California Official Visitor's Guide 2009 - UK - (Page 9) LEgOLAnD The Simpsons ride at universal studios Hollywood Tower of Terror at Disneyland's California Adventure® CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PAUL HIFFMEyER/DISNEyLAND®; COURTESy OF UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLyWOOD; ALExA MILLER; SCOTT BRINEgAR/DISNEyLAND® Kelp Forest at Monterey bay Aquarium to life (www.knotts.com). At Universal Studios Hollywood, you can tour movie and TV backlots, as well as enjoying fun rides and shows. The brand-new The Simpsons ride lets you feel as if you’re part of the popular TV show (www. universalstudioshollywood.com). Further north in Valencia, at Six Flags Magic Mountain, known for thrilling rides, the X2 rollercoaster hurtles passengers at up to 76 miles per hour (www.sixflags.com/ magicmountain). Further south on the coast at Carlsbad, discover LEgoLAnD, where tiny, plastic bricks are transformed into fantastic scenes, including the Amazon rain forest, ancient Egypt and the Arctic. There are plenty of kid-friendly rides, too (www.legoland.com). Nearby at the safari-like San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, the Journey Into Africa tram tour allows you to observe giraffes, rhinos and other spectacular creatures (www.sandiegozoo.org/wap). In San Diego, animals rule. At SeaWorld, Shamu the killer whale, and other ocean animals are the stars of the show (www.seaworld.com). Learn about pandas, koalas, gorillas and hundreds of other rare and endangered animals at the incomparable San Diego Zoo (www.sandiegozoo.org). northern California For screamingly thrilling rides, head to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, northeast of San Francisco. Skating legend Tony Hawk’s Big Spin zooms riders through a “half-pipe” track. Also enjoy animal performances and character shows (www.sixflags.com/ discoverykingdom). South of the city, California’s great America offers thrilling rides, shows and concerts (www.pgathrills.com). Further south along the coast, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk evokes a time when waterfront amusement parks reigned along the West Coast. Ride the giant Dipper wooden rollercoaster, a designated National Historic Landmark that has been sending riders swooping and screaming since 1924 (www.beachboardwalk. com). For a fish-eye-view of spectacular marine life native to the Pacific, head down the Central Coast to Monterey Bay Aquarium, where floor-to-ceiling glass tanks are home to leopard sharks, wolf eels, giant octopi and more (www. mbayaq.org). www.visitcalifornia.co.uk 9 http://www.knotts.com http://www.sixflags.com/discoverykingdom http://www.sixflags.com/discoverykingdom http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap http://www.pgathrills.com http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com http://www.seaworld.com http://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain http://www.sandiegozoo.org http://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain http://www.beachboardwalk.com http://www.beachboardwalk.com http://www.legoland.com http://www.mbayaq.org http://www.mbayaq.org http://www.visitcalifornia.co.uk
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