Balboa RV Parks – Perfect Destination for RV Camping in Southern California

guest post by Jasmine Ella

With holiday time around the corner, the top priority among travelers is simple, just to relax. The next big step is how to get the most out of those precious days off. Is it best to fill them with a lot of activities? Or is there a benefit of doing nothing? Thinking of camping in southern California for this vacation?

Camping Southern California has a wide variety of climates to offer. Within just a few hours of one location, you can visit the beach, desert, and mountains. This makes the area unlike most parts of the United States.

 Vacations with friends or family play an important role in relieving all of your worries and stress to give a fresh new start. Southern California has a good number of campgrounds that you can go to while vacationing or traveling on business. If you're in the Southern California area and not sure where you should stay on your traveling adventure, then Balboa RV park campgrounds is the one you won't want to miss. RV Camping in Southern California is the perfect choice if you are interested in camping and traveling rather than staying at one location. RV camping in southern California is one of the best ways to connect and bond with your family, as due to hectic work schedules we are not able to spend quality or no time with your family members.

 Located in Los Angeles "City of Angels", Balboa RV park is a great place for RV camping. Even if you are planning to visit other famous spots like Disney, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Universal Studios, and of-course a number of beaches where you might catch a glimpse of a celebrity, the Balboa RV park offers a splendid location. Balboa RV Park is your home away from home offering a warm inviting atmosphere.

 Balboa RV park offers full RV hook ups. We are open around the year and charge no membership fees. On site we have a lounge with free wi-fi, a big screen TV and comfortable seating areas. You can get free tickets to be in the audience of a sitcom, talk show or game show. Even in the off season, you can usually find a pilot or game show taping.

 In an age when children cannot ride their bikes where they want, for fear of traffic, and can't walk to the store by themselves, an RV campground can be a fun and kid-friendly place for them to practice their growing independence. Kids can ride their bikes around the grounds, play on the playground and basketball court, and can also meet other kid-campers. Kids just love RV camping.

Some of the added benefits of RV camping in southern California:
- One of the cheapest and most cost-effective holiday option.
- Inculcates a love for nature in your children.
- Fresh air and exercise that you get with a camping trip is great for your health.

• Provides additional options like fishing, swimming, canoeing, or biking.
  
  
  
  About the Author:  Jasmine Ella guest author writes about RV camping. Balboarvpark provides pull through spaces, Los Angeles RV Parks, San Fernando Valley RV Parks, Universal Studios, Disney and of course a number of beaches.
  
  For more Info: http://www.balboarvpark.com/
  
  
  
  
  

Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival

Photo Credit: Mitchell Sussman

 
Annually each February, the Riverside County Fair and Date Festival is one of the biggest events of the year in the California desert that consists of Palm Spring and its neighboring desert resort communities.

This annual event, which takes places in the city of Indio, has much to offer the entire family. Fantastic food, exhibits, carnival rides, a midway, an arcade, camel races and exciting live entertainment. It's a ten - day event filled with fabulous fun.
Located in the California desert, approximately 130 miles east from Los Angeles; Indio is one of the largest commercial date-producing area in the western hemisphere.
It wasn't until the early 1900's that dates became a known commodity in the California desert. Originally brought over brought over and transplanted in the California desert from the middle east, by the early 1920's there were sufficient dates planted that date gardens became a significant Coachella Valley tourist attraction.

As a result of the popularity of the date gardens the idea of an annual Date Festival was conceived. The first festival was held in 1921 in Indio's city park. The following year a second Festival was held. Unfortunately, attendance at the second festival was lacking and interest in putting on a festival abated.

It wasn't until 16 years later that the third Date Festival was held this time under the name of Riverside County Fair and the Coachella Valley Date Festival. The festival was at that time run by the city of Indio under contract from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.
The third attempt at an annual festival was a success, with almost 100 exhibition booths and attendance in excess of 5,000. The third festival took on a western themes complete with cowboy hats, and rodeo events. Also held that year was a street parade which has since become a National Date Festival staple.

