Best Family-Friendly Attractions

Explore the best best family-friendly attractions options for kids and families in Dana Point

Sea Canyon Park

Sea Canyon Park

Picnic & play area with a dog run. Open green space with a playground & picnic areas, a dog run & a lit, paved path.

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River Street Ranch

River Street Ranch

Petting zoo & kid-friendly activities. Popular spot for families offers a petting zoo, train rides, panning for gold & more.

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Niguel Botanical Preserve

Niguel Botanical Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Pirate Tower

Pirate Tower

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

Huge wildlife preserve with streams. Wildlife sanctuary across 4,500 acres featuring rolling hills with trails & several types of trees.

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Bluebird Park

Bluebird Park

City park for activities & summer music. City park featuring sports courts, a children's play area, picnic tables & a summer concert series.

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Laguna Beaches

Laguna Beaches

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Laguna Art Museum

Laguna Art Museum

Waterfront gallery with contemporary art. Contemporary art museum with a permanent collection of over 3,500 works & a waterfront setting.

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Heisler Park

Heisler Park

Seaside tide pools & sculptures. This beach area offers artsy park benches, sculptures, ocean views, rocky shores & tide pools.

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Grand Park

Grand Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Crescent Bay Point Park

Crescent Bay Point Park

Blufftop retreat with water views. This green space sits on a bluff that provides panoramic views of the ocean and a tide pool.

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Dinosaur Park

Dinosaur Park

Fields & a dinosaur-themed playground. Large park offering athletic fields as well as a playground with dinosaur- & fossil-themed elements.

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Crystal Cove State Park

Crystal Cove State Park

Beach, hiking trails, coves & tide pools. Park has 3.2-mile beach with sandy coves & tide pools, plus 2,400 acres of land for hiking & biking.

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Pretend City Children's Museum

Pretend City Children's Museum

Imaginary town & exhibits for kids. Set up as a pretend city, this kids' museum has a post office, cafe, farm & other interactive areas.

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Lake Forest Heritage Hill Historic Park

Lake Forest Heritage Hill Historic Park

Calm park hosting 4 historic buildings. Petite park featuring heritage landscaping & guided tours of 4 restored buildings erected 1863-1908.

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Pittsford Park

Pittsford Park

Hilly site of play, picnics & concerts. Pet-friendly nature spot with a big playground, picnic shelter, tennis courts & summer concerts.

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Irvine Spectrum Center Carousel

Irvine Spectrum Center Carousel

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Irvine Spectrum Center Giant Wheel

Irvine Spectrum Center Giant Wheel

Family-friendly ride with city views. Day or night attraction with 52,000 LED lights & panoramic city views from the top.

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Turtle Rock Nature Center

Turtle Rock Nature Center

Educational nature preserve with trails. Five-acre nature preserve with trails for viewing wildlife & habitats, plus an outdoor classroom.

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Great Park Balloon Ride

Great Park Balloon Ride

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Great Park

Great Park

Park known for its giant helium balloon. Public space popular for a huge helium balloon tethered to the ground offering views from up high.

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Parasol Park

Parasol Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Beacon Park

Beacon Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Blue Gum Park

Blue Gum Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Lions Park

Lions Park

Park with playground & community center. Small park featuring a playground, picnic tables, baseball field & community center.

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Victory Park

Victory Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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TeWinkle Park

TeWinkle Park

Park for recreation & picnicking. This 49-acre park with a lake offers play areas, ball fields, tennis courts & picnic shelters.

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Citrus Ranch Park

Citrus Ranch Park

Orchard, playground & hilltop views. Park with a lemon orchard, a playground, picnic areas with grills & a hilltop gazebo with views.

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Santa Ana Zoo

Santa Ana Zoo

Home to over 350 animals. Zoo attracts animal lovers of all ages with 350+ animals, a petting barnyard & a mini-train ride.

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Heritage Museum of Orange County

Heritage Museum of Orange County

Restored buildings from the 1890s. Attraction featuring restored homes & buildings from the 1890s set amid extensive floral gardens.

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Orange County Zoo

Orange County Zoo

8 acres of native Southwestern animals. 8-acre city park zoo features native Southwestern animals & plants, plus regular programs & events.

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Irvine Park Railroad

Irvine Park Railroad

Recreation area with train & pony rides. Outdoor park featuring family activities including train rides, pony rides & paddle boat rentals.

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Irvine Regional Park

Irvine Regional Park

Park, playground, rides & rentals. Park offers train & pony rides, plus paddle boat rentals, the Orange County Zoo & picnic areas.

