Sand angels are snow angels’ dirty cousins, but they’re warmer, so there’s that.

You don’t need hot summer days to enjoy some fun at the beach, but you do need some imagination and a carefree attitude — also, acceptance of subsequent baths.

The ocean doesn’t go south for the winter, so visit it!

This post is part of UpTake’s Friday Family Series. If you would like to see your family vacation photo here please submit it via the contact link in the sidebar, subject line: Family Photo.

Photo:  Whit Honea

The day was not crisp. In fact, it was rather warm. There was a light rain in the afternoon. It could have passed for spring.

The end of September was the winding down of whirlwinds and the precipice of a free fall into holiday excitement and the trappings thereof. We decided to blur the line all the sooner.

We took a trip to Disneyland for Mickey’s Halloween Party and suddenly fall was in the air.

The event requires a separate ticket, but don’t fret — admission to Mickey’s Halloween Party actually allows ticket holders to enter Disneyland a few hours prior to the park closing (the Halloween event happens after the park is closed) so that they can enjoy a bit more of the magic. For dates, times and pricing please visit Disneyland.com/halloween. (Walt Disney World offers Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party)

While kids are able to wear costumes to Disneyland whenever they please (assuming it also pleases their parents), adults are usually not allowed to do so. I know, we’ve all seen some adult characters in the parks, but that’s actually their normal thing. Don’t judge. The beauty of Mickey’s Halloween Party is that everyone can dress up, and they do! Read More »

“What’s out there?” one brother asked the other.

“Dolphins,” he said. “Wild dolphins.”

There was a seal, too.  It bobbed its head in an effort to ward off a pelican; it was a fight to the fish. We saw boats and surfers and the filming of a McDonald’s commercial, complete with fake palm trees stuck in the sand. The dolphins swam parallel to our path, and they, as the boy said, were wild.

It was a family walk along the shore of Point Dume in Malibu, CA.  To the north the waves bent to humor Zuma, and the south stretched somewhere past Santa Monica. The ocean went on forever.

That’s how we spend a weekday afternoon in Southern California. You should try it.

This post is part of the UpTake Friday Family Series.

Photo: W. Honea

This public art is located in a city park, but it’s not the only colorful thing being photographed there. The park features a botanical garden and is frequented by celebrities and their families.

Does that make the location too easy?

Here are some hints:

If you are at this park, presumably with your kids (though not required) you can travel a short (relative) distance to the following tasty treats, Il Cono Gelateria and Millions of Milkshakes. That’s what we call a win-win.

If you want something with a bit more garlic try The Stinking Rose — everything is made with garlic, even the ice cream!

There is also plenty of shopping to do on one of the most famous streets in America.

Have you guessed it? If you said the Beverly Gardens Park, home of the bi-annual “Affair in the Garden” art festival, in Beverly Hills, California, then you’ve probably been there before. That’s okay, you still win the prize (there is no prize).

The park features a jogging path, a lot of public art and a pond. Beverly Hills features a lot of stuff that I can’t afford.

This post is part of UpTake’s Public Art Series.

Photo: prayitno via Flickr