In the early 40's Riverside County bought some 40 acres of land in Indio which is the site of the present fairgrounds. Today as a result of additional land purchases by the county, including the purchase of a neighboring date grove, the fairgrounds cover about 120 acres.
After WWII the county constructed a series of Arabian themed buildings on the site. As a result of the Arabian theme of the surrounding structures the event took on an Arabic theme, complete with an Arabian nights pageant and Queen Scheherazade contest.
Today the event is visited by 70,000 people annually. Some of the special attractions and events that comprise the ten - day event include Camel and Ostrich Races, the Queen Scheherazade Scholarship Pageant, Bull-O-Rama, The Presidents' Day Grand Parade, the Motorsports Monster Trucks, WGAS Demolition Derby, Daily Petting Zoo, World Power Wrestling and carnival rides, games and fair food. There is also nightly headline entertainment making the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival a must see on your next vacation to Palm Springs and the California desert resort communities.

Mitchell Sussman has been a television producer for the past twenty five years. In that time he has produced adventure travel programming for such networks as Travel Channel, PBS, Fox Sports Net, Star TV and many others.

About the Author: Mitchell is also a contributing editor to a website that provides information about and is a portal to hotels, golf, attractions, restaurants and events in Palm Springs and the California desert resort cities http://www.palmspringsvacationdiscounts.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mitchell_Sussman

Choose to Explore Southern California Attractions

The first of Southern California attractions to visit on your vacation is the Griffith Observatory Star Party Excursion in Buena Park. For anyone that enjoys seeing and learning more about the planets, stars, the moon, and other objects within space, this is one of the best Southern California attractions for you.

When you are looking for Southern California attractions that will be fun and exciting for the whole family than the Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park is one to check out. This theme park has over 165 different shows, rides, and other attractions making sure that there is something for everyone.

Disneyland is another of the many great Southern California attractions and is located in Anaheim. With everything it has to offer, it is fun for the whole family with something for everyone. From the various rides and different sites and parks to see, you will want to make a day of it so you can take in as much as possible.

One of the Southern California attractions that are both fun for the whole family and educational is The Children's Museum in La Habra. There are numerous exhibits that are perfect for the children to play and learn at the same time. With everything from learning about science to exploring a real restored train caboose, there is something for everyone. You will enjoy watching your children explore and learn.

If you are looking for an exciting dinner and show, than the Pirate's Dinner Adventure is a one of the perfect Southern California attractions for you. It is located in Buena Park. The shows are exciting and filled with great effects. You can also choose a show that allows you to be a part of it. Along with the shows, a delicious meal is served.

For those that are looking to learn more about the history of Orange County and see inside the walls of the oldest court house in Southern California, then the Old Orange County Courthouse Museum in Santa Ana is the place to go. This is one of the great Southern California attractions to see. You will get a chance to see this historic building and everything that it contains by taking one of the tours.

When in the Southern California area it is nice to be able to get out and see the various sites. These Southern California attractions are a great way to spend time with your family while on vacation.

5 Best Places For Seafood on the West Coast

Redondo Beach Surf N' Turf Lobster Festival

There is nothing that disappoints a traveler more than to finally get to go to a restaurant on the ocean, only to find that the seafood is bland because it is not fresh. As we all know, the best seafood is fresh and that is why many people go out of their way to go to coastal seafood restaurants. The assumption is, if the restaurants are on the ocean, then they are not going to need to freeze the seafood before preparing it.

1) Bluewater Grill, in Redondo Beach CA, overlooks the Redondo marina and has a variety of fresh fish that is very impressive. They have many simple, yet delicious, meals of sauted or grilled seafood including local broad-bill swordfish, Eureka sand dabs, Fijian ahi, and crispy skin barramundie. They also feature a wide ranging wine list and an oyster bar.

2) The Hungry Cat, in Hollywood CA, is dedicated to classic seafood. After dining here you may just feel the need to lick your fingers with satisfaction. A highly regarded dish they serve is the pan roasted striped bass with black trumpet mushrooms, root vegetable hash, and red wine butter; like all of their seafood meals, it is wonderfully fresh. If you have some picky eaters in your bunch they also offer some non-seafood options, such as a burger with avocado, blue cheese and bacon. Their wine list is short but they do offer over a dozen wines by the glass and their servers will give you samples if you ask.

3) Castro, in San Francisco CA, is yet another bustling restaurant with a very spacious dining area. This popular seafood place serves up plates of tuna tartar, huge tuna Nicoise salads, and clams parade with linguine. It also features a closed in patio area with a circular fire place. The main design feature is a back lit wall of bottles surrounding the buildings exposed brick.

