Gee, what could be more fun than spring break with the kids? Those beautiful children jumping on the couch, fighting with each other, making a mess everywhere they go. It\u2019s enough to drive a parent wild. So, get out of the house. Here\u2019s a list of things you can do with the rugrats for free, and they\u2019re fun, too.<\/p>\n
FREE MOST EVERY DAY<\/p>\n
Thousand Oaks \u2014 Conejo Valley Botanic Garden:<\/a> There are 33 acres to investigate, along with a bird habitat and rare fruit tree orchard. Hike to the top and enjoy the views. The main garden is open daily sunrise to sunset. The Kids Adventure Garden is open on Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 400 W. Gainsborough Road, Thousand Oaks. conejovalleybotanicgarden.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lake Forest \u2014 Heritage Hill Historical Park:<\/a>\u00a0The outdoor park is free to visit every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To see inside of the four buildings on site \u2014 the 1863 Serrano Adobe, the 1890 El Toro Grammar School, the 1908 Harvey Bennett Ranch House and the 1891 Episcopal Mission \u2014 you\u2019ll need to attend one of the free tours, at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. No reservations necessary. Meet at the Serrano Adobe. 25151 Serrano Road, Lake Forest. ocparks.com\/heritagehill<\/a><\/p>\n Los Angeles \u2014 California Science Center<\/a>:\u00a0 Kids love this place because it was designed for them, and you probably will too. All permanent exhibits are free, but there\u2019s an extra charge for the IMAX theater shows and some attractions. (Note that the Space Shuttle Endeavor is temporarily off exhibit.) Parking is $20 (Eeek). 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles. californiasciencecenter.org<\/a><\/p>\n Newport Beach \u2014 The Upper Back Bay<\/a>:\u00a0Get those ya-yas out by hiking the trails around the Upper Back Bay in Newport Beach, and visiting the kid-friendly Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center<\/a>, 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach. Trails are open every day from 7 a.m. to dusk. The center is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free parking. newportbay.org\/facilities\/muth-interpretive-center\/the-ic\/<\/a><\/p>\n Rancho Palos Verdes \u2014 Point Vicente Interpretive Center:<\/a>. If you\u2019re lucky, you might see gray whales offshore here at this time of\u00a0 year. You\u2019ll see whale watchers on the patio with their telescopes and binoculars. The small but interesting museum explores the history of the area, including the now-defunct Marineland. It\u2019s a beautiful drive to get there, and picnic tables for lunch. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes. rpvca.gov\/1204\/Visit-Point-Vicente-Interpretive-Center<\/a><\/p>\n FREE ON SPECIFIC DAYS:<\/p>\n March 6, March 24, April 2 \u2014 Costa Mesa: Bring the kids to the Centennial Farm at the OC Fair & Event Center.<\/a> The tour and parking are free on Discovery Days<\/a>, when \u201cfarmers\u201d are stationed around the 3-acre working demonstration farm to answer questions. Upon check-in, you will receive a map to aid you in seeing all Centennial Farm has to offer. Children can pet a chick and plant a radish seed. This is for all ages. Reservations are required for 10 or more people. ocfair.com\/centennial-farm\/tours-and-reservations\/self-guided-tours\/<\/a><\/p>\n March 7 \u2014 Newport Beach: Get ready for a Nature Scavenger Hunt at the Upper Newport Bay from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. This is designed for ages 7-12, but all ages are invited to join. Look for special interpretive tables and posts along trails around the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center. There will be hands-on, educational activities and prizes for those that complete the scavenger hunt. Free parking. Bad weather cancels. Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center, 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach. Register in advance at letsgooutside.org\/activities<\/a> or just show up.<\/p>\n March 12 \u2014 Temecula: The program \u201cPlanted Creations: Garden Art\u201d is fun for grades 7-12 at the library. 4:30-6 p.m. Decorate a terracotta pot with paint pens. Dig in and create your own garden project. 30600 Pauba Road, Temecula. Register here: rivlib.libcal.com\/event\/15959497<\/a><\/p>\n March 14 \u2014 San Juan Capistrano: Bring a jacket and enjoy the telescopes and expert help at a \u201cStarr Party\u201d at Caspers Wilderness Park from 7-9:30 p.m. There will be stargazing equipment on hand, but you can also bring your own. Activities take place at the nature center. Free admission, but parking is $5. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Inclement weather cancels. Call 949-923-2210 to confirm the party\u2019s on.\u00a0 33401 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano. Reserve here: ocparks.com\/events\/starr-party-1<\/a><\/p>\n March 21 \u2014 Temecula: The \u201cLittle Sprouts Seed Library\u201d<\/a> opens for the season today. Kids can choose from a variety of seeds available to take home and grow their own gardens (while supplies last). Find it in the children\u2019s department of the Temecula Library, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 30600 Pauba Road, Temecula. temeculaca.gov\/Calendar.aspx?EID=6973<\/a><\/p>\n March 27 \u2014 Temecula: How about a scavenger hunt for teens at the Teen Egg-Venture? Search for clues indoors at the Ronald J. Parks Community Recreation Center at 7 p.m. to win prizes, then enjoy a photo booth, games, dodgeball, Karaoke and more until 9 p.m. 30875 Rancho Vista Road, Temecula. temeculaca.gov\/calendar.aspx?EID=8777<\/a><\/p>\n March 28 \u2014 Newhall: Bring the family to Art Hop<\/a> from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at William S. Hart Park. There will be a timed egg scramble for kids ages 10 and under, fun art activities, a kids play zone, live student musical, dance performances, a community hike at 10:30 a.m. and more. 24151 N. Newhall Ave., Newhall\u00a0 santaclarita.gov\/ArtHop<\/a><\/p>\n April 4 \u2014 Temecula: Easter Egg Hunts<\/a> at three parks, for children up to 12 years old. Bring your own basket. Events start at 9:30 a.m. and the hunting begins at 10 a.m. sharp. The hunts will be divided by age and there\u2019s also a special needs area. Locations: Temeku Hills Park, 31367 La Serena Way; Patricia H. Birdsall Sports Park, 32380 Deer Hollow Way, Harveston Community Park, 28582 Harveston Drive. temeculaca.gov\/calendar.aspx?EID=8778<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gee, what could be more fun than spring break with the kids? Those beautiful children jumping on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":216754,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,12740,26994,131,133,132,47,137,5140,5860,611,612,6736,16188,17727,420],"class_list":["post-216753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-california","tag-free-and-cheap","tag-lake-forest","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-newhall","tag-newport-beach","tag-orange-county","tag-riverside-county","tag-san-juan-capistrano","tag-santa-clarita","tag-temecula","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}