If you have not taken a long trip by Amtrak for a vacation, perhaps it is time to to give it some consideration. The national train network makes it possible to get around from most major cities. Given how beautiful and interesting our country is, the trip itself can be a big part of the total enjoyment.
San Diego is one of the best-known and most appreciated vacation destinations in the US. It is easy to take AMTRAK to the historic station and then use public transit for getting around locally; you can even take the train up north to several Legoland hotels. San Diego is distributed across a smaller geographical area than other parts of SoCal, notably Los Angeles. In fact, a great many of the local points of interest can be enjoyed by walking.
What if your planning includes a search to find exciting roller coasters? The two parks that come to mind when speaking of roller coasters are Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm As a means to compete more effectively with the Disneyland Resort, one Southern California vacation writer notes that these two theme parks have invested a tremendous amount of cash in developing their thrill rides over the years.
You won’t find any place with more edgy thrill rides and coasters than Six Flags Magic Mountain. If you are visiting with folks who don’t care as much about thrill rides, you’ll still find plenty to do; check out the Southern California Vacation Guru for useful ideas.
Knott’s Berry Farm also has really focused on thrill rides, although they offer Camp Snoopy, Ghost Town and many other fun attractions and themed areas within the park. We have talked to employees who can confirm that several of the roller coasters at Knott’s will push you to the limit of comfort.
The first place we think of is Disneyland, the hangout for Mickey, Donald and all their buddies. There are a few really good websites with helpful information about planning a Disneyland vacation as well as if you plan to visit any of the nearby Knott’s Berry Farm hotels. Disney has no-doubt done the most effective job of bringing imaginary characters to life, much to the delight of us all.
Your next stop would be Universal Studios Hollywood and the many TV and movie stars such as Betty Boop, the Hulk, Batman and Spiderman, joined most recently by Homer Simpson and his wonderful family. The SoCal Vacation Guru has a lot of information to help you visit your favorite Universal Studios characters, including important insight about hotels near Universal Studios Hollywood.
Be sure to make reservations at a well-located hotel, regardless of how you plan to spend your vacation time. You will spend way more time than you expected traveling around Southern California if you goof up the selection of your hotel. That would be valuable time to waste since you only have so long for your vacation.
