This little hidden area of San Juan Capistrano is definitely worth a visit! In fact, Los Rios…read moreStreet Historic District is the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood in California, and it features historic structures dating back to the late 1700s. This area also preserves three original adobe homes built around 1794--the Rios, Montanez, and Silvas adobes. Later in the 19th and early 20th centuries, wooden board-and-batten houses and Victorian buildings were added to the street. There's a spacious park including a butterfly garden, Hidden House coffee shop, a tea shop & a few little stores and several restaurants. There's also an adorable petting zoo! It's quaint and easy to see in under an hour, or you could spend a few hours relaxing & taking your time. It's easy to access to Los Rios from the 5 & there is plenty of free or low cost parking. Additionally, the train stops right in SJC and you can easily access this area from the stop. Peace.

7/26/26 What a gorgeous place to take the family out for a lazy Sunday afternoon! There are plenty…read moreof adorable places to visit and take a stroll. My family took the Metrolink from the Anaheim station ($10 per person) and it took about 45 minutes. Hubby and I drove from San Gabriel which took a little over an hour. My usual go to is The Hidden House Coffee shop with affordable and well made drinks, offering a sizable outdoor patio. The Ramos House Cafe is a few steps away, as well as the Los Rios Tea house. All of these are historic homes, vintage and picturesque. Within a few feet from the public parking lot is the Montanez building, where a nearby butterfly sanctuary is located. The Los Rios Cottages are for rent which are located next door to the Ramos House, very pretty but these are right alongside the train tracks, if you don't mind that racket, it'll be fine. It's an easy stroll and a beautiful destination. Come check it out. There are plenty more shops that I haven't visited. Today, I am limited as I have a medical boot (and a crutch) that's preventing me from my usual nosiness in discovering things on foot, until next time.

WOW! I'm a history buff, so this property is just PURE MAGIC to me! Such an amazing representation,…read morepreservation and staging of the home of a true Renaissance Woman, a multi-talented artisan, celebrated the world over, whom you've probably never heard of. Madame Modjeska aside, my favorite discovery pertaining to the history of this property: Theodore Payne arrived to Arden from England after his scientific studies drove the interests that would lead him to become an amazing botanist, landscape designer, seed harvest and processing expert, horticulturist and preservationist of native California flowers, trees and shrubs. The Theodore Payne Foundation is still active in teaching, stewardship, propagation and garden design throughout Los Angeles. It's main nursery is in Sun Valley! What a fantastic find that the foundation nursery where I buy my native plants started with Payne taking a job as Head Gardener at Arden in 1893! But that was just the outside! The inside of this beautiful home is so meticulously preserved and staged to really bring the observer into Helena Modjeska's life. If you pay attention, you may even realize some scandalous questions to ask the docent on site. My questions were answered, but I felt my enthusiasm for the property outpaced the docents by a very large margin. I wish there was a bit more excitement for his subject, and more of a guided storied aspect, rather than simple answers to our many questions. While this is not a living history adventure and docents are volunteers, it's great that there was someone there allowing us to tour the property, but a more engaging docent would be appreciated. I am looking forward to returning this Fall. There are tables for picnicking, restrooms and free parking. Reservations are encouraged, for a space in the small dirt parking area and the limited time the house and grounds are open. Cheers! "CC" NOTE/TIP: The directions initially took us to a property at the intersection of Santiago and Modjeska Cyn roads, which apparently the OC Parks Dept uses as parking for events at Arden House. The actual property is much further along Modjeska Cyn Road, through residential properties and before the canyon road ends at Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary. If you have the same challenge, navigate to Tucker and you'll see Arden House, on the right, just before TWS.

First heard about this historic land mark from Pageant of the Masters. Decided we needed to come…read morefor a visit and see what it's all about. Call OC Parks to get a docent led tour on either Wednesday or Saturday 10am. Each tour is only 10 people to keep it small and the interior is small so we need as much space as possible. House is air conditioned on inside which was perfect for hot days. We were lucky to get a reservation for Saturday in September 2025. Our docent was Bob, he was super chill and even allowed us to see parts of the house that we missed since we arrived late to the tour. The tour lasts 90min to 2 hours, there's just lots of information to share. You get to view the interior of the home and outside guest houses, pool and storage shed. Plenty to parking spots. Bryan from OC parks mentioned this place is closed starting in October 2025 because they are doing construction on the roof of the house. Be sure to get your tours in before that occurs, since the tours will temporarily end soon. Have fun!

