Ice Skating in Orange County

This weekend our family will be celebrating winter in Orange County by enjoying one of the many ice skating rinks in Orange County. In the last few years, Orange County has added a few new rinks that we can enjoy. Although we do not have the snow that winter brings to our norther neighbors, we can still enjoy some of the winter activities such as ice skating.

Here are a list of the ice skating rinks in Orange County.

Ice Palace in Aliso Viejo
Ice Palace is a great rink that offers a great skating experience for $12 plus $3 skate rentals. They are open for public skating Monday-Friday 2:15pm - 4:45pm, Saturday & Sunday 12:30pm - 3:00pm, Wednesday 6:15pm - 8:00pm and Fridays 7:30pm - 9:30pm. On Friday nights you can enjoy music videos on their 12 foot screen and color lights show. They are located at 9 Journey in Aliso Viejo. We have had great luck with their skate school.

Anaheim Ice in Anaheim
This amazing skating rink has an NHL and an Olympic size rink. They have a great modern, hip decor and the kids love this place. They offer ice skating classes and hockey leagues available for adults and kids. Anaheim Ice is the official training facility for the Anaheim Ducks. You may just catch one of your favorite Ducks practicing. The price is $5 for kids under 6 years old including skates, $7 for those 15 years old and younger plus $3 skate rental, and $9 for those 16 and over plus $3 skate rental. They have an extensive list of public skate times available on their website. This is one of the greatest skating rinks in Orange County.

There a re a couple of seasonal skating rinks in Orange County at Orange County Great Park this one is free but requires reservations) and at the Irvine Spectrum. You can find information on both of these skating rinks here.

For more information on fun family activities in Orange County be sure to visit OC Fun Guide.

Happy Skating!

Photo Credit: OC Great Park

Upclose & Personal with FROGS: Giveaway

What kid doesn't like frogs? I can remember my own frog experience. When I was a kid, I had my own adventure with the slimy green creatures. Much to my mother's disgust, I filled up my little plastic pool in the backyard (meant for me to play in) with Frogs and by the next day, there were little tadpole's swimming around inside. After hours of pleading with my mother to let me keep the tadpole's in the baby pool (with the strict orders not to go in it), I had my very own Frog farm:) Once the buzz had gotten around the neighborhood, there wasn't a kid nearby who hadn't ventured over to see for themselves. Frogs are big with kids.


Well now there is a place in Orange County you can bring your kids to see over 100 Live FROGS. The Muzeo in Anaheim has an amazing exhibit featuring over 15 Frog Habitats with 12 interactive stations. Now this is the kind of exhibit that your kids would probably even clean their rooms for. If you bring them on Saturdays between 11am-3pm, they can even take part in Froggy Crafts for FREE.


In this exhibit you will learn about the evolution of these colorful creatures, their biological importance to ecosystems, and the threats they face in changing environments. Wow! Education and fun all in one, that's the kind of excursions I like to bring my kids on.

On to the exciting news...

One lucky follower of OC Fun Guide will be the winner of a family 4 pack of tickets to MUZEO in Anaheim. So if you haven't had the opportunity to see this exhibit or museum, or maybe you are dying to see it again, this is your chance.

Giveaway Rules:

First Entry
To enter, leave a comment here letting us know what you that you want to win and why
please leave you email address in first entry to be eligible

Additional Entries

• Like OC Fun Guide on Facebook and leave a comment here after (1 entry)
• Leave a comment on Facebook Fan Page (2 entries)
• Follow us on http://twitter.com/ocfunguideand leave comment here after (1 entry)
• Tweet this tweet about giveaway "I just entered OC Fun Guide's latest giveaway to win 4 tickets to see Muzeo visit http://www.ocfunguide.blogspot.com" and leave the link in a comment here (2 entries) (limit once per day)
• Display OC Fun Guide's badge (located to the right of this post) on your blog leave comment here with your blog link (3 entries)
• Like Muzeo on Facebook and leave a comment here after (2 entries)

Giveaway will run until Sunday, June 20th at 12 midnight and winner will be posted Monday, June 21st. Winner must contact us within 24 hours of notice or alternative winner will be chosen.

For more information on FREE and Low Cost activities in Orange County visit www.ocfunguide.com . Be sure to subscribe to our activity and event calendar so you won't miss another event only to hear about it after!

Happy Froggy Day!

FREE Summer Fun in The OC

Memorial Day really kicks the summer off with a grand celebration. In Orange County, this summer will be filled with FREE fun activities to keep your little ones busy. Besides the obvious trips to the beach, pool and of course the parks, FREE Family Movies movies will be hitting the Regal Cinemas participating locations next month. There are 7 Orange County theaters who will feature family friendly G & PG films at 10:00am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with two different movies playing each week. They will feature movies such as Night at the Museum II, Monsters Vs. Aliens, and Alvin & the Chipmunks, the Squeakquel. The movies are first come, first serve so come a little early and bring some snacks. This is one of our favorite fun activities to enjoy on a lazy summer morning. Be sure to sign up for our monthly calendar (to be available on soon to be newly launched website). Sign up here to receive access to FREE and Low Cost OC Monthly Activity Calendar.

