Fun and Educational Places to Go with Kids and Adults in Southern California

This book was given to me as a Christmas gift. What a nice gift that was. I love it! It covers all of Southern California, which is a huge area. The book is grouped by counties: Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernadino County, San Diego County, Santa Barbara County and Ventura County. Within each county, the destinations are grouped into categories, like amusement park, arts and crafts, beaches, edible adventures, etc. So with that, I can find whatever I need where I need it, when I need it. There is a key indicating how much time a destination might require and whether it would be a good destination for a birthday party. There is also a key indicating how much money we could expect to spend there. Directions are provided to each location together with its page and grid number in the Thomas Guide. Other helpful information included with each entry include hours of operation, admission prices and the appropriate ages. This book is very thorough and complete. It's incredible how much information they can pack into a book. This is a must have for every stay-at-home mom.

Love this book! It's so useful for thinking of things to do with my 2 year old. The book details what ages are best for the attraction, and how much of the day you should plan to spend there. I hate getting somewhere, only to find out that he's too young, or that it only is entertaining for about an hour - when I need an all day activity. This book has eliminated that! Can't rave enough about it.

This book is amazing. The lady who wrote it must have been such an adventurer! She took her kids all over the place! You can tell that she really went to the places because she describes the best things to do there and she's always correct! I have found so many wonderful new places thanks to this book. I've been to about 50 of the places recommended and I plan to go to more. The best thing about the book is that it leads you to unknown parks and beach areas and museums that are free. It's not just a touristy book promoting all the expensive glitzy things to do in each city. Instead you find wonderful "real" places that families from the area know are the loveliest spots.

I have bought this book at least 20 times - it is by far my favorite baby present, grandparent present, parent of kids present, etc. How great to get something that does not add clutter but rather fun to a kids life. The indexes are EXCELLENT as are the directions and website references. Susan Peterson is very funny in person - she spoke to our MOPS group and was just excellent.

I am currently a teenager in Los Angeles. My parents bought this book when it first came out (when i was nine), and i must say that we spent a lot of family time together touring the places in Southern CA. There is a place in SoCal that every kid will like, and this book just helps parents find where that magical place is. I absolutely love the tour of the LA Times, which my family did not know was offered before we purchased this book. Now that i am older, i still visit some of the places in the book with my family. The book is a helpful way to plan family time. For teachers: this is a helpful book for field trip ideas!