Things to Do in Garden Grove

“This is not your typical food-truck festival; this event will offer cutting-edge culinary flavors from chefs who want to take your palate on a journey you won't soon forget. You've got an unbelievable festival of haute cuisine you don’t want to miss." This is how PBS television host and founder of the event, Cliff Young, characterizes the mouth-watering event. More than 20 mobile and skilled chefs from southern California will be parking their mobile eateries inside San Manuel Stadium on April 22 to fill visitor's bellies with such culinary creations as oven-roasted turkey paninis, gooey house-made mac 'n' cheese with hickory-smoked bacon, and red velvet cupcakes as decadent as gold-plated helipads. A beer garden allows of-age visitors to complement savory tidbits with sips of ale. Not only does the event showcase the area's finest mobile-food mavens, but also a portion of the event's proceeds will go to The Symphonie Jeunesse Youth Orchestra for Strings.

Planes of Fame Air Museum was simply dubbed “The Air Museum” when it was founded in 1957—as the only museum of its kind west of the Mississippi, it had no need for a more specific moniker. More than 50 years later, it now boasts a stock of more than 150 airplanes, including the world’s only authentic World War II Japanese Zero. In the museum’s hands-on aviation center, patrons can explore an array of exhibits and aircraft that trace aviation’s history from the Chanute Hang Glider in 1896 to sophisticated modern-day planes.

The Angels first brought their brand of baseball to the West Coast in 1961. During the club's first four decades, it experienced patches of success—a trend that changed in 2000, when manager Mike Scioscia took the reins. Since his arrival, Scioscia has spearheaded six playoff appearances, including the Angels' first World Series title in 2002. Today, the team's consistent play unfolds inside Angels Stadium of Anaheim, a 45,000-seat facility that features terraced bullpens, a towering right-field wall, and an artificial-rock structure above left-centerfield. Though artificial, the structure serves a true purpose as the launching point for the stadium's famous fireworks—sky-high explosions that let the world know that an Angel has either hit a home run or received the wings for his bee costume.

Deanna and Renee's memories of childhood are bathed in the warm, nostalgic glow of bustling family celebrations nourished by Northern Italian dishes and homemade wine. So influential were these culinary family traditions that the sisters banded together in adulthood to share their love of fine dining and their hometown with visitors from across the globe. Thus Old Towne Orange Walking Food Tours was born, a venture that enables the pair to shepherd curious foodies and history buffs of all ages through Old Towne Orange during their meticulously planned culinary walking tours.

The leisurely paced tours introduce guests to the town’s diverse selection of bistros, bakeries, and farmers' markets via numerous stops to sample house specialties. The Orange Sampler Tour introduces palates to the panoply of cuisines in the county –from heirloom tomato salad to french baked potato soup. The ArtWalk Food Tour enables visitors to consume a variety of local art without the hassles of remembering which fork should be used on an oil painting. The guides also immerse participants in Orange’s rich history with a number of cultural stops at historic locales.

Calling on the alchemic knowledge of ancient mystics, Merlin's Magic & Comedy Dinner Theatre blends gut-busting comedy, jaw-dropping barbecue fare, and mind-boggling magic tricks on the Rib Trader stage. Clothed in medieval garb, Merlin unleashes a flurry of illusions, levitating water glasses and assistants and confounding minds with sleight of hand and recitations of tax manuals. While audience members attempt to make sense of their newly stretched reality, a cadre of costumed servers piles tables high with ribs and chicken—or chicken strips and french fries for wee ones—and oversees edible disappearing acts.

Merlin's Magic & Comedy Dinner Theatre Calling on the alchemic knowledge of ancient mystics, Merlin's Magic & Comedy Dinner Theatre blends gut-busting comedy, jaw-dropping barbecue fare, and mind-boggling magic tricks on the Rib Trader stage. Clothed in medieval garb, Merlin unleashes a flurry of illusions, levitating water glasses and assistants and confounding minds with sleight of hand and recitations of tax manuals. While audience members attempt to make sense of their newly stretched reality, a cadre of costumed servers piles tables high with ribs and chicken—or chicken strips and french fries for wee ones—and oversees edible disappearing acts.

With hands gripped to the wheels of karts capable of cresting 45 miles per hour, up to 12 racers hum around the hairpin turns and straightaways of K1 Speed's indoor track during adrenaline-spiking sprints toward the podium. This brand of excitement can be found at all 15 locations, where racers eschew the fumes and inflammatory skywriting of gas kart exhaust for European, eco-friendly electric karts designed to instantly accelerate out of curves, which are bordered by safety barriers that absorb impacts. To keep everyone in the chase, dialed-down junior karts (available at select locations) safely carry tiny drivers between the height of 48" and 58".