Noche De Altares- A celebration of Day of the Dead/Dia De Los Muertos

If you are looking for something a little different to do this Saturday, you should check out the 7th Annual Noche de Altares. The

Celebration will be the largest Day of the Dead Celebration in Orange County. The event will

take place on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 from 2:00pm to 10:00pm at Fiesta Marketplace

in the City of Santa Ana (3rd and Bush Streets).

Organized by non-profit organization El Centro Cultural de México and local business

Calacas Inc., Noche de Altares is a free, family-friendly community event. Throughout the

day there will be arts and crafts workshops, face painting, local artists selling their wares, and

delicious food from local restaurants and vendors. There will also be live music and

entertainment from local and international musicians

 

You can make it a day by doing the Santa Ana Artists village Art Walk. Artists through the Village open the doors to their studios and you

 

can admire their work in a very carefree enviroment. It's a perfect event for older kids or as a date night. My husband and I have had some

 

great date nights at Art Walk.

 

For additional info head over here.

Children's Festival of the Arts

If you are looking for something to do with your kiddos this weekend that is fun and free check out the Hollywood Art's Council Children's Festival of the Arts. It's a free event at the Paramount Film Studios on Sunday August 9th from 12pm to 430pm. There will be family art workshops, face painting, dancing from around the world and much much more. Children's Festival of the Arts Sunday August 9th 12pm to 430pm Paramount Studios 5555 Melrose Avenue Hollywood 90038 For additional info head over here.

Pirate Invasion and Fair @ Belmont Memorial Pier

If you are looking for something different to do this weekend you might want to check out the Pier Daze Pirate Invasion and Fair.

This annual event will take place on Belmont Memorial Pier in Long Beach. On Saturday there will be a real Pirate Ship attacking the Pier, which will be defended by local citizens. The pirate attack will of course feature pirates, cannons and sword fights galore. A limited number of Pirate ship rides will be available. There will be a kids treasure hunt, a pirate costume contest, and a beach funzone. Sunday will feature plenty of music and good times. The best part is that this is a free event June 27th & 28th, 2009 11:00am to 7:00pm Belmont Memorial Pier 15 39th place Long Beach You can find more information about this here

It's that time again... Museums on us Free Weekend admission and Target Free at La Habra Children's and Bowers Kidseum

I will post this little blurb at the beginning of every month to remind everyone about Museums on us. 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 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 Autry National Center of the American West Museum of Latin American Art- Long Beach Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art Orange County Discovery Science Center- Santa Ana- Only on Saturday Laguna Art Museums- Laguna Beach San Diego Birch Aquarium at Scripps California Center for the Arts- Escondido Riverside Riverside Art Museum Also a reminder that the La Habra Children's museum is free the first Saturday of the month and the Bowers will be free on Sunday thanks to a generous sponorship from Target. Have fun and explore!! I can't wait to share with you the day I have planned on Saturday. It's my daughter's 4th Birthday and we are celebrating with a visit to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and brunch at the Aloha Lilo and Stitch at the Paradise Pier Hotel. Have a great weekend!!

Free Family Arts Festival @ La Habra Children's Museum and winner of DVD giveaway.

Happy Monday!! I know it's only Monday and the weekend is still a couple of days away. However, I wanted to make sure you mark this date on your calendars. On Sunday May17th the La Habra Children's Museum will host it's annual Family Arts Festival. This year the museum is focusing on it's Ring of Fire exhibit which is fantastic!! This was definitely the highlight of our last trip to La Habra. There will be crafts and cultural performances about the Ring of Fire region. The festival will also feature carnival games, storytelling and face painting. It will be a fun day for all and of course if I'm writing about it you probably already figured out that it's Free!! Admission to the museum will be absolutely Free!! I hope you can all make it!! Almost forgot - the winner of the DVD giveaway is- Kati who said... I love your site. Thanks for telling about all the fun stuff we can do and win. Thank you so very much~ Hope you all had a fantastic Mother's Day weekend!!

