Thanksgiving is a great holiday. Most businesses offer people a long, 4-day weekend to go do things. California has so many different places to visit and things to do, it is trully incredible. When it comes to California’s nature, you really have every choice you can imagine. Oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, jungles, deserts, small, medium and large cities. It is one of the few places in the world where you could go surfing waves in the morning and skiing down slopes in the afternoon, and be back home for dinner.
Things to do, Thanksgiving in Los Angeles
Grand Tour of LA. If you have never been to Los Angeles, or if you are new to the area, this tour is a must. It lasta 5 1/2 hours and starts at 9:30am. There is free hotel pickup as long as you are in the area. You will see all the important spots in LA including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood Bowl, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Kodak Theatre, Miracle Mile, Olvera Street, China Town, Music Center, LA County Museum of Art, La Brea Tar Pits, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. You will also have the opportunity to shop the LA stores of Rodeo Drive and check out the hip scene at the Sunset Strip. Tickets are $58 for adults, $40 for children (3-11), and children under 3 go for free.
Indoor Skydiving - This is definitely one of my favorites! Many people would love to have the thrill of skydiving, but don’t want to jump out of a plane. I can understand. It is a scary thought to jump from a plane 10,000 or 15,000 feet up in the air and hope your parachute works. Well, you can now experience the same feeling of skydiving, without the fear. It is a wind-tunnel that blows so much air from the bottom that you float. This is called Indoor Skydiving and it’s in Hollywood, California. There are several packages offered which are mostly the amount of time you would like to fly; 1 minute, 2 minutes, or 4 minutes. There are also packages for experienced flyers for 10, 20, 40, or 60 minutes.
Things to do, Thanksgiving in Orange County
Laguna Beach Kayak Eco-Tour - Laguna Beach is still considered a gem in Orange County. This kayak tour will most definitely be an unforgettable one. You will get to see beaches, sea cliffs, million dollar homes, birds, fish, and an up-close look at the famous seals of seal rock. The kayak trip lasts about 2 hours and departs at 10am. You will need to bring a swimsuit, t-shirt, towel, water, sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, and a waterproof camera. This one is a blast and anyone over the age of 3 can do it.
Disneyland Park Hopper Discount Tickets - Disneyland is a great place to spend time with the family. The Park Hopper tickets offer you the ability to go multiple days to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure Parks, and the Downtown Disney District. You can hop around from park to park whenever you like for the number of days you purchase (2, 3, 4, or 5 days). When you pre-purchase these tickets online, you save up to $40 per ticket!
Things to do, Thanksgiving in San Francisco
Whale Watching Cruise to Farallon Islands - In my opinion, whales are the most amazing creature in nature. They are huge, smart, and friendly. This 6 hour cruise in a 65 foot catamaran is perfect for the nature-lover. You could see blue humpbacks, gray whales, elephant seals, dolphin, porpoises, and abundant sea-bird colonies. You will also get the chance to see some breathtaking views of the Golden Gate bridge and the San Francisco shoreline.
San Francisco Segway Tour at Night - Sure, it is always fun to go out in San Francisco at night. But this is one way that is sure to create some great memories. The segway tour is 2 hours long and will allow you to explore the city by the bay at night and see the best views and some hidden locations. It is calm and exciting at the same time.
Things to do, Thanksgiving in San Diego
Downtown San Diego Bike Tour - Biking is a personal favorite. As a child I used to ride my bike nearly every day, now it is less often, but that’s not to stop one for getting out and doing it. This bike tour goes through Downtown San Diego, waterfront riding, and the historic Gaslamp district. It includes a multi-speed hybrid-type bicycle, helmet, water, snacks, and of course, a guide. For $45 per person (minimum of 2) you get 2-2 1/2 hours of riding and can’t go wrong.
First Flying Lessons - Alright, I know this one is a bit more for the thrill-seeker, but I just loved it. You get a pre-flight lesson that teaches you the basics of flying a plane. Then you get on the plane (a Varga VG-21) and get another lesson about the cockpit, and off you go. The main pilot always has control of the plane, but from time to time, he passes it on to you, who is sitting behind the pilot. There are 30 and 60 minute flights available, and I must recommend the 60 minute flight. You will wear a helmet and goggles and the only thing you need to bring with you is a camera.
How romantic is it to go on a Hot Air Balloon ride? Any of you who have done this activity know exactly what I am talking about. Add this breath taking activity with one of the most stunning areas in California, the Wine Country, and you end up with a trully unique experience. Think of it as a “Nature Walk in the Sky.”
You will see the Pacific Coast, Redwood Forests, the Russian River, San Francisco’s Skyline, plus so much more. Since you are moving with the air currents, you won’t feel any funny stomach sensations. Even those afraid of hights have nothing to worry about. There is no linear perspective to know how far up you really are (somewhere between 500 and 1500 feet). All you will feel is tranquility.
How much does it cost? About $250 per person. It’s not the cheapest activity, but it is most definitely one to remember.
As we continue to migrate into Northern California, we came across Lake Tahoe. It is most definitely one of the sweet spots in NorCal, displaying golf courses, casinos, ski resorts, crystal clear waters, towering pines, and, of course, a great time. To get us started, what better than a tour in the sky of this gorgeous place? We added five helicopter tours, listed below.
Lake Tahoe Sunset Helicopter Tour - $279/Person
“The Sunset Tour takes you on a complete trip around the lake, and will show you Lake Tahoe awash in magnificent colors as you view the setting sun from across the lake.”
