• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Shop
  • Blog Coaching
  • Disclosures
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Amazon
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t fe It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t feel like it in Miami, it really never does but that just gives us a reason to explore other states. West Virginia is one of them, fun fact I actually lived here between undergrad and grad school! Here are Things to do in West Virginia (SAVE + SHARE): 

1. Enjoy New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, or visit any of the states 35 state parks as West Virginia has 1.5 million acres of parks and public land. We personally walked the Shavers Lake Trail and canoed on the lake. 

2. Enjoy some serious adventures! We’re always trying something new and West Virginia offers a lot of options from whitewater rafting, to 1,000+ miles of off-road ATV trails, to rock climbing, caving and mountain biking . 

3. Take a train ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad which stops at the Whittaker Camp where those who worked in the lumber and coal industry lived during the work season. 

4. Explore Cranberry Glades Botanical Area where you might just get to see some black bears! 

5. Walk the Falls of Hills Creak trail to get up close to some gorgeous waterfalls! 

This week I’ll be sharing various cities and states you can experience a beautiful Fall getaway. What are some of your favorite places to enjoy autumn?

Tap the link in my bio for my West Virginia blog post and a blog post of the best places to experience Fall in the US!
Still not over our day exploring the waters of For Still not over our day exploring the waters of Fort Pierce. We danced, snorkeled, fished and went tubing. Definitely want more days like this and still pinch myself that this is what a day of work looks like for me sometimes. Thank you @seadoo for the opportunity.
If you know my husband you know water activities a If you know my husband you know water activities are his favorite! Fishing, jet skiing, just being on a boat on the ocean relaxing, name it, he’s there. So we couldn’t be more excited than to not only get the chance to test out the new @seadoo Switch but be the stars of a whole commercial for it. We had entirely too much fun filming this. Of course now he wants to buy one!

Do you like getting out on the water? Favorite activity?
Our 3 Day London Itinerary (SAVE + SHARE): 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 1: Walked across the Tower Bridge (you can take a tour of London of Tower as well), walked along the River Thames and took a make a fascination hat class with @create_your_own_hat! 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 2: Harry Potter walking tour, checked out Borough Market and went on a night ghost bus tour. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 3: Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen, Buckingham Palace for Changing of the Guards, and explore Westminster for the infamous red telephone booths, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

If you have more time on previous visits to London we have taken a day trip to check out Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle, rode the London Eye, took a ferry ride down the Thames River, checked out Warner Brother Studios, and did a graffiti/street art tour.

Is London on your list? If you’ve been what did you do that you think is a must for visitors?

Things to do in London, London with kids, family travel
Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are no Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are not babies anymore. Where has the time gone? Excuse me while I go cry in the corner 😭😭😭😭. 

Too in my feelings to provide an informational post, I’ll be back tomorrow.
Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? List Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? Listen replace husband with whoever you need to but why these ppl keep acting like we can take our money when we’re gone?!? Y’all feel me or nah? 😅😬😩
Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is us Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is usually on everyone’s things to do in London list but since the girls and I don’t eat beef or pork the menus for most places didn’t make sense for us as they are filled with ham sandwiches and other things we don’t eat. I ended up finding Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen instead which offers a tea menu with breakfast items, while not traditional it worked best for us! It cost £35 pp.

For a traditional Afternoon or High Tea Try:

🫖Palm Court at The Ritz
🫖The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason
🫖Theatre Royal Drury Lane
🫖The Grill Room Hotel Cafe Royal (has vegetarian an vegan options)
🫖Coronation Afternoon Tea at Cellarium, Westminster Abbey
🫖The Rosebery Coronation Afternoon Tea at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
🫖The Goring Hotel

Afternoon Teas Geared Towards Families:

☕️Peter Pan Afternoon Tea at Aqua at The Shard
☕️Jurassic Afternoon Tea at the Ampersand Hotel
☕️Jungle Book Afternoon Tea at Brown’s Hotel
☕️Secret Garden Afternoon Tea at Taj 51
☕️The Buzzy Bees Afternoon Tea at St. Ermin’s Hotel
☕️Grover’s Children’s Tea at Grosvenor House Hotel
☕️The Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
☕️Sherlock Holmes Inspired Afternoon Tea at the Mind Palace
☕️Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tea at One Aldwych
☕️Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea at The Sanderson
☕️Wizard of Oz Afternoon Tea at The Soho Hotel

Have you done a proper Afternoon or High Tea in London before? Was the one you did on this list, if so what did you think of it? If you have additional recommendations please do leave a comment!

The Traveling Child

If kids live there, kids can visit!

