Covina, CA Outdoor Activities

Currently hovering around second place in the Golden Baseball League's south division rankings, the Flyers roster boasts two of the league's top hitters: Jimmy Rohan and Tyler Keeble, both of whom are batting over .400 after 13 games. By coupling their power-hitting pulchritude with Manny Ayala's wormhole-producing fastballs and World Series winner Byung-Hyun Kim's cybernetic rocket arm, Orange County's finest are pining to unseat the Yuma Scorpions, who have dominated the division so far this season. Beyond that, the Flyers hope to repeat the magic of their 2008 season, when the team won the GBL Championship Series and got to hold Marissa Dulgar's hand while staring at the stars from her parents' porch swing.

Though many things have changed during the L.A. County Fair’s 90 years, the one constant has been the large crowds it attracts with the classic sights and sounds of an outdoor carnival. Lights race past as carnival rides fly overhead, and riffs from battling bands carry through the air. Stingray Island, a new attraction in 2012, brings fair-goers face to fin with octopuses, schools of shrimp, and stingrays swimming inside a 17,000-gallon salt-water tank. Inside FairView Farms, fair-goers can see firsthand what it takes to work a farm by watching live workers tend to pastures and baby animals at the nursery. In 2011, more than 1,490,000 people explored the fairgrounds, making it the second-highest attendance year recorded outside of 1991, when everyone showed up with their stunt double.

Each year, Yorba Linda's most menacing demons prowl The Cemetery of Lost Souls for four horrible nights. Normally a peaceful martial-arts school known as the United Studios of Self Defense, the dojo suddenly transforms in the fall, its corridors echoing with the shrieks of ghosts just learning that The Karate Kid had multiple sequels. Courageous visitors can brave the bloody spectacle during the house's Scream Time hours or experience a less-startling version during a family-friendly hour. After enduring the thrills, survivors can shake off their goose bumps with attractions such as music, food, bounce houses, and laser tag.

Greek music reverberates into the open air as the rich smell of roasting lamb entices crowds walking into the annual Pasadena Greek Fest in Santa Anita Park. Lined with stalls selling Greek wares and traditional Greek food, the fest celebrates Greek culture with three days of socializing, dancing, and lightening-bolt throwing. When not munching on honey-soaked bites of fried loukoumathes or shish kebabs, families can look at the goods for sale or scale the inflatable equipment in the kids’ fun zone.

The 16th century comes booming back to life during The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire, which has re-created the culture, cuisine, and history of the Elizabethan era for more than five million attendees since its inauguration in 1963. Atop 13 stages sprinkled across 20 acres of festival grounds, live performers don traditional garb to demonstrate Renaissance music, dancing, battle customs, and blogging techniques. The talented actors stay in character throughout the bash, mingling with the crowds to perform alongside artisans purveying leatherware, clothing, and perfumes.

Workshops instruct visitors on how to make period crafts, after which guests can refuel with samplings of traditional Renaissance cuisine, such as hefty turkey legs and shepherd's pies, or more modern fare such as strombolis, coffee, and sweet confections. Rides and games challenge kids to toss javelins, race turtles, and recite Shakespeare's complete works on giant swings, and interactive RenQuest exhibitions hone little ones' sword-fighting skills and trivia knowledge.

The annual Golf, Wine & Dine Expo enlivens golfing demos and seminars with samples from local restaurants, breweries, and wineries. Attendees can wrap their hands around golfing equipment developed by companies such as Adams, Nike, and Cobra or grasp a craft beer from 1 of the 10 booths sponsored by Budweiser. On seminar stages, speakers dispense pro advice and demonstrate advanced equipment, such as portable wormholes that transport opponents' holes in one to a patch of rough 10 years in the year 2045.

The expo's programming aims at inclusion, with a ladies' golf program targeted at women and kids' clinics to inspire tykes. A prize raffle benefits the Southern California PGA Foundation, which encourages children of all backgrounds to pursue athleticism through golf.