Free Things To Do in Orange County: Orange County Parks

Limestone Canyon, OC Parks

OC Parks encompasses regional, wilderness and historical facilities, as well as coastal areas throughout the County of Orange in California. Featuring 60,000 acres of parkland, open space and shoreline, Orange County’s award-winning parks and programs are enjoyed by millions of residents and visitors each year, in ways as diverse as the parks themselves.

OC Parks’ facilities offer something for just about everyone, whether for recreation, enjoying nature or learning about the history of Orange County. OC Parks is committed to managing land and facilities in a way that maximizes their enjoyment by the public, while properly maintaining and overseeing them so they are available for generations to come.

OC Parks offers a variety of programs an activities like guided hikes, nature walks, fitness hikes, awareness programs, and more. A few that are coming up:

Explore the Plants on the Trail to Barbara's Lake - Nov 1

Night Owl Hike - Nov 8

Fitness Hike - Nov 9

Kid's Fishing Clinic - Nov 16

Introduction to mountain bike riding - Nov 17

Be sure to check out their WEBSITE for their full schedule and more information on things you can do in Orange County Parks!

Famous Face From Orange County: Drake Bell

Jared Drake Bell (born June 27, 1986), better known as Drake Bell, is an American actor, musician, singer-songwriter, comedian, television personality, voice actor, record producer, and occasional television director.Drake Bell grew up in Garden Grove and Newport Beach but started living most of his life in L.A. After beginning his career as an actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade), he made an appearance on Home Improvement. Bell also appeared in several commercials. He appeared on The Amanda Show and became well-known among young audiences for his role on the series Drake & Josh while playing Drake Parker. Bell is one ofNickelodeon's most popular stars ever and has won nine Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. He has also won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Actor. Bell appeared in A Fairly Odd Christmas on Nickelodeon. Bell is also the voice of Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man on Disney XD. Bell appeared on ABC's new reality TV series Splash.

Read more about Drake HERE! 

Free in the OC: Orange County Great Park Pumpkin Harvest

The sixth annual Great Park Pumpkin Harvest will be held on Saturday, October 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year’s Pumpkin Harvest will feature a variety of activities and family entertainment, including free pumpkins from the Great Park Pumpkin Patch for all children 12 and under, while supplies last. Admission to the Pumpkin Harvest is free and parking is $10.

Visitors to the Pumpkin Harvest can take a train ride, explore the petting zoo and pick up goodies in the Trick-or-Treat Town. Children can enter a scavenger hunt, participate in the harvest walk, and enjoy the Harvest puppet show.  Visitors can also enjoy cooking demonstrations, wander through the hay maze and enjoy delicious selections from local gourmet food trucks.

Check out The OC Great Park's WEBSITE for more info!

OC Nightlife: Knotts Scary Farm HAUNT

Looking for a good scare? Horror flicks not doing it for you any longer? Well Knotts Berry Farm might have the key to get your heart pumping. This year marks the 41st anniversary of their infamous Knott's Scary Farm and it might be the best yet.

Knott’s Scary Farm is the largest, most haunting Halloween experience in Southern California. More than 1,000 monsters roam the park and lurk in the fog. Five new mazes have been added to the already extensive variety of frightening attractions, explicit horror and dark humor. It features six shows and 4 haunt zones filled with an abundance of creatures that WILL chase you at the slightest sign of fear. 9 of the parks coasters will also be in operation during the dark, modified to frighten you even more.

Knott’s Scary Farm is open on select nights from September 26th through November 2nd, and is NOT recommended for children under 13 or the faint of heart.

Click HERE for more information!

Famous Face From Orange County: Ryan Sheckler

Ryan Allen Sheckler (born December 30, 1989 ) is an American professional skateboarder and entrepreneur, and was the star of the MTV-produced reality show Life of Ryan. He was born in San Clemente, California, United States (US), and was raised in a family of three children—his two younger brothers are named Shane and Kane. Sheckler was introduced to skateboarding when he discovered his father's skateboard at eighteen months of age. Sheckler's father provided encouragement by revealing that he had learned his first kickflip when he was approximately six years of age.

Once his incredible talents began to take form, so began the travels of Ryan and his intrepid mom, Gretchen. Between 1999 and 2002, Ryan took multiple podiums on the Vans Warped Tour. He was runner-up and winner at the U.S. Open of Skateboarding (in front of a hometown San Clemente crowd), chalked up another California Amateur Skateboard League State Championship, and gave runner-up performances in the Gravity Games Amateur Challenge and the Best Trick Contest—against pros—at the Jockey Core Tour. All that in addition to strong finishes at the Globe World Cup, the Tampa Am, and the Slam City Jam.

