Best Family Outing

1. Irvine Regional Park

1 Irvine Park Road, Orange; 714-973-6835; ocparks.com/parks-trails

Perhaps because Disneyland and other theme parks were closed for much of the past 18 months, voters recognized Irvine Regional Park as a family entertainment destination that punches above its weight.

A big reason for that is the variety of activities the park offers. There are pony rides for the kids and a 3-mile equestrian trail for riders that offers postcardquality views of the park and the surrounding hills. The park offers horse rentals, an area for horse-trailer parking and a watering trough and fountain.

Should your passion lie more toward the aquatic than the equestrian, there are paddle-boat rentals at a historical boat-house by the signature lake. Santiago Creek meanders through the park and a waterfall with stone-work provides another scenic landmark.

Then there is the OC Zoo, bringing mountain lions, black bears, kit foxes,

PAUL BERSEBACH, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Paddleboats and fishermen enjoy the day at Irvine Regional Park in Orange.

ocelots, beavers, coyotes, hawks, the great horned owl and other animals and birds native to the southwestern United States. The zoo says it takes pride in the fact it houses animals not releasable in the wild for various reasons: injury, orphaned or confiscated from illegal sources. There’s also a a petting zoo.

Tying all this together is the Irvine Park Railroad, which winds through the 491-acre park, offering views of the lake and other attractions. There’s also a paved bicycle trail and walking trail.

As you’d expect in most parks, Irvine Regional provides six playgrounds, four group picnic areas with barbecues, sinks and benches and numerous other picnic areas for smaller parties. But the park also offers four softball fields, volleyball and horseshoe pits and an amphitheater.

— Brian Robin

2. Disneyland

1313 Disneyland Drive, Anaheim; 714-781-4636; disneyland.disney.go com

One of the world’s iconic venues began a phased reopening from the pandemic on April 30 that not only encompassed the main park, Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney, but the resort’s hotels. The county’s flagship resort requires patrons to have a reservation for the theme park they are visiting that day, whether they are buying daily admission or have one of the new Magic Key annual passes.

The big new attraction at the resort is Avengers Campus, which opened at Disney California Adventure in June.

Avengers Campus takes you into the inner sanctum of Marvel, featuring activities such as Web Slingers, where you help corral Spider-Bots like Spiderman, and Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout, where you help rescue the Guardians from the Collector’s fortress. The Avengers Headquarters lets guests see Iron Man, Black Panther and Captain Marvel, in their natural habitat.

3. Firestorm Freerunning & Acrobatics Ultra

7220 Hazard Ave., Westminster; 657-400-9023; firestormfreerunning.com

Want to understand what it feels like to be a modernday ninja? Here’s the place to learn. At Firestorm, students learn the art of parkour, which combines elements of martial arts with running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping and all manners of movement.

Firestorm offers a variety of classes and camps in a myriad of disciplines. There’s parkour, which features a belt-like progression through the ranks. There are trampoline classes that teach mastery of the body in “extreme situations.” This includes a special wall trampoline that opens up the arsenal of tricks, spins and flips.

There are aerial silks, also known as “that Cirque du Soleil thing,” which use silks to climb, wrap and drop. Tumbling classes teach flexibility, power and positioning, allowing the practitioner to perform rolls, cartwheels, handstands, flips and other acrobatics.