  • Affording Travel
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Kenya
      • Morocco
    • Asia
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
    • Australia
    • Caribbean
      • Aruba
      • The Bahamas
      • Barbados
      • Cuba
      • Grand Cayman
      • Jamaica
      • Puerto Rico
      • Trinidad
    • Central America
      • Costa Rica
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • France
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • The Netherlands
    • North America
      • Alaska
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Illinois
      • Kansas
      • Louisiana
      • Mexico
      • Nevada
      • New York
      • South Carolina
      • South Dakota
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Utah
      • West Virginia
      • Wisconsin
    • South America
      • Brazil
      • Colombia
  • Travel Tips
    • Tips on Traveling with Kids
    • Trip Planning Tips
  • Reviews
    • Airline Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Product Reviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Buy Our Book
  • Blog Coaching

Southern California Road Trip, A 5 Day Adventure

June 30, 2020      California, Destinations, North America

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

It’s a shame how much you take for granted when you live somewhere. I lived in the Bay Area for three years but never took advantage of all California had to offer. While I did get around to visiting Lake Tahoe and going skiing at Northstar Ski Resort that was about it. Weirdly since moving to the East Coast I’m exploring California more than ever. I got the California road trip planner and have completed two of them, the Family Learning Adventure and now this Southern California road trip exploring Huntington Beach, Oceanside and Anza Borrego Park.

Southern California Road Trip: What City Should You Fly Into?

To kick off this Southern California road trip you can either fly in and out of LAX, in and out of San Diego or into one airport and out of the other. Due to us getting a flight deal (see the best websites for flight deals here) we flew in and out of LAX. It’s also the closest airport to the cities visited on this road trip as you’ll see from the map below.

Southern California Road Trip Route

What’s The Best Time of Year for a Southern California Road Trip?

Fortunately Southern California has great weather year round so you can really do this trip whenever it best fits your schedule. However if you want to enjoy the beaches I recommend the end of May-August for the most warm days, just know they will be more crowded. We did our trip in mid-May and avoided the major crowds while still getting nice weather. 

Day Zero: Arrival into LAX 

Depending on where you’re coming from you may arrive too late at night to start your road trip, this was the case for us. We took the airport shuttle over to the H Hotel by HiltonH Hotel by Hilton, just five minutes from LAX. As a Hilton Gold member we were able to get free breakfast in the morning at their onsite restaurant which was a major win. Consider getting the Hilton branded credit card for even more perks, there are no annual fee options, review them here.

Day One: RV Pick Up and Drive to Huntington Beach

After a good night’s rest it was time to start our road trip. This road trip was via an RV so first we needed to pick up the one we rented. Like our previous Southwest and Nevada road trips we rented our RV from Outdoorsy. You can sign up here for $50 off your rental.

father, daughter and grand daughter standing in front of rented RV

Once we were situated with our RV it was time to hit the road. While Huntington Beach is only 36 miles from LAX this is LA so expect traffic until you get out of the city. It took us an hour to get to downtown Huntington Beach. When we arrived we had lunch at Pacific Hideaway which was excellent, the wings tacos, fresh guac, everything was great!

lunch spread of fish, tacos, fries, lettuce wraps and a drink

After stuffing our faces we walked over to Havaianas where we were able to create our own sandals. This was by far my daughters favorite activity on the trip. She really left thinking she was a shoe maker, well I guess she was. Here you can pick your own sole, straps and a charm to go on the straps. How did ours come out?

Mom holding daughter up in shoe store Havaianas in Huntington Beach while she makes her own flip flops

Huntington Beach is known as Surf City USA so it’s only right that you check out the Surfing Walk of Fame and Surfer’s Hall of Fame while in town. We fell in love with surfing on our trip to Costa Rica so it was nice to learn more about the sport.

We then walked along the Huntington Beach Pier where there are 50 arts and crafts vendors who you can shop from. My dad and daughter decided to get their caricatures drawn. The pier is also a great place to watch the many surfers catching waves. There are a few stores at the end of the place you can browse but don’t leave before the sunsets, it’s gorgeous from here!

black family travel grandfather holding grand daughter while standing on a pier as the sun sets behind them

For dinner we ate at Duke’s which is right at the foot of the pier. Make a reservation to get a table by the window for water views. They have a cute shaved ice station along with a menu filled with fresh seafood options.

We booked two nights at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina for our time in Huntington Beach. We absolutely loved this RV park. There are lakefront RV spots, a playground, pool, laundry room, and recreation center with staff who do activities with the kids.

Class A RV parked at a lakefront spot at an RV park

It was also extremely clean with a convenient store and picnic tables at each spot. Even if you aren’t RVing you can dry camp here in a tent or rent a cottage.

