Okay let me start first by saying how much I love this place… I know I say it all the time. I am a firm believer that you can love many places- that’s what is so fantastic about Southern California- there are sooo many places to love.

Hmmm where should I begin? First things first- don’t let the name decieve you, the park is located in the city of Orange not Irvine. It’s beautiful and the beauty of this place is that you could stay for only an hour or two or stay for the whole day. My visits depend on my mood. Sometimes I’ve been there for an hour- once I stayed the whole day. My visit usually always starts with a pony ride. This is always the highlight of the trip for my two year old. Pony rides are available from 11 am to 5 pm on weekends and also on holidays. During the summer they are open every day except for Mondays. Pony rides are $4.oo each. As soon as we finish with the pony rides we walk over a couple of yards to the Irvine Park Railroad and the concession stand. I love grabbing an icee while I wait for our train ride. It’s a 10 minute ride that goes past the two lakes and some really nice scenery. If I remember correctly the train rides are $4.00 also.

Once we’ve finished our Icees and had our fill of train rides, we always head over to the OC Zoo. It’s also located inside the park and what makes this little zoo so interesting is that all of the animals that are on exhibit are all native to the area or to the southwestern part of the United States. They have a couple of bears that are always fun to watch and they also have a couple of scary mountain lions that are also very interesting to observe close up. Admission is $3.00 per person- children 2 and under are free.

I usually buy some fast food or bring sandwiches and picnic in one of the many great areas to sit and just enjoy the outdoors. I usually also make sure to bring a loaf of bread to feed the ducks and geese.

I have never tried this but there are also bicycle and aquacycle rentals available by the old boathouse. It looks like a lot of fun but I just haven’t gotten around to it. You can also bring your bikes and there are many trails to explore or just even to walk or hike.

Entrance to the park is $3 per car on weekdays , $5 on weekends and up to $10 on holidays.

Irvine Regional Park 1 Irvine Park Road Orange, CA 92862 (714)973-6835 or (714)973-3173 Locate Irvine Regional Park with Map Quest

Irvine Regional Park is located in Santiago Canyon, six miles east of the City of Orange. To reach the park, take the Newport Freeway (#55) to the Chapman Avenue East offramp. Head east on Chapman for approximately five miles. Turn left on Jamboree for one fourth a mile to the park entrance. Open: Nov. 1 – March 31, 6:00am to 6:00pm Open: April 1 – Oct. 31, 6:00am to 9:00pm Office Hours: Mon. – Fri., 8:00am to 4:00pm Sat. – Sun., 8:00am to 11:00am