Orange County Great Park Stargazing Series - Irvine
January 27, February 24, March 30, April 13 & April 27, 2012

Star light, star bright, come out to see the stars at night! Explore the solar system and be introduced to the world of astronomy. Astronomy4U will offer high powered telescopes to view the moon, stars and planets, along with informational star maps to serve as a guide.

Free Parking & Admission. Recommended ages: 9+

LOCATION:
Orange County Great Park
Marine Way and Sand Canyon
Irvine, CA

INFORMATION:
(949) 724-7420

Cinema Sage Hill presents: 'My So Called Enemy'
Friday, February 10, 2012

A free community film series - In July 2002, 22 Palestinian, Israeli and Palestinian Israeli teenage girls traveled to the United States to participate in a women’s leadership program called Building Bridges for Peace. “My So-Called Enemy” is the story of six of the girls and how their transformative experience in the program, of knowing their “enemies” as human beings, meets with the realities of their lives at home in the Middle East over the next seven years.

LOCATION:
The Studio at Sage Hill
20042 Newport Coast Dr.
Newport Coast

Get Outdoors! OC at O’Neill Regional Park - Trabuco Canyon
February 25, 2012
12 - 3 pm

Happier, Healthier, Smarter…Join us for outdoor activities geared to inspire your family to spend time outside. Easy Naturalist led hikes, nature crafts, and more! Each Get Outdoors event is at a different location with various games and activities depending on the park. Feel free to drop in for all or part of this free event.

Cost: Free (This program is generously sponsored by a grant.)

LOCATION:
O’Neill Regional Park
Trabuco Canyon

INFORMATION:
(714) 708-3885

Visitor Night at UCI Observatory
March 10, 2012
7-9 pm

UCI Observatory is open to the general public, approximately 5 times per year. Visitor Nights are free of charge, although a donation per family is suggested to defray the costs, and there is a campus parking fee.

Highlights are Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Orion Nebula, Eskimo Nebula, the Pleiades and other star clusters. Moon is 88% illuminated but doesn't rise until 9 pm. Lecture: “Tiny Galaxies and Dark Matter”, Erik Tollerud (Graduate Student)

Please check their website before attending. Weather conditions may cause the event to be canceled.

LOCATION:
The Observatory
University of California, Irvine

Santa Ana Art Walk
Santa Ana
First Saturday of the Month
7:00pm - 10:00pm

Orange County's hippest new neighborhood invites you to stroll down the four blocks of the 2nd Street Promenade from Broadway Avenue to Spurgeon Street on the First Saturday of EVERY month from 7:00pm - 10:00pm. Admission is FREE.

The monthly event will give you access to buy original art work from some of Southern California’s freshest, edgiest and most talented artists. It also will have open viewings of working lofts owned by artists and designers all in an award winning urban setting.

Dana Wharf Sportfishing Kid's Fishing
Dana Point Harbor

Kid's Free Fishing Clinic
Every Sunday!
12pm - 12:30pm

Join us every Sunday for our free kid's fishing clinic! Dana Wharf is proud to offer a dockside experience for young anglers! Ask the experts and learn new fishing techniques, new hook tying secrets, win raffle prizes and so much more! No reservations are needed! Try out your new techniques on the 1/2 day trip departing immediately after the clinic where kids fish free AND their rental gear is included!

LOCATION:
34675 Golden Lantern
Dana Point

Saturday Fun Roll - Huntington Beach
Every Saturday
10:30 am

Meets every Saturday morning at 10:30a.m. just north of the Huntington Beach Pier at the amphitheater for a skate of approximately 16 miles round trip. The pace is nice and easy and all ages and levels are welcome. They make several rest stops at various points to let everyone catch up. If you miss them at the beginning, just skate south on the beach path, they retrace the route back, so they'll eventually meet. It's highly recommend that you wear all protective gear - at least wristguards and a helmet. Afterwards you can join everyone for lunch in or around downtown Huntington Beach.

Parking - There is a parking lot next to the pier, cost is about $9.00 per day. Free parking can be found a few blocks away, up any street from 6th to 17th, where there are no meters.

Bolsa Chica Conservancy - Free 1st Saturday Tour - Huntington Beach
1st Saturday of the month
9 am - 10:30 am

Free First Saturday Tour offers an exceptional on-site presentation of the Bolsa Chica Story. On the first Saturday of each month, their docents gather at the south lot of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, across the street from the main entrance to Bolsa Chica State Beach. Docents are stationed on or near the footbridge, a truly magnificent entrance to the restored Bolsa Chica wetlands. Tours begin every 15 minutes and five areas of interest are included in the presentation: history, birds, endangered species, ecology and restoration.

This free tour is on a first come, first served basis.

LOCATION:
Bolsa Chica Conservancy
South lot of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
3842 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach

Phone:
To reserve private tours, call (714) 840-1575

Pumpkin Patch School Field Trip and Tours
Ongoing - (free teacher admission)

Irvine Park Railroad – located inside of beautiful and historic Irvine Regional Park - offers Pumpkin Patch school and group tours. You can choose a package that’s best suited for your class or group. Activities vary by package and can include a train ride, hay ride and moon bounce. Free activities include a hay maze, picture stands and child-friendly haunted house. All children who participate in this school field trip / tour will receive a free pumpkin and bottle of water. A minimum of 25 paid children per group is required for group pricing. Teachers are FREE. Schedule your school or group ahead of time and you can have access to a Party Pavilion in this great park at no additional cost to enjoy a sack lunch and other activities. Irvine Park Railroad is centrally-located in Orange County.

LOCATION:
Irvine Regional Park
1 Irvine Park Road
Orange, CA 92869

INFORMATION:
For complete Pumpkin Patch activities, or to make a class or group reservation, call Irvine Park Railroad at (714) 997-3968.

Orange County Beaches

Except for parking fees, most beaches in Orange County have no charge for admittance. We have a list of some of our most popular beaches by following the link above.

Orange County Parks

Stroll through wilderness or hiking trails, follow an excercise course, watch the kids on the playground or simply and enjoy the fresh air and wildlife. Orange County parks have a lot to offer.

Click on the link above for some of our favorite parks. Except for some regional parks, there are no charge for admittance.