SoCal Field Trips - Page 4 of 164 - Field Trips is our middle name!

Insider Tips For Visiting Cabazon Dinosaurs Near Palm Springs

Posted on February 28, 2019 | Filed Under: Field Trips in Riverside | 5 Comments

We all have a bucket list of sorts. You know, places we want to visit one day, but haven’t gotten to quite yet. Cabazon Dinosaurs in Cabazon, California is one of those places for me. I’ve passed the iconic dinosaurs countless times while driving from LA to Arizona, but I’ve never stopped to actually check them out. Finally, one day in March, I decided to change that and became one of the 12 million people who drive by them every year.

The World’s Biggest Dinosaurs™ museum in Cabazon includes a dinosaur garden and 50 robotic dinosaurs. This educational facility features work from scientists around the world including Dr. Benjamin Carson and Dr. Michael Egnor. Here, visitors learn cool dinosaur facts and about the history of the planet and the human race from a Creationist perspective. Cabazon Dinosaurs is one of the best places to see dinosaurs in California!

Cabazon Dinosaurs in Cabazon

Cabazon Dinosaurs, also referred to as Claude Bell’s Dinosaurs, are enormous, sculptured roadside attractions located right off the Cabazon exit of Interstate 10, a short distance west of Palm Springs. The site features Dinny the Dinosaur, a 150-foot-long building, shaped like a larger-than-life-sized Brontosaurus (or perhaps it’s an Apatosaurus), and Mr. Rex, a 65-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus rex structure.

The History of Cabazon Dinosaurs

The first dinosaur to appear at Cabazon Dinosaurs was the Brontosaurus, built by former Knott’s Berry Farm theme park artist and sand sculptor Claude Bell. Bell decided to build the steel-and-concrete dinosaur in order to attract more visitors to his now permanently closed Wheel Inn Diner next door. Construction on Dinny the Dinosaur began in 1964 and was completed 11 years later. The giant apatosaurus is arguably the largest dinosaur in America. Mr. Rex was completed in 1981.

Cabazon Dinosaurs is one of the numerous dinosaur museums in Southern California that offer fields trips for schools, homeschoolers and scout troops.

Sculptor Claude K. Bell in March 1970, with his 45 ft high 150 ft long Dinosaur under construction in Cabazon

Since their construction, Bell’s dinosaurs have been featured in Coke commercials, MTV music videos, and the 1985 film Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. When Bell passed away in 1998, his family sold the property to its new owners named Young Earth Creationists.

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Visit The MOXI in Santa Barbara

Posted on February 27, 2019 | Filed Under: Field Trips in Santa Barbara | 2 Comments

Last November, my family and I visited the world renown museum, MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, in Santa Barbara, California. The MOXI, first opened in February 2017, is a contemporary museum devoted to science, technology and the arts, with a focus on interactive exhibits. The museum was part of a massive community outreach effort, dreamed up over 20 years ago. With incredible vision and dedication, the Santa Barbara community poured in resources together to build a powerfully creative interactive environment where kids can learn about science and have a fantastic time doing so.

Do your kids love science? Take them to visit The MOXI in Santa Barbara, a contemporary museum devoted to science, technology and the arts.

credit: MOXI

MOXI The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation

When we first arrived at the MOXI, we were greeted by an imprinted note on the front door, “Future Innovators Enter Here.” A very appropriate message for a place that stimulates learning and drives curiosity of science and how the world works around us. After we got our entrance wrist bands at the check-in counter, both my kids were off in different directions to check out the magnificent interactive spectacles that greeted them.

credit: MOXI

The MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation is designed for kids to use real-time scientific application. From racing derby style cars to playing a gargantuan guitar to syncronizing sounds to a movie in a sound booth, there are so many creative and stimulating ways for kids to learn, all 17,000 square feet and three levels worth.

Inside the MOXI, the first exhibit we checked out was the Handprints Globe. The globe is a symphony of connected screens where my kids made an image of their handprints appear on the screens in all sorts of vibrant colors and shades. Just a few steps away from the Handprints Globe, was a gargantuan sized guitar that you not only can play, but also experience inside the body of the guitar and listen to acoustic variances of sound.

Next up was one my son’s favorite exhibit, The Reactable. This unique exhibit is a musical instrument consisting of a graphical user interface that is tangible, meaning there are a bunch of images that you can swipe, turn and move about the screen to make sounds and even put together a little tune. The soundscape fun didn’t stop there, we then made our way into one of the movie soundtrack booths where we all banged objects together to video footage.

credit: MOXI

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Discount Tickets to Digital Nature at LA Arboretum

Posted on February 21, 2019 | Filed Under: Field trips in Los Angeles | Leave a Comment

Enjoy Digital Nature 2019 – an amazing video, art and sound installation – at the Los Angeles Arboretum from February 27 to March 3. Guests are invited to step into a collaboration between nature and human innovation under the moonlit sky of Arcadia.

Quick Link: Discount Tickets to Digital Nature at Los Angeles Arboretum

Digital Nature at LA Arboretum

The LA Arboretum will transform into an outdoor gallery for visitors to explore and view the unique, site-specific works of art. Some art is interactive, a few with music, others silent. All are illuminated. Inspired by the natural world and technology, the artists explore themes as diverse as butterfly wings, bird songs, heavy metal, and inter-active digital wildflowers. These digital and video creations at the LA Arboretum explore the unique intersection of horticulture and technology.

Digital Nature, first presented in 2016 at the Arboretum, is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and curated by Shirley Alexandra Watts. The evening includes a no-host bar and food will be available for purchase.

