Main Attractions

Apologies, but no results were found for the requested archive.

May 14, 2017

Solvang

2 hours to Los Angeles International Airport

Solvang is a city located in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. In 2010, the estimated population was 5,245. The city was founded in 1911 by a group of Danish citizens who headed west to begin a Danish colony far away from the harsh, midwestern winters. Solvang has sunshine most of the year with warm days and chilly nights.

Numerous bakeries, restaurants, and merchants line the streets of Solvang, offering a glimpse of Denmark in California. The architecture of many of the buildings is reminiscent to that of traditional Danish style. Solvang has become a major California tourist attraction due to its unique architecture, buildings in the style of Danish rural houses, which entice more than 1 million visitors each year.

Visitors delight in the Danish windmills, the Hans Christian Andersen and the Little Mermaid statues, the half-timbered houses, the Danish church, the Round Tower as well as the sounds of Danish music and folk dancing. Also popular are the numerous eateries and pastry shops serving Danish delicacies. A replica of a 19th-century Danish streetcar will take visitors around the downtown area.

There are two museums devoted to Danish culture and to one vintage bikes: The Elverhoj Museum, The Hans Christian Andersen Museum and The Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum, which displays bikes from the private collection of motor cross and road racing veteran Virgil Elings.

The 2004 Oscar-winning film Sideways was shot in the adjacent Santa Ynez Valley and filmed in Solvang. As a result, there has been an increase in wine tasting rooms in Solvang.

Solvang is 2.1 miles to Los Angeles Convention Center and 2.2 miles to Port of Los Angeles.

May 13, 2017

San Diego Zoo

124 miles to Los Angeles International Airport

Housing more than 3,700 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies, the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, was the first to produce the concept of open-air, cage-less displays. It is one of the few zoos worldwide that houses and effectively breeds the giant panda. Additionally, a new Koalafornia Adventure exhibit, providing an new Australian animal experience, was added in 2013. And with more than 700,000 exotic plants, the 100-acre Zoo also has a abundant botanical collection. The zoo is located Balboa Park in San Diego.

Visitors can take the guided tour bus that travels most of the park. Offering an aerial view is an elevated gondola lift called the Skyfari. Get a glimpse of many different animals that can be found in the wild, together with native plant life. There are exhibits such as an African rain forest with gorillas, and the Arctic taiga and tundra with polar bears. The zoo also has some of the largest free-flight aviaries anywhere.

TheSan Diego Zoo Safari Park is managed by the San Diego Zoo. Here, animals are displayed in a more intensive environment. This is home to more than 3,000 animals representing more than 300 species. The park’s prominent botanical collection contains 3,500 species and 1.75 million specimens. Animals are often interchanged between Safari Park and the Zoo, as well as between Zoo and other zoos worldwide.

In addition to a comprehensive collection of reptiles, birds, and mammals, the zoo also keeps an arboretum with a rare plant collection. The selection includes more than 700,000 unique plants.

The San Diego Zoo is one of few zoos in the country that features giant pandas in for the public to see. The only albino koala in the world was at the San Diego Zoo. The Zoo has the largest number of koalas outside of Australia.

In 2014, a colony of African penguins arrived for the first time to the zoo. They will be moved into Africa Rocks when it opens sometime in 2017.

The San Diego Zoo Global, the Zoo’s parent organization, is one of the largest zoological associations in the world.

The San Diego Zoo is 122 miles to Los Angeles Convention Center and 117 miles to Port of Los Angeles.

May 13, 2017

Annenberg Community Beach House

12 miles to Los Angeles International Airport

The Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica State Beach is five acres of beachfront property serving as a beach facility for the public. It was built for Marion Davies by William Randolph Hearst in the late 1900’s. The Beach House evolved and became a luxurious private residence in the 1920s.

The Beach House was a celebrity magnet on Santa Monica’s Gold Coast, hosting superstars from Hollywood, such as Louis B. Mayer, Charlie Chaplin, and Greta Garbo..

The property was then sold and converted into “America’s Most Beautiful Hotel,” along with the Sand & Sea Club, an exclusive beach club. The main structure was later demolished, but the popular Sand & Sea Club continued on.

The State of California purchased the property in 1959 and continued to operate it as the Sand & Sea Club. In the 1990s, the City of Santa Monica ran it as ‘415 PCH,’ until 1994 when the Northridge Earthquake damaged all of its buildings.

As the City tried to secure funding for reparations, Wallis Annenberg of the Annenberg Foundation offered to help and contributed a $27.5 million grant that made way for the site’s repairs.

