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Fun Things to do in Irvine
California
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city guide
The city is known for its beautiful parks, friendly people who reside there, low crime and great schools. With Irvine's population expected to continue growing, this California city is sure to become an even more popular area for living and business.
Best time to go
The middle-year months have very comfortable weather with high temperatures that are comfortable. These months see the least precipitation with 0 to 1 days of precipitation per month. June August is the busiest season for tourism in Irvine, so lodging and other accommodations may cost more than usual.
Fun city facts and activities
- The city is known for its beautiful parks, friendly people who reside there, low crime and great schools. With Irvine's population expected to continue growing, this California city is sure to become an even more popular area for living and business.
A go-karting track, water park, mini-golf course, laser tag course, rock wall climbing area, bumper boat area, and more add to the vibrancy of the amusement park. There are also indoor arcade areas with virtual snowboarding and racing games, as well as lots of outdoor rides.
Neighborhoods to explore
- Oak Creek
Turtle Rock
Northwood Point
University Park
El Camino Real
Restaurants
Food Specialties
- For the urban foodie with a palate that craves global cuisine, Irvine dining is varied and exciting. With nearly 40% of the citys population of Asian descent, the representation of international cuisine including China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, and other distant cultures is truly astounding.
Irvine Offbeat activities
Free or cheap things to do
1. Rock Climbing at Climb Irvine: Climb Irvine offers rock climbing classes and guided tours of its 11,000 square foot indoor climbing gym. With a variety of routes, theres something for everyone.
2. Ultimate Frisbee at William R. Mason Regional Park: This large park features a picnic area, lake, and disc golf course, and is a great spot for a game of Ultimate Frisbee.
3. Off-Roading at Irvine Lake: Irvine Lake offers a variety of off-roading opportunities, including dirt biking, ATVing, and rock crawling.
4. Observatory at the University of California, Irvine: The UCI Observatory is open to the public for stargazing and astronomy classes.
5. Irvine Improv Festival: This annual festival features improv comedy performances from local and national acts.
6. Putt-Putt at Boomers: Boomers is a family-friendly
Fun things to do in with kids
Free or cheap things to do
1. We all have a favorite play space or childrens museum, but youd be hard-pressed to find a better one than Pretend City Childrens Museum in Irvine. Let your kids spend the day exploring the caf̩, mini-mall, imagination playground and special exhibits.
2. Tanaka Farms is one of Irvines most popular visitor destinations, and its easy to see why. The huge farm has a produce stand, a restaurant on-site, and puts on some pretty spectacular special events like an annual pumpkin patch and visits from Hello Kitty and Friends.
3. While we don't get much of a fall in Southern California, we do get a pretty awesome second summerwhich means we bike ride through the park on a gorgeous sunny day or take a paddleboat ride. Wheel Fun Rentals operates out of Irvine Regional Park and can set your family up with all the wheels you need to make it happen.
4. All-aboard the Irvine Park Railroad! This one-third scale train takes you all around Irvine Regional Park on a leisurely (and beautiful) journey. Plan your visit around one of their seasonal events, like the pumpkin patch or holiday lights.
5. After your train ride, make a stop at the Orange County Zoo, conveniently located inside Irvine Regional Park. Admission is just $2, and kids under two get in for free.
6. Take in some amazing artwork at The Irvine Museum, which features rotating exhibits of American Impressionist art inspired by the California landscape.
7. Sometimes you just need to be surrounded by greenery so your kids can become one with naturefor that, theres no better place than the University of California Irvine Arboretum. This 12.5-acre botanical garden and research facility is brimming with the best flora and fauna California has to offer.
8. You dont need to live where the temps dip below freezing to enjoy a day of skating. Instead, glide on top of one of three full-sized sport court surfaces during the public skate at The Rinks Irvine Inline.
9. After spending the day exploring Irvine, your kids are going to need a sweet treat, so make sure to stop in at Scoops N Scoops Creamery for some of their out-of-this-world ice cream. We highly recommend the nitrogen ice cream for an exciting twist on a classic.
10. Given how tech-driven our kids are these days, its a sure bet they'll love exploring how art, society, and culture have been shaped by technology at The Beall Center for Art + Technology. The center features rotating exhibits that focus on STEAM, artificial intelligence and how technology influences our culture
City data and FAQ
Is Irvine worth visiting?
Well it is a fairly recently developed, modern, residential town that is mostly noteworthy because it is the location of the University of California at Irvine. As a destination city, one would probably prefer nearby Laguna Beach, CA, or Newport Beach, CA. The UC Irvine campus is rather attractive, and it is a great college to attend for a Bachelors or Doctoral degree. When I went there as a college student, I loved going there. I periodically have visited UC Irvine since I graduated, and it continues to grow and get larger. Aas one of the campuses of the University of California. there are many attractive academic buildings and unique features, which you can assess by going on their website to determine whether it would be of interest to you.
Terry Oleson - Lives in University of California, Irvine (1977 Present)
What is Irvine known for?
A large buffalo ranch; a great hacienda, and a first-tier universitty University of California irvine. all of the land in Irvineis owned by one family the irvine family and its ranch foundation.
Jim Forbes - Former Retired Reporter/ News Producer (1966 2003)
Is Irvine a walkable city?
Irvine and other South Orange County cities are suburban cities. Most connect via the 405 and 5 freeways. They typically have a number of small shopping centers with the usual grocery stores (Ralphs, Vons, etc.), banks, restaurants & other small businesses. Depending upon where you live, these can be walkable and pedestrian walkways are available. However, to truly get around for the most part requires that you own a vehicle since there is limited public transportation.
Maria Droste Lives in Saint George
Are two days enough to visit Irvine?
The main draw of Orange County for tourists are Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, and the mission at Capistrano. If you enjoy beach towns then two days arent enough. If you dont then it is.
Mark Weber Lives in Los Angeles, CA
