Summer Fun in Southern California

Southern California is a summer paradise of fun. People come from all over the world to visit, and they visit for many reasons. If you are a tourist, you can choose your fun from:

-19 Theme Parks
-11 Zoos
-7 Aquariums
-15 Regional Fairs

There are in excess of 20 Wineries, Museums, Parks, Historic Sites and Missions to discover. All this is fine for the summer tourist, but what about the people who live in Southern California? Gasoline prices are prohibitive these days, and family budgets are tight. Where can we take our families, kids out of school for the summer, that is close at hand, fun and inexpensive this summer?

Traveling down the 101 from Santa Barbara, you will come to Ventura, California. Many people pass through this seaside community without stopping. Further south along the Pacific Coast Highway there are excellent things to see, including the magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean. Last, but not least on the southern-bound route, is San Diego, golf course paradise, home of the Padres Major League Baseball team and some of the most beautiful beaches in existence.

Another answer:
Explore small Southern California communities.

According to a story on CBS Sunday Morning there is now a housing movement called "new urbanism".

"Well, essentially the suburbs have crashed," said Andres Duany, who with his wife, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, is leading the new urban movement. "The promise of suburban living was not fulfilled. You don't get nature, you get a little lawn. You don't get the freedom to drive everywhere, you get traffic congestion."

Americans are turning back time in a search for a sense of community, a sense of belonging. These new villages are being built around a small central area, and enable people to leave their cars at home and walk to nearby stores and coffee shops. "It's real. People take care of each other's dogs and kids," resident Michelle Harris said. "I mean, it's amazing."

With summer fun just around the corner, where can we go in Southern California for this feeling? What about that Beautiful Downtown Burbank Johnnie Carson used to joke about.

The Burbank Village lies alongside the Interstate 5 Freeway near the 134 Junction in Southern California. Strategically located near the studios, it offers quiet, tree-lined streets and a feeling of small-town America, while offering all of us some summer fun.

Downtown Burbank Fine Arts and Chalk Festival is held twice a year. This summer it will be June 9-10. There will be great art, music & food at the San Fernando Valley's biggest arts festival. More than 100 award-winning artists will be selling original works, demonstrating their summer crafts and discussing the creative process that Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. both days, and admission is free.

This event is held outdoors on San Fernando Boulevard between Magnolia and Angeleno in Downtown Burbank. You can purchase or commission unique works of art at affordable prices, enjoy live musical entertainment, watch pottery wheel demonstrations and see fun chalk work created live on city streets.

Also unique to this area, when the summer sun goes down, the screen will go up on Wednesdays from July 11 to August 15 starting at 5:00 P.M. The Burbank, California summer outdoor movies return.

Called "Summer Nights at Burbank Town Center," every Wednesday will become a dedicated block party with fun and games for the kids, and an array of vendors offering dinner and snacks. Then, as the stars come out, movies begin.

On opening night, Burbank Town Center will team up with Barnes & Noble to celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the 7th and last book in J.K. Rowley's popular series, and the fifth movie release, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Festivities honoring all things "Harry" will begin at 5pm and culminate with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on the outdoor screen at 8:30pm.

Go to http://www.downtown-burbank.org/events.htm for their fun summer movie schedule.

On Thursday nights during July and August downtown Burbank, California turns into an open-air dance hall as hundreds of people swing and jive under the stars to the best in live music. This outdoor concert series lasts for nine weeks on the AMC Walkway at Palm Avenue and San Fernando Boulevard, starting at 6:00 P.M.. There are even free swing and salsa classes. The band starts at 7:00 P.M., and you can have summer fun dancing all night on the outdoor plaza.

A partial schedule:
July 5: Royal Crown Revue, http://www.rcr.com/
July 12: Stompy Jones, http://www.stompyjones.com/
July 19: Steve Lucky and the Rumba Bums, http://www.luckylounge.com/
July 26: T/B/D
August 2: Bayalo, http://www.bayalo.com/
August 9: Joe Rizo Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars, http://www.jazzonthelatinsideallstars.com/
August 16: Louie Cruz Beltran and His Latin Orchestra, http://www.louiecruzbeltran.com/
August 23: T/B/D
August 30: T/B/D

Join the new urbanism movement starting this summer at Beautiful Downtown Burbank in California.