Top Things to do in California
Countries
What to do and see in California, United States: The Best Classes & Workshops
California is a fertile, peaceful place where you’ll find a near-equal balance of vineyards and deserts, beaches and mountains, hippies and traditionalists. Catch an epic wave in Big Sur or swirl a glass in Napa Valley. Be dazzled by the Joshua Tree night sky or just star-gaze in Hollywood. Swish down the slopes of a Tahoe ski resort, or cruise across the Golden Gate Bridge with the top down and the music blasting. Above all, don’t forget to soak up some Golden State sunshine.
Restaurants in California
1. Tennis at Rancho Valencia
2. Joshua Tree Rock Climbing School
3. Willow Springs International Raceway
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By 78michaelv - Saint Louis, United States
The Fastest and Funnest Track in the West! ----- Concise Review WHAT A BLAST!!!! SO AWESOME! GREAT FAMILY DAY!!! Fantastic Tracks - The Streets of Willow, Horse Thief Mile, and Big Willow Great Facilities. Wonderful People. THANK YOU WILLOW SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY!!! ----- Longer Review Our son is quite the car enthusiast. We visited Southern California - Palm Desert, Yucaipa, and Malibu - for Spring Break 2021. And we enjoyed a day of racing school at Willow Springs. 00 - FINDING EXTREME SPEED TRACK EVENTS; INTRODUCTIONS We like Jay Leno’s Garage (TV show) and knew of Willow Springs race track from his show... and we thought maybe we could race there. We didn’t know much more than that... we suspected it was located closer to Palm Springs, east of Los Angeles. That’s about all we knew. It out that Willow Springs is located north of LA, in the Mojave Desert, near Edwards Air Force Base (location... where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, ... the backup landing site for the space shuttle, ... the place where they still test experimental aircraft, etc.). Our son and I though maybe we could enjoy some auto racing on this trip. I explored Willow Springs’ website and they have a list of groups who regularly race there, and who teach others to race there. I picked Extreme Speed Track Events and called and talked with Joel, who is very helpful. I explained that we just wanted to learn how to race, to safely go around the track and have a good time, and to maybe learn some “enhanced” driving skills. Joel assured me that is what they do, and we wholeheartedly agree... Extreme Speed Track Events can and will teach you how to race cars... on one of the most amazing tracks - Willow Springs International Raceway! More information about the amazing time we had: 01 - ARRIVAL We visited the office in the main building and the lady there pointed us to The Streets at Willow Springs. As we got out of the van, outside it was chilly, in the 30s, and that did not matter as we were happy to be there and the sky was cloudless and blue. We met the Extreme Speed team! While we could see all the tracks from where we were we spent the first little bit in the building at The Streets of Willow. Indoors with big windows to see the track. Plenty of space for tables, chairs, etc. Restrooms, etc. 02 - THE STREETS AT WILLOW The Streets at Willow has elevation changes and many curves. It’s a thrill to drive. Given our novice status as drivers, our peak speeds were 85-90 mph, which was fast enough; more skilled drivers can clearly go faster. Our track times were ~ 2 minutes. At one point, Mark drove me in his Miata for several laps... he still has the track record for his car’s class (a Miata) at ~ 1:20... and he is QUITE the driver... wow... riding with him really helped me better understand what they were teaching us this day... seeing the curves... anticipating the track... and controlling the car not just with the brakes but with pressing and easing off the gas pedal, too. (See next sections for more on these points) 03 - SKILLS SESSIONS At the one end of the Streets at Willow is the skid pad. This is where we learned and practiced braking and turning. After the first laps, then we had a combination of driving in circles, and high-speed braking. The circles were ~ 80 feet around... and by driving faster, and turning the wheel more we saw how that didn’t help - turning the wheel more did not make us turn any more tightly... to get more traction you slowed down, steered back a little and then had more grip, better control. The fast braking helped us time going faster into turns, slowing, then powering out of the corners. Our son and daughter each got turns in the Miatas, making donuts and spinning out. Our son did some drifting on the skid pad, too! 04 - A RIDE WITH THE TRACK RECORD HOLDER I got to ride with Mark in his Miata, which helped learn what they were teaching us about slowing down and powering through the turn... when I was back in his Celica, he was really hitting the lowest curve hard then powering back uphill. 