//The Best Day Trips in Southern California


+Julian

Go apple picking in the orchards of Julian, or have the best apple pie that your mama never made. This little town hidden in the mountains of San Diego County looks like it's right out of a movie with their old fashioned hardware store and corner candy shop. You can ride in a carriage around the town, or go vintage shopping for some serious treasures.

Wine tasting is off the walls here with vineyards that include Ofilia Vineyards, Menghini Winery, Shadow Mountain Winery, and J. Jenkins Winery.

+Big Bear

Only in Southern California can you head to snowboarding in the mountains after a good few hours of surfing. Big Bear is one of the best retreats in the mountains, and it's only a few hours of a drive from Orange County. There are a handful of mountains to hit the snow in this community and in the summer there's plenty of fishing, wake boarding, and jet skiing to do on the lake.

For a romantic weekend, rent a cabin for a few hundred dollars, and visit some of the best candy shops in their town. There's always events going on each month, like Oktoberfest and Troutfest.

+San Diego

The things you can do in San Diego is limitless. You can ditch your car for the day and ride the trolley around town, stopping at the famous Balboa Park where there's art museums, performers, and historic scenery. Bring your camera for the botanical gardens and walk just a few blocks to hit up the downtown area where there's plenty of shopping. You'll be impressed with Horton Plaza, the city's five-story mall.

If it's baseball season you can see a Padres game and get wine or a cigar after at one of the local shops. In the summer there's Ocean Beach, a hippie town with plenty of interesting people and flavors. There's also Pacific Beach, which has better surf and some of the best places to shop and eat. If you're looking for something more upscale, visit La Jolla Shores where you'll find everything ritzy and coffee shops/fondue right on the water.

If that's not enough, visit Coronado Island to ride on beach cruisers, or to take a look around the famous Hotel Del on the beach.

+Hollywood

Walk on the stars (on Hollywood Blvd.) or visit Rodeo Drive for the best shopping the city has to offer. There's the famous Kodak Theatre, and Grauman's Chinese Theatre, one of the most famous movie theaters in the country. Walk down the street and visit Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, and take a look inside Hotel Roosevelt, where famous starlets have stayed.

If you want to get out of the limelight, spend the day at Universal Studios where you can still get a taste of Hollywood by taking a tour on famous sets. If you still want more tours in the city, be cheesy and pay to see famous Hollywood residences.

If you're feeling like taking your clothes off, then hit Venice Beach where there's miles of hippie shops and interesting performers.

+Catalina Island

Put on your nautical outerwear and take a ferry over to Catalina Island for the day. You can rent bikes to travel around the island, and stop by the Catalina Island Conservatory. From there you can take a few tours to explore the island by getting adventurous views that will make you feel like Indiana Jones. There's the Glass Bottom Boat tour, Flying Fish Boat Trip, Cape Canyon Tour, and even the GPS Walking Tour. 

Just because you're stranded on an island (well, not really) doesn't mean there isn't shopping. You can find quaint little stores that hold artwork, handmade islands, and clothing, all right on the waterfront.

Katie Cervantes

Live OC Magazine

www.LIVEOCMAG.com