Things to Do in Orange County, CA!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Ride the Great Balloon for Free at the Irvine Great Park - Things to Do in Orange County 83

Time always flies so fast, and though I always promise myself to post an article at least once a week, a month or two usually flies in between my Things to Do in Orange County, CA blog.

Well, this post is a really cool one.

Do you ever feel like riding on a hot air balloon? And what if I told you that the flight up is free? Hey, well in Orange County, this is possible to do.

At the Great Park in Irvine, you are able to ride on a hot air balloon Thursday through Sunday for FREE!!

Though this hot air balloon is free, there is also a catch. One is that it's popular, so if you go during the weekend, it can get difficult to secure a ticket. Two is that since it goes up to 400 feet, any kind of strong wind condition will stop the balloon from flying.

It actually took me three chances to finally get on the Great Balloon. First time it was the wind, second time it was packed, and third time was a charm. Your best bet is to call them before you go to see if they're flying, and if there is a lot of people waiting or not.

Upon arrival to the Great Balloon, you will enter the office to fill out a liability form. After you fill it out, you will get the ticket to the Great Balloon for free!

We went during the day on Thursday, and it was great. Perfect weather, and there were only 7 of us that flew on the balloon. So we got to walk around and talk to the other people on the balloon.

As I mentioned, this balloon goes up 400 feet, so it's pretty high. The view is wonderful from up there, so don't forget your camera. They also do a night flight, and the view up there at night must be very nice too.

All in all, this balloon is an awesome deal. It takes you up 400 feet above Orange County, and all expenses are paid for. The ride is about 10 minutes long, but that should be enough for you to enjoy the ride, and appreciate the beauty of the OC.

The Great Park Balloon

Webpage

Perimeter Rd
Irvine, CA 92614
(866) 829-3829

Thu-Fri 10 am - 3 pm
Thu-Sun 7 pm - 10 pm
Sat-Sun 9 am - 3 pm

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Orange County Restaurant Week - Things to Do in Orange County 82

It's that time of year again. OC Restaurant Week is up and running, and that means going out and eating for me. :)

I always enjoy OC Restaurant Week since we get to try out new restaurants for a great deal. It's always fun to go out and try out new places, get fed, and not have to pay a fortune.

One advice with the OC Restaurant Week, or the Newport Beach Restaurant Week is to go for lunch. Often times, many restaurants offer similar plates for lunch as they do dinner, but it'll cost you twice as much. We started out the OC Restaurant Week on Sunday, at Splashes inside Surf and Sand Resort, but they had almost identical menus for lunch and dinner. The only difference: $20 lunch vs. $40 dinner.

So go for lunch. You'll usually enjoy it more since you're not going to pay as much. And the sun is out to enjoy it too.

The OC Restaurant Week goes from February 27th to March 5th. So we just have a few more days to go. Be sure to check out their website for some cool places to dine at.

Here are my recommendations:

Antenello's