I have compiled a list of some my favorite summer activities the City of Irvine has to offer. Enjoy!
Catch a free concert at Mike Ward Park in Woodbridge (20 Lake Road). The fun starts at 5:30pm. Be sure to bring low-back chairs and blankets or beach towels. Check out the schedule below:
July 16: Tijuana Dogs (Dance Party Rock)
July 23: Boxcar 7 (Blues, Soul & Classic R&B)
July 30: Shotgun Jefferson (Country Rock)
August 6: Pop Vinyl (Top 40 Variety)
Or enjoy a concert at the new FivePoint Amphitheatre at the Great Park (14800 Chinon)! If you haven’t been to the new venue, I highly recommend checking it out. You can find the upcoming concert schedule here.
Take the family to Wild Rivers (10000 Great Park Blvd.)! The grand re-opening of Wild Rivers is here and tickets are going fast. You can buy yours here.
Watch a free outdoor movie under the stars on the Terraced Lawn at the Great Park. The movie begins just after sunset (around 8:15pm), with food trucks on-site with tasty treats for purchase. Check out the schedule below:
July 16th: Encanto
July 23rd: Space Jam – A New Legacy
August 13th: Sing 2
Stay in and watch a movie. Enjoy a night at home watching a film on one of the various streaming platforms. Included below are a few movies I recommend:
– Hustle, starring Adam Sandler as a basketball scout, streaming on Netflix
– Turning Red, new Pixar movie about the chaos of adolescence, streaming on Disney+
-Documentary about Anthony Bourdain called Roadrunner & Documentary about journalism called Endangered, both streaming on HBO Max
-Head to one of the Irvine movie theaters and watch the new Top Gun: Maverick! Showtimes here.
Grab the family pup and head out to the Central Bark Dog Park in Irvine (6405 Oak Canyon), or take them down to Huntington Beach to the dog beach!
Take the family to Irvine Regional Park (1 Irvine Park Road in the City of Orange) for a picnic, train ride, and Zoo visit.
Enjoy a hike at Quail Hill Trailhead (34 Shady Canyon). I also enjoy hiking at Peters Canyon Regional Park (8548 Canyon View Avenue). If you do, be sure to grab breakfast at the Irvine or Tustin Marketplace after your hike. This popular trail can get crowded on the weekends so I recommend going on a weekday or very early in the morning so that you’ll be able to find parking and avoid the crowds. Another great spot to hike is the Jeffrey Open Space Trail (13252 Jeffrey Road). Try parking at Cypress Village Park, off Jeffrey and Trabuco.
Enjoy a nice dinner out at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in the area, Puesto. The restaurant offers Taco Tuesday deals, which include half-off tacos all day Tuesday and Happy Hour drink specials from 3-5pm. You can make a reservation online here. Puesto offers two locations in Irvine: Irvine Spectrum (8577 Irvine Center Drive) and Park Place (3311 Michelson Drive).
Note: You can check out our weekly restaurant review column, “Smith”s Picks,” that comes out in our weekend edition.
Head to one of Irvine’s beautiful neighborhood parks and read a book. I suggest reading Irvine native Ezra Klein’s new book, Why We’re Polarized, which focuses on political polarization in the United States. “If you want to understand what’s going on with politics in the United States, this is the book to pick up,” Bill Gates writes. You can order the book here. And find a full list of Irvine’s parks here.
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