There is the Long Beach aquarium, the Queen Mary ship is right there too. Parkers Lighthouse is a good place to go for lunch or dinner, you can sit on the patio with a view of the Queen Mary. It's especially pretty at night. You can visit the Queen Mary too, not sure exactly what's going on there at this time.

In Los Angeles you could visit the Page Museum, the exact site of the tar pits which trapped so many Ice Age animals like mammoths and saber-tooth cats. It's interesting.

In Newport Beach you can rent a small electric and boat toddle around the harbor (I've never done it but have heard people talk about it).

Farther south there is Legoland, and even though it's for kids, you might enjoy it if your husband or you were Lego maniacs. The things they do with Legos are amazing.

Of course Sea World is in San Diego.

Be sure to check out Huntington Beach, the heart of Southern California surfing. Dukes for lunch, walk out on the pier. I think once they had a surfing museum there, not sure about that.

Be prepared for traffic.

The San Diego Zoo is a must see, ,if that's up your alley. Also, the Hotel Del Coronado for a meal or overnight. And yes, always traffic. You don't plan by miles, you plan by hours :-(

Along your drive to San Diego, stop off at the Carlsbad Flower Fields

I second the Flower Fields, but check your dates as tours end some time in May. In Laguna Beach, nice place for dinner is Watermarc. It's right on PCH and not far from Main Beach so you can stroll around before or after dinner to experience the town. Reservations are recommended. Good gelato shop in the arcade beside Watermarc...yum! Sunset cocktails at Las Brisas, just north of Main Beach on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Dana Point Harbor for a whale watching cruise. Even if there are no whales, you will see tons of dolphins and sea lions.

Ferries to Catalina fill up really quickly in summer, though you will be here early in the season. You can depart from San Pedro (Port of Long Beach) or Dana Point (8 miles south of Laguna Beach). Make reservations as soon as you can.

We had lunch at Parker's Lighthouse in the Long Beach port area this week. That port area has lots of nice restaurants. Of course, you might consider Disneyland, which is a little inland in Anaheim. When we have our kids along, especially our sons, they check their aps for restaurant recommendations, and we have never been disappointed. If you are so into sports, you might check for any of the area professional team games too. I love Las Brisas in Laguna Beach for their view as well as the food. They sit on the beach side of PCH and right off Main Beach. The Beach House in Laguna Beach is also on the beach and has a great brunch.

Sheilajoyce_gw, as far as I know, The Beach House closed a few years back. I don't think it has reopened. The Rooftop Lounge in Laguna is another nice place for drinks and apps with a terrific view.

Too bad. Thanks for the heads up, Fun.

You can do some winetasting around Santa Barbara, even in town and the Funk Zone. On Catalina, you can hit the shops and have lunch in Avalon and/or do some of the tours. The inland is interesting, as is the interior of the Casino. There is a zipline as well; depends upon what you want. AAA offers some discounts on Catalina Express, and there is a birthday deal.

In north San Diego county are the beach towns of Leucadia/Encinitas/Cardiff/Solana Beach and Del Mar. Encinitas had some really good little restaurants on the Pacific Coast highway. Unfortunately there won't be racing at Del Mar until July. Take a walk on one of the trails at San Elijo Lagoon. South of Del Mar is La Jolla, another nice, more upscale enclave with the cove and Torrey Pines State Beach, and the famous Torrey Pines golf course. Inland there is the Wild Animal Park, a branch of the zoo where the animals roam free. In San Diego, the Old Town used to have interesting shops, old buildings and homes and a couple of good Mexican restaurants (even though geared to tourists, the food was good as I recall -- haven't been there in a long time), plus a theater. Besides the zoo, there is the Embarcadero where there is usually an historic and a naval ship or two open for a tour, Seaport Village for shopping, and whale watching or sunset cruises.

I would just continue down the coast highway all the way to downtown San Diego for a nice look at some more neighborhoods (Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Mission Bay). Pick up a copy of the San Diego Reader for listings of restaurants and shows.

The best beach was the one by the Hotel Del Coronado, as I recall.

Mollie's in Montecito is excellent, as is Via Vai. For lunch, Panino makes great sandwiches. Fresco is another good lunch or dinner spot, with different daily specials. Natural Cafe has wonderful fresh, healthy options, very casual. Ca Dario downtown is excellent Italian.

There are very good hiking trails in the mountains. If you end up near the wharf on the weekend, the art walk is always something that people like to browse through.

Edited to add that people have really enjoyed when we've taken them to El Paseo, which is centrally located on State Street. The ambiance is nice, but I think there's better food elsewhere. Carlito's downtown or Cava in Montecito is amazing Mexican food. If you want true Mexican food however, like a truly authentic burrito or carne asada, El Bajio on Milpas is where you want to be. Not fancy by any means but the best Mexican food.

What kinds of experiences do you enjoy?

You might visit one of the California missions, San Juan Capistrano likely is on your route and a nice short stop. Santa Barbara mission also is nice.

I really like the Getty museum in LA.

There are a bunch of orchid growers between Santa Barbara and LA perhaps you might enjoy a visit?

I have been to San Diego many, many times and still have not seen the USS Midway museum -- that is on my list to do.

