Day Tripping: Orange County, California

Spend a day in Orange County, California and you'll find some fun and unique things to do. Home to beautiful beaches, incredible shopping venues, unique educational opportunities that are interactive and fun, great dining, awesome sports teams - Orange County, California has it all. But what if you don't have all the time in the world to explore this great area? Listed here are a few places you should visit if you're day tripping in Orange County.

Day tripping: Orange County, California - Start with breakfast at the beach.

What better way to start day tripping than breakfast at the beach. Ruby's Diner is situated at the end of the Balboa Pier. Views of the ocean are clearly visible from inside and out. Ruby's offers an extensive breakfast menu including six different choices of omelettes, a large array of egg dishes, as well as Ruby's Scrambles: three eggs scrambled with Cheddar and Monterey cheeses, onions, and bell peppers. If eggs aren't your thing, try one of the great Griddle Combos, especially the Multi-Grain Pancake Combo: pancakes made with English walnuts and almond granola. The menu goes on to also include eight house specialties. You'll leave feeling full and ready to take on Orange County. Hours are Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Ruby's Diner
#1 Balboa Pier
Balboa, CA 92661
(949) 675.7829

Day tripping: Orange County, California - Shop 'til you drop at Fashion Island.

Head on down Pacific Coast Highway to Fashion Island for wonderful shopping in a perfect, coastal setting. Fashion Island is an open air mall, with wonderful stores (Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Macys, Neiman Marcus, plus Anthropologie, lululemon athletica, Apple Computer, Lucky Brand Jeans, kate spade, and Urban Outfitters to name a few.) This beautiful center offers great dining and is dog friendly. Hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Fashion Island
401 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(800) 495-4753

Day tripping: Orange County, California - Engage your mind.

Discovery Science Center, located in Santa Ana, is a unique science, math and educational center that is great for all ages. This interactive, hands-on museum offers unique exhibits such as Grossology. This "gross" exhibit features stinky, gooey, smelly, and icky exhibits to explore. Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body allows guests to sniff the various odors and guess what body part the smell is emitted from. Pretty gross, huh? KIds love it! Other exhibits include: Dynamic Earth, Space Shuttle, Boeing Delta III Rocket, and the ever popular Science of Hockey where guests try to block a puck from entering the goal. These are just a few of the interesting and fun exhibits you'll find at the Discovery Science Center. Click here to find out what seasonal exhibits will be coming in future months.

Discovery Science Center
2500 N. Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 542-2823

Day tripping: Orange County, California - Finish off the day with dinner at Orange Hill.

This breathtaking restaurant sits on top of a hill overlooking all of Orange County. The view at night is stunning and the food is exceptional as well. The menu at Orange Hill features a wonderful selection of steaks and seafood including the popular Thyme Crusted Chilean Sea Bass with Beluga Lentils and a saffron butter sauce. Reservations can be made by calling or going online here.

Orange Hill Restaurant
6410 E. Chapman Avenue
Orange, CA 92869
(714) 997-2910

Day tripping in Orange County can be fun with many activities and dining choices. Be adventurous and have fun!

Sources:

www.rubys.com
www.shopfashionisland.com
www.discoverycube.org
www.theorangehillrestaurant.com