Then in 2003 he turned pro and busted out a season they’ll be talking about for years.
The 13-year-old’s plethora of accomplishments that year included second place at the Scandinavian Open, first place at the Slam City Jam, first place overall for the Vans Triple Crown Street competition, a gold medal at the Gravity Games, and, yes, that astonishing win in Street at the 2003 Summer X Games—where he was the only skater to land every trick he attempted.

Free in the OC: Irvine Park Railroad’s 8th Annual Pumpkin Patch

Irvine Park Railroad’s eighth annual Pumpkin Patch is fun for the entire family! Children and adults are invited to the Pumpkin Patch which is open daily at 10 a.m., beginning Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Irvine Park Railroad is located inside of Irvine Regional Park in the foothills of Orange.
It’s open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and until 6 p.m. weekends.
The Pumpkin Patch is located in Locomotive Loop and Miner's Meadow just behind the train station. Thousands of pumpkins, in all shapes and sizes, fill Locomotive Loop. All visitors are sure to find the perfect pumpkin!
This year’s Pumpkin Patch activities include:  Train rides, hay rides, panning for gold, a child-friendly haunted house, a hay maze, a moon bounce, carnival games, cookie decorating, John Deere tractor racers, face painting, picture stands and great food.

Admission into the Pumpkin Patch is free. Prices for all other activities vary; please visit their WEBSITE for additional information and costs

Orange County Featured City: Fountain Valley

The City of Fountain Valley is located in the heart of Orange County minutes from Points of Interest like Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, the beach, and world class shopping.  The City is geographically located just north of Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, and Newport Beach, and just south of Santa Ana and Anaheim.  Transportation to and from Fountain Valley is easy due to its proximity to freeways, John Wayne Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.

Since its incorporation in 1957 and throughout its rich history, the City of Fountain Valley has been known as "A Nice Place to Live."  Residents of the City have adopted this motto thanks to the well maintained streets and parkways, 20 parks, wide range of recreation programs for all ages, great weather throughout the year and overall quality of life.  Business also consider Fountain Valley to be a "Nice Place to do Business" as well.

Free in the OC : Bowers Museum

The Bowers Museum is located in Santa Ana, California, USA in Orange County. The museum offers exhibitions, lectures, art classes, travel programs, children's art and music education programs, and other community events. The museum's philosophy is to help people learn about other cultures through their arts, and offer a greater understanding of themselves and an appreciation of the world.

Their current exhibits include GODS & GIFTS: VATICAN ETHNOLOGICAL COLLECTION, JEWELS OF THE CONNOISSEUR, SPIRITS AND HEADHUNTERS: ART OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS, and more. Take advantage of their current offer of free entrance during the first Sunday of every month and stop by this coming Sunday!

BOWERS MUSEUM

OC Nightlife : Sutra OC

Since the summer of 2003, Sutra nightclub has remained the premiere entertainment venue in Orange County attracting upscale party goers and celebrities from all over Southern California and beyond. Sutra continues to redefine nightlife with a dedication to presenting the world's top DJs and entertainment, an energetic and modern ambience, decadent service, state of the art audio & visual elements and always looking at new ways to refresh the look and feel.

Sutra has gained the deserved reputation for bringing some of the best talent and entertainment including artists such as Ludacris, Nelly, Paul Oakenfold, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Mickey Avalon, LMFAO, Far East Movement, Dirty South, Lil Jon, and much more.

A few notable upcoming performers are DJ Chuckie(Oct 6), Benny Benassi(Oct 24), Mat Zo (Nov 10), and more.

Check them out HERE!

Famous Face from Orange County: Stephen Hillenburg

Are ya ready kids?? 

Aye aye Captain!

I can't hear you!

AYE AYE CAPTAIN!

Ooooooooooooo who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

Although Stephen Hillenburg is by no means a household name, he is the creator of Spongebob, who sure is. If you grew up, had a child, or had even the slightest idea of pop culture during the early 2000's, you should know who Spongebob is. 

He attended Savanna High School in Anaheim, California, Hillenburg and after graduating, enrolled in Humboldt State University and graduated in 1984 with a degree in natural-resource planning and interpretation, with an emphasis in marine resources. For three years after his graduation he taught marine biology at the Orange County Ocean Institute in Dana Point. 

Stephen had always enjoyed drawing and painting and decided to pursue a career in animation. He attended the California Institute of Art and in 1991, he earned a Master of Fine Arts in experimental animation. All these experience came together and helped him create Spongebob Squarepants.