Southern California Travel for Tourists and Residents

Traveling in Southern California offers tourists and residents the chance to explore diverse cultures and fascinating environments ranging from alpine forests to beach volleyball. The diverse activities in one area still amazes me even after living here for a couple of decades.

Plan ahead, research Southern California vacation bargains, and you'll step away with rich memories and an appreciation of what makes the region unique.

Be satisfied with picking and choosing activities and places to visit since it will take years to experience all the region has to offer. We've used our Starwood Points with American Express and have had some fun times.

I'll give my travel opinions and recommendations at the end of this hub. You'll see I list the Grand Canyon in a link box. I know it's in Arizona -- but it's just a day's drive from Pasadena and thought why not put it in. It's five to six hours from different parts of the Inland Empire.

I'm linking past Southern California travel hubs I've written into this hub, but I hope to provide an overview to help in your vacation planning for both tourists traveling through and permanent residents. And no offense to other Southern California cities, but in my mind, I'm using Los Angeles as the center for measuring travel distance.

Travel times and distances are based on normal freeway traffic -- do remember that freeway traffic jams can happen anytime and weekends can be worse than weekdays.

Here are vacation categories to help you make sense of what appeals to you or your family if they're traveling with you:

Theme Parks -- Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Universal Studios are within a one-hour drive of downtown Los Angeles (Universal is only minutes from Hollywood). Legoland and Sea World are south in San Diego County -- a 90-minute drive and 2-hour drive from Los Angeles. There are plenty of water parks, too, like Raging Waters.

Zoos - The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo

Beaches -- just north of Malibu are state beaches off Pacific Coast Highway. But what do you want in a beach? Santa Monica, the beach cities south of LA International Airport, and Huntington Beach host beach volleyball, biking, and more while north of Malibu offers a less commercial setting.

Mountains -- urban forestry sets Los Angeles and Southern California apart from other world-class cities. Alpine forests to the north and east offer skiing and great hiking. I want to say there is excellent hiking in close proximity to downtown LA.

Museums -- The Getty Museum is definitely worth visiting while Pasadena (13 miles north and east of downtown LA) is home to the renowned Huntington and Norton Simon museums (among others, of course). All three are worth the effort.

In Hollywood and Orange County near Knott's are the "tourist trap museums" as I call them -- like Ripley's and Madame Tussauds.

Outdoor gardens -- Los Angeles Arboretum, Descanso Gardens

Sports -- within ten minutes of LA City Hall there is:

• The Staples Center hosts both the NBA Lakers and Clippers basketball and the LA Kings hockey
• Dodger Stadium
• LA Coliseum (home to USC football)
• Rose Bowl (home to UCLA football)
• In Orange County, the Anaheim Ducks play right across the 5 and 22 freeway interchange from the Angels.
• Galaxy MLS at the Home Depot Center in Carson

• Golf (I'm not an avid golfer and there are of course great courses, but I don't see So Cal as a golfer's paradise except for the Palm Springs area)

There's plenty of quality minor league baseball and hockey, too, in the Inland Empire. I go to the Ontario Reign on occasion and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes games. Both have terrific seating and stadium accommodations.

Horse Racing - Santa Anita Park is my favorite (it's close to me), Hollywood Park and Del Mar. Yes, it's a sport and I enjoy it. But I want to set it apart from the normal spectator sports. Santa Anita is a beautiful setting.

Concerts -- every community it seems has a summer concert series while the Hollywood Bowl and the California Philharmonic have a full slate.

Parades -- Rose Parade and Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade

Urban Legends and Hot Spots -- Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Westwood near UCLA, Sunset Drive in Hollywood/West Hollywood, Old Town Pasadena, LA Live, and Universal Walk / Universal Studios.

Select the categories where you want to spend time and money and then don't feel badly about not seeing the others. Or, you might concentrate time and money in two or three diverse areas.

If you want to get a "feel" for the greater Los Angeles in a few days then I have recommendations for that.

First, answer these questions:

What do you want from a vacation in the greater LA area? Quiet and relaxation? Non-stop entertainment or something in between?

Are you on a tight budget -- or is money no object -- or something in between?

Are you here on business and have just a few hours for entertainment -- or are you here primarily for entertainment?

Knowing the answers may help you decide.

Okay, here are my recommendations to sample Los Angeles and Southern California if you're short on time -- and you don't want to throw away all your money.

Theme park -- Universal Studios and Universal City Walk

Mountain drive and / or hiking -- Highway 2 up the Angeles Crest Highway

Museum - The Getty

Beach -- Santa Monica / Will Rogers State Beach

These four activities offer a diverse experience in a compact area. Universal Studios gives you a tourist-eye view of Hollywood, while the Angeles Crest Highway is only about 30 minutes away. It takes you in to the mountains and gives you a completely different perspective on the LA Basin -- and you can reach 5,000 feet near Mt. Wilson in about 45 minutes.

For a museum on this short trip, the Getty off the 405 freeway and south of the 101 gives you a world-class experience, great views of LA and the ocean. Otherwise, the Huntington in Pasadena is your next best stop.

At Santa Monica or Will Rogers State Beach, the traffic isn't too bad on weekdays and you get to people watch. Or man-or-woman-watch depending on your tastes.

Have lunch at a Chinese or Thai restaurant and dinner or drinks in Old Town Pasadena.

You can mix and match your options depending on whether you will spend your time in LA, Orange County, or San Diego County -- or the Inland Empire.

San Diego has fun mountain resorts, too, that are in close proximity to the beach.

You can use this list to mix-and-match:

The Getty and the Huntington Museums -- both are worth visiting. The Getty offers more spectacular scenery. The Huntington itself offers an diverse experience.

San Diego Zoo -- highly recommended

Disneyland -- I'll pick it as my favorite theme park

Urban night spots -- either Old Town Pasadena or LA Live over Westwood. Rodeo Drive is a sight unto itself and can't be compared.

Sports -- uh-oh. People have loyalties, I know. Dodger Stadium is a great place to see a ball game -- I know folks like Angels Stadium, too. Dodger Stadium for being right next to downtown LA offers a nice view of the mountains. Get tickets on Stubhub for cheap, and go to the upper levels and you should still have a nice time.

The Staples Center and Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario (home of the Ontario Reign in the ECHL) are both worth visiting.

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway -- you start just above the desert floor and travel into an alpine forest where there's plenty of awesome hiking and camping.

Freeway Driving

Take your time and stay patient. I can't stress how thickly the traffic flows. That's why if you're staying mostly in the LA area, you won't be too badly off visiting Universal Studios, Griffith Park where the LA Zoo is, and driving up the Angeles Crest Highway.

Other Tips:

Restaurants.com offers good dining choices for low prices, Starwood Points through American Express, and AAA discounts are readily available.

Whether you're a tourist or a resident getting to know the area again, have a great time and read through some of travel hubs to get more of a perspective.

I'm going to write a separate article on the cost of different activities in Southern California. But here are a few:

Disneyland: multi-day tickets are the best value. A one-day park hopper pass can cost about $ 105 per person.

LA Kings Tickets Club Level: $ 109.00.

Palm Springs Tram $ 23.25 per person adults, children $16.25

Hiking in the Angeles National Forest $10 for an annual Adventure Pass -- otherwise, no cost