Summers have shifted in the Traveling Newlyweds’ household. Five years ago, summers involved cross-country road trips, African safaris, and quick weekenders in Cabo. Fast forward to 2023 and summers are defined by beach days, exploring new parks, and trips to the local mountains. We’ve embraced this new phase with our kids but still have the desire for new adventures. With two kids under three, we stay pretty close to home more often and are always looking for new spots to eat or to get our kids’ wiggles out. We’re excited to share that we’ve been exploring Santa Ana for the past few weeks and have fallen in love. Not only is it close to home (Costa Mesa), but we’ve found experiences that all of us have enjoyed.
Here’s a quick little rundown of where we’ve been eating and playing in Santa Ana this summer:
EAT
Hopper & Burr: This is one of our favorite coffee shops, period. We’ve been coming here for years and are obsessed with the gourmet coffee, the mouth-watering avocado toast, and the always friendly baristas. If you haven’t been to Hopper & Burr, drive over to Santa Ana this weekend and thank us after.
Brunch at Santa Ana Brunch Club: If we had to pick one standout of our past few weeks in Santa Ana, it’s brunch. To be fair, it’s the only place we hadn’t been and we didn’t know what to expect. We arrived right when they opened at 9 AM (because the kids had been up for hours), and immediately were greeted by the kindest employees and Chef Domenico. They made recommendations for breakfast and we didn’t hold back. Bobby had chicken and waffles, Alli ate Avocado & Egg toast, the kids had sourdough pancakes, and we all shared the milk bread donut bites. Chef Domenico told us all about the restaurant and his journey to getting there and we can’t wait to go back!
Benchmark: A perfect location for al-fresco, Benchmark boasts a welcoming vibe that feels welcoming for families but is also the perfect date night spot. Their menu is “refined yet approachable” and encourages shared plates to enhance the whole table’s culinary experience. The kids shared chicken tenders while we enjoyed the Benchmark burger and avocado and corn salad. DELISH!
4th Street Market: The thing about the 4th Street Market is that you could actually consider this “play” too. The 4th Street Market is a modern food hall with a variety of food stalls, so everyone can get what they like. There is a variety of cuisine (and libations) that ensures that you’ll be making multiple trips. What’s more, they have a patio area with ping-pong tables and games that our kids were obsessed with. We indulged in the smash burgers at The Golden Eatery and craft cocktails from Recess by Playground. The kids had grilled cheese, juice, and loved dancing on the stage.
The CUTEST kid’s meals!
There may have been some fighting over the donut bites :)
Benchmark is a hit!
PLAY
A Day at the Santa Ana Zoo: If you’re a Southern California native, your idea of a zoo is probably shaped by the San Diego zoo. Ours was! So while the SD zoo is magical, it feels like a big production to commit to a day at the zoo. But the Santa Ana Zoo offers a different experience. While you can definitely spend a whole day here, you can also see so much in just a couple of hours. It is packed full of animals, activity, and fun, but it’s a much smaller space than the San Diego Zoo. This is a huge advantage when you’re wrangling kids. Our kids are obsessed with the monkeys, butterflies and camels. With over 80 species of animals, we definitely need to go back to see it all!
Aside from the animals, we rode a ferris wheel, a train, and played on the playground. And a visit to the Santa Ana Zoo is not complete without a trip to Bean Sprouts for lunch. Their award-winning kids menu is honestly the most fun looking food our kids have ever seen. From the “Spaceadilla” (quesadilla shaped like a rocket ship) to the “Flutter Bite” (turkey sandwich shaped like a butterfly), all of their kids entrees are built with creative flair and are super healthy!
The Discovery Cube: The perfect August-September activity, the Discovery Cube is a wonderful place to beat the SoCal heat. Aside from the air conditioning, the Discovery Cube is an amazing destination focused on inspiring and educating kids through science programs and exhibits. With permanent exhibits and seasonal featured events, there are always fun, new experiences.
Here are some of our kids’ favorite exhibits:
Discovery Market - Grab a shopping cart and have a real life grocery store experience.
Hurricane Simulator - Experience winds over 70 miles an hour. Hold on to your hat!
The Raceway - Build a car, find a track, and race for the best time.
The two featured events were perfect for our kids. Both are going to be at the Discovery Cube until September 4th:
OC Ocean Encounter - Explore the different parts of the ocean in this immersive wonderland. Learn about ocean life, coral reefs, conservation efforts, and so much more. Reese loved that she found a slide!
Paw Patrol: Adventure Play - Jude could have stayed here all day. Come alongside your favorite pups and explore the different parts of Adventure Bay. This place is a kids dream!
Good news for the kids… the Discovery Cube has a Bean Sprouts cafe as well. So you can get your Under the Sea-za pizza here too :)
Train ride around the zoo was a hit!
Jude loved building cars and racing them!
Reese could have stayed here all day!
From Brunch to the 4th Street Market to the Zoo, we’ve been so thankful to learn what is right in our backyard in Santa Ana. We’re eager to explore more of the places we’ve been, but also know that there’s so much more to discover. We’ll be sure to report back as we uncover more family friendly adventures in Santa Ana!