Irvine

Right in the heart of Orange County, with Loma Ridge to its north and the San Joaquin Hills to its South, Irvine is an idyllic planned community with charms of its own, and a gateway to some of Southern California's other big attractions. It is a center for research at institutions such as University of California, Irvine - where visitors should see the Botanical Gardens at UCI Arboretum. And among its cultural draws are the Irvine Museum, with its collection of Impressionist painters of California. In many ways Irvine is kid-central, with its Chocxo chocolate factory, Buccaneer Cove, massive Pretend City Children's Museum and mixed-use Spectrum Center (with its 108-foot Giant Wheel).