokyo.  Koreatown lies on the west side of the 110 Freeway.

Take time out of your schedule to drive down to Orange County to visit downtown Santa Ana, portions of which will remind you of a medium-sized city in Mexico.  Nearby Little Saigon offers shopping and dining with a Vietnamese and Southeast Asia influence.  There are no-doubt many other ethnic area in the Southern California melting pot.

You Can Find Your Favorite Cartoon Characters in Southern California

Recently I’ve had the chance to visit some of the great theme parks in Southern California. Between them all, you can immerse yourself in the world of a bunch of your favorite TV and movie characters.

We know where to find Mickey Mouse and all his Disney friends—in Anaheim. If you’d like some good information about planning a trip to the Disneyland Resort, check out the SoCal Vacation Guru. Disney has no-doubt done the most effective job of bringing imaginary characters to life, much to the delight of us all.

A few miles down the road at Knott’s Berry Farm you’ll find all the Peanuts gang at Camp Snoopy. Knott’s has done a nice job of absorbing Charlie Brown, his faithful pet and their friends into their culture. Do they still have the Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America in Minnesota?

Hit Universal Studios Hollywood and you can find Spiderman, Betty Boop, the Flintstones, Woody Woodpecker and a squadron of other beloved Universal characters; Universal has been at the heart of many television shows as well as famous movies. You can find some good details about Universal Studios Hollywood at the SoCal Vacation Guru.

Before leaving Universal I have four words for you: Homer Simpson. Yes, The Simpsons have been immortalized in their own attraction at this great theme park. That includes Krusty the clown and many other residents of Springfield.

Lastly, we drive up north a ways and stop at Six Flags Magic Mountain. According to the SoCal Vacation Guru, this park is best known for its roller coasters and other thrill rides. But skulking around the place are the nutty characters of Warner Brothers cartoons, notably the Loony Toons guys.

Porky is there, along with Daffy, Yosemite Sam, Tweety and the others. Beep Beep! There’s a nice area for small children; the park management has figured out that not everyone is a teen-age or twenty-something thrill ride fanatic. The characters are very charming and are pretty easy to find around the mountain. This joint may be my favorite.