Things to Do
This Weekend in
Orange County
With Kids

Some of the best free options on any given weekend: Fullerton Arboretum (26 acres, quiet, always free), Oak Canyon Nature Center in Anaheim (free, creek kids can splash in, feels like you left OC), Hillcrest Park in Fullerton (free, panoramic views, summer amphitheater concerts), Tri-City Park in Placentia (free, duck pond, ideal for toddlers), and Ronald Reagan Park in Anaheim (free, has the best zip track in North OC — go before 10am to skip the line). Most OC city parks are free; some county parks charge a small parking fee. Each card below shows cost upfront.

Every Monday morning. The SMG pipeline pulls from 150+ venues, city rec calendars, OC Parks, community Instagram accounts, and aggregators, runs a link verification pass, and publishes. The This Weekend page has the current week's specific events. If you're here mid-week, Monday's update is already live. The permanent spots on this page update when things change (new spots, closures, hours changes) — roughly monthly.

North OC (Anaheim, Fullerton, Buena Park, Yorba Linda, Brea, Placentia, Orange), Central OC (Irvine, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Garden Grove), and South OC (Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo, Dana Point, San Clemente, Laguna Niguel). Long Beach events show up when something is genuinely worth the drive from the north end of the county. The map below shows everything by location.

Yes — every URL goes through a Chrome-based verification pass before publishing. We check that the event page shows the current year and the actual date matches the weekend. News articles and ticket platforms get extra scrutiny because they constantly re-surface old events. That said, things cancel last-minute, venues close unexpectedly, and hours change. Always click through to the source before loading up the car.

Shitty Mom Guide is a weekly newsletter and family events guide for OC moms, run by Frances Tang, an actual OC mom who has been to most of these places and is still recovering. It covers local events, splash pads, farmers markets, and whatever else is worth knowing about this weekend. Subscribe free at shittymomguide.com.