Day Two of Our Southern California Road Trip: Surf Lessons and Beach Bonfire

We kicked off our second day with breakfast at local favorite Mama’s on 39. On weekends it opens at 8:30AM and I suggest you get there as soon as they do. Within 30 minutes of us arriving every table was taken and there was a massive wait out the door. Everything we had here was good!

table with plates of pancakes, french toast, eggs, biscuits, and strawberries

After breakfast it was time for my surf lesson with Toes on the Nose. I had previously taken surf lessons in Costa Rica and most recently in Puerto Rico and was looking forward to improving on my skills. My instructor, Johnny, was absolutely amazing, request him if you can. The water temperature was a far cry from the warmth of the beaches in the previous beaches I’ve surfed at but with the wet suit it wasn’t unbearable. There is no better place than Surf City, USA to learn to surf! 

Black women standing next to a blue surf board she is holding on the beach before taking surf lessons

My daughter was too young to take lessons here but she and my dad had a great time hanging out on the beach. They were able to play in the sand and watch me fall off my board all at the same time!

black toddler playing on the beach with a bucket and pal

After my one hour lesson we dined at Pete’s Sunset Grill across from Toes on the Nose. Lunch was included with my lesson and there was a pre-fixe menu to choose from. There were able choices and it was a nice touch with the lesson. My dad and daughter ordered from the main menu.

Since the beach water was too cold for my daughter to enjoy after lunch we went back to our RV site to enjoy the pool. We swam and played with the many other families here. She enjoyed the company of the other kids which is one of the things we love about RVing. 

family travel black girl swimming in pool with floaties on at RV park in Southern California

When she was tired of the pool we changed and enjoyed the playground at the RV park. She had a blast running around and going on the slides. She was too young for the activities and game going on in the rec room but they also had staff doing arts and crafts with the kids or they played ping pong.

black girl going down a slide at the playground in Huntington Beach at Newport Dunes RV Resort

For dinner we headed to Ola Mexican Kitchen located in the Pacific City outdoor mall. Serving tex mex flare food it has gorgeous views of the ocean. We enjoyed our meal even though my daughter fell asleep 5 minutes after sitting down and her adventures in the pool.

table of Mexican food including tacos, rice, beans, chips, quesadilla and corn

After stuffing our faces we made the ten minute walk to the pier to check out the sunset. It’s one of the best spots to see it in Huntington Beach. Be sure to arrive a little bit prior to sunset time to get a spot along the pier without having to stand behind someone.

Once the sun set we headed to the beach space in front of the Hilton for our beach bonfire and S’mores. This was one of my favorite activities during the trip. The staff had chairs set up for us, brought out a table with a s’more pack, a cooler with drinks, got the fire pit going and provided blankets. When the fire got low they replenished the wood for us but other than that they were out of our hair to enjoy the evening. The s’more pack came with everything we needed and it was so relaxing sitting on the beach with the cool sea breeze and warm fire.

Day Three: Huntington Beach to Oceanside and Boat Ride

After preparing and eating breakfast in our RV it was time to leave Huntington Beach and head to Oceanside, CA. Fifty-five miles south depending on the traffic you can expect the drive to be about an hour. We checked into Paradise by the Sea RV Park which was amazing and there more details on it further down the article.

We headed to Oceanside Strand Boardwalk by the pier and rented surrey biked from Wheel Fun Rentals. Riding up and down the boardwalk we stopped to run along the beach, play at the multiple playgrounds along the route and got some shaved ice.

family travel black family sitting on a surrey bike on the beach boardwalk

It was time for lunch at Hello Betty Fish House. Right on the coast they have a rooftop with views of the beach. Serving an array of seafood and non-seafood options they also have a great drink menu!

Why visit Oceanside without getting all the ocean adventures. After lunch we headed to Oceanside Boat Rentals where you can rent your own little boat and explore the bay. There are plenty of sea lions hanging out on the dock and swimming which are fun to see. We got a powerboat but they also rent electric boats, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, jet skis, and pedal boats.

black man driving a boat

Be sure to check out any local events going on during your time in Oceanside. We came across a surfing competition while we headed back to our RV. We’d never seen a surf competition before and it was great to watch. Unfortunately it was coming to an end but had we known about it we would have rearranged our schedule.

As a small business owner myself (you can buy my children’s book here), I love supporting fellow small businesses. For dinner we ate at Privateer Coal Fire Pizza, owned by Charlie Anderson, a longtime local and surfer. He makes sure all of his ingredients are locally sourced, closely working with Oceanside’s Cyclops Farms. 

After sleeping through our entire boat ride my daughter was wide awake after dinner. I found Altitude Trampoline Park advertised in the pamphlet our RV park gave us and decided to take her there to burn off some energy. She had a great time bouncing all around.

Day Four: Whale Watching Tour, Oceanside to Anza Borrego Park

For breakfast we ate at Beach Break Cafe another locally owned restaurant best known for their cinnamon-laced coffee cake. My dad who is apparently a coffee cake connoisseur says it was the best one he’s ever had. They also have huge four-egg omelets which are big enough to share and if you love bananas and french toast you have to get their banana crunch french toast!

