Storytellers Team Up With OC Parks

Storytellers Team Up With OC Parks
at Modjeska House in Modjeska Canyon
and Heritage Hill Historical Park in Lake Forest

The official OCParks.com website is a wealth of information. I encourage you to check it out and invest in an annual pass. Whoever thought up pairing great stories with historic parks is genius!

MODJESKA HOUSE

OC Parks and The South Coast Storytellers Guild invite you to an afternoon of storytelling at Arden, the Helen Modjeska Historic Home and Gardens. You will be entertained as talented storytellers spin and weave tales that amuse, inspire and enthrall listeners.

Location:

• Arden Modjeska Historic Home and Gardens at 29042 Modjeska Canyon Rd. in Modjeska Canyon MAP
  

Dates and Times:

• Saturday, July 18 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Modjeska House; Wednesdays July 15, 22 and 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost:

• $5 per person

3rd ANNUAL YARNING AND YAKKING, TALES AND SNACKING
HERITAGE HILL HISTORIC PARK

OC Parks and The South Coast Storytellers Guild invite you to a program of stories and music designed to bring together the community at the beautiful Heritage Hill Historical Park. The Third Annual “Yarning and Yakking, Tales and Snacking” will feature music, refreshments and the finest storytellers from Orange and Los Angeles counties.

Location:

• Heritage Hill Historical Park, 25151 Serrano Rd. in Lake Forest MAP
  

Dates and Times:

• Wednesdays July 15, 22 and 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
  

Cost:

• $5 per person

Huntington State Beach off Brookhurst

Huntington State Beach, Huntington Beach
(Recommended by Nancy)

Visiting Huntington State Beach is a great way to show your support for the California state park system. My friend, Nancy, introduced it to me last summer. I find it's worth the drive for the kids to get a great ocean and beach experience, even though I live a fair distance away. I didn't include a slideshow because it's just a wide beach with lots of people. You can see what it looks like from OCBeachInfo.com.

Location:

• The state beach is huge. I like to visit the south section reachable by Brookhurst. Exit Interstate 405 in Fountain Valley at Brookhurst and head toward the beach. Get into the middle lane as you approach Pacific Coast Highway. Brookhurst leads directly into the State Beach parking lot. MAP to Huntington Beach State Park
  

Highlights:

• Easy parking in a dedicated lot
  
• Flat and easy walk (although a bit long) on paved pathway from parking lot.
  
• Very easy to view kids playing in water
• Lifeguards
• Waves break way out so kids can play close in without fighting big waves
• Great for sandcastles and water play
  

Be Aware:

• Sand can get hot on the walk back - wear your flip-flops
• Must PAY to park
  
• ALWAYS keep an eye on your children in the water
• Advise kids never to turn their back on ocean and always watch the waves. Teach them to pick a point on shore (like your beach umbrella) so they can keep track of their location since the current can pull them one way or the other.
• I tend to stay away from the Santa Ana River outlet because of possible water quality issues.
  

Checklist:

• I purchased the California State Parks pass for $125. I bought it on July 6th and it will be good until July 31st, 2010. It's a hang-tag placed on my rearview mirror. I like this because I can switch between cars - or use it when I visit with friends. I'm SURE I'll be visiting 12+ plus state parks and beaches in the next year. Probably more since I've got the pass. Here's a list of all the places the pass will gain you day use access.
  
• It's $10 day use fee if you don't want to buy the yearly pass.
  
• Use the restrooms before you go. They are located near the snack bar before the walkway to the beach. Better yet, go before you leave home.
• Bring a beach umbrella from home and wear your sunscreen and hats. Don't forget your sunglasses.
• Check this site for water quality reports before you swim. (Ironically, at the time I'm posting - this is one of the few beaches in Orange County with a warning. Keep checking back, because currents and weather patterns change.)
  

Bonita Canyon Sports Park in Newport Beach

Bonita Canyon Sports Park, Newport Beach

(Recommended by Wright Creativity)

Bonita Canyon Sports Park is at the corner of MacArthur Boulevard and Bonita Canyon Drive near the 73 Tollroad/Freeway. Although the park appears to be on Bonita Canyon Drive, the entrances and parking areas are actually along Ford Road which runs parallel.The grass is incredibly green and it looks to be the perfect setting for a picnic. The play equipment for 5-12 year olds is set among the baseball fields. The 2-5 year old playground is farther down Ford Road near the tennis courts and soccer field.

Location:

• The park has easy access along MacArthur Boulevard. But it's also reachable from the 73 Tollroad. It just depends on your approach. If you are taking MacArthur from Interstate 405, you will drive quite a way--past the airport, businesses, until you cross Bison. Then look for Bonita Canyon and turn left. Turn right onto Mesa View Road and turn right onto Ford. (From the 73, you can exit at Bonita Canyon where you will turn AWAY from UC Irvine and towards Newport Beach. Then you'll turn left on Mesa View to connect with Ford). MAP to Bonita Canyon Sports Park
  

Highlights:

You could view this as a highlight or a head-scratcher--there are two distinctly separate playgrounds comprising Bonita Canyon Sports Park.

• Playground #1 is the first one you'll hit on Ford Road. It's appropriate for 5-12 year olds. My 7yo had a blast. It had monkey bars, zip track, high slides, even a smaller structure with tunnels and manipulatives. It also had 2 baby swings and 2 bench swings. Plenty of benches. Easy to view the kids. Nice bathrooms.
• Playground #2 is at the dead end of Ford Road and appropriate for 2-5 year olds (not really within walking distance). We piled in the car to visit this structure. It looked like a great birthday party spot, not very extensive play structure, another nice bathroom building, picnic tables, amphitheater, tennis courts, soccer field. No swings. No sand.
  
• Conclusion: If all your kids are toddlers, you'll be in heaven at Playground #2. If your children are all 5+ -- Playground #1 is the one for you.
• For me, with one child over 5 and the other under 5 -- I'd rather play at San Miguel Park just around the corner.
  

Be Aware:

• 2 separate playgrounds
  
• Possibly busy when fields are in use
  

Checklist:

• Dedicated free parking lots
  
• Playground #1: Sand and recycled rubber play surface
• Playground #2: Recycled rubber play surface
  
• Very nice restrooms, especially impressed with tile mosaics over drinking fountains
  
• Some shade sitting at covered picnic tables and benches
  
• Easy to view kids at both parks
• Official Newport Beach page for Bonita Canyon Sports Park