Countdown!

It's less than a week now before I take off with the family for Disneyland.

I'm kind of excited.

One, my kids have never been, and it's going to be great to see their faces and excitement when we get there.

Two, I haven't been down there in ages (since I graduated High School nearly 20 years ago) and there's been plenty of changes done since then.

Lastly, there's family of mine that live down here that my wife and kids have never met. I really want to get a chance to see them and introduce them all.

I can remember when going down to California and Disneyland was a "ho-hum" type of trip. I mean, we went EVERY year to visit my dad's family (he's from Southern California), and while there, we'd raid Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, and sometimes even go further south and attack Sea World and the San Diego zoo..

My favorite memories were of going to Escondido, and playing around in that family fun center (that's now closed) where the kids would all get like $30, and be let loose to run, play, jump, hide, and just be kids for an entire day. Parents could sit around and gossip and talk, and kids found ways to entertain themselves.

I really want to be able to take my kids to see some historic sites as well sometime.

I loved going on road trips every once in a while, and seeing things like the city UNDER Sacramento, or Alcatraz, Old San Francisco, teach the kids about the Gold Rush, visit ghost towns, that kind of thing...

I have plans also at some point to take the wife along with me to go up to Victoria BC, and just have some alone time.

See the Buchardt Gardens, maybe have high tea at the Empress Hotel, tandem bike through the town, and just see the sights.

There are so many places I've been to and seen that I want to be able to share with my family.. I just don't know how to fit them all in, and still be able to afford it!

Name off some of your most favorite places to visit, and recommendations of things that are a MUST see.