Open on Christmas in California
Pictured: California beaches, deserts, theme parks and mountain resorts are busy at Christmas.
Living near a beach I always thought that Christmas Day would be one of the slowest days of the year for beach attendance. But when the weather’s nice, California’s beaches and piers can be quite busy, believe it or not! From parents with restless kids and their new toys, bikes and skates, to relatives from out of town that you don’t know what to do with, the answer is obvious — take them to the beach. Best of all, it’s free entertainment.
Several beaches even have bonus entertainment. While San Diego’s Belmont Park only offers Lazer Tag, Mini Golf and Arcade this Christmas, Santa Monica Pier’s Pacific Park rides are open 11 a.m.-11 p.m., so they say. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk rides which were closed last year, are open on a limited basis, as well as the ice skating rink.
It turns out that California’s nearly 40 million residents and their holiday guests are all looking for something to do on December 25th. Here’s our annual SeeCalifornia.com survey…
Open in California on Christmas Day
- Theme parks are mostly open. See our list to pick your spot. They’re generally quite crowded on Dec.25, especially Disneyland.
- Movie theaters are mostly open. There are some great flicks showing this year.
- Seasonal ice rinks are mostly open. Have a blast!
- Ski resorts are open. Christmas is the peak season so beware.
- Zoos — San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Barbara Zoos are open.
- Casinos are mostly open and feature some great holiday buffets.
- Boats — while Hornblower Dinner Cruises, Catalina Express and harbor tours such as Blue & Gold Fleet (San Francisco) are running, many whale watching tours are not.
