Santa Monica's 'Secret Story Tour' Digital Interactive Experience Beneath the Santa Monica Pier

August 10-20 events include: 1) Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Now through August 28, The Wallis is celebrating the return of in-person audiences, The Wallis maintains a firm commitment to the health and safety of staff, artists, and patrons. Launching with the World Premiere performance of Tevye in New York!, The Wallis' pop-up outdoor performance space has tiered seating and accommodates 100 socially distanced audience members each night.

2) ​​The Drive-In at Santa Monica Airport by Rooftop Cinema Club Santa Monica Airport 3233 Donald Douglas Loop S Santa Monica CA 90405. All ages and families. Check website for prices and to buy tickets.

3) Santa Monica's 'Secret Story Tour' Digital Interactive Experience

Travel back in time to discover the most legendary secret stories from the landmark's 110 year legacy.

Created by game designers The Wild Optimists, and developed in partnership with the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, Secret Story Tour is a family-friendly, location-based digital tour where guests solve a total of 12 puzzles on their quest, each revealing a fun fact or untold story from the Pier's rich history. Each puzzle game unlocks the next when solved, creating an engaging immersive experience that invites guests to discover multiple points throughout the Pier.

This digital tour is an adventure for all ages and can be used in household groups or individually and accessed through any smart mobile device. The location-based tour can be downloaded in the app store and can only be experienced while visiting the Pier, allowing guests to explore the Pier and solve the quest at their leisure and from safe distances.

Visit the Pier, download the App and play along! Share your favorite images with us after you complete the journey with #PierSecretStoryTour

The tour lasts 45-60 minutes. You may pause/resume. Secret Story Tour is $19.99. https://www.santamonicapier.org/

4) Cayton Children's Museum reopens August 4th

395 Santa Monica Place Suite 374, Santa Monica CA 90401

21,000 square feet of discovery-based exhibits, immersive play and discovery-based learning for children ages 0-10.

Public programs, workshops, classes, camps, and arts and cultural activities offered seven days a week. "The museum is designed around core universal values, giving children, youth and families a unique space to practice being their best selves."

Weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays for sessions at 10 AM and 11 AM.

Participation is free-of-charge for the entire L.A. community, pre-registration required. All ages welcome, but please be aware the current program is geared more towards ages 3-7.

Space is limited and availability is first come, first served. Due to COVID-19, we will not accept walk-ins.

Located between The Cheesecake Factory and ArcLight Theatres, Level 3 at Santa Monica Place.

Programming is subject to public health