Nalin
Cypress
I'm planning a day trip from LA with my family in mid September. It's my parents' birthday. Therefore, I will be going with my mom, dad and my sister. I like to know where I can take them. I don't mind driving 2-3 hours to get away from the city.
I was about to recommend a visit to Palm Springs, where you can ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up to the top of the mountain for the views and everything, but it seems to be closed until September 20 for annual maintenance.You can still make a visit to Palm Springs itself though, and also Joshua Tree National Park
If they like wine, you can go down to Temeculawine country for some wine tasting. Also Solvangisgreat for wine tasting, up near Santa Barbara
Looks like there are also some fun events upcoming up at Big Bear Lake.
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I would consider going to Laguna Beach, Santa Barbara or San Diego. In the San Diego area, in addition to downtown San Diego, La Jolla and Carlsbad (California) are nice places for the day with good restaurants for lunch.
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