Lake Tahoe Helicopter Tour - $229/Person
“Take a helicopter tour over beautiful Lake Tahoe and see all it has to offer! On this tour, you’ll fly high above breathtaking Emerald Bay, Camp Richardson, Meeks Bay, Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Incline Village and so much more!“
Emerald Bay Helicopter Tour - $49/Person
“The Emerald Bay helicopter tour shows you the wonder of Emerald Bay, Fallen Leaf Lake and Vikingsholm. The flight is approximately 10 minutes in length, and you’ll be surprised at how much you get to see on this helicopter tour over Lake Tahoe!“
Tahoe Casino Helicopter Tour - $49/Person
“On this helicopter tour over Tahoe, you’ll first head over to the Edgewood Golf Course, home of the Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament. You’ll get to see the casinos at Stateline, Heavenly Ski Resort and the Heavenly Gondola.“
Tahoe South Shore Helicopter Tour - $119/Person
“On this tour, you’ll get to see the beauty of Lake Tahoe from Zephyr Cove to the magnificent Emerald Bay. Crystal clear waters, towering pines, snow-covered mountains - these are just some of the breathtaking sights you’ll experience on this 20 minute helicopter tour over South Lake Tahoe.“
That was such a blast! There aren’t many activities you can go to where you enjoy drinking fine wine throughout the entire day. Our bus picked us up at our hotel at around 10:00am, and off we went to visit the amazing wineries of Napa and Sonoma, California.
Sonoma County Wine Tour
Did you know that when wine grapes are grown, they are forced to fight for their lives? They are given little support, which in turn makes them grow concentrated with sugar.
Wine Grapes growing in Napa
Our tour lasted about 6 hours. We were served lunch at our second winery and provided with water bottles all along. At each stop we tasted anywhere from 5 to 10 different types of wine. White wines, red wines, dry wines, sweet wines, etc. It really takes your pallet to new levels!
We have several Southern California wine tasting tours on our website, but we will be adding Napa Valley tours very soon!
Tour the beautiful wineries of Temecula Valley, the “Napa Valley” of Southern California. Visit 3+ wineries and enjoy 12+ wine tastings where you will sample some of the finest wines made in the region. We pick up at most Orange County quality Hotels & Inns.
Temecula is considered to be “The Napa Valley of Southern California” with over 20 wineries to choose from. Gather your friends (21 and over, of course), hop on the bus and take a Temecula Valley Wine Tasting Tour today! Available Sunday thru Friday, year round. Choose either 5, 7 or 9 hour tour.
As time goes on, we continue to add new exciting activities for everyone to enjoy. We currently have over 45 different activity categories for fun things to do in California. We recently added a couple of new categories which are sure to provide an amazing time in the great outdoors.
First, Whitewater Rafting. This adventure will provide an exciting and thrilling outdoor time for your family and friends. All skill levels and abilities will enjoy a fun river trip. The rivers are magical. They provide a spiritual, environmental and economic boon to the communities they run through. The magic is shared daily and the results are magnificent - lives enriched and spirits lifted. Here are some of our unique whitewater rafting trips:
Second, we added motorcycle rentals. We now carry Harley-Davidson, BMW, and Honda motorcycles in multiple locations such as Glendale, Fresno, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Ontario. Take a look at some of the motorcycles we have recently added:
Before anything, I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. I had the opportunity to enjoy several firework shows at the home of one of our affiliates on the hills in San Clemente. The view was exceptional, the BBQ was great, and the people were friendly and welcoming.
We decided that on Saturday (the day after July 4th) we were going Canyoneering in Mt Baldy, CA. We met up with our guides near the canyon at 9:00am sharp, at which time we geared up our backpacks with rope, harnesses, helmets, jackets, camera, lunch, and lots of water. The guides (Chase, Gavin, and James) gave us a quick run-down of what we were to expect and how to use all of our gear.
To start, we did a 30 minute hike up the canyon taking a couple of quick breaks. The open, endless views were breathtaking. It was amazing to think that an hour earlier we were in the middle of the city.
At the end of our hike up the canyon we came to a dead-end. One with a beautiful river leading to a waterfall and more incredible views. The guides started to set up the ropes and showed us what we were going to be doing: hanging sideways at a 90 degree angle with the wall of the canyon. That’s right, we were going to use the rope and our harness to walk backwards on the waterfall.
I was actually able to stop half way down and take a photo looking up. Take a look:
We did this through three different drops until we reached one that needed some extra guidance. We were going to go through a waterfall this time. Until now we were stepping on water, but never really got too wet. Our videographer, Dain, decided he wanted to go first so he could film us on the way down, I went second, and my wife came after me. Dain was pretty much finished after this one, I was ok, and my wife… well, she had a harder time getting down this one. The water kept hitting her so hard, she lost her balance and had to make it down the hard way, being lowered and bouncing around the walls. She made it safely, but it was a scary moment (see photo below). Everyone else made it just fine.
After the big waterfall, we had two more drops and made it to the bottom and hiked back to our cars and checked in our gear. We invited our guides out to dinner and enjoyed some fine Italian cuisine.
Bottom line, if you like to be active, Canyoneering is most definitely an activity you can’t miss. Check out CalActive.com to book your Canyoneering adventure; it’s well worth it.
Goodbye Spring and Hello Summer my fellow Californians! The first part of this years has been a blast, but I am sure it won’t compare to the good times we are about to encounter. The cities along the coast of California offer some of the most beautiful and fun spots in the US during the summer time. You can bet on the fact that we, CalActive, are most definitely going to enjoy the hot season. There are just so many things to do in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, etc.
Here are some of the activities we hope to do this summer:
Canyoneering in Los Angeles, California: This just sounds like such a blast. We haven’t gotten around to it yet, but we will soon. In the meantime, some of you should try it out and definitely let us know how much you loved it. “…hiking up a mountain trail that parallels a deep canyon, where down below you hear water flowing over the rocky canyon bottom,” need I say more?