Have a great trip!

I highly recommend the USS Midway. I spent almost a whole day there.

thank you everyone!! great recs and now getting more excited!! we like to walk around the towns and sightsee, nature walks, people watch. browse boutiques,(me)......not really into museums, i am, he's not :(... hope to get at least one day to lounge on a beach!! we loved hiking? in Muir Woods a couple of years ago, we talk about it still!! one of the best days!!! but the best day was driving thru Big Sur!!! we were awestruck!!! we were trying to get back there but we want to do the southern end this time...i heard Santa Barbara is beautiful and has great wine, so excited about that!!

we are really open to just about anything, so more recommendations is greatly appreciated. sometimes you don't think you are "into" it but when u see it/experience it, its awesome. so i don't want to pigeon hole myself, so anything is on table.

Thanks again!!!

How could I forget wine tasting? There are some good spots downtown, but I prefer Los Olivos and Santa Ynez, where many excellent central coast wines are made. It's also quite beautiful. If you're there in late May, you may also be able to do some early blueberry picking while in Los Olivos. Nojoqui Falls is a wonderful relaxing spot for hiking and seeing a waterfall. Nearby is a little farm where you can pick your own veggies and berries and pay by the honor system. The experience is sure to be a wonderful memory. This is all in north county, about 40 or so minutes north of SB, but in my opinion well worth a day of your time if you'll be in the area for a week.

for boutiques and leisurely walking, coast village road in Montecito is great. Some of the restaurants I recommended are within walking distance or actually on CV road. Butterfly beach is also within walking distance. Very nice beach. One of my favorite spots in Montecito is the San ysidro ranch where you can go to the stonehouse upstairs for lunch or dinner, or the plow and Angel downstairs for dinner(try to request a table near the fire). Beautiful grounds and gardens. I've seen the chef walk out to pick fresh produce. Have a wonderful time!

Thinking again about Santa Barbara; there is the Santa Barbara Public Market near downtown that houses a number of small/medium restaurant/food related vendors. I have enjoyed the noodle bar, the cabernet/blackberry cupcakes, fish tacos, and unusual ice cream flavors at different vendors there. I spent some time up there for work last year, and this was a go-to place.

Another detour north of LA that might be nice is the fairly quick drive up to Ojai. Many art galleries and restaurants, as I recall, and several walking/hiking trails around the town. You'll have to do a little research to see what is current - it has been several years since I've been there.

Oh, I should mention that if you are going to be in the Santa Barbara area on May 17th, the Tour of California professional cycling stage race will be starting a stage there on that day and there will be road closures and traffic tie-ups. They go through Ojai on that day also. You might like to wander around the start of the race if you are at all interested. This is the closest the USA comes to a Tour de France type event, and there will be several big teams from Europe competing -- the same teams that compete in the Tour de France.

One comment on the Parker's Lighthouse in Long Beach. I had lunch there this past week with my brother's and sister's families. It is a pretty restaurant, and the menu stresses fish, though there are other items as well. But we were not impressed with the food as it seemed rather bland. I had a lobster, bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. Bland. My sister had a seafood salad--a bunch of lettuce with some seafood dumped on top of the lettuce. Everything was fresh and high quality, but bland. Gladstone for Fish is also in the area there, and they have a lovely open air patio for dining too.

Any Rec's on where to stay?? hoping to stay in Malibu one night and BH a night.. then on to Catalina Island...

how long do we need in Santa Barbara? was thinking just a day...

How long will your whole trip be? A day might be sufficient if you are wanting to hit other places and don't have a lot of time. How long on Catalina and are you looking for hotel recs in SB or just which cities to visit?

La Brea Tar Pits are in the heart of Los Angles. Animals up to 50,000 yrs ago were trapped in these pits.

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/quaternary/labrea.html

JC, one week, saturday to saturday....i got a place in BH the first night, so that's covered. then we thinking of doing SB on Sunday and staying overnight in Malibu... monday doing Santa monica and Venice and staying somewhere around there... tuesday going to catalina, staying overnight there and finishing there on wednesday and then traveling south, where we are hoping to stop at the beaches along the way, laguna, lajolla, etc and ending in san diego...

do u thing that's too much to fit in?? we don't mind the drive and that's why we are staying on Catalina all day tuesday, getting there early, and spending 1/2 day there on wednesday. we do want some "down" time....

There are some large resort hotels in Huntington Beach right accross PCH from the sand...The Hyatt Regency and The Waterfront Beach Resort which is a Hilton property, The Pasea which is pretty new and The Huntington Surf Inn. All of them are within walking distance of the main entertainment complex that has restaurants.

Further south, Laguna Beach offers The Inn at Laguna Beach and even further south, Dana Point offers a Ritz-Carlton and the Laguna Cliffs Marriott, the latter being very near the harbor. Do not stay at Hotel Laguna unless you are looking for an experience with a 1930's bathroom.

Sprt, nah, you're going to have a great time! It'll be busy and fun and an awesome idea to kick back on Catalina for a while. Love laguna and lajolla. Enjoy yourselves! I'm sure all of us here would love to hear how it all went, and let me know if you try out any of the restaurants I mentioned!