Laguna Art Museum's Imagination Celebration 2009

I love any excuse to visit Laguna- No kidding- we are there at least once a month. Here is an event that you will not want to miss out and it's located in my favorite city!! The Laguna Art Museum will celebrate be the power of the imagination with "ignite the power of art". The celebration will take place on Saturday April 25th from 11am to 2pm. Prepare the kiddos for a feast of art. Your kiddos will be able to partake in various hands on activities, face painting, musical and dance performances, student and professional art exhibits, refreshments and the traditional 'Art Detective' game!! The best part of this experience is that it is absolutely FREE!! Do not miss out on this fantastic event!! Laguna Art Museum's Imagination Celebration 09 307 Cliff Drive Laguna Beach, CA 92651 11am to 2pm Free Admission For additional information click here

Free Tours/cruise of the Port of Long Beach- Free 90 minute Boat Ride

I received an email from a reader about a tip that I could not wait to post up. Starting in May the Port of Long Beach is offering Free 90 minute narrated port tours . The up and close tours will run from May to October of 2009. All you need to do is to go to this website and make a reservation- That's it and it's absolutely free. I already made my family's reservation and will be taking the tour in May- I can't wait!! Reservations Tours will be posted two months in advance, on the first work day of each month at 8 a.m. For example, the September cruises will be posted and reservations made available at 8 a.m. July 1. Click on the "Reserve Seats" button below to make a reservation. If the tour is full, and zero seats are available, click the "Standby" button to be added to the standby list. Those on the standby list will be notified if a seat becomes available. Directions and Parking The tours depart from and return to Shoreline Village in downtown Long Beach. The boat departs from Dock 9, next to Parkers' Lighthouse restaurant. Click here for directions. Aboard the boat, validation is provided for a reduced parking rate at Shoreline Village ($1 for the first two hours with validation, and $2 for each additional 20 minutes).

Shark Lagoon Nights- Free @ The Aquarium of the Pacific

I love free events. Come to think of it- everyone does!! I'm going to write about a Free event that you will not want to miss!!

I've posted about Shark Lagoon Nights before but due to popular request(my friend Amy) and since it's been almost a year since I posted - I wanted to post about it again.

Shark Lagoon Nights are held every Friday night at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. It's a free event open to the public. Shark Lagoon night gives your kiddos an opportunity to see sharks up close and personal. You will have the opportunity to touch bamboo sharks and see large sharks such as sand tigers as well as rays in the Aquarium's Shark Lagoon. It's held every Friday from 6-9pm. It's a seriously cool experience and of course absolutely free.

I hope you will visit soon!!

For additional info click here

Shark Lagoon Nights- every Friday 6-9pm

Aquarium of the Pacific

100 Aquarium Way

Long Beach, CA 90802

Orange County's Greak Park Ice Skating Rink- and Yes it's Free!!

I received a great tip from reader Gina about Orange County's Great Park Ice Skating Rink. To celebrate the Grand Opening of the ice skating facilities from Feb 14-Mar 15 the ice skating rink will offer free admission and rentals. The rink will be open on Fridays,Saturdays and Sundays.

SKATE SESSION TIMES 11:00 am � 10:00 pm (sessions begin at the start of every hour) 80 skaters per hourly session

PRICE AND SKATE EQUIPMENT Admission and skate rentals are FREE to the public. Helmets are available upon request at no charge. Guests are welcome to bring their own skates and helmets.

ADVANCED TICKETING POLICY To accommodate the requests of our many visitors, the Orange County Great Park will be providing a limited number of advanced tickets on a first come, first serve basis for each weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). A stand-by line will be available for the remaining skate session tickets, on a first come, first serve basis. Visitors may request a maximum of 6 advanced tickets per weekend. Request for advanced tickets can only be made for the current weekend session (Friday � Sunday) and must be done in person at the ice rink ticket counter. If skater is not present at the start of the hourly skate session, advanced tickets may not be honored at the discretion of the ice rink staff.

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This is too good to pass up!! The ice skating rink is located in Orange County's Great Park which is located at the former El Toro Marine Station in Irvine. For driving directions click here. Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Free Admission - Richard Nixon Library- Presidents Day

The Richard Nixon library will be offering free admission on Monday February 16th all day in honor of Presidents Day. It's a perfect place to visit on Presidents Day. My family loves the library. We happen to live in Yorba Linda and always take advantage of the free admission days. I love the exhibits and my kids are crazy about President Nixon's helicopter on display. They also love romping through the gardens. It really is a great place to visit!! For additional info click here