Unique Places in Anaheim

1 more image

Here's where you can get away from the maddess of D-Land without going too far and mix in with the locals in the suburbs. Anaheim Hills is very safe, clean and peaceful, perfect for everyone but especially attractive to families and nature lovers. If from out of town, you can stay in either one of the fine, cozy accomodations (Residence, Fairfield Inn, Best Western) for about $80-$100 a night.

Anaheim Hills, in the eastern part of Anaheim, is not an obvious tourist area, miles away from the ever-dominant Disney Resort in the western city limits. However, for adults especially, AH can offer some fun and leisure (golf clubs, upscale dining and accomodations). Perhaps the most known attraction here is the "cougar lady infested" Foxfire, a social meeting and dining hotspot of northern Orange county (5717 East Santa Ana Canyon Road Anaheim, CA 92807). If you are not trying to pick up a sexy looking older gal, no worries, you can still have good times and eats here.

For shopping, there are two main shopping points of inerests: the Festival and Crossroads centers. Just outside AH, there is also Savi Ranch center in Yorba Linda.

Get here off the 91 Freeway, exits Lakeview, Weir Canyon.
Take OCTA 38, via La Palma to reach limited parts of the area.

4 more images

We set out one afternoon along Harbour Blvd, heading for Huntington Beach. Somehow... we ended up in Newport! We eventually saw the signs leading to Crystal Cove State Park and we decided to pull in here. We paid our $10 entry fee (we were in an RV, I'm not sure if it's less for a car) and headed towards one of the parking lots shown on the map.

As we left the parking lot and rounded the building which houses the bathrooms, we were rewarded with an amazing view of the ocean. We hiked down the hill and found ourselves on a beautiful beach with very few people on it. The views were breathtaking.

This beach is completely undeveloped, there are no restaurants or stores along it. We walked down the beach and found tide pools in the rocks at one end. Our kids were fascinated with the variety of crabs and other sea creatures that we found here.

4 more images

Huntington Beach is very easy to get to from Disneyland. You can go south on Harbour and then take Pacific Coast Hwy #1 to the west. OR it's even easier (in my opinion) to get there if you first go west from Harbour to Beach Blvd. Then go south on Beach and the road will take you right into the beach parking lot.

You have to pay for parking (tell me somewhere you DON'T have to pay for parking in LA! lol), I think we paid $10 for the day.

There are fire pits along the beach where you can have a weiner-roast and bonfire, if you can get one before they're all taken. You can also walk down to the pier and walk all the way out to the end of it. (The end of the pier is closed in the winter.)

1 more image

One of the things I was keen to do was go and see a game of football (or Soccer as they call it in the USA) as the local (sort of) team wasn't too far away from Anaheim. We took mini vans from our hotel to the LA Galaxy's home ground in Carson (west of Anaheim) and it cost around $60 per van so not too bad when split over several people. We'd arranged tickets online (from the comfort of my home in NZ) and had a great time. Nice weather, good seats and the girls were excited with the opportunity to see David Beckham who is playing out his twilight years in the USA. Also on show was Robbie Keene who used to play for my fav English team Tottenham. Unlike the Baseball game we went to, the atmosphere was really good - smaller ground I guess plus quite a different crowd. The Galaxy won and everyone was happy - all except for the Pom who thought we'd stolen his taxi.....

Mile High Comics, 12591 Harbor Boulevard, Garden Grove, CA 92840 (714) 741-2096, gardengrove@milehighcomics.com

I must confess that I didn't have much enthusiasm for this stop at first, but my cousin insisted we check it out. Thank God I listened to her! Mile High is a branch of a famous store in Denver which sells not only comic books but cartoon-related memorabilia and collectors' card games. My daughter's been absolutely brokenhearted because we can't get 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' Duel Monsters cards in our hometown, but at Mile High, they not only came through, but their enthusiastic sales staff and on-site tournament teachers carefully custom-built us a playing deck that made us say 'It's time to d-d-d-duel!'

City of Brea Gallery,
Exhibits and demonstrations. Brea. 714-990-7730.

Fullerton Museum Center
Fullerton. 714-738-6545.

Huntington Beach Art Center
Exhibits of artwork by contemporary regional and national artists. Huntington Beach. 714-374-1650.
Irvine Museum
Irvine. 949-476-2565.
Irvine Fine Arts Center
Irvine. 949-724-6880.
Laguna Art Museum
Exhibits of local artists. Laguna Beach. 949-494-8971.

Mission San Juan Capistrano
Built in 1776, one of Father Junipero Serra's historic missions known for the return of the swallows every March. San Juan Capistrano. 949-494-8971.

Muckenthaler Cultural Center
Traveling exhibits and events. Fullerton, 714-738-6595.

New Saigon Cultural Court
Westminster. 714-891-2122.

Orange County Museum of Art South Coast Plaza Satellite Gallery
Costa Mesa. 714-662-3366

Art Festivals

Sawdust Art Festival
Artists and craftspeople display their work. Laguna Beach. 949-494-3030.
Festival of Arts/Pageant of the Masters
Original artworks during July & August. Laguna Beach. 949-494-1145.

Art-a-Fair
Original arts and crafts during July & August. Laguna Beach. 949-494-4514.



Watch this space to find out how to win a trip to Orange County, California!

For theater buffs, check out Chance Theater, in Anaheim Hills. There have been notable off-Broadway shows play here to great crowds. Past productions performed include: Our Town, Little Women, Hair the Musical, As You Like It, Cabaret, The Diary of Anne Frank and Evita. In 2009, celebrate the ten year anniversary.

There are discounts on tickets, especially during these economic times. Purchase online or at theater box office.

5552 East La Palma Ave

My personal reviews and pics to come!

Linbrook Bowl is a non-Disney attraction in Anaheim full of old charm. This is not a glitzy modern-day bowling venue but has a faithful crowd of locals. This is a 24 hr venue featuring not only bowling but karaoke (in the Kopa entertainment room) and dining.

Games vary from $2.25-$4 a games or $10-$12 a hour
Check for current rates for bowling games and shoe/locker rentals.

201 S. Brookhurst, Anaheim