Expert: Steve Summers - 5/20/2010

Question
Hi Steve

Myself and a friend have rented a campervan and are coming from Northern Cali, to arrive in the LA area sometime mid-afternoon on July 3rd. Wondering - where is the best place to camp/park so we are still near some fourth of July activities (we were thinking Newport Beach?) We plan to spend Sat, Sun night around LA - should we just stick with the coastal beach areas or go into the city at all?  We have Monday and Tuesday open as well - we fly back out of SF Wednesday afternoon. Advice?

Answer
Hi Joanne,

If you want to be around 4th of July Activities, the best place to make a reservation is Newport Dunes. I hope that they have availability that weekend, it's very popular. They have fireworks at the resort on July 4th.

It's usually pretty fun to go visit Los Angeles, but not necessarily in a camper van. If your van is large, I would recommend against it, since it may be difficult to get around. One option might be to go to Disneyland, where they have room for RV's. Another is to to to Universal Studios, where they also have RV parking. You could park at Universal, see the studio tour, walk around CityWalk, and even take the Red Line Subway (it's at the bottom of the hill at Universal, and you can take a shuttle down/up the hill for free). It's only $1.50US to take the subway to Hollywood & Highland, one stop away. You can visit the Walk of Fame, Chinese Theater, Kodak Theater, Hollywood & Highland Complex, and even see a movie at the El Capitan (it will be a Disney movie, since Disney owns it).

That should be plenty of fun for you!