Fort Sutter Sacramento California

Located in downtown Sacramento Fort Sutter is a restored 1860 California outpost. Visitors including thousands of school children can take a look into the past and see how life was for the early Californians. The fort was only used for about ten years until the discovery of gold. Most of Sutter's workers headed out to the goldfields in search of riches. Today the restored fort is one of

Mission Trails Regional Park

Mission Trails Regional Park has nearly 6000 acres to explore. The park is a favorite destination for locals and a pleasant surprise for visitors who enjoy nature. The park came about in 1974 when the area surrounding Cowles Mountain began to experience a housing boom. Community planners made an initial purchase of land in the hopes of saving it from being turned into housing tracts. In 1989,

Southern California Outlet Malls

The day after Thanksgiving is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. With the struggling economy on everyone's mind a good way to save money is shopping at an outlet mall. Southern California has some of the biggest outlet malls in the country. Complete list of Southern California Outlet Malls.

Doheny State Beach

Doheny State Beach has 41 acres of ocean front in Southern Orange County. Popular for day use and overnight camping. It's "in town" location makes it an affordable weekend getaway for local folks. Within walking distance of the beach is Dana Point Harbor where you can rent boats or take a whale watching trip. Summer and holiday weekends the beach is packed with people, off season the beach looks

Irvine Park Railroad Christmas Train

It's that time of year again and the Irvine Park Train is making it's annual Christmas runs. New for this year, Christmas Train tickets may be purchased in advance to board the train at 5:00, 6:00, 7:00 or 8:00 PM -- get in line when it is your time to board the train. And, while waiting for your boarding time, there are many activities for children to enjoy in the Party Pavilions located next to

Ruby's Shake Shack Crystal Cove California

The Shack Shack is located along Pacific Coast Highway at Crystal Cove. For over fifty years the shack has attracted locals and tourists. For most of it's life it was called the Date Shack serving monkey flips and date shakes. In 1989, state officials canceled longtime owner Virginia McKinney’s lease with plans to widen Coast Highway. The Shack was saved and Corona Del Mar tavern owner Arden

Thanksgiving Weekend - Low Cost Southern California Day Trips

Thanksgiving weekend means for most of us is a four day mini vacation. The holiday shopping season traditionally starts the day after Thanksgiving filling up shopping malls with crowds of shoppers looking for gifts at sale prices. If your budget is on a diet and there are no funds for shopping try one of these free things to do this holiday weekend in Southern California.The Beach. So far it's

California Academy of Sciences San Francisco

Now open in San Francisco's Golden Gate park the California Academy of Sciences has an aquarium, planetarium and a rain forest. The building design, which features a living roof, blends into the Golden Gate Park and make nature a part of the building’s structure. Approximately 1.7 million plants blanket the 2.5 acres of roof.

Point Arena Lighthouse

Point Arena Lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake in 1906 and then rebuilt in 1908, Point Arena Lighthouse is 115 feet and one of the tallest lighthouses in the U.S. Guided tours of the light station as well as self guided tours of the grounds are available daily. Afterward, spend some time browsing through our Lighthouse Gift shop featuring unique souvenirs, interesting gifts, custom made

California High Speed Rail

Proposition 1A has has been passed by the voters of California. Passage of the proposition will start funding construction of a high-speed rail line between the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco and Los Angeles Union Station. The trip would take about 2 1/2 hours, and would cost $55 one way. After departing San Francisco, the train would make stops on the Peninsula and in San Jose and Gilroy

Free Goodies for Voters

Starbucks is giving away a free "tall" 12-ounce cup of coffee to anyone who votes.Krispy Kreme giving away star-shaped doughnuts.Ben & Jerry's is offering free scoops of its ice cream Tuesday.Just in case these free offers break any election laws there is no requirement to vote just mention the free offer to receive your goodies. Ben & Jerry's will give all customers at its shops between 3 p.m.

Lompoc Murals

Lompoc is known for it's beautiful flower fields, and the local Air Force Base, Vandenberg AFB. Located through out the city are many colorful murals. Lompoc's first mural was of the “Flower Industry” painted in 1990 by Santa Monica artist, Art Mortimer. Today, Lompoc has close to 30 major commissioned murals in its inventory. They all depict a part of Lompoc's history and are located primarily