FAMILY FUN MONTH: Let’s Play OC! Guest Blogger shares "Summer Play Dates in OC"

In celebration of August being Family Fun Month, the Center is delighted to share stories by some of Orange County’s favorite family bloggers. 

By Mary K. Tran of Let's Play OC!

Laguna Beach. Photo by LetsPlayOC.com

It's mid-summer and for some of us, we need motivation to keep our families from vegging out in front of the TVs. We are so lucky everything is a skip hop away in Orange County. Time to spend some quality time together. Here are my top 12 favorite things to do in SoCal: 

Laguna Beach. Photo by LetsPlayOC.com

1. Spend a day at the beach building sand castles and playing in the water. 

2. Plan a hiking trip and explore the outdoors. 

3. Plan a day trip/road trip along the coast and make stops along the way. 

4. Enjoy a family picnic at the beach or park at any time of the day. 

Da Vinci – The Genius exhibit at Discovery Science Center. Photo by LetsPlayOC.com

5. Take your family to see movies on the beach or movies in the parks (Segerstrom Center for the Arts presents free Movie Mondays through August 5 in their Arts Plaza). 

6. Pack a picnic and rock out to free summer concerts in the parks. 

7. Take everyone camping, out to the lake, kayaking around the bay, or on a fishing trip. 

8. Keep their reading skills up by visiting your local library and letting them check out their own books. 

Pretend City Children's Museum. Photo by LetsPlayOC.com

9. Visit a museum. Some have free museum days once a month. (Some of our favorites include the Discovery Science Center, Bowers Museum, Pretend City Children's Museum and the Newport Bay Conservancy.) 

10. Visit an amusement park or water park. 

11. Make s'mores and roast hot dogs at a beach bonfire. 

Sno-Biggie. Photo by LetsPlayOC.com

12. Take everyone out for ice cream. 


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Mary K. Tran blogs for a family blog called Let's Play OC! where she shares deals and family fun in Orange County. You can learn more about Mary at www.LetsPlayOC.com. 

Speaking of Family Fun, the Broadway musical SISTER ACT will be in town from August 6-18.