{Updated June 2018}
Summer is here and the kids are home! but don’t worry, there are plenty of things for kids to do in Orange County to keep them from whining and saying “i’m bored!” to make things easier on you parents and caretakers, i have created a list of 101 Kid-friendly Things to do in Orange County (there are actually 132 on this list).
some of these activities are FREE or low cost…some are pricey. plan out your favorites accordingly and get out into the sunshine with those kiddies. i have found that getting out once a day helps my sanity. everyday i need a break from my house, and work, so i make an effort to take the kids somewhere during the day…even if it is just the park or the front yard to ride bikes.
Don’t forget to follow the Sandy Toes and Popsicles Facebook Page for daily updates of events happening in Orange County – such as library and park events, free local events and more.
NOW go have some fun!!!!!!!
Orange County Park Fun
1. Fun Orange County Parks The #1 resource in Orange County for finding great parks all over the OC. Michelle’s fantastic website has the scoop on almost every park, what amenities they offer, and useful tips. Check it out!
2. Oso Creek Fairy Trail Fun family-friendly trail where you can search for tiny fairy house along the way. There is also a park and bathrooms. ( Mission Viejo) Free
3. Concerts in the park (click link to find dates & cities) Free
4. Summer Movies in the Park in Orange County (click link to find dates & cities) Free
5. Orange County Great Park (Irvine) Where you can ride the Big Orange Balloon and ride a carousel for a nominal fee. It also has a play park and garden to check out, and hosts family-friendly events often (check out their website).
6. Atlantis Play Park (Garden Grove) Charming concrete animals and slides including a giant sea serpent. It also has a splash pad and plenty of picnic areas. Admission is $2 (no bills over $10 accepted, closed on Mondays)
7. Adventure Playground (Irvine) one-of-a-kind park for kids to use there imaginations in interactive play. wear clothes that can get dirty, and bring an extra set.
8. Adventure Playground (Huntington Beach) AKA mud park. Rafting in mud pond, mudslides, fort building and water fun. A kids dream park, and my children’s favorite summer activity each summer. Open mid June – August, 10am – 4pm. Closed Sundays. Admission is $3.
9. Marina Park (Newport Beach) AKA the Lighthouse park. Fun nautical themed park equipment with a large lighthouse slide. It’s located on the Newport Bay, so its a great wave-free area for kids to enjoy the ocean. There is metered parking but if you can find a parking spot on the street it’s free.
10. Irvine Park Railroad & Wheel Fun Rentals
11. Heritage Park Play Island (Cerritos) Is a city park that has a play island with Historic buildings reminiscent of those during Paul Revere’s Ride with play equipment inside! It is a must see park. Make a picnic lunch and enjoy an afternoon of park play. Admission is Free.
Reading Fun
12. Local Library Programs
13. Free Summer Reading Programs for Kids
14. Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program
15. Pottery Barn Book Club (Costa Mesa & Mission Viejo) Every Tuesday and other select days for special book events. Receive a surprise after every 5 times you attend. Free
Museums
16. Discovery Science Center (Santa Ana)
17. Pretend City (Irvine) Fun for babies, toddlers and children, I suggest 9yrs and under.
18. La Habra Children’s Museum (La Habra)
19. Bowers Museum (Santa Ana)
Discounted Movies
20. Summer Outdoor Movies in Orange County
21. Summer Movie Programs for Kids
22. Discount Picture Show at Main Place Mall (Santa Ana) $6.25 before 6pm
23. Woodbridge 5 AMC Cinema (Irvine) $4.95 movies all day.
25. Brea Plaza 5 (Brea) $5.45 before 5pm
26. Cinema City (Anaheim Hills) $6 before noon, on Mondays & Tuesdays, and on Sundays before 6pm.
27. Drive-In Movies
Amusement Parks
28. Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park)
29. Disneyland (Anaheim)
30. Legoland (Carlsbad)
31. Adventure City (Anaheim on south Beach Boulevard) Carnival rides, rock climbing wall, arcade, petting zoo, children’s theater and food.
