Top 10 Places I Want To Visit In 2015!

Palm Springs Ariel Tram Ride (2010)

It’s a new year!  And with a new year, comes new adventures!  I have compiled a list of the Top 10 Places I want to visit with my family in 2015!  Some of these places have been on my to do list for a long time, while others are up for a repeat visit this year.

So here’s to a happy and healthy extraordinary year of family travel and fun!

TRAVEL

1. Idyllwild, CA – Before I was married, I went to Idyllwild a few times with friends.  Idyllwild is a cozy little mountain top community located above the San Jacinto Mountains in Riverside County.  The village itself is quaint and beautiful, especially during the winter time.  It does snow in Idyllwild, but there is no snow skiing allowed.  Therefore, it is typically not as crowded as other mountain communities such as Wrightwood or Big Bear.  My family and I plan to take a trip to Idyllwild in the coming months to enjoy the snow.

2. Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, Rancho Mirage, CA – Over the years, I have heard wonderful things about The Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa.  Several families from Orange County head out to the desert every year to enjoy the resort’s Splashtopia, a two acre water playground, featuring a 450-foot lazy river, two 100-foot water slides, cliff-side Jacuzzi, sandy beach and fountains and sprinklers to give kids endless amounts of fun.  For many families they make it their yearly vacation.

3. Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel & Water Playground, Anaheim, CA – Another local favorite for Southern California families who visit Disneyland is the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel & Water Playground.  When you are tired and can’t walk around the theme park anymore, you can head back to the hotel to soak up the sun and relax around Castaway Cove – a pirate themed water park area.

MUSEUMS

4. The Children’s Museum at La Habra, La Habra, CA – We have been to The Children’s Museum at La Habra a few times. But right now through March 8th, they have a new exhibit called Destination Space that Field Trip Girl wants to explore.  She is destined to visit Saturn one day and I want to support her dream if at all possible.

5. Columbia Memorial Space Center, Downey, CA – Speaking of space, I am going to plan a field trip to the Columbia Memorial Space Center in the spring.  The children and I went to the space center about a year ago and had a great time.  However, there are certain parts of the center that you can only see while on a field trip like the Challenger Learning Center.  Either way, it is worth a trip for the entire family any day of the week, guaranteed!

6. Creation & Earth History Museum, Santee, CA – The Creation and Earth History Museum is dedicated to the biblical account of science and history.  The facilities include a 10,000 sq. ft. showcase for a literal six-day creation and young earth, including a human anatomy exhibit, life-size tabernacle display, age of the earth cave and more.  I have heard great things about this museum as well.

7. The International Printing Museum, Carson, CA – We plan to visit the International Printing Museum on Saturday, January 17 to celebrate Ben Franklin’s Electric Birthday!  Highlights of the day include two special presentations by Dr. Franklin himself in the Museum’s Heritage Theatre.  Activities will be ongoing throughout the day, including making your own Almanac “the 18th century way” and hand printing your own colonial keepsakes on Ben Franklin’s printing press and more.  This is a day for children and adults to enjoy the world and life of our foremost Founding Father, Dr. Benjamin Franklin as he turns a young 309!

ZOOS

8. Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara, CA – With over 30 sparing acres of land and 500 animals, my family will be sure to enjoy The Santa Barbara Zoo.  In case you were interested, they also offers homeschool classes during the year.

BEACHES

9. Woods Cove Beach, Laguna Beach, CA – Three years ago I went snorkeling in Kawai and have been yearning to go back ever since.  Instead, this coming summer I will have to settle and go snorkeling at Woods Cove Beach.  I know, poor mama!  Life is hard!  Woods Cove Beach has some of the clearest water along the coast and beautiful tide pools for children to explore.

FESTIVALS

10. Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival, Costa Mesa, CA– The Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival is a cultural and historical event that includes exhibitions, food, art craft, performances, dances and live music activities.  The festival is scheduled to return to the Orange County Fairgrounds in May 2015.  Visitors enter the festival area through the “Civilizations Path”, which consists of 14 gates each representing different civilizations like The Hittite Empire, The Kingdom of Commagene, Lydia, The Persian Empire, The Urartu State (Armenians), The Phrygia, The Ionian Civilization,The Assyria, Troy, The Roman Empire,The Byzantine Empire, The Great Seljuq Empire, The Ottoman Empire, and Turkish Republic.

 Where do you want to go in 2015?  Please share with us your travel adventures!  We would love to hear from you!

Happy Field Tripping in the new year!

Jilleen

Disclosure: This post is for information purposes only.