What's there to do in Irvine, California instead of WWDB Amway FED 2012?

Here's another of my guides about some alternative things to do in town if you are not attending an Amway function.Although why you would not attend is something I will find hard to understand!

This year WWDB Amway Free Enterprise Days will be held in Irvine, California October 5 to 7 2012 at the Bren Events Center.

You can reach a lot of attractions and beaches inside an hour or so drive of Irvine and I think most people are aware of these places so there's not much more I can say. And just a heads up. Every attraction and beach is gonna charge you more than a few bucks to park in their lot. There is no shortage of shopping and large malls in the area like the Irvine Spectrum Center or the South Coast Plaza. Good places to come and do some shopping if want to take a small break from all the excitement at the Amway convention!

Disneyland is the big attraction in southern California and Anaheim is not too far from Irvine. One day ticket costs $87 if you're older than 10. Slightly less if you're under 10 and different prices if you're buying a 2 day package or California resident or buy in advance. I can't figure out the October schedule so check ahead. I'll say hours are approximately 8am to 6pm. The thing is Mickey's having a Halloween party in October and the park reopens after regular hours for late night spooky fun. Different admission prices and hours. Although it’s good think carefully about going to it because you might be missing something important at the WWDB Amway FED. By the time you pay for parking, buy a ticket, eat meals in the park, and buy souvenirs, you're probably thinking I should have stayed at the FED but if you still want to go you'll have a lot of fun at Disneyland! http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/

Orange County Zoo is inside Irvine Park and is a pretty good deal at $2. Check out the bears and other animals. Hours are 10am to 3:30pm. http://www.irvineparkrailroad.com/content/orange-county-zoo

I'm going to throw in Knott's Berry Farm even though it’s not my favorite park there are people who would probably want to go there seeing as how they're this close anyway and in October it becomes Knott's Scary Farm. The last time I was there during the day in October the staff were having fun with the nighttime effects and dropping big fake spiders on us while we were waiting for the Timber Mountain log ride to start. Yeah ha ha that really scared me. One day pass is $57.99 and less if you're under 12 or a senior. Also less if you buy tickets ahead of time online. The Scary Farm admission starts at $36 if you buy ahead of time but there's not any information yet on the price at the gate or the late hours. There always seem to be coupon books flying around with discounts to Knott's. 10am to 5:30pm during FED weekend.http://www.knotts.com/

There are lots of beaches in the area. Head the car to PCH and drive north or south until you find a beach you like.

Or get out of Irvine and spend a day at Universal Studios or take a tour of the star's homes. Or down to San Diego to visit the zoo or Sea World. Everything you want is inside a 2 hour drive. I have a few favorite things that I like to do that are free except for the parking and not in this area - hint hint go north go south.

But maybe the real tourist attraction in Irvine on October 5 will be at FED. You need to keep this a secret so you don't spoil the fun but Joecool is visiting in LA that week and we plan to hook up. He is someone who has had a major rethink on how the Amway business works!I know someone whose son has a friend that works at the Bren Center and doesn't know his shifts yet for that weekend but whether or not he's working he told me he can get us in to wander around behind the scenes. Yes!!!!! What kind of mischief can we get into? Air horn distractions and other fun that can be blamed on Halloween spooks running around the building. Top secret stuff for me to report back on after the Amway convention!