4) Etta's Seafood, in Seattle WA, just north of Pike Place Market, is known for its freshly caught seafood. Locals enjoy it, as well as tourists, and there is often a wait but, the food is so good it is well worth the inconvenience. Their cuisine is innovative and has Asian influences as they desire to move past traditional seafood preparation styles. Some of their signature dishes are tilapia that has been deep fried, tuna sashimi, and spiced rubbed salmon.

5) FIN, in Portland OR, has an amazing cuisine worthy of a 6 star rating. There, you can get a fine dining experience but with reasonable prices and an inviting atmosphere. The menu is broken up in to two sections: raw seafood and hot seafood, each having roughly six options. The portions are small so it is best to order two servings.
Whether you are a local or a tourist in any one of these cities, if you are in the mood for seafood, none of these restaurants will disappoint!

About the Author: Rick Valence is a digital camera repair service provider at C.R.I.S. Camera Services located in sunny Chandler, Arizona. Rick has been repairing cameras for the better part of a decade. He is also the webmaster of the company camera repair blog.

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"Do you have any great places for grabbing a good bite of Seafood in Southern California? Feel free to share about it in the comments or link to your post."

 

Vacation at a Culinary Festival to Put Some Yum in Your Fun

Long Beach, CA

By Darla Blackmon
 
At the mention of California, most conjure up images of a popular tourist destination: famous celebrities, warm beaches, and glittering Hollywood. Lesser known is the fact that this almost eternally sunny state, also leads the nation in food and agricultural production. Combined with a diverse demographic, this means that California houses a variety of culturally rich year-round food festivals. A selection of notable festivals can be found in Long Beach, a coastal city in Southern California that is also a popular vacation destination.

The first is the Crawfish Festival, held at Rainbow Lagoon. For the past 16 years, annual festival goers have enjoyed this lively festival, from dancing to Cajun, Zydeco, and New Orleans music to diving into fresh crawfish prepared Louisiana-style by authentic Cajun chefs. Plenty of adult drink options are available: beer, wine, margaritas, as well as the unique "Screaming Crawfish." Additionally, activities appeal to all ages: the younger crowds can enjoy arts and crafts booths, while anyone can rock out to the soulful groove of real New Orleans bands. The joy of the dancing, feasting crowds in the summer at this popular Crawfish Festival is infectious!

Chocoholics will be happy to know of an entire three-hour event devoted to their favorite mouth-watering dessert. At the Belmont Shore Community Chocolate Festival, one of the area's most popular community events, visitors can snack on a variety of scrumptious treats, provided by participating local merchants. Visitors can also get hands-on in the Homemade Chocolate Dessert Contest, held from 2 PM to 3 PM, while kids can join the fun Chocolate Pie Eating Contest at 3:30 PM. Throughout the entire event, live music will be performed. All festival events and activities will be held across from Belmont Shore Washington Mutual Bank.

Another popular food festival in Rainbow Lagoon is The Original Long Beach Lobster Festival, a 3-day extravaganza. The Maine Lobsters are flown in each night fresh from the Atlantic Ocean, and served by Bristol Farms Master Chef Bruce Jacobs and his dedicated crew. One can choose between a 1.25 lb. or 2 lb. lobster, which comes accompanied with melted butter dipping sauce, freshly-sliced lemons, coleslaw, dinner roll, and juicy watermelon. The international food court also offers a variety of tasty options, including ribs, chicken, Jamaican and Asian fusion food. Children can stay entertained by magicians, storytellers and inflatable bounces.

Lastly, the Long Beach Greek Festival, a fun 60-year old tradition celebrated by thousands of visitors, is a perfect way to spend one's Labor Day weekend. For three whole days, from noon to 9 PM, the schedule is packed with dance lessons, cooking demonstrations, church tours, travel videos, and vibrant live performances. A full carnival provides games for children, and specialty shops are available for shoppers. And of course, throughout the festival, one can feast on delicious Greek traditional food and desserts, such as moussaka, souvlakia, and baklava. This event provides a perfect, affordable peek into the rich culture of Greece!

Whether one seeks chocolate, shellfish, or Greek food, Long Beach's popular food festivals provide a number of great opportunities to satiate one's cravings. One can feast on delicious food, while enjoying live entertainment and time with one's family. The way to the heart is through the stomach, and Long Beach knows it!

About the Author: Darla Blackmon writes for EverythingLongBeach.com (http://www.everythinglongbeach.com/things-to-do/), a community website that covers news, music, art and entertainment. Stop by the site to find a Long Beach festival for your next vacation and you're sure discover a new treat.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darla_Blackmon