Fairs
32. OC Fair (Costa Mesa) July 13th – August 12th, 2018
Zoos & Farms
33. Zoomars (San Juan Capistrano) Small family owned zoo located in the historic Los Rios Village. Bunny farm, Guinea Pig Gully, corn pool, playground, pony rides, train rides and gem mining. Admission is $7-8, animal food $3, activity prices vary. Open 9am – 5pm.
34. Centennial Farm (Costa Mesa) Farm to the OC Fair animals and gigantic garden. Admission is free. Open to the public until the OC Fair begins and resumes after it is over.
35. Santa Ana Zoo
36. OC Zoo (Orange) Admission in $2. Located inside Irvine Regional Park.
37. Prehistoric Pets – The Reptile Zoo (Fountain Valley) Largest display of reptiles. My kids love this place. You can feed meal worms to turtles and also hold snakes and lizards. Meet “Twinkie” the largest albino boa in captivity. Admission is $8 for kids, $10 for adults on weekdays; $10 for kids, $12 for adults on weekends.
38. Tanaka Farms
Trampoline Houses
Giant trampolines from wall to wall. Activities include dodgeball, basketball & foam pits.
39. CircusTrix OC
40. Sky Zone Trampoline House (Anaheim Hills & Westminster)
41. Big Air Trampoline House (Laguna Hills & Buena Park)
42. Get Air Surf City Trampoline Park (Huntington Beach)
43. Big Air (Buena Park)
44. Rockin’ Jump (Santa Ana) also has rock climbing
Indoor Rock Climbing
45. Sender City at Sender One (Santa Ana) this is seriously one of our favorite places…loved by kids and adults! and fun interactive rock climbing experience with a giant slide and staff that is amazing.
46. Rock City Climbing (Anaheim)
47. Rockreation (Costa Mesa)
Bounce House Places
Inflatable bounce houses with gigantic slides, and obstacles great for kids of all ages. Check them out individually for open play times and special family fun pizza nights. Enjoy indoor air-conditioning on hot summer days. (Don’t forget your socks!)
48. Bounce U (Orange)
49. Scooter’s Jungle (Placentia)
50. Scooter’s Jungle (Alisa Viejo)
51. Pump it Up (Anaheim)
52. Pump it Up (Irvine)
53. Pump it Up (Lake Forest)
54. Pump it Up (Huntington Beach)
55. Froggs Bounce House (Fountain Valley)
Fun Centers
56. Thrill It Fun Center (Orange)
57. Round 1 Entertainment (Santa Ana)
Indoor Play Zones (Don’t forget your socks!)
58. Jump’n Jammin (Mission Viejo)
59. Billy Beez (Anaheim)
60. We Play Loud (Lake Forest & Huntington Beach)
61. Kidz Spot (La Habra)
62. Seascape Kids Fun (Anaheim Hills)
63. Luv 2 Play (Irvine & Lake Forest)
64. Bubble Playground (Buena Park)
65. Pumper Jumpers (Fullerton)
Water Parks & Water Slides
66. Soak City (Buena Park) Orange County’s largest amusement water park located adjacent to Knott’s Berry Farm.
67. Bucaneer Cover at Boomers! (Fountain Valley)
68. Raging Waters (Diamond Bar)
69. Splash! (La Mirada)
Splash Pads & Public Pools
All these splash pads are open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Admission is free unless noted below. Children who aren’t potty trained should wear a swim diaper. I would recommend these for children under the age of 10 years.
