Orange County

A few weekends ago we spent the weekend in Orange County & LA seeing a few sites. We had sooooo much fun!


We drove up the 1 to Crystal Cove State Park. And, while the tide was in and we couldn't explore the tidepools, we did hike on the beach to the sea cave.

Then we went continued on the 1 for lunch and then spent the afternoon at the Aquarium of the Pacific. What a fantastic way to spend a few hours. The exhibits were beautiful. Later, when asked, Amelia explained that her favorite part of the aquarium was the dancers that performed as part of a festival at the aquarium that day....should've guessed.

We stayed at a hotel in Long Beach that night, which the kids LOVED. They had so much fun sleeping in the same room as us, and exploring the really big hotel.

The next day we drove to Venice to check out the canals. They were just as lovely as I had hoped. We were practically the only people walking on the canals, and it was very peaceful, inspiring and relaxing.
Then, we got back in the car and drove back down the 1 to catch the tail end of a sandcastle competition. Amelia was sure she was going to compete, but we got there too late. We did have fun trying to replicate some of the amazing creations. I love that my kids enjoy the beach as much as I do.

Then, it was back in the car to head home.

We love our mini weekend vacations.