Once our bellies were full it was time to check in for our whale watching cruise with Oceanside Adventures. The tour lasts two hours with multiple start times throughout the day and is offered year round. In the months of November – April you can potentially see Gray Whales, Minke Whales, Humpback Whales, Fin Whales, All 4 species of Dolphins, Sea Birds, Sea Lions. May – October it’s possible to see Fin Whales, Blue Whales, Minke Whales, Humpback Whales, all four species of Dolphins, Sea Birds and Sea Lions. Unfortunately we didn’t see any whales on our tour but we did see over 300 dolphins who followed our boat and put on a show, jumping in and out of the water, over and over again. 

In the harbor as soon as you come off the cruise there are restaurants and shops. The menu at Lighthouse Oyster Bar and Grill looked great so we decided to have lunch there. We sat outside which had beautiful views of the harbor.

It was now time to head to Anza Borrego which sits 80 miles East of Oceanside. Depending on traffic plan for the drive to take anywhere from 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Since our time in Oceanside was short we weren’t able to do everything but other recommendations we received were to visit the:

  • California Surf Museum
  • Oceanside Museum of Art
  • Vital Climbing Gym 

When we arrived we checked into The Springs at Borrego RV Resort. It’s a luxury RV and Golf Resort and one of the nicest we’ve stayed at. With gorgeous views of the mountains of Anza Borrego it also has a pool, playground, dog park, grills, laundry room and more.

black RVer family travel

If you’re visiting Anza Borrego from October-May I highly recommend having dinner at Rams Hill Golf Club. Not only does it have gorgeous views with an amazing sunset, the food is excellent. I especially loved the risotto

Day Five: Galleta Meadows, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Badlands Adventure Tour

After breakfast in the RV we kicked off our day viewing the Galleta Meadows along Borrego Springs Road. There are 130 metal sculptures created by artist Ricardo Breceda spread along Borrego Spring Road. You can easily just pull over at each sculpture that interests you, walk around it, take pictures and get back in your car to explore more.

After viewing the Galleta Meadows we drove to the Anza Borrego Desert State Park Visitor’s Center. Parking is $10 and they have designated RV parking spots! It’s a small visitors center but it is interactive. For those traveling with little ones your kids will enjoy the Discovery Lab. There are puzzles to put together of the animals that inhabit the desert, magnifying glasses and microscopes to look at smaller animals, and moldings of animal tracks. For older kids and adults there is a walk through area giving more information on the animals in the desert and different plants you will see. The desert gets extremely hot so the Visitor’s Center is the perfect place to go midday when it may be too hot to hike, etc.

It was time for lunch so we headed to Carlee’s, a local favorite. When you pull up you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time with its retro facade. Once you open the door it’s a diner feel with casual food. We got sandwiches and wraps and the fries were so good! 

When we were full we headed back to our RV park to relax and enjoy the amenities. My daughter and I splashed around in the pool, enjoying the great weather. She also burned off some more energy playing in the park. After, we got ready for our next adventure, exploring the Badlands.

We visited the Badlands with California Overlands on their 4×4 Badlands Adventure. The tour was 2.5 hours, making four stops along the way. These included Vista del Malpais overlook, Font’s Point (California’s Grand Canyon), and the badlands/slot canyons and mud cave. You can book the tour here.

For dinner we headed to Red Ocotillo. The restaurant is organic garden-to-table and they have their own garden adjacent to it. Our meal was excellent and we loved the small vibe of the space. It was our last dinner on our Southern California road trip and served as a great farewell.

The next day we drove the 170 miles to Los Angeles to return the RV and head to LAX. We had an amazing time exploring parts of Southern California we weren’t familiar with. If you’re looking for more California adventures check out our itinerary for Santa Barbara and our Northern California road trip. If you want more RV trip itineraries be sure to read our Southwest RV Trip and Nevada RV Trip articles. Found this article helpful? Please share it on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest!

The Traveling Child is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Share
Tweet
Pin44
Email
Share
44 Shares

Newsletter Subscribtion

 
Join Our Mailing List
You'll get tips on affordable travel, flight deals and detailed itineraries for every trip we've been on (family, girlfriends getaway, baecations and solo) to make your planning process easier.
Thank you for subscribing!

Primary Sidebar

  • Amazon
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • YouTube

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

Newsletter

Subscribe to Our Newsletter
You'll get tips on affordable travel, flight deals and detailed itineraries for every trip we've been on (family, girlfriends getaway, baecations and solo) to make your planning process easier.
Thank you for subscribing!

Recent Posts

  • Warm Places to Visit in December (January and February)
  • How to Travel Hack Long Layover Flights
  • Best Snowy Places to Visit for Winter Vacation
  • Best Tips for Planning a Group Trip
  • Things to do in Long Beach with Kids

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

Facebook

FOLLOW US ON PINTEREST

Copyright © 2023 The Traveling Child, LLC.