Daytripping Mom Giveaway!! AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Long Beach

If your kiddos are anything like mine they are probably crazy about dogs. My hubby and I also happen to be crazy about them. I love watching the American Kennel Club Dog show and the Westminster Dog show on Animal Planet. This year the show will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center on December 13th and 14th and Daytrippingmom will be giving away a family 4 pack!! Every year, nearly 3,000 of the world’s top canine competitors from all 50 states and more than 70 countries are invited to vie for Best in Show honors and a total of $225,000 at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. The event is one of the most highly competitive and exciting events in the canine world. It is held in conjunction with the AKC National Obedience Invitational and AKC Agility Invitational, representing the culmination of a year of competition in three AKC sports: Conformation, Obedience and Agility.

For the second year, the exciting Eukanuba World Challenge competition will feature dogs representing 52 countries from the far reaches of the globe competing for world-wide bragging rights!

One of the most exciting attractions is the AKC Meet the Breeds with over 150 AKC breeds on display for the public to meet and speak with breed experts. The AKC Demonstration ring features fun, educational and exciting demonstrations such as herding with live ducks, agility, obedience and seeing-eye dogs.

Click here for a complete schedule of events

My family will be attending this event and so can yours- I'm giving away a 4 pack of tickets to the Saturday Event. I think this would be a really unique and fun activity for your family. If you would like to enter the giveaway just leave a comment- any comment and you will be automatically entered to win the package. I have 4 admissions and since children under 12 are free you can invite two other people. It's a great prize. Contest ends Nov 8th at 7pm. Good luck!!!

Kidspace Pumpkin Festival

Are you looking for something free, fun and in the spirit of Halloween? Then check out the 14th annual Kidspace Pumpkin Festival. The festival celebrates autumn by sparking the imaginations of visitors of all ages. Children can sing and dance to music and live performances, run through a pumpkin patch or enjoy a costume parade. Enjoy one or two days of fun performances, activities and fun taking place in Brookside Park in Pasadena. There will be carnival games, crafts, bouncers, face painting and more. Saturday &Sunday October 25th and 26th 9:30am to 5:30pm Admission is free The Kidspace Pumpkin festival will be held at Brookside Park 480 N Arroyo Blvd Pasadena-near the Rose Bowl Free Parking is available in Rose Bowl Lot 1 Overflow parking in lots F and K For additional event details click here

Scarium of the Pacific and Free Shark Lagoon nights

Discover the creatures lurking in the depths of Pacific at the Scarium of the Pacific, a spooktacular yet educational Halloween event for the whole family. Enjoy special Halloween programs including a costume contest for kids, a creepy coloring contest, magic shows, spooky storytelling, kooky crafts, eerie animals in the Great Hall and much more. Free with admission on a side note Shark Lagoon Friday nights are back on. The public is invited to get up close with the ocean’s ultimate predators at the Aquarium of the Pacific for FREE during Shark Lagoon Nights. Guests will have the opportunity to touch bamboo sharks and see large sharks such as sandtigers as well as rays in the Aquarium’s Shark Lagoon. Shark Lagoon nights will be held every Friday night from 6-9pm for additional info click here Aquarium of the Pacific 100 Aquarium Way Long Beach, CA 90802

Haute Dog Howl'een Parade, Costume Contest in Long Beach

If you're looking for something one of a kind and perfect for the Halloween season - make sure to check out the Haute Dog Howl'een parade contest at Livingston Park in Long Beach on Sunday the 26th. The parade takes place along 1o city blocks in Belmont Shore. The parade starts at 2:3o pm in Livingston Park. Over 600 dogs participated in last year's event. It should be a treat for the whole family. There will also be a kids costume contest at 4:30pm and a pet adoption fair from 11am to 5pm. For additional information click here.

Boo at the zoo- Santa Ana Zoo

The annual Boo at the Zoo at the Santa Ana Zoo will be held Oct 24-26 from 5:30-8:30 pm. The family friendly costumed event will bring fun and safe trick or treating in a Merry not Scary Zoo atmosphere. There will be trick or treating, costume parade, games, stories and of course animal encounters. It's a must if you live or will be visiting the Orange County area this weekend. Tickets are $10 a person with children 2 and under free. Grandparents will be offered free admission on Oct 24th. For additional info click here This family-friendly costumed extravaganza will bring FUN, SAFE, trick-or-treating in a "Merry not Scary" Zoo atmosphere, with educ ational programs throughout the evening, and a costume parade. This family-friendly costumed extravaganza will bring FUN, SAFE, trick-or-treating in a "Merry not Scary" Zoo atmosphere, with educational programs throughout the evening, and a costume parade.

Boo at the zoo- Los Angeles Zoo

For the next two weeks I will be posting about various Halloween events geared for kids throughout Southern California. Boo at the Zoo is being held at both the Los Angeles Zoo and at the Santa Ana Zoo. The LA Zoo will be hosting it's annual boo at the zoo on Saturday October 25th and Sunday October 26th. Costumes are encouraged and will earn you a dollar off admission. Some of the activities featured will be Animal Stomp and Chomp, trick or treating, Halloween entertainment and Halloween down under. This event is free for members and included in general admission. Hours will be 10 am to 4pm. For additional information click here.

