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Don't be fooled by the misnomer associated with the resident baseball team — the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim." Anaheim is 30 miles south and worlds away from the urban behemoth that is Los Angeles.

Originally farm country, Anaheim, and really all of Orange County, sprouted up around the construction of Disneyland, the first of Walt Disney's theme parks when it opened in 1955. With tourism booming in the ensuing decades, the resort has expanded with Disney's California Adventure and Downtown Disney, an outdoor shopping and entertainment center. And besides hosting the more than 13 million fun-seeking visitors each year destined for The Happiest Place on Earth, Anaheim is home to the largest convention center on the West Coast.

Anaheim is a haven for tourists, and transportation to all the major destinations is visitor-friendly. Anaheim Resort Transit (ART) offers nine different routes connecting Disneyland, major hotels, the Anaheim Convention Center, Angel Stadium and more. The $3 fare is good all day, and unlimited-ride passes are also available for two days ($6) and five days ($12).

Five different airports are located within 40 miles of Anaheim, and two of those — John Wayne Orange County Airport and Long Beach Airport — are within 20 miles. John Wayne is closest and most accessible, with shuttle service into Anaheim via Disneyland Express available for $14. Cab rides run approximately $35. If you need to fly into Los Angeles International (35 miles away), the Disneyland Express serves that airport, as well, for a one-way fare of $19.

Party with the monkey at Angel Stadium
The Angels won a World Series in 2002, but they incurred the wrath of their home city — as well as a lawsuit — when they changed their name to the cumbersome Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005. The still have a gorgeous park, though, and they still have the notorious Rally Monkey on their side if they're trailing late in a game.

Fly in for a view of the new-look Ducks
If you had a mental block against heading out to "The Pond" and seeing a professional hockey team named after a Disney movie, those days are over. Beginning in 2006-07, the franchise became known simply as the Ducks, and now they can simply answer to Stanley Cup champions.

Get a history lesson on longboards
Orange County is famous for its terrific surfing, and Huntington Beach pays homage to the sport's history and greatest stars at the International Surfing Hall of Fame. The permanent collection includes early surfboards, memorabilia from surf films and music and an exhibit dedicated to the man credited with popularizing the sport in the 1920s, Duke Kahanamoku.

Be there when street racing turns lega1
For the premier event in the Champ Car World Series, head southwest from Anaheim to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Held each April, the Grand Prix also features a number of races in other series as drivers speed through the streets of Long Beach on a temporary road course.

Head for the beach to see expensive boats race each other
Also held each April, and an annual tradition since 1947, is one of the largest events in yacht racing, the Lexus Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race. Be sure to arrive early at Newport Beach for a good view of the spectacular start, when more than 500 boats take off at once.

Disneyland
1313 S. Harbor Blvd.
Anaheim, Calif. 92803
Mickey Mouse. Adventureland. Tomorrowland. Main Street, U.S.A. Who among us hasn't dreamed of visiting this iconic theme park? Now a full-service resort destination that caters as much to adults as to children.
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/parks/landing?name=DisneylandParkLandingPage

J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90049
310-440-7300.
It is, without question, the most dramatic museum setting you'll ever experience. Take a tram from the parking lot to the top of a hillside. Alight at a post-modern campus of Italian travertine marble and glass, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The artworks are from Getty's personal collection — and they are stunning. Pre-20th century European paintings, drawings, sculpture and decorative arts. A small, but exquisite collection of antiquites. Don't miss Van Gogh's Irises, for which the museum paid a reported $53.9 million. The museum is located 17 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. Parking is sometimes difficult, so arrive early or share a cab.
Tickets: Admission is free, though parking costs $7.
http://www.getty.edu/

La Brea Tar Pits
5801 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
These primordial pools of oil have been bubbling to the surface for 40,000 years, fatally trapping mastodons, giant vultures, camels, bears, ground sloths — more than 125 animal species in all, many of them now extinct. The Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, next door, houses the largest fossil collection of Ice Age plants and animals in the world, all pulled from the pits. The Tar Pits are located 10 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. There is ample parking or hail a cab.
http://www.tarpits.org/

Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, Calif. 90036
The LACMA is in the top tier of American art museums. The 110,000-piece collection includes prized works by Degas, Rembrandt, Matisse, Magritte and Monet, among others. Don't miss the treasure trove of Japanese Edo paintings. It's said that only the emperor of Japan possesses a more-valuable collection.
http://www.lacma.org/

Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace
18001 Yorba Linda Blvd.
Yorba Linda, Calif. 92886
Love the late president or hate him, Richard Nixon was — and still is — impossible to ignore. Located in his hometown, this nine-acre site contains both the farmhouse where our 37th president was born, and the plot where he and his wife, Pat, are buried. Here you can view the famous Nixon-Kennedy TV debates and listen to all the declassified White House Watergate tapes. There also is a montage of Nixon's last day in the White House as President.
http://www.nixonfoundation.org/

Sunset Blvd./Sunset Strip
Hollywood Palladium: 6215 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028
To drive these 20 miles, west from the Hollywood Palladium to the Pacific Ocean, is to take in the essence of Los Angeles. The Palladium is where the Dorsey Brothers performed. Down the road is the Chateau Marmont, where John Belushi died. Just beyond is the 1 3/4 mile stretch known as the Sunset Strip. You'll pass the Comedy Store, where Robin Williams and David Lettermen made their names. Tower Records, the world's largest music store. The Whiskey A Go-Go, where the Doors played. The Rainbow Bar & Grill, Jimi Hendrix's launching pad. Continue west, through chi-chi Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Brentwood, where the homes grow increasingly opulent, till you reach Pacific Palisades and the ocean.
http://www.seeing-stars.com/Streets/SunsetBlvd.shtml

Warner Bros. Studio Tour
3400 W. Riverside Dr.
Burbank, Calif. 91522
Universal Studios also offers tours. Take this one. The 2¼-hour tour escorts you to working film and TV show sound stages, back-lot streets and sound studios where you can watch editors add sound effects to film. You may also visit a wardrobe building or the craft shop where carpenters build sets. The guides take you where the action is. No tours are ever the same. Keep an eye out for actors crossing the grounds.
http://www2.warnerbros.com/vipstudiotour/

2007 Anaheim Ducks (defeated Ottawa Senators, 4 games to 1)
2002 Anaheim Angels (defeated San Francisco Giants, 4 games to 3)