In addition to Regal Cinema's FREE Family Film Festival, The Newport Beach Library is known for bringing great entertainment to its branches during the summer. FREE entertainment will be hosted at The Newport Beach Public Library. Such acts as "The Wild Life Company" where you will be able to come and meet live wild animals and learn about their habitat, and "Fratello Marionette" which is a live puppet show feature such fairy tales as Three Little Pigs.

Stay tuned for the release of OC Fun Guide's new calendar featuring FREE and Low Cost summer fun in the OC. Be sure to visit www.ocfunguide.com for fun things to do in Orange County.

Happy Memorial Day!

Halloween Fun in Orange County

Halloween is a fun time to enjoy all of the great family activities in Orange County. There are many Harvest Festivals and Haunted Houses to enjoy this season. Our family loves these special, once a year pastimes that mark the beginning of Fall. I have listed below the Halloween Haunted Houses and Fun Houses in Orange County to help make your Halloween season fun. Most all of the Haunted Houses are geared towards children 10 years and older and would not be appropriate for a younger child. There are several Fun Houses and Pumpkin Patches that offer fun festivities for the little ones. We do enjoy going to both because with a 12 year old and a 5 year old we have a wide spectrum of activities to be sure everyone has a fun filled Halloween.

Aliso Viejo:
Soka University 8th Annual Haunted House and Fun House

Anaheim:
Terry Haunt - Oct. 23rd - Oct 31st
The Empty Grave Haunted Attraction - Fri & Sat until Halloween

Brea:
Sinister Pointe Haunted House

Fullerton:
Haunted Fullerton Walking Tour
Fullerton Arboretum's 6th Annual Haunted Garden - Oct. 23rd & 24th
Fullerton Arboretum's Garden Halloween Party (3-5 yrs old) - Oct 24th

Irvine:
Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch

Laguna:
Haunted Trails - Oct 22nd-24th

Mission Viejo:
Higgin's Manor - Oct 31st

Newport Beach:
Mariner's Harvest Carnival - Oct. 23rd

Orange:
Haunted Tour at Blackstone Canyon - Oct 24th
Halloween at the OC Zoo - Oct 31st
Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch

San Juan Capistrano:
Los Rios Street Ghost Walk - Oct. 24th

Santa Ana:
Boo at the Zoo - Fri & Sat until Halloween (for younger children)

Please feel free to add to the list with your comments. It is always great to hear what other activities are happening in Orange County we can all enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

For more information on fun family activities in Orange County please visit www.ocfunguide.com.

Birthday Celebration at Disneyland

Celebrating our daughter's 5th birthday at Disneyland was our latest family adventure. Birthdays are the few times I splurge on activities. We gave our little one a choice between a birthday party or a family adventure to Disneyland. Of course she choose to spend her special day with the princesses. What five year old princess loving girl in her right mind would pass that up?

We started our day early so we could make the most of our adventure. So much to see, so little time. The parks are great in the morning because the crowds don't arrive until after 10am. Season pass holders can arrive at 8am and have privilege of experiencing the parks for an hour before they open to the general public at 9am. This weekend was a hot one so we made sure to pack at least a 12 pack of water and stuffed it in the ever-handy stroller. The little one is getting big but she still gets tired mid-day so the stroller eliminates half the whining. Plus it is a great place to store food, water and other essentials so we didn't have to carry much. On hot days I would recommend packing water to bring because you pay about $3-4 per bottle. Our family of went through 14 so that can add up.

We started at California Adventure which was full of exciting construction for the new upcoming attractions "The World of Color" (Opening Spring 2010) and "Ariel's Undersea Adventure" (Opening Spring 2011). The park was not as full as I expected. Upon arrival we visited the City Hall and the birthday girl was given a special pin to wear. She was recognized all day long for her birthday. On rides they gave her special recognition over the loud speaker and all. She really felt like a star.

Our special engagement for the day was lunch at Ariel's Grotto. This is where she was able to meet the princesses all in one place. The prices is a little high for the food but you really are paying for the experience this brings to the little ones so this was definitely worth it in my book. After lunch was served each princess was announced before making their grand entrances to the dining room floor. All of the princesses stopped at each table for photo ops and a meet and greet. This is a surefire way to meet them all in one place. There was so much excitement from the kids during this time it really was contagious. At the end she was serenaded with Happy Birthday and served her very own birthday cake with candles and all. The cake was served in a souvenir treasure box with a few treasures to go with it. It has now become her special jewelry box at home.

After lunch we headed over to Disneyland and had a blast for the remainder of our day. We were able to ride Pirate's a few times and I am so excited that It's A Small World was finally open again after all that time in construction. We ended our day with the "Celebration Parade" where our little one was a dancing queen. Disneyland is a great place to celebrate a birthday and the best part is that you get in FREE on the day of your birthday.

For more information on Disney's California Adventure or Disneyland you can click here to visit their website.

Happy Celebrating!