Make yourselves comfortable at the family-friendly Hyatt Regency Irvine (17900 Jamboree Road , 949/975-1234) centrally located in California’s Orange County. There are 536 spacious rooms and suites, with many that connect. Each one is equipped with iHome stereo and iPod docking stations. The on site 6ix restaurant featuring all the bounty that California has to offer, lets kids pick any menu item offered and get a half portion for half price. This gives them more choices if the kids menu isn’t appealing to anyone 12 or younger. There are basketball and tennis courts located next to the pool and whirlpool, and free bicycle rentals are available to enjoy the surrounding trails.
Nearby Fun Destinations for the Whole Family
Pretend City Children’s Museum (29 Hubble, Irvine, 949/428-3900) with more than 15 permanent exhibits, is a magical interactive connected “city” comprised of a grocery store, farm, doctor’s office, art studio, amphitheater, beach, marina, construction site and more. Kids have an opportunity to play grown up by being a firefighter, farmer, police officer, delivering the mail, going to work, visiting the doctor, collecting their pay from an ATM , composing music and creating art.
Boomers (949/559-8336) has it all: arcade games, batting cages, miniature golf, bumper boats and go carts for the young and young at heart to enjoy.
Irvine Regional Park provides a serene setting for walking, hiking, biking and picnicking. It’s home to the Orange County Zoo (1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, 714/973-6847) exhibiting animals and plants native to the southwestern United States. Zoo animals include black bear, mountain lions, bald eagles, island foxes, ocelots, red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, porcupines, coyotes, turkey vultures, coati and more. The zoo also features a barnyard with domestic goats, cheviot sheep, Jacob sheep, pot-bellied pigs, doves and pheasants. Many of these animals may be petted and fed.
In addition you can become an engineer on the Irvine Mini Railroad that runs through the park, and then take a ride on a walking and trotting pony.
Ride the 108 foot high Giant Wheels at the Irvine Spectrum Center (71 Fortuna Drive, 949/753-5180) a shopper’s paradise and a diner’s delight. It also has a carousel with antique design horses and menagerie animals.
For more information on Irvine, phone the Irvine Chamber Visitors Bureau at 949/660-9112.
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