Adventure City

If you are looking for a theme park with a smaller footprint and fair atmosphere to take kids under 10 – Adventure City is your place to go.

Located near Knott’s Berry and Disneyland, this little theme park with a lot of punch sits among what appears to be a shopping plaza. Don’t let this understated appearance make you pass on by.

Getting There

Adventure City is located along the same road as Knott’s Berry Farm – thus about forty minutes to an hour north of the north side of Camp Pendleton, dependent on traffic. Keep your eyes peeled for banners with the words “Adventure City” on them. The parking and entrance to the theme park is located in the same shopping plaza as “The White House” Event center, for which there is a very prominent sign.

Parking is in the lot you immediately turn into, so take any open spot.

Cost

There is no cost for parking – yay!

Tickets are $19.95 a day for everyone, ages 1 and up. Military discount tickets are available at the sales booth for $16.95 a day. At the time of writing, there is not a seasonal pass available for purchase.

There are strollers for rent there if needed – $6 for single and $9 for a double when we went August of 2018.

There is an arcade and rock climbing wall available. Fun Cards to be used in these areas can be purchased at the snack cart on the right of the Rescue Ride entrance.

Entertainment and Rides

The beauty of the park is that it is all for ages 9 and below. There are two roller coasters for kids who meet the height requirements, and a couple rides with age requirements (for stability). The other rides are for children of all ages and heights. If you are there on a hot day, do not miss the rain room immediately on your left upon entering the park – it is a great place to go cool off with a quick mist.

There is a petting zoo located just around the bend on the right – directly across from the conveniently located hand washing stations. There is food for purchase if you wish to feed the pets, but you can also admire them on the non-petting side of the gate.

The rides with height requirements and those without are scattered making it easy for two adults to split up. Going here solo with kids doesn’t mean you can’t ride anything, but there will be limitations if you have one child with height requirements and those without unless they are tall enough to go without adult supervision. On the whole, this is a very enjoyable and manageable park as one adult with multiple children.

#MilMomAdventure Tips

You can bring a cooler of food in. There is a snack stand there with available food for purchase that is actually pretty affordable, but it is nice to be able to bring in your own food to keep the cost down and appease picky eaters.
Prepare to eat a meal there at one of their many huge picnic tables. Like the fairs I have attended, there are picnic tables everywhere with beautiful scenic areas or areas to watch and listen to the laughter of your family members making memories.
If you are thinking of going to a bigger theme park with a young member of your family, this is a great way to try it out! It is manageable in size and recreation, plus there are companion stalls in the bathroom making potty training easier.
Bring sunscreen, there are a few shaded areas and the only completely covered area is inside the arcade.
Like Disneyland, you can get ice water for free in the parks – so bring those water bottles to be refilled!

Halloween Event

While we haven’t attended a Halloween event, when we visited, we were handed this flyer about their Boo-tastic Halloween Party. If you are looking for an evening event to take your costumed kiddos while checking out other attractions, consider attending their Halloween Party on October 19^th and 26^th. Check out the flyer below for more information.