{"id":387068,"date":"2026-07-05T16:50:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T16:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/387068\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T16:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T16:50:08","slug":"whats-new-and-fun-in-southern-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/387068\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s New and Fun in Southern California\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Living in\u00a0California\u00a0it is easy to forget that the rest of the world comes to California for vacation \u2014 to play and to see\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0new and innovative. Here are a few new areas to check out.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Danny Sanford Elephant Valley\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>San Diego Zoo Safari Park\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd., Escondido 92027\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Info\u2002bit.ly\/4eNUGen\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Denny Sanford Elephant Valley officially opened to the public at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido on March 5. It is the largest project in the organization\u2019s 109-year history.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 13-acre immersive habitat features winding pathways that bring guests close to the herd, two large watering holes, and an open-air, two-story restaurant called\u00a0Mkutano\u00a0House.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Elephant Valley has been designed to generate greater empathy,\u00a0understanding\u00a0and appreciation for elephants, while igniting a desire to protect them and their native habitats.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Surrounded by African savanna elephants on multiple sides, guests of all ages will\u00a0encounter\u00a0what it feels like to share common ground with the herd walking beside the world\u2019s largest land mammal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The plant life in Elephant Valley has been curated by a team of expert horticulturists and arborists to authentically replicate the sights, sounds and smells of Africa\u2019s diverse ecosystems, specifically the vast savanna and grasslands. More than 350 individual plants have been grown for Elephant Valley,\u00a0representing\u00a0rare and endangered African plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/New-2-DSRT-Surf-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1218548\"  \/>DSRT Surf is scheduled to open in late July 2026. The 17-acre, multimillion-gallon surf lagoon will offer guests a one-of-a-kind desert destination with a 52-module\u00a0Wavegarden\u00a0Cove that delivers consistent world-class waves. Photo DSRT Surf.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>DSRT Surf\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>105 Wave Dr, Palm Desert 92260\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Info\u2002<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dsrtsurf.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">www.dsrtsurf.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Scheduled to open this month, DSRT Surf is a 17-acre, multimillion-\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>gallon surf lagoon in Palm Desert.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The resort,\u00a0located\u00a0adjacent to\u00a0the Desert Willow Golf Resort, will utilize\u00a0Wavegarden\u2019s\u00a0advanced Cove technology to create up to 1,000 programmable ocean-like waves per hour.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This technology will allow surfers to catch adjustable waves and surf perfectly sculpted waves without an ocean in sight. This sustainable, machine-powered surf pool brings beach culture to the desert, alongside pickleball courts and luxury villas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>DSRT Surf is a one-of-a-kind desert destination where perfect waves meet both passionate surfers and experience seekers alike.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The surfing lagoon will boast a large capacity of surfers, accommodating at least 88 surfers in the water simultaneously who can enjoy perfect waves for both beginners and experts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The wave menu\u00a0comprises\u00a0over 20 different wave\u00a0types\u00a0and private sessions can be customized with any variety of waves on demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Wavegarden\u00a0Cove is capable of generating up to 1,000 ocean-like waves per hour.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Using\u00a0Wavegarden\u00a0Cove technology, the system activates in sequence to generate a continuous swell, controlling wave height,\u00a0shape\u00a0and speed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This allows multiple wave types to run simultaneously across the lagoon, creating everything from soft beginner rollers to long, high-performance walls and barrels, all within the same session.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lucas Museum of Narrative Art\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One Lucas Plaza, Los Angeles 90037\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Info\u2002lucasmuseum.org\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Opening September 22, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art celebrates the power of visual storytelling. Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum explores how images move us and shape our collective memory.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>From Frida Kahlo\u2019s self-portrait to Norman Rockwell\u2019s scenes of everyday life to Charles White\u2019s portraits of dignity, each image tells a story.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Lucas Museum is located in Exposition\u00a0Park\u00a0and the campus includes galleries that explore timeless themes, family, love, work, play, fantasy and more.\u00a0Additional\u00a0spaces include two\u00a0state-of-the-art\u00a0cinematic theaters and dedicated areas for learning,\u00a0dining\u00a0and retail.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Museum co-chairs George Lucas and Mellody Hobson share a conviction that illustrated stories connect people across cultures and generations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lucas, creator of the \u201cStar Wars\u201d and the \u201cIndiana Jones\u201d franchise and founder of the George Lucas Educational Foundation began collecting in college, when the only art he could afford was original comic art for $30.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Over 50 years, that collection has grown to more than 40,000 works.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI could never sell my art,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cIt\u00a0just is\u00a0not what\u00a0I think art\u00a0is. I think\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0more about an emotional connection with the work, not how much it cost.\u201d\u2003\uf09b\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Living in\u00a0California\u00a0it is easy to forget that the rest of the world comes to California for vacation \u2014&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387069,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-387068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387068","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=387068"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387068\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}