Spooky Fun at the Discovery Science Center

SPOOKY SCIENCE Oct. 4 - Nov. 2 Participate in fun science experiments, enjoy trick-or-treat goodie bags and explore a spooky 3-D maze. It’s a SPOOKtacular good time!

LIVE BATS will be at Discovery Science Center on the following dates:

October 18, 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Dan Taylor from the International Bat Conservancy will be on the SunStage with live bats! Don't miss this informative and educational program! October 25, 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Stephanie Stronsick from Batworld.org will be at the SunStage with live bats! November 1, 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Deborah Crough will be at the SunStage with live bats! Plus, visitors have the opportunity to see rats and mice on weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during Spooky Science! Meet and greet these furry creatures!

Discovery Science Center, 2500 N. Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92705 714.542.2823

Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch

Irvine Park Railroad’s 3rd annual pumpkin patch is fun for the entire family! Children and adults are invited to the pumpkin patch which opens daily at 10:00 am through November 2nd. This place is fun the rest of the year, but around Halloween is my children's favorite time.

This year’s pumpkin patch activities include: Train rides, hay rides, a haunted house, a hay maze, pony rides, a moon bounce, face painting (weekends only), picture stands, great food and of course, The Orange County Zoo.

Best of all there’s the pumpkin patch located in Locomotive Loop just behind the train station. Thousands of pumpkins, in all shapes and sizes, fill Locomotive Loop.

Admission into the pumpkin patch is free. Prices for all other activities vary. Visit http://www.irvineparkrailroad.com/ for additional information and costs.

Children ages 12 and under can wear their Halloween costume to Irvine Park Railroad on Saturday, October 25th. Every child that wears a costume on that day will receive a free goodie bag filled with Irvine Park Railroad giveaways.

The Irvine Park Railroad pumpkin patch is open daily from September 20th through November 2nd. Hours of operation are as follows:

Weekdays 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Weekends 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

The parking fee for Irvine Regional Park is $3.00 per vehicle on weekdays and $5.00 per vehicle on weekends.

Chapman Avenue at Jamboree Boulevard, 92869 google map yahoo map

Tall Ships at the Redondo Beach Marina

The Lynx and The Californian Tall Ships will be on display at the Redondo Beach Marina from Oct 7 through the 19th. My kids are in love with planes, trains and especially ships. I can't wait to take them this weekend. The King Harbor Association and the Redondo Beach Marina are proud to help sponsor the 122 foot square topsail schooner Lynx and the 145 foot California. You can look at them from afar or enjoy a dockside tour from 10am to noon on the weekends. There is also a battle sail from 2 to 5 on both weekends. LOCATION: King Harbor 208 Yacht Club Way Redondo Beach, CA, 90277 310-376-6926 http://www.kingharbor.com/ COST/REGISTRATION: Dockside tours: $8, Children under 12 free; Battle Sail, $75, Children under 12 $35. http://www.privateerlynx.com/contact/index.html MORE INFO: Website: http://www.privateerlynx.com/ Email: woodsjwreno@aol.com Phone: 949-274-5785 Contact: Jeffrey Woods

Museums on us- Free Admission to museums with your B of A debit card or credit card

Have you noticed a trend with my posts lately? I'm currently obsessed with museums and free admissions. I have to share with you another great find. Museums on us is a fantastic program that rewards Bank of America cardholders. Any card from Bank of America gives you free admission to over 70 museums. nationwide. Museums on us offers free admission to the select museums on the first weekend of every month - and that means this post comes just in time for this weekend. Here is a list of the participating museums in the area. Enjoy!! Los Angeles County Gene Autry Museum of the West- Los Angeles Museum of Latin American Art- Long Beach Orange County Discovery Science Center- Santa Ana Laguna Art Museums- Laguna Beach San Diego Birch Aquarium at Scripps For additional info click here

San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park- Kids Free in October

If you read this blog you are probably well aware that I love sharing anything that won't cost you a single cent. I found something that is almost to good to be true, but don't worry it really is true!! The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park are offering free admission to children 3-11 during the entire month of October. If you're looking for something to do this month- you might want to check it out. October is turning out to be Freetober!! I love it!!

Museums - Free-For-All

This weekend the museum marketing round table of Southern California will be offering it's fourth annual museum free weekend. Some museums will offer free admission on one day but most will offer free admission on both days. This is a great deal if you have wanted to make that visit to that special museum. We can't wait to visit the Natural History Museum. I wanted to post a couple of the museums that might be of interest to families. Enjoy!! Bowers Museum- Free on Sunday the 5th- Great Terracotta Warrior exhibit Natural History Museum of Los Angeles- Free on both days The Museum of Contemporary Art- Free on both days Peterson Automotive Museum- Free on both days Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum- Free on Sunday the 5th Norton Simon Museum- Free on Sunday Oct 5th Hope you can make it out and enjoy free admission!!!