70. Pioneer Park and Splash (Tustin) Free
71. Heritage Park Splash Pad (Irvine) Free
72. Singler Park Splash Pad (Westminster) Free
73. Stanton Central Park Splash Pad (Stanton)
74. District of Tustin (Tustin) Pop-up fountains
75. Crown Valley Park Spray pad (Laguna Niguel)
76. Lemon Park Spray Pool (Fullerton) Free
77. Harry M. Dotson Park Wet Saloon (Stanton) Free
78. Atlantis Play Center Splash Pad (Garden Grove) Admission to park is $2.
79. Terramor Aquatic Park (Ladera Ranch) Must be with a resident to enter.
80. Larwin Spray Pool (Buena Park) Free
81. Frontier Park (Tustin)
82. Aliso Viejo Aquatic Center (Aliso Viejo) Public Pool, Splash pad and lap pools. Admission is $4-7 for non-members.
83. San Clemente Aquatics Center and Vista Hermosa Sports Park (San Clemente)
Beach Area Fun
84. The Best Tidepools in Orange County free
85. Corona Del Mar Tide Pools free
86. Balboa Ferry
87. Pirate Coast Paddle (Newport Back Bay) Paddleboarding fun
88. Victoria Beach Castle (Laguna Beach)
89. Crystal Cove & Ruby’s Shake Shack
90. Pacific Marine Mammal Center: See rescued ocean animals and education. (Laguna Beach) free
91. Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach)
92. Ocean Quest by Discovery Cube (Newport Beach) Located at Balboa Fun Zon
93. Newport Dunes Inflatable Water Playground (Newport Beach)
94. Newport Dunes Movies on the Beach (Newport Beach) free
95. Ocean Institute (Dana Point)
Nature Centers
96. Environmental Nature Center (Newport Beach) A 3.5 acre facility with nature trails, a native plant reserve and a nature center with kid-friendly exhibits. It is open 7 days a week. Admission and parking are free.
97. Oak Canyon Nature Center (Anaheim Hills) Hike the nature trails, visit the nature center and have a picnic at the picnic tables. Day camps are held during the morning hours. Nature Nights are held during thee summer. Admission and parking are free. Family events are $5.00 per family donation.
98. Fullerton Arboredum (Fullerton near Cal State Fullerton) Beautiful gardens host plants from different regions such as the Mediterranean, Woodlands and the Desert. Yoga in the garden and nature walk are often hosted on the weekend, and family-friendly nature classes are scheduled every few weeks.
99. Peter Mary Muth Interpretive Center(Newport Beach Back Bay) 10,000 square foot facility has hands-on exhibits for the public to learn about the Back Bay’s wildlife nature. Fantastic family events are held on various days, so check out their calendar of events for the special dates. Open Tuesday – Sunday. Admission and parking are free.
100. Shipley’s Nature Center (Huntington Beach)
101. Ecology Center (San Juan Capistrano) – open daily to the public for self-guided tours, engaging and educational field trips, visits with our chickens, and shopping in Tools for Change. Check their calendar for event!
Miniature Golfing & Amusement
102. Boomers! (Irvine and Fountain Valley) Miniature golf, go-carts, arcades, rides, and food. Irvine has laser tag. Admission is free, but all activities have individual pricing.
103. Camelot Golfland (Anaheim off of the 91 freeway) Miniature golf, laser tag, arcade and food. All activities have individual pricing.
104. GlowZone (Huntington Beach) Everything glows at Glowzone. Choose from miniature golf, bowling, arcade, later maze, ninja course and more.
Fun Dining & Dinner Theaters
105. Medieval Times (Buena Park) Medieval dinner and tournament with knights and horses at a fun dinner show. A full dinner is served and must be eaten with your fingers.
106. Pirates Dinner Adventures (Buena Park) Dinner and show featuring pirates and stunts. A full dinner is served.
107. Chuck E. Cheeses (nationwide) Pizza and arcade.
108. Farrell’s (Buena Park) Family-friendly restaurant that serves classic American food, and is known for their gigantic old-fashioned ice cream sundaes and shakes. Servers sing and bang on drums. Reservations for large parties are highly recommend.