05 - AND THEN IT WAS JUST US In the morning, a father and son shared The Streets with us... when we were off-track learning, they were on-track, racing. We drove counter-clockwise and they went clockwise... they were tuning their racing Porsche for an upcoming race, and the 17-year old son was fast! They left around lunch time. Big Willow had several drivers on it in the morning, some Corvettes, Toyotas, Ferraris, etc. They also left around lunch time. 06 - HORSE THIEF MILE & BIG WILLOW After another round of laps on The Streets of Willow, Rob and Mark led us around several laps on Horse Thief Mile and Big Willow... in between we went to the skid pad and our son had an awesome donut/burnout... he was really having fun making smoke and was showing off what he learned this day! Horse Thief Mile is more up the hillside, and steeper... noticeably steeper. Not as steep as a roller coaster, but similar...since in a car you’re controlling, not a coaster car that is riding on tracks/rails... but driving Horse Thief Mile felt almost like we were on a roller coaster... and our daughter and our son were both pushing their cars to slide a bit through the turns. Big Willow is in the movie “Ford v. Ferrari.” While the movie’s about racing at Le Mans, in France, Ken Miles races Big Willow early in the movie. Just before the race he throws a wrench at Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and brakes his windshield (on the white car that he just hammered the trunk to make it bigger). I won’t spoil what happens on the track... but... thanks to Extreme Track Events we drove on that very track!!! We were at Willow Springs from ~ 8am ~ 5pm... such a fun and wonderful day. Yes, we also learned how to be better drivers, and how to race. Yes, we want to come back, and to do it again. Thank you, Willow Springs, for being such a great facility for so many years, doing go much more for racing than just the fun day we had, but for doing all you’ve done and for offering your tracks for us do enjoy! As we drove south through Antelope Valley, the sunset... to the right... a fitting end to a day that started with the sun rising to the east, to the left. What a day! THANK YOU, WILLOW SPRINGS!!! ----- ----- -----
4. Incline Village Tennis Centre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
5. Dial Jones Tennis Academy
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 27 reviews
Dial Jones Tennis Academy (DJTA) Facilities are located in Santa Monica's beautiful west side. Ocean Park located along the shores of Santa Monica Beach, one can feel ocean breezes and relax in a stress-free environment. Reed Park is just blocks from the active Promenade with its boutique shops, movie houses and cafes. DJTA locations also include Chelan and Manson Washington. Dial Jones Tennis Academy offers private lessons to all ages and levels from beginner to tournament level. We also provide Family packages. You and your family can take a lesson together for one flat rate. Our instructors at the Academy are all USPTA & PTR elite certified professionals and truly love what they do. Our pro's will help you take your game to the next level.. and making sure you have a great time doing it!. Dial Jones Tennis Academy offers you more than just classes. We connect you to players and events all over the west side and help you take tennis from being a hobby to part of your lifestyle!
6. Granite Arch Climbing Center
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6 reviews
Granite Arch offers a wide variety of indoor climbing experiences for people of all ages and abilities. Whether you’re into bouldering, top roping or lead climbing, you will find plenty of room to go vertical on over 20,000 square feet of wall area. We also have five TRUBLUE auto belay units in case your partner is late or you’re trying to sneak in a lunch time climbing workout.
Reviewed By Footprints265230
The staff was friendly and the gym much larger than we'd expected. I live two hours away and am going to make a point to schedule in some extra time when I do "city trips" to put in a few hours here. Definitely a ton of fun with plenty of options for climbing. Suggestions for someone with small children: I took my 5 year old niece climbing here. She freaked out at first when trying the auto belay. She only would get 2 feet up and say it was too hard. She started crying. We thought, "Ok, this isn't for her and were about to leave." (The staff had said prior that if if didn't work out that they'd be happy to refund our day passes.) We thought we'd give the bouldering area a quick try before giving up. She felt more comfortable there and took to it right away. I think the tall walls in the main area may have been intimidating for her. So we played in the boulder area for a while...and then moved back to the taller walls that have the belay. She had found her confidence and we spent the next two hours there. It was a great experience for her and good confidence builder for a timid child.
7. Palm Desert Tennis Camp
8. Firestorm Freerunning
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By cathygF113WP - Corona, United States
My daughter has been going to Firestorm for 2 years now. She is in one of their tumbling class. She loves this gym and she loves her coaches. They are always encouraging and really know what they're doing.
9. VolleyCamp Hermosa
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 26 reviews
We are your one-stop shopping for accommodation, beach volleyball coaching, and training partners. We have made it easier than it has ever been to plan and book your trip to the best beach volleyball city in the world. We invite beach volleyball enthusiasts of ALL LEVELS to come out and experience the best that our beautiful game has to offer!
Reviewed By marcusurrutia - Hillsborough, United States
Whats so great about these classes is that you get to learn so much about the game from a variety of different coaches. While I was there on vacation I got to learn from six different coaches that all had so much knowledge on the game that came up with different tips and techniques to improve your game.
10. Beach City Tennis Academy
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
Beach City Tennis Academy offers Elite USPTA Coaches that provide Tennis Lessons, Clinics, and Camps at affordable rates.
Reviewed By juliavF4724ZQ
Tennis lessos were awsome, cant wait to Manhattan beach and take more lesson from this professional and enjoyable Academy.
