I talk about self care alot. Recently I took a big self care step and left the kids home with dad. I grabbed my bestie and headed to Anaheim California. First we had the Moms Meet WOW Summit Event and it was amazing. Then I found a bunch of things to do in Anaheim area without kids and it was great! For the both of us we have never not taken our children before unless it was a mom and dad date. Just being the two of us on a girls trip was amazing. Yes I missed my husband and children. No I did not feel guilty about it. Everything we did in Anaheim was family friendly but did not require the kids. Here is a list of things to do in Anaheim besides Disney.
Food
My bestie and I both love food. One of the first things we did was find a restaurant we both loved. Our top choice was Blakes Place. It is a little hole in the wall BBQ place. It comes up quick and is not really in a spot you would think oh restaurant but it was worth the drive. We ended up going twice because it was so delicious. You walk in and order at the counter and then they will bring you your food. From ordering to eating was about 10 minutes. Katie got a 3 meat combo and I got a Rib combo with sausage. Both were huge portions and delicious
Another One of our food loves for the weekend was Ruby’s On The Pier. It is on the Pier at Newport Peach. They also have a location at Oceanside. You can eat inside or eat on their top level outside. We ate outside because it was gorgeous. Its right at the end of the pier so you have views of beach and ocean all around you. The food was delicious. They are known for their burgers but I got the calamari and chicken strips. Katie had a delicious cobb salad with bbq ranch dressing. Side note they do not have bathrooms so either go before or be like me and have to jog down the boardwalk to the restrooms.
Fun
We decided to head to Newport Beach for a day of fun. Parking is a life altering experience so prepare yourself. We ended up finding a garage that was 25$ a day. Walking down to the waterfront there are shops and so much food. There was Pizza Pete’s and San Shi Go. They looked delicious. I did do a quick stop at Balboa Bakery and Donuts because yummm. If you are in the mood you can rent a bike or take a trip on the Catalina Flyer or the Balboa Island Ferry There is also Balboa Fun Zone. We were heading to our tour so did not stop but I know my hubby and boys love it there. On the waterfront you will find of course boats and shops but there are also rides. The ferris wheel seemed very popular.
We chose to try out whale watching with Davey’s Locker. Katie and I paid full price but multiple people told us there is usually a Groupon so to look there next time. We did not see any whales but the captain and crew deck were very nice and informative. Full disclosure I was pretty disappointed as we have done other tours with different companies that take you further out and we usually see something. They did give us vouchers for a free trip next time so hopefully we will see something if we go again. It was still beautiful and relaxing.
After whale watching we hit the beach. I will say I have been to alot of beaches in San Diego and a few in LA area and this was one of my favorites for relaxing. It is not as exciting or fun as Mission Beach or Huntington Beach but it was quiet and clean. They even had a small playground for the children. The water and sand was clean and there was plenty of space to lay on a blanket and relax.
Shopping and Self Care
Oh boy the shopping. All along Newport beach there were shops. We went tie dye mad and bought matching tie dye dresses because it was fun. While we were there we discovered if you don’t go to Disney you can still get in Downtown Disney for free. We hit up there to grab some gifts for our kiddos and I scored some mermaid socks! Our favorite shopping spot was a called Balboa Surf and Style. There are also a bunch of spas and nail salons if you want to take some time to just relax. But in the words of my friend Katie why pay for it when you can go to the beach and get a full body salt water exfoliation for free.
We had so much fun in Anaheim and the surrounding areas. There is alot to do most notably Disney but there was also alot to do in Anaheim that was not Disney. If you have a chance to visit try some of the places I mentioned and you are sure to have fun.
