Tonight: Full-moon fun in Southern California

Assuming clear skies tonight, you don’t have to do much more than step outside your house to enjoy the moon in its once-every-29.5-days full-illumination state. But it’s much more fun to go out on the town or trail to enjoy a moonlit summer night.

Following are some ideas for you, if you’re like me and haven’t planned ahead.

Hiking: To be fully mesmerized by the moon, get as far away as possible from the bright lights in the big city and participate in a full-moon group hike. There are several planned in the Santa Monica Mountains, including a two-hour hike in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Reserve with the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. Another is organized by the city of Malibu Parks and Recreation Department (call [310] 317-1364 to reserve a spot). In Orange County, organization Back to Natives is hosting a full-moon walk at Crystal Cove State Park.

Cruising: At the time of research, there were still spaces left on tonight’s Hornblower Fireworks and Full Moon Dinner Cruise in San Diego. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and costs $72.95 per person (pre-tax). In Santa Barbara, you can gaze upward from a 41-foot yacht with cocktails in hand, with a Sunset Kidd trip. (Note: I was not able to verify availability on the latter cruise.)

Outdoor music: Check out the offerings at the Southland’s outdoor amphitheaters (e.g. mambo at the Hollywood Bowl, family-friendly roots and rock at the S. Mark Taper Foundation Amphitheatre). At Redondo Beach Pier, bring a beach chair and picnic and swoon under the moon to country music with Summer Music at the Pier. Oh, and there’s a belly-dancing festival in Ojai.

Outdoor theater: What a great night to see Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” in Barnsdall Art Park, in Los Angeles.

Don’t forget to howl.

– Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net]

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This entry was posted on Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 6:00 am by Susan Derby and is filed under California, Family & Kids, Los Angeles, Ojai, Orange County, Outdoors & Adventure, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Summer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.