The 11 Best Things to Do in Irvine, California That Will Make Your Trip Amazing

Hey Readers!!

In the great state of California, the city of Irvine is nestled between Loma Ridge to the north and the San Joaquin Hills to the south. The city is in the middle of Orange County and has beautiful weather all year.

Irvine, in Orange County, California, is a wonderful place for couples and families to spend a weekend because it has great parks, museums, and the best things to do in Irvine, CA. Walk through the Irvine Orange County Great Park; look at beautiful art at the Irvine Museum; race at K1 Speed Irvine; watch birds at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary; and see a show at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, Giant Ferris Wheel Spectrum.

Since this interesting city has so much to offer, let’s look at the best things to do in Irvine.

Here are the things we think are the best things to do in Irvine, California, no matter how many times you have to go.

Keep reading for more on the 11 best things to do in Irvine, CA. If you enjoy our blogs, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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Best Things to Do in Irvine, CA

Irvine is in the middle of Orange County in Southern California. It has been named one of the happiest cities in the United States. It is the fastest-growing city in the United States, and is known for its high standard of living. Since 2005, The FBI has ranked Irvine as the “Safest Big City”.

Enjoy the Southern California sunshine with our list of the best things to do in Irvine, California.

We hope that our list of the 11 best things to do in Irvine, CA helps you plan a fantastic trip to the city.

1. Irvine Spectrum Center

The Irvine Spectrum Center is a great place to go if you like to shop. The center is a full-service building with more than 100 small shops, a movie theater, a spa, and many places to eat. Aside from shopping, the 108-foot-tall Giant Ferris Wheel Spectrum is one of the main attractions.

Shoppers can ride the wheel to get a different view of the area. The wheel is open every day, but at night, when the lights are on, it looks especially beautiful. At the Irvine Spectrum Center, people also like to try out virtual reality. The SPACES arcade has an immersive experience where you fight robots like in the movie The Terminator. One of the best things to do in Irvine at night.

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2. Orange County Great Park

The Great Park Balloon, which you can ride in at Orange County Great Park, is one of the most well-known things about Irvine Orange County. The balloon has a diameter of 72 feet, and people can ride it every Thursday through Sunday while it is tethered to the ground.

At its highest point, 400 feet above the ground, you can see Irvine and Orange County. You can ride it during the day or at night, and anyone who isn’t afraid of heights should do it at least once. The balloon is orange, so it looks like a rising sun during the day and a harvest moon at night.

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3. William R. Mason Regional Park

William R. Mason Regional Park has free activities for the whole family to do outside and is spread out over more than 300 acres. The park is full of hiking and biking trails that connect popular features like a big lake, places to sail model boats, and three play areas for toddlers that are great for getting rid of some extra energy. The park also has a wilderness area that is ready to be explored.

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4. Newport Beach

Newport Beach is a cute coastal city that is built around one of the largest harbors for recreation on the West Coast. And it takes less than 10 miles to drive from Irvine to the ocean, which is the fastest way to get there.

Some ways to enjoy Newport Beach’s beautiful scenery are by rollerblading, walking along the beach, or taking a sunset cruise. Other things to see and do include the small shops and restaurants that line the harbor. And the nearby million-dollar homes are always in view.

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5. UCI Institute & Museum of California Art

In 2017, the Institute & Museum of California Art was opened by the University of California, Irvine (IMCA). The Irvine Museum Collection and The Buck Collection, which are both well-known art collections in California, came together to form this new institute. With this new piece, IMCA’s permanent collection now has more than 4,500 items. One of the best museums in Irvine.

The IMCA’s collection is currently on display in a temporary museum in the Airport Tower building, which is just northwest of campus. The art is shown well in this museum on the first floor, which has more than 2,500 square feet of display space. At the moment, the museum only has one exhibition at a time, which changes once a year.

The new, big art building on campus hasn’t been built yet, so no one knows where it will be or when it will be done. After a large donation, the new building will be called the Jack & Shanaz Langson Institute & Museum of California Art as of December 2021.

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6. Irvine Open Space Preserve

Irvine is surrounded by an amazing number of natural spaces that offer residents and visitors a wide range of ways to have fun. In these natural habitats, hiking, biking, and horseback riding are all popular ways to get around, and the area is known for having a lot of wildlife to see. The Open Space Preserve can be reached from a few different trailheads in Irvine, including the popular Bommer Canyon, which has places to explore on your own. Jeffrey Open Space and Turtleback Mountains are two other great trails.

The Irvine Open Space Preserve connects to other natural areas in Orange County. This means that there is a lot of public land, which may seem strange given that Southern California has a lot of people. Crystal Cove State Park and Fremont Canyon Nature Preserve are right next to Irvine Regional Park. These two parks and the nature preserve add to the total acreage and public space in Irvine Regional Park. All of the natural areas in this area add up to more than 20,000 acres.

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7. Tanaka Farms

Tanaka Farms is a 30-acre farm that is fun for the whole family and has fresh fruit that you can pick yourself. Every season, something new grows on the farm. And getting on one of the Farm Tours, which run all day, is a great way to see how this working farm is run.

Strawberry tours happen from February to June, and corn tours start in the summer. On every tour, you ride in a wagon with a guide and get free samples along the way. People also like to have birthday parties, harvest festivals on the weekends, and pick pumpkins there in October.

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8. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary

The San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary is a real wilderness area in the middle of a city. This wildlife refuge is a big draw, especially for birdwatchers and photographers, because it is easy to get to. On the property of the wildlife sanctuary, there are several ponds and more than 10 miles of trails that go through the marshy land.

As you go deeper into the sanctuary, the trails change from wide dirt roads to narrower paths for walking. There aren’t many resources for visitors, so everyone should bring their own water and trash bags. Every day, the sanctuary is open from dawn to dusk.

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9. Pretend City Children’s Museum

This museum and play space is run by a group that doesn’t make money off of it. Pretend City is a large, interconnected mini-city with 17 exhibit spaces, such as a café, a construction site, and a grocery store, that let young children act like adults.

The museum’s staff is professionally trained and helps make learning fun. They also put on special events like Father’s Day parties and Dance Like a Chicken Day.

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10. Balboa Beach

When in Irvine, a day trip to the Balboa Peninsula is also a good idea. It takes less than 15 miles to drive to this unique piece of paradise in California. There are vacation homes, Ferris wheels, and beaches that look like they belong on a postcard.

The famous Balboa Beach and Balboa Pier are easy to get to from Balboa Peninsula, which is a three-mile stretch of land. Weekend activities like sport fishing, whale watching, and surfing are easy to do there.

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11. Irvine Historical Museum

The Irvine Historical Museum is in the oldest building still standing on the old Irvine Ranch. It is next to the Rancho San Joaquin Golf Course and is run by the Irvine Historical Society.

The whole museum is about preserving the history of Irvine Ranch, which used to be one of the biggest private ranches in the U.S. The best way to learn about the ranch’s history is to go on a guided tour. Tours happen every second Sunday of the month, and you need to make a reservation.

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