This Nature Interpretive Center is small, but good learning opportunities for small kids. It…read moreprovides information on geology, biology, and history on Dana Point Headlands. We spent about 20 minutes learning about animals, marine life, and surrounding plants. It explains how compact this place is. So will take you most about 30 minutes. Very informative displays and artifacts to explore. Parking is free and located in front of the facility. Afterwards, head down to the trail overlooking magnificent ocean views and lush green surroundings. Perfect activity to spend with your family.

Nice little spot to take the kids or even yourself to learn some of the local history. There are…read moredisplays inside and outside of the nature center. It could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to see it all. You can go on a short hike that has magnificent ocean views . There is a marked trail available right behind the center.Parking is available right in front of the center.

Some of the best shopping found in California Adventure is located in the shop across from Soarin'…read moreand the restaurant next door is a great place to eat. The Redwood Creek Challenge is awesome for kids and kids of all ages - plus the shipping next to Grizzly Run is also awesome (just outside of the entrance to Disney's Grand California Hotel). The Soarin' ride is so cool and this whole area is really one of my favorite areas for rides, food, shopping and great places to see characters and rest a bit too!

Love the outdoorsy vibes of the Grizzly Peak area of Disney California Adventure. My favorite ride…read morein this area is Soarin' whether it's Over California or Over the World. Also love that if you stay at the Grand Californian Hotel (GCH), you have your own entrance to Grizzly Peak. Get soaked on the rapids ride, and go back to change in your room! Love this area as it's themed really well and adjacent to the hotel and some great dining in GCH.

Pirate Tower in Laguna Beach is absolutely worth the effort to get to. There are two ways in: the…read moreTreasure Island Beach side, which involves walking over a rocky cliff area, so definitely check tide levels before you go. The other option is a hidden residential staircase that leads down directly, but it's hit or miss and not always open. Parking can be a bit tricky. From the residential aide straight across meter parking. From the Montage Resort area paid parking nearby do not park in the plaza across you will get towed or ticketed. Once you make it down, it opens up into crystal clear water and a stunning stretch of beach. The tower itself is incredibly unique and photogenic, almost like something tucked into a seaside storybook. Just a heads up, it is not dog friendly. Overall, a memorable spot that feels like a little hidden treasure along the coast.

This place is as fantastical as it looks on social media. It took a while for me to find out how to…read moreget to it. The entrance is in a residential area, and you take some stairs between houses down. There are some sharp rocks being lapped with ways on the way there, so bring some flip flops to walk over to it.

If you are visiting Laguna Beach, the library is a must stop visit. I love visiting libraries and…read morealways wanted to check out this one. They have a little secret garden right outside the entrance for anyone to visit. It makes me want to try and build my own little fairy garden. The library is a pretty nice size with the children's on the left and the adults on the right and teens kind of in the middle. My daughter did a search in find and got a magnet book mark for completing it. The friends of the library have a book shop right below. Definitely check out if you love books and best of all it's free to visit the library.

This is one of the cutest libraries I have ever walked into…read more It's like an adorable boutique library, with a full on fairy garden with sculptures. And a super cute little bookstore connected to the library just to the right down a few steps, very dog, friendly extremely people friendly, and the price of the books are extraordinarily affordable. I found several. Some of them are for me and a few for friends that I know will appreciate the good reads.

Beautiful and clean small city in between anaheim and orange. I love their laid back beautiful…read morelarge homes and calm surroundings. There are many stores around their shopping center and also it's very walkable. It's a hidden jewel.

The city of Villa Park is very nice with a well kept up neighborhood, high end homes, nice people,…read morebut has limited stores nearby.

I like this park and there is shade here. Quite a bit actually, so I am not sure why there are many…read moreposts saying no shade. I am assuming they mean there is no shade for the playground, which is true. No shade for the playground and no shade on the benches next to the playground. The rest of the park there are lots of trees for shade. However, if one is willing to sit on the grass instead of the bench, there are trees for shade next to the playground where you can still watch your kids but you would need to bring a towel and sit on grass instead of a bench.

Very clean, nice community park. The structure is mostly slides with a few fun ways to get up to…read morethe second level. My 6 and 8 year old declared that they were fast and fun. There is a smaller tot slide structure too. There are also 4 swings-2 regular and two mom and baby combo swings (I wish they had those when my kids were younger) and some rocking toys. Lots of very soft sand. There is a big grassy hillI and a few picnic tables. I'd give this park 5 stars except that there is no shade and no bathroom, so it's much more of a neighborhood park than a destination.