15 Best Winter Activities To Do In Orange County

We are heading into the winter season in Southern California. To be honest I know Orange County is known for beautiful beaches, amazing beach houses, and blue oceans during the summer. I love Orange County during the winter the most. There are so many places to enjoy during the winter season. I for one love Disney California Adventure Park and Disneyland Park during the winter. It is not blazing hot, the theme parks are decorated for the holidays, and you can enjoy the park before the winter rush. Here is my list of winter activities to do in Orange County.

Orange County Bike Trails

Walking, biking, or hiking the trails in Orange County is a fun experience. The fresh cool air and the scenery on the trails are still beautiful. Make sure to bundle up a little if you walk closer to the evenings. By the way here is a list of bike trails in Orange County.

Head to a Museum

You can head to any of the many museums in Orange County. There is the Bowers museum or City Children’s museum, and a fan favorite for the little people in my family is Discovery Cube Orange County.

Head to a Movie Theater

It is always fun to enjoy a great flic at a local movie theater. The hot buttery popcorn, luxury leather seats, booming sound, and excellent laser movie projectors. Here are some of the best theaters in the Orange County area.

Enjoy the Great Parks

From the Irvine Regional park or the Crystal Cove State Park, the parks are a great place to spend the day with the whole family. Irvine Regional Park offers carnival games, train rides, bike rentals, and so much more. You can enjoy the beautiful Crystal Cove beach and scenic Pacific Coast Highway.

Enjoy a Great Restaurant

Everyone needs a break sometimes from preparing two major holiday meals. You should treat yourself to some of the best restaurants in Southern California and Orange County.

Watch a Classic Holiday Film

There are certain films I love to watch during the holidays that get me in the mood for Christmas. My go are A Christmas Story, Elf, Harry Potter (the whole series), and Miracle on 34th street (1947 version).

Enjoy the Ice Rinks

During the winter season outdoor ice rinks in Orange County. They are really fun and some of the backdrops of the rinks in OC are amazing. Here are some places I recommend heading to if you have the time.

Light of a Nice Fire

In your fireplace or outdoors in a fire pit it is always so much fun to light a big fire in Orange County. The smell of Oak or Almond wood is so great.

Bake Homemade Cookies

I am terrible at baking, but it does not mean I don’t try every year. It is always so much fun to make some holiday sugar, Snickerdoodles, peanut butter, or my favorite chocolate chip cookies.

Head to the Mountains

If you don’t mind the drive heading to any of the local mountains in Southern California is always a lot of fun. You can go sledding, tubing, or building a snowman. If you are like me you can create a large snowball fight with family and friends (FYI, I don’t have friends in snowball wars. That is right Bobby I am talking to you!).

Enjoy the Holiday Lights

The holiday lights display around Orange County are pretty impressive. In cities like Irvine Great Park, Dana Point, Newport Beach, and Laguna Hills Nellie Gail put on beautiful holiday lights displays.

Go Fishing

Head over to Laguna Niguel Regional Park has a beautiful lake stock full of fresh trout. It is a great place to head over to enjoy a peaceful afternoon fishing for fresh trout.

Do some Shopping

If you cannot handle the open-air Irvine Spectrum Center you can always head over to the South Coast Plaza to get your holiday shopping done. If you don’t mind bundling up the Irvine Spectrum Center is a great place to shop and eat.

Go to a Major Theme Park

Hey, Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm are fun places to head to during the winter season. You don’t have to deal with the hot weather and if you time it right you can get to the parks when they are not as busy. If you see a short line for Knott’s chicken dinner restaurant I advise joining the line and eating some delicious fried chicken and a slice of pie.

Go Snowboarding or Skiing

You can head to the mountains and enjoy some skiing and snowboarding. The mountain resorts we have near are great and fun places to ski and snowboard. Here is my list of the best places to go.

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Howard Chung

Hey Orange County, I’m Howard Chung! I'm here to share weekly information about the best events, restaurants, shopping and activities in and around Orange County, California. Plus, the best hiking, biking, health and wellness options, new hot spots, and more! Click below to follow us.

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