Southern California Articles and Information

Southern California Defined

Southern California doesn't have any official boundaries. It's generally considered the area locked in by the Pacific Ocean, Mexico, the Colorado River and the Tehachapi Mountains. If you need more specific guidelines, think of SoCal as San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, Orange, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties...read more

Southern California Casinos

Wait a second, isn't gambling illegal in California?

Not exactly. If you're a gambling fiend, you can get your fix here, but it won't be the same as what you'd find in Vegas or Atlantic City. But it won't be that different either. First off, you can always bet on horses at the track. You can also find yourself some good old fashioned card tables and even those incessantly jingling slot machines....read more

Disneyland Park

No one does the theme park better than Disneyland. Disneyland Park, aka "the enchanted kingdom" or "The Happiest Place on Earth," has a little bit of something for everyone. Whether you like shopping, roller coaster rides, greasy burgers, fine French cuisine, mint juleps, live shows or big lollipops shaped like Mickey Mouse's head, you'll find 'em at Disneyland Park. Below is a brief overview of the main sections of the park...read more

Knott's Berry Farm

In 1920, a guy named Walter Knott showed up in Buena Park, California, and began growing berries on a 10-acre parcel of land. At that time, good ole Walter had no idea that he was starting something big. His little roadside berry stand evolved first into a dinner restaurant and next into a quaint ghost town to entertain the guests. Such were the humble beginnings of Knott's Berry Farm, a world-class destination and one of Southern California's favorite theme parks...read more

Southern California Skiing Overview

Southern California might be better known for its beaches and famous people, but we have pretty good skiing too. You can generally find decent conditions from November to March, as long as you're willing to ski on manmade snow...read more

Southern California Hiking Overview

Despite the presence of a gnarled system of overcrowded freeways, Southern California still has room for some pretty amazing natural areas...read more

Southern California RV Parks

In Southern California RV parks can be found in all sorts of climates and terrains. If a beach camping vacation is what you are looking for, you can find RV parks along the beach from Malibu to Long Beach to Huntington Beach to San Diego. Or if you want to take the RV to Disneyland or LEGOLAND, there are RV Parks just minutes from these attractions...read more

Universal Studios Hollywood

Question: What's Universal Studios Hollywood all about?

Answer: Universal Studios Hollywood is a theme park that celebrates the art of movie making with rides, backlot tours and shows featuring mind-blowing special effects.

Question: Is Universal Studios Hollywood worth a visit if I have limited time to spend in Southern California?

Answer: Are you an action movie fiend? Do you have an interest in stunts and special effects? Like to see things blow up? Then yes, make the time to see Universal Studios Hollywood. It's the only amusement park of its kind in Southern California.

Question: What can I expect to see and do at Universal Studios Hollywood?read more

Southern California Beaches Experiencing Major Swells

Seal Beach, Calif. - December 5, 2007 - Southern California surfers are already on their way to the nearest west-facing beach to take advantage of huge swells created by a monster storm in the Pacific Northwest. The storm generated a powerful westerly swell that has already begun to pound Southern California beaches.

Breakers should peak in the earlier hours today before subsiding gradually through the afternoon and into Thursday morning. The National Weather Service reports that west-facing beaches south of Point Conception could experience waves in excess of 15 feet. As of Tuesday night, Ventura-area beaches were already reporting 12 to 14 foot breakers. The National Weather Service also issued a high surf advisory for San Diego County coastal areas, in effect from early-morning Wednesday until Sunday afternoon.

That powerful surf is expected to cause some beach erosion and coastal flooding throughout the Southland. Beachfront cities are already taking action to minimize damage. Seal Beach, for example, built a large sand berm on the beach and has made sandbags available to residents, to help protect the oceanfront homes.

The storm system is expected to reach Southern California on Thursday or Friday, bringing snow in higher elevations and rain throughout the Southland.

Magic Mountain

If you like to push the envelope of speed or feel like you're putting your body under an unnatural level of physical stress, Magic Mountain is the place for you. The park has seemingly set out to build some of the fastest, tallest, longest and most thrilling roller coasters anywhere. The facts speak for themselves...read more

Sea World San Diego

Sea World San Diego is an amusement park and aquatic zoo rolled into one. For most people, the appeal of the park is linked to the charming personalities of dolphins and killer whales. These huge marine mammals (not fish!) are fascinating in their size, intelligence and willingness to do tricks for humans. While Sea World San Diego isn't the place for big thrill rides, it's definitely a great choice for an all-day family friendly outing...read more

LEGOLAND California

Those fascinating plastic blocks that snap together are the inspiration behind this family-friendly amusement park. LEGOLAND California is a wholesome way to spend the day with your kids: The park contains modest rides, plus shows, Lego displays and a variety of shopping and dining venues. Several rides and activities allow kids (and their fun-loving parents) to step into their favorite heroic roles, such as firefighter, pirate sailor or medieval knight...read more

Disney's California Adventure

Disney's California Adventure, not to be confused with Disneyland Park, is the newer of the two Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Calif. The park commemorates the most intriguing aspects of Sunny California: the Gold Rush and Hollywood's long-time connection to the entertainment industry. Disney's California Adventure is decidedly smaller than its neighbor, Disneyland Park, but still worth a visit if you have the free time...read more

Southern California Jazz Hot Spots

On any given Friday or Saturday evening in Southern California, you can probably find mellow jazz somewhere nearby. Hotel bars and restaurants all over the LA and San Diego area host jazz musicians or at least pipe in some jazz for you to enjoy while sipping a martini and chatting it up with your friends...read more

The Scoop on Amusement Park Ticket Deals & Packages

It's often true that if you buy in bulk, you get a better per-item price. Not surprisingly, the rule holds true for Southern California amusement park tickets too. You may have heard of the Disneyland Resort Park Hopper and the Southern California City Pass...read more

Southern California Gambling Information

You don't have to take a side trip to Vegas to incorporate a little gambling in your Southern California vacation. Gambling is actually big business in Southern California, even though it's only kind of legal. We don't have anything like the Strip of Las Vegas, where ritzy casino hotel resorts line the street--but we do have some pretty nice gambling venues, including casinos, card rooms, horse tracks and offsite horse race wagering sites...read more