109. John’s Incredible Pizza (Buena Park & Westminster) Pizza, arcade, rides, bowling and laser tag.
Arcades
110. Dave & Busters (Orange)
111. Dave & Busters (Irvine)
112. Nickel Nickel (Huntington Beach)
Skating & Ice Skating
113. Holiday Skate
114. Fountain Valley Skating Center
115. Irvine Inline
116. Anaheim ICE
117. Aliso Viejo Ice Palace
118. Yorba Linda ICE
Bowling
119. Kids can bowl FREE all summer at many of our Orange County bowling alleys. find out details & sign up here.
120. Fountain Bowl (Fountain Valley)
121. Lucky Strike (Orange at the Block)
122. Concourse Lanes (Anaheim)
123. 300 Anaheim Lanes (Anaheim)
124. Irvine Lanes (Irvine)
125. Linbrook Lanes ( Anaheim)
126. Anaheim Bowling & Event Center (Anaheim)
Baseball Games
127. Dodgers Baseball (Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles)
128. Anaheim Angels Baseball (Angel Stadium in Anaheim)
Candy Stores
129. ChocoXO (Irvine) Chocolate Factory tours. Taste chocolate (mostly dark chocolate)
130. Powell’s Sweet Shop (Laguna Niguel)
131. Balboa Candy Store (Newport Beach at the Balboa Fun Zone)
132. B.Candy Store (Corona Del Mar & Huntington Beach)
133. Wonderland Bakery (Newport Beach)
Historic Fun
134. San Juan Capistrano Mission (San Juan Capistrano)
135. Richard Nixon Library (Yorba Linda)
136. Heritage Museum of Orange County (Santa Ana)
Skate Parks
137. Vans Skate Park (Outlets of Orange) free
138. Etnies Skate Park (Lake Forest)
139. Volcom Skate Park (Costa Mesa)
140. Brea Skate Park (Brea) – El Dorado Drive free
141. Brea Skate Park (Brea) – Sievers Avenue free
142. Fullerton Skate Park (Fullerton) – Valencia Drive
143. Beebe Skate Park – (Mission Viejo)
144. Garden Grove Skate Park (Garden Grove) – Westminster Avenue
145. Anaheim West Skate Park (Anaheim) – Crescent Avenue
Laser Tag
146. Laser Quest – Fullerton
147. Laser Quest – Mission Viejo
148. Laser Tag – Camelot Golfland, Anaeheim
149. Laser Tag – Boomers!, Irvine
Downtown Disney
150. Build-a-bear, ESPN Zone, LEGO Store – Anaheim, Rain Forest Cafe, Disney Store
Art Fun
151. Sawdust Art Festival (Laguna Beach) June 28th-Sept.1st 2013, admission is $7.75 for adults, $3.25 for kids.
152. Color Me Mine – Brea Paint your own pottery
153. Color Me Mine – Costa Mesa Paint your own pottery
154. Color Me Mine – Tustin Paint your own pottery
155. Hidden Talents Ceramic Studio Paint your own pottery
156. Fired Up (San Clemente) Paint your own pottery
157. Timree Paint Studio (Newport Beach)
158. The Ceramic Studio (San Juan Capistrano)
Shopping Area Fun
159. Old Towne Orange
160. Fashion Island (Newport Beach) Visit the Koi Pond, Pet store, Casey’s Cupcakes, Fountains, Build-A-Bear
161. Irvine Spectrum (Irvine) Carousel, Train Ride, Big Wheel Ride, Fountain splash pads, Movie Theater, Casey’s Cupcakes and shopping.
162. South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa) Carousel, LEGO Store, Disney Store, Train, Pottery Barn Kids Book Club on tuesdays.
163. Pacific City (Huntington Beach)
Don’t forget to check out the Sandy Toes and Popsicles Facebook Page for daily updates of events happening in Orange County!
AND….
how about all the Holiday Events in Orange County!
how about entertaining the tweens and teens….
how about these great summer camps!
PLUS….
how about these 10 Family Outings for $30!
PLUS….
the best popsicles in town. where to get ice cream truck popsicles and ice creams in bulk right here in the OC.
PLUS…
101 Places toFind the Best Treats in Orange County
Thanks for including parks as #1 on your list! Looks like an awesome summer ahead.
This is awesome! I’m sharing this on my personal page for all my local OC friends! Thank you!
Unfortunately, #38 may be closed while the new Improv is being built. We loved taking our boys to the turtle splash pad/fountains at The Spectrum on hot days. I hope they keep it around after the Improv finishes up!