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Discovery Cube

Discovery Cube

Rotating displays & interactive exhibits. Educational museum with a focus on kids offers over 100 hands-on exhibits, plus special programs.

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Shipley Nature Center

Shipley Nature Center

Fenced area with native plants & animals. Opened in 1974, this 18-acre fenced nature preserve features native plants & animals, plus trails.

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Tom's Farms

Tom's Farms

Old-time attraction with restaurants. Family-friendly park with restaurants & a farmer's market, plus a steam train, pony rides & more.

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Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

Protected coastal estuary & bird habitat. 1300 acre ecological preserve with over 200 avian species spread around the coastal wetlands.

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Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve

Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve

Rugged hiking site & a visitor center. 9,000-acre nature conservation with varying terrain & habitats, open trails & a visitor center.

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Lakepoint Park

Lakepoint Park

Scenic retreat for sports & lake views. Open recreational area offering a children's playground, trails, sports fields & views of the water.

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Oak Canyon Nature Center

Oak Canyon Nature Center

Nature park with an interpretive center. Nature park featuring oak forests, scrubland & canyons, plus wildlife & an interpretive center.

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Summerly Community Park - City of Lake Elsinore

Summerly Community Park - City of Lake Elsinore

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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California Surf Museum

California Surf Museum

Historic boards, iconic surfers & more. Surf museum chronicles the history of the sport with exhibits of surfboards, famous surfers & more.

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Oceanside Museum of Art

Oceanside Museum of Art

National & global artwork in a mod space. This contemporary building presents a rotating collection of modern art pieces & cultural events.

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Jessie's Critter Carousel

Jessie's Critter Carousel

Pixar-themed attraction for kids. Gentle, kid-friendly carousel ride featuring brightly painted animals from the Pixar universe.

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Ancient Sanctum

Ancient Sanctum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Pixar Pier

Pixar Pier

Themed waterfront spot with rides. Waterfront, Pixar-themed place in Disneyland featuring a boardwalk, rides, characters & eateries.

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Disney California Adventure Park

Disney California Adventure Park

Modern theme park with dining & shows. Contemporary theme park with innovative attractions, multiple dining options & live entertainment.

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Paradise Gardens Park

Paradise Gardens Park

Lakeside garden with rides & food stands. Landscaped lakeshore park with classic carousels & kids' rides, plus a bandstand & hot-dog stalls.

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Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough

Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough

Fanciful, fairy-tale castle replica. Disney family attraction built to mimic the castle of the renowned fairy-tale character.

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Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island

Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island

Secret island from Mark Twain stories. Open since 1956, an island with caves, rope bridges & hideaways inspired by Tom Sawyer's adventures.

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Storybook Land Canal Boats

Storybook Land Canal Boats

Boat ride amid mini fairytale scenes. Gentle outdoor boat ride through a whale's mouth & past miniature replicas of storybook settings.

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King Arthur Carrousel

King Arthur Carrousel

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Casey Jr. Circus Train

Casey Jr. Circus Train

Mini railway through fairytale scenery. Children's railway passing miniature landscapes from Frozen, Peter Pan, Cinderella & more.

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Corona Heritage Park & Museum

Corona Heritage Park & Museum

Historical exhibits & gardens. Park with vintage buildings, city heritage displays, gardens, an arts colony & event space.

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Minnie's House

Minnie's House

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Buddy Todd Park

Buddy Todd Park

Grassy retreat with grills & a play area. Shady outdoor park featuring a children's playground & a covered picnic area with grills & outlets.

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Heritage Park & Museum

Heritage Park & Museum

Historic buildings & a gazebo. Park featuring many early 1900s buildings from downtown Oceanside & a gazebo for events.

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Citrus Park

Citrus Park

Play equipment, splash pad & lawns. Public green space with 2 playgrounds, a splash pad, picnic tables & grassy areas for sports.

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Seabridge Park

Seabridge Park

Playground & picnicking with water views. 3.9-acre neighborhood park offering a playground, facilities & picnic tables with water vistas.

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Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center

Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center

Unique art exhibits for kids & adults. This contemporary museum hosts three inventive art exhibits a year & caters to all ages.

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Yorba Regional Park

Yorba Regional Park

Picnicking, fishing, hiking & biking. Mile-wide park adjacent to the Santa Ana River has 140 acres of picnic tables, lakes, trails & more.

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Anaheim Founders' Park

Anaheim Founders' Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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