Summer Time Activities in Anaheim

My wife and I had a great time when we went to Anaheim and Orange County on our honeymoon. However, there is so much cool stuff to do there in the summer, that we may have go back there sometime.

AMUSEMENT PARKS

Obviously, Disneyland is the main attraction. Even though it is older and less hyped than Disney World and Epcot Center in Florida, we had a great time. Now that we have a 4-year-old girl, we have a perfect reason to go back. Our girl has been literally praying to go there to meet her favorite characters: Cinderella, Belle and Mary Poppins.

We still haven't visited half of the amusement parks in Anaheim. Next door to Disneyland is California Adventure, which is more of a traditional roller-coaster oriented theme park. Disney constructed the park to give visitors a reason to stay another day. Little kids can take a train ride on Heimlich (the caterpillar from A Bug's Life) and learn the secrets of Disney animators. California is the overall theme of the park, so there are sections devoted to Hollywood, the beach and the gold rush.

Another amusement park in the Anaheim area is Knott's Berry Farm. This is an old-style theme park, but it's starting to get some good modern roller coasters as well. The Sierra Sidewinder debuted in the summer of 2007. The coaster has round cars that twist down the track. Knott's also has a Camp Snoopy section for kids.

Grownups can visit the historic Chicken Dinner Restaurant, which once served 4,000 dinners every Sunday night. In fact, the theme park started as a way to entertain patrons who were waiting for their dinner. The Berry Farm is also the birthplace of the boysenberry, and you will often see Knott's jam packets in local restaurants. The AC's Mohan Garikapati talks more about Anaheim's amusement parks in this article.

SPORTS

Anaheim is also a hotbed for sports. Edison Field is a great place to watch a baseball game. The team is now called the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" in order to draw fans from L.A. We watched an Angels game during the team's run to its only World Series title in 2002.

Speaking of title runs, the Anaheim Ducks hockey team advanced to the Stanley Cup finals in 2007. This was also the year the team dropped the Disney-oriented "Mighty Ducks" moniker. They still play at an arena called The Pond, though.

LIVE MUSIC

You don't have to do to visit L.A. to enjoy some good live music. A pair of writers at the AC offered reviews of shows at The House of Blues and Chain Reaction.

DINNER THEATRE

Even if you're not seeing a big-name or upcoming band, you can check out some fun dinner theatre in Buena Park. We stayed right across the street from Wild Bill's, which offered a Western variety show along with dinner.

A few doors down is Medieval Times, which features a big arena with jousting knights. The crowd is divided into four sections to cheer for knights who wear different colored outfits. There is no silverware either, so you can chomp into a big chicken leg just like you would in the 1500s.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

To celebrate its 150^th birthday, the city of Anaheim constructed a Hollywood-style "Walk of Stars" to celebrate its most famous and influential citizens. The first two honorees were Walt Disney and burger tycoon Carl Karcher.

Anaheim is also close to Temecula Valley, which has more than 20 wineries to explore. You can also view the scenery from a hot-air balloon or visit the Pechanga Casino. Learn about these attractions at http://www.temeculacvb.com.

Kids and adults will enjoy a visit to the Marconi Automotive Museum, with its exotic collection of historical and classic cars. Museum founder Dick Marconi made a fortune in the vitamin business, bought an amazing collection of cars and established a children's charity foundation.

San Juan Capistrano is considered the jewel of the 21 missionary churches founded in the late 18^th century by Father Junipero Serra. The mission is famous for the Return of the Swallows (birds) in March, but it still fun in the summer, too. In fact, the Mission is planning a "Battle of the Mariachis" for June 23, 2007.

History buffs may be interested in the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in nearby Yorba Linda. It includes a museum of artifacts from Nixon's life and presidency, a rose garden and a gorgeous re-creation of the White House East Room.

Finally, you can check out the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, located just a block north of Knott's Berry Farm. You can check out exhibits like the Bearded Lady, the Eight-Legged Pig and the Human Unicorn.