Digital Nature Artists

During Digital Nature, contemporary artists will project their work onto the lush landscape of the Arboretum. Participating artists include John Carpenter, Adam Donnelly, Tim Durfee, Mia Feuer, Ellie Irons, David Janesko, Richard Johnson, Chris Kallmyer, Jenny Kendler, William Lamson, Andrew McKee, Deborah Oropallo, Andy Rappaport, Timothy Roy, Justin Shrake, Shirley Watts, Nami Yamamoto, Andrew Yang and Brigitte Zieger.

How To Get Discount Tickets to Digital Nature in LA

Complimentary tickets to Digital Nature at the LA Arboretum are available on Goldstar.com for a limited time only (a small service fee applies). Get them while you can, because they will go quickly!

Regular admission to Digital Nature on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday is $16 for adults and $14 for students, seniors and children ages 3 – 17 years old. Regular admission on Saturday is $18 for adults and $16 for student, seniors and children ages 3-17. Children 2 and under are free and no ticket is necessary.

Please note, tickets do not include daytime admission to the LA Arboretum. If the event is not sold out on the day you plan to attend, you may purchase tickets at the door. There is an additional $2 fee for each ticket purchased at the door.

Digital Nature at the LA Arboretum is an outdoor event that will take place on a pathway about one mile long. Please plan to wear comfortable walking shoes and warm clothing. Flashlights are also encouraged. Parking is free and available at the Main Lot, South Lot and Depot lot.

To learn more about Digital Nature at the LA Arboretum, visit arboretum.org.

Happy Field Tripping!

Jilleen

The Best Places To See Wildflowers in Los Angeles

Posted on February 21, 2019 | Filed Under: Family Outings in Ventura, Field trips in Los Angeles | 34 Comments

Spring is my favorite time of year to go on a hike with my family and explore the various areas in and around Los Angeles where you can view wildflowers. Now through May is prime time for flower fans like myself. In preparation for the season, I’ve created a list of over 20+ places in Los Angeles where you can see wildflowers. From Antelope Valley all the way down to the coastal shores of Malibu, you can see several species of wildflowers including the California Poppy, Giant Coreopsis and Hummingbird Sage. Just remember to enjoy them and please don’t pick them!

Happy Field Tripping!

Jilleen

Where To See Wildflowers in Los Angeles

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, North Los Angeles County

Each spring, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve comes alive with the seasonal surprises of the Mojave Desert Grassland habitat. The duration and intensity of colors and scents vary from year to year. The wildflower season generally lasts from as early as mid-February through May, with a variety of wildflowers including California Poppies, creating a mosaic of color that changes daily. The peak viewing period is usually late March or early April.

Private group tours for 10 or more may be reserved for weekdays (M-F). Tours must be reserved a minimum of 2 weeks in advance by emailing Jean.Rhyne@parks.ca.gov. Tours are free for not-for-profit organizations and clubs, and school groups. For-profit groups and tour companies will be charged $5 per person in advance, in addition to the parking fees which are paid on arrival.

Check out this list of over 20+ places in and around Los Angeles where you can see wildflowers. From the Antelope Valley all the way down to the coastal shores of Malibu, you can view several species of wildflowers including the California Poppy, Giant Coreopsis and Hummingbird Sage.

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve / credit: Saintrain (talk)

Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park, Lancaster

The 566-acre Ripley Desert Woodland is located a few miles west of the Poppy Reserve on Lancaster Road at 210th Street West. The park protects and preserves an impressive stand of native Joshuas and junipers which once grew in great abundance throughout the valley. In early spring months, creamy white blossoms begin to grow on the ends of the branches of the Joshua. The blooms last for several months, growing larger and larger as the weeks go by. Set in a bed of wildflowers, the Joshua becomes a site of stately beauty.

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Ultimate Guide To Knott’s Peanuts Celebration With Kids

Posted on February 15, 2019 | Filed Under: Field Trips in Orange County | 12 Comments

This post may contain an affiliate link.

Good grief, Charlie Brown! It’s about time the Peanuts Gang had their own celebration at Knott’s Berry Farm. For fans of the Charles Schulz-created characters, the PEANUTS Celebration is returning to Knott’s Berry Farm with two additional weekends of fun planned for 2019. During the weekends-only celebration, guests can enjoy comic style selfies, deliciously themed-treats, new whimsical shows and meet and greet sessions with members of the PEANUTS Gang, including Snoopy!

Quick Link: Discount Tickets to Knott’s Peanuts Celebration

Knott’s PEANUTS Celebration Photo Opportunities

The celebration begins the moment you enter the theme park! Immediately, you are greeted with 5 different comic strip photo booths, where you can snap that perfect selfie kissing Snoopy, sitting in Woodstock’s basket, stealing Linus’s beloved blanket or kicking Charlie Brown’s football.

Knott’s PEANUTS Celebration Treats

Knott’s Berry Farm has upped their food game for the the 2019 PEANUTS Celebration by delivering special PEANUTS themed treats and sweets. Before, I thought Knott’s Boysenberry Festival was the best food fair in town. But now, Knott’s has raised the bar! Between the Jelly Jelly Bean Funnel Cake, the White Chocolate Peanut Butter Raspberry Bundt Cake and the Frosted Snoopy Cookies, there’s a special treat for every taste bud.

At Ghost Town Bakery and Grand Bakery, you can enjoy other assorted baked goods like Charlie Brownies and Peppermint Patty Moon. The Charlie Brownies are so moist that you might to order a glass of milk to go along with them! A personal favorite of mine are the Fruit Loop Bars available at Grizzley Creek Lodge. If you love rice crispy treats, then this is right up your alley.

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