In 2009, the mansion’s pool was renovated and it opened to the public on a fee for entry basis. The mansion’s original guest house still stands today and it is used for events. The new facilities includes a pool house, a children’s play area, public restrooms, beach rentals, and a cafe.

The Beach House is open to the public daily from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm during the summer, and the pool open from 10 am to 6 pm.

Use of the facility is mostly free. Guests only pay for daily pool passes, parking and for beach volleyball and beach tennis court time.

Pool, parking and other passes can be purchased 3 days in advance online starting at 6 am. Weekends are usually sold out early. Walk ins are also available.

Annenberg Community Beach House is 15 miles to Los Angeles Convention Center and 32 miles to Port of Los Angeles.

May 12, 2017

Palm Springs

2 hours to Los Angeles International Airport

Palm Springs, California is approximately 107 mi east of Los Angeles, 123 mi northeast of San Diego, and 268 mi west of Phoenix, Arizona. Known for its stylish hotels, golf courses, hot springs, and spas, it is a resort city in the Sonoran Desert in Southern California. It is also noted for its many fine examples of mid-century, modern architecture. The shopping district that lines Palm Canyon Drive features interior design shops, vintage boutiques, and restaurants. The Coachella Valley which surrounds Palm Springs offers hiking, biking and horseback riding trails, tennis and swimming in the mountain and desert areas that are nearby.

There’s plenty to do in Palm Springs. You can ride the aerial tramway to Mount San Jacinto or go on an adventure to Joshua Tree National Park. Or you could take in a show at one of the many casinos. The Living Desert Zoo and Botanical Gardens and the Palm Springs Air Museum provide culture and education. Visit Moorten Botanical Gardens, an internationally famous museum with more than 3,000 examples of desert cacti and other desert plants. The garden has been in operation since 1939.

Tourism is a huge factor in the economy of Palm Springs, bringing in more than 1.6 million visitors yearly. The city has more than 130 hotels and resorts, numerous bed and breakfasts and over 100 dining spots.

Downtown Palm Springs began its revitalization in January 2012. To preserve many downtown buildings, the mid-century modern architecture in the city is supported by architecture enthusiasts, local historians and artistic designers.

Palm Springs International Airport is just seven minutes from the city, offering flights to Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix, New York, and connecting to major destinations around the world.

Los Angeles International Airport is only a two-hour drive away and also offers access to Palm Springs.

If you want to escape from the pace of the city, Palm Springs is the convenient and perfect getaway, a desert oasis just two hours from the heart of Hollywood. Just take Interstate 10 East which will take you directly to Palm Springs.

Palm Springs is 108 miles to Los Angeles Convention Center and 118 miles to Port of Los Angeles.

May 12, 2017

Big Bear Lake

2.2 hours to Los Angeles International Airport

Located in the San Bernardino Mountains along the southern shore of Big Bear Lake, is the city of Big Bear Lake. It is in San Bernardino County and is surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. It is immediately west of Big Bear City, about 25 miles northeast of the city of San Bernardino. There are approximately 21,000 residents living here full-time.

Big Bear Lake holds the distinction of being Southern California’s largest recreation lake. Pine and oak trees flourish here. The area is also a natural habitat for roughly thirty wintering bald eagles. There are also twenty-nine species of rare plants, with some being indigenous to the area. In the summer, the main recreational activities are fishing, hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. There are many trails of varying degrees of difficulty. Big Bear becomes a skiing and snowboarding getaway of Southern California in the winter. Snow Summit and Bear Mountain are the two ski resorts, and they are always busy in the winter months. The Big Bear Lake International Film Festival has been held at Big Bear Lake since 1999.

One of the nation’s only alpine solar observatories calls Big Bear home. The city also has a public zoo, seven public campgrounds, a 9-hole golf course, great restaurants, entertainment and lots of shopping. Big Bear’s airport is always open and it is is equipped for night landings.

The Big Bear Lake region normally receives significant winter snow because of its high elevation. Snowfall averages 72 inches per season, and up to 100 inches can accumulate on the forested ridges bordering the lake. There are more than 300 days of sunshine each year, and summer temperatures average around 80 degrees during the day and 45 degrees at night. Winter temperatures average in the low 40’s during the day, and mid 20’s at night.

The annual Oktoberfest has been held at Big Bear Lake since 1970.

Big Bear Lake is 2 hours from Los Angeles Convention Center and 2.3 miles from Port of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Airport LAX

Main Attractions

Solvang

San Diego Zoo

Annenberg Community Beach House

Palm Springs

Big Bear Lake

Contact us

Main Attractions

Sign In

Forgot password