Knott's Berry Farm. Photo / Creative Commons image by Flickr user brentschmidt
Megan Singleton suggests a string of California adventures to try.
Of course the Happiest Place on Earth must be at the top of the list as it's really the reason Anaheim exists. If you arrive late in the day, hang out for free at Downtown Disney where restaurants and bars will prepare you for the sensory overload and merchandise begging to be taken home. My tip is to go to Rainforest Cafe for a CaronaRita while the kids watch the animals holler at the thunder storms as they eat.
Probably California's most underrated park. It's about half the admission price of Disneyland and packed with extreme, adrenalin-squealing rides. But it originally started as a berry farm - in fact, the boysenberry was propagated here. It's best for rollercoaster junkies though.
About 35km off the Californian coast, Catalina Island was owned by the Wrigley chewing gum family until they donated most of it to the people of the state and now own 11 per cent. Avalon is a little town of olde worlde charm where people get around on golf carts, and boats bob in the harbour. But the best thing to do is to zip line with Zip Line Eco Tours through 1.2km of high wires down the canyon with the wind in your hair.
There's nothing like watching Americans watching sport and the Anaheim Angels' (season runs March to September) home stadium is only a short taxi ride from Disneyland for when you've seen enough of Tinkerbell flying through the fireworks. Buy nachos in a plastic helmet and practise your singing for the top of the sixth when you can really immerse yourself in all the hype.
With prices in the US such great value, it's already a bargain shopping in a mall, but the outlets are something else again. Citadel has more than 100 shops, with prices reduced by more than 75 per cent in some cases. Book a shopping tour to the outlets on the day of your late flight home. They'll store your luggage in their VIP lounge and run you to the airport when you're done. Note: you can buy extra luggage here too.
The perfect destination for both a one-stop holiday, or a much-needed stopover.