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Best Things to do on Summer Nights in Southern California

July 29, 2019 /

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

One of the best parts of living in Southern California are the nights. The summer breeze, lights, sounds, smells and tastes that make summer special. And California is one of the best at making these nights extraordinary! Here are a few of my favorite reasons why.

Knotts Summer Nights! When the sun goes down, the party turns up! Guests can enjoy a variety of activities including live music, food, and games throughout the park. The park provides special summer food and drinks, kid friendly games, live music and interactive photo-ops. You definitely want to check this out!

Knott’s Summer Nights is fun for the whole family!
Enjoy free family games, fun summer only food items and live music!

Summer nights at the aquarium of the Pacific. You can dive into summer fun at the Aquarium of the Pacific Summer discounted nights! Enjoy all the fun the aquarium has to offer at a discounted price in a whole new way. And admission also includes entrance to the brand new Pacific Visions wing to experience an all new hands on, state of the art multimedia display. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays the aquarium is open until 9:00 pm and admission after 5 pm is only $19.95 for everyone! Seriously, this is such a great deal!

My youngest checking out an otter at Nights at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
For a discount, you can have all the fun the Aquarium of the Pacific, and see the animals really come to life!

Sea World Summer Nights: Fireworks every night, fun shows like Electric Ocean an illuminated world of light and music, and late night hours. Just when you thought Sea World couldn’t be any more fun, they do summer nights.

Summer Nights at the Zoo: Families can enjoy special “Nightime at the Zoo” at the San Diego Zoo until September 2. See the animals come alive at night, all while enjoying live music, fun shows and activities, animal encounters and cooler weather. Or for my LA friends looking for a fun night out sans kids, check out “Roaring Nights at the Zoo” where the money goes to helping endangered species. Dancing, a full bar, and wild hosts, it’s an adults only way to have a lot of fun on a summer night (ages 21+ only). These nights are totally going to drive you wild!

Summer Nights at the San Diego Zoo: shows, activities and late night hours.

Summer Concert Series: The Autry Museum has Sizzling Salsa, which happens every Thursday night from July 11- August 22. Enjoy salsa dancing, lessons and food all while being at a really cool venue. Or check out the Hollywood Bowl, Redlands Bowl, Summer Nights in the Garden at the Natural History Museum, Night Garden at Descanso Gardens, and Jazz at the LACMA. All really great options. Plus there are so many shows to take in on summer nights at venues like the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, or the Art Festival in Laguna Beach. We were so impressed by the Pageant of the Masters there this year. It was absolutely incredible!

I wrote all about how baseball and summer are basically synonomis in my opinion here. There are very few things more fun on a summer night than catching a game. You can go to an Angels game in Anaheim, a Dodgers game in Los Angeles, a Padres game in downtown San Diego, or catch one of the minor league games held in numerous other cities. I love a good ole’ fashion all American baseball game in the summertime.

And don’t forget to look locally for parks, and places that put on concert series, outdoor movies, etc. There are so many it would be practically impossible to list them all. But a quick Google search of your city will help.

Enjoy these last few weeks as much as you can because sadly, summers end is approaching all too quickly. Don’t miss out on all the summer fun in your area and maybe try something new!

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