The turtle fountain is gone. Irvine Spectrum has a small water play area near the Target store
What an amazing list!!! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome list Jill! Wish I had little ones to give me an excuse to visit some of these locations. I guess I will have to rent more kids for the summer! 😉
Great round up! Sounds like a bucket list to me 😉
Awesome list! Thanks, Jill! We will be doing a lot of these this summer with my two little ones.
Great! Hope you have a fun time!
We are out here visiting Newport Beach for our annual family vacay – thanks for putting this list together to help with our planning!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE all these wonderful summer ideas as well as your entire blog. It’s great! I bookmarked your blog, so that I can turn to this page when trying to entertain my three boys too! (16, 7, and 2) they are all different ages, all different wants/needs….so it can be challenging doing something they all enjoy, and your blog has given me some fantastic ideas! Thanks again……Have a wonderful rest of your summer with your beautiful boys! Look forward to all your posts!
Yay for boys!!!! I hope that you all have a fun summer and get to do all the fun things in southern California. Of course our favorite is the tidepools, and Knott’s Berry Farm too.
Highly impressed on how organized this post was! Thanks for the many resources I can take my two young ones to.
Great List!
This list is great! Very helpful. Thanks!
This is exactly what I have been looking for!! Thank you so much. We are visiting twice a year now and as surprising as it is we aren’t coming for Disneyland:) Our first visit I looked and looked for a list like this. I am so happy I found it before our next visit for the year.
The Silverado Modjeska Recreation & Park District hosts summer family events for free in the canyons. Music in the Park (Silverado) Summer Consert Series is held on the 3rd Saturday of each month May-Sept along with Movies in the Park (Modjeska) June-Aug. Check the website for more info http://www.smrpd.org.
whoops…I meant “concert”!
You forgot the wetlands.
http://bolsachica.org/
This was AMAZINGLY helpful, you and this site are a blessing!
Hi I’m a Social Media “Guru” that lives in Laguna Beach with my wife & 2 baby boys (2 & 1) would love to help out with your Social Media love your blog & use it weekly as a resource. Feel free to call me anytime for assistance….
Aaron Christensen
@ThatVegasGuy
Hi, just came across your site and love it! Just exactly what I’ve been searching for. These are some great ideas to do with my little one.
Thanks again
Free concerts in the park to add:
Placentia at Tri City Park on Thursdays in July and early August
Fullerton at Fullerton Sports Complex on Wednesdays July through early August
I love your list but what about fishing places for kids? Do you have any recommendation?
This is a Awesome list !!!! It’s super helpful and full of great places!!!!
Green Scene Plant & Garden Show, April 18 & 19, 2015
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/539869074057633064/
Thank you for these ideas. I am sitting here on a Saturday morning trying to figure out what to do with my boys and I find this! I do want to add that there is a Vans skatepark in Huntington Beach-on Center Ave. And unfortunately the Rainforest Cafe is not in South Coast anymore. The closest is by Disneyland.
We would love to be featured under amusement parks in OC
714-236-9300 Ext. 0
Thank you so much for taking your time for all of to post all of theses fabulous finds,Deals, steals & 101 things todo with our kiddo-Do’s!!
Much Thanks,
Amy
As a parent originally from Huntington, but who has been living in North Dakota, I’m excited to bring my kids back to California to show them some of the things I did growing up. We don’t go until July but your site has given me a great place to start. They are 8 and 10 and they are boys and they just love being active. Can’t wait to post on here after the trip to see how much fun we’ve had.
Nickel Nickel is no longer in HB
Thank you for this list! We went to Atlantis Play Park for the first time, and it was great.
This is such an awesome list! Unfortunately they closed down Regencey Theaters in Huntington 🙁 sad sad, we used to go there all the time.
Thank you for all of your great info on ways to keep our kids busy around Orange County!! I love following you and am amazed at how much you do 🙂
when I first became a mom again after having a 16 year old, you were the first blog I followed. I love all the info you have to share! it was nice meeting you at the new playground in Huntington or I live. Keep up the good work, you’re amazing!
How about custom made donuts at https://www.duckdonuts.com/ in Huntington Beach