Entertainment Guide

Happy Birthday, Pretend City! Special Events in August + Ticket Giveaway!

Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine turns 8! If you’re looking for ways to beat the heat, the last full month of the summer is jam-packed with fun educational activities and daily themed events at Pretend City. Hint: There are special discount days for some of them. Their annual “When I Grow Up” Day is the biggest event of the year. With the help of volunteers and a variety of generous professionals from all over the community, children can explore their future and dream big with the help of firefighters, police officers, librarians, and more! They are bringing in a real fire truck for the children to touch and explore, along with multiple professional cars in their free outside exhibit! Other special events to note – National Chocolate Chip Day, Bring a Friend on Friendship Day, Way to Play Day with Free Dental Screenings, Free Family Autism Day, and it’s also the final days of their summer exhibit, “Adventure Under the Sea!” Check the calendar below!

Guide to LEGOLAND Water Park + Giveaway!

LEGOLAND® Water Park is located inside the park (additional ticket required) at the north end of LEGOLAND® California adjacent to Fun Town (see map below). This part of the park has been opened since May 2010. It includes Legends of Chima Water Park, Pirate’s Reef, Soak-n-Sail, and new this summer – Surfer’s Cove! Surfer’s Cove features six water slides which extends 100-feet where guests can race each other for the fastest time on Riptide Racers water slides. Look for a LEGO winner’s trophy for a great photo opportunity! There’s a new spray ground called Wipeout Lagoon where multiple water jets splash on and off creating a wave effect. New eatery offers Beach Street Tacos and new seating area. Find new LEGO models throughout in beach themes – LEGO surfers, LEGO seagulls, LEGO crabs, a LEGO lifeguard, and a surfing dog model sits on top of a wave at the peak of Riptide Racers.

UPDATE: We were there June 30th, and Surfers’ Cove was nearly finished.

Behind the Scenes with SeaWorld San Diego + Ticket Giveaway!

A few weeks ago, we had a great opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at SeaWorld San Diego. It was a jammed packed day – Dolphin Days show, stayed after for a meet and greet with dolphins, animal encounters (I pet a penguin named Bruce), watched the new Orcas Encounter show, toured the Animal Health and Rescue Center and more! It was a full day of fun and we were spent, but if you are not ready to leave, they have a new Electric Ocean experience during summer nights that will keep the party going. More details below and be sure to enter for a chance to win four tickets!

Guide to Disney California Adventure Summer of Heroes

If you are big fans of Marvel Avengers, head over to Disney California Adventure to “Hero Up” and experience a “Summer of Heroes”! There is a whole area dedicated to the mighty Super Heroes, and you will want to try it all – new ride, photo ops, dance off, Avengers Training and more! If you need a snack, munch on some Groot bread or stop in and try one of their other themed eats in Hollywood Land! Enjoy these experiences through September 10, 2017.

Disneyland App

First things first, download the Disneyland App! It has everything you’ll need from park hours, wait times, GPS-enabled maps, locate restrooms, ride descriptions, access and share photos from the PhotoPass, locate characters, check restaurant menus from both parks including 3 Disneyland Resort hotels and Downtown Disney District, make or cancel reservations, check FASTPASS return times (subject to availability), and you can even purchase tickets right from the app which will save you time in line and are paperless! Wow, that’s a lot!

New Attractions and Shows at SeaWorld San Diego

SeaWorld San Diego went through some big changes this year ready just in time for Summer! Their new Ocean Explorer area features five new children’s rides and three new animal encounters (octopus, crab, and eel). They also changed up the orca show to make it more educational, and you’ll want to stick around for the nighttime celebrations in the new Electric Ocean Light Festival (on select dates this summer). I was able to ride most of the new rides with my kids. The top attraction here is the Submarine Quest. It had a two hour wait time opening weekend.

2017 List of Free Summer Movies in Orange County!

Happy Summer! Do you love getting together with friends to watch movies under the stars? Well grab your beach chairs, blankets, and pack a picnic to share because here is a list of free summer movies in Orange County. There’s Movie Mondays at Segerstrom Center, Moonlight Movies on the Beach, Movie on the Lawn at the OC Great Park, Movies on the Beach at Newport Dunes, and new this year – Sunset Cinemas at various OC Parks!

Disneyland: Taking Toddlers and Preschoolers for the First Time #DisneyKids #Disneyland

As a full-time working mom with two youngsters ages four and two, going to Disneyland by myself seems like a daunting mission. I can’t imagine all the stuff I would need to pack for the day, and being out past nap time makes me nervous. Can I handle the meltdowns by myself in a crowded amusement park? What about when I try to strap my toddler into the stroller and the preschooler likes to wander off on her own. Who is going to chase her down? Yikes! Okay, and is it too soon? What is a good age to go, and will they remember any of this? I thought to myself – we will never make it to Disneyland until the kids are much older, but we went and had a great time! Here are some helpful tips that might help.

Fun Facts about Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade!

The beloved Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland is back home! Many have fond memories of experiencing it as children. Now they can take their own families as it has returned for a limited run until June 18, 2017! I have seen it for the first time, and it is wonderful! The dazzling parade made its world debut on June 17, 1972 bringing nighttime magic fun to the park, and it features classic Disney favorites like Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Alice in the Wonderland… The parade performed at Disneyland Park more than 3,600 times for more than 75 million guests until November 1996 before it started traveling around the world.

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