Backyard Travels: 10 Great Things To Do in SoCal

1. Ride a Duffy Boat in Newport Harbor. Putter around with the family to gawk at million-dollar yachts in one of these adorable little electric-motor boats. www.visitnewportbeach.com


2. Go ice-skating on the beach. For a brief span from mid-December to early January, you can carve up the ice among the palm trees in Huntington Beach, which is more often known for its waves than its figure-eights. www.surfcityusa.com


3. Release a monarch butterfly. The St. Regis Monarch Beach near Laguna Beach offers a nightly butterfly ritual for a limited time during the summer months. A butterfly butler tells the story of the migration of the colorful insects as he releases several of them into the sunset. www.stregismb.com


4. Go see The Blue Boy at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. The iconic Thomas Gainsborough painting never ceases to amaze. And the rest of the collections aren’t too shabby, either. http://www.huntington.org


5. Take a long walk on SoCal’s longest wooden pier. It happens to be in Oceanside, where you can also catch some of the Golden State’s most spectacular sunsets. www.visitoceanside.org


6. Take a gondola ride in Long Beach. If it’s more about the experience (and less about the romance) load up the family and take a relaxing cruise aboard an authentic Venetian gondola. You can even opt for the “Pizza Cruise” and enjoy some Italian flavors with your “Oh, Sole Mio.” www.gondolagetawayinc.com


7. Check out the Millennium Falcon at Legoland. Behold The Force as the brick-themed park will unveil its new Star Wars Miniland in March 2011. http://california.legoland.com


8. Take the train to Capistrano. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner slices right through this scenic town and stops just steps from the Mission San Juan Capistrano as well as the area’s adorable shops and cafes. Just hop on the train, cruise down the coast, and spend the day exploring. www.amtrak.com


9. Take your dog to San Diego. Watch your pooch play in the waves at Dog Beach at Ocean Beach and Coronado. But make sure they dust off the sand before checking into one of the city’s numerous dog-friendly hotels. Loews Coronado Bay Resort even has a “Loews Loves Pets” program (and kids are welcome, too). www.sandiego.org


10. Go see a lighthouse. The focal point of Shoreline Village in Long Beach is the scenic Lions Lighthouse For Sight overlooking Rainbow Harbor. A pleasant walking trail encircles the grounds. Nearby and a bit more authentic is the lighthouse at Point Vicente in Rancho Palos Verdes. The interpretive center is open daily. www.palosverdes.com

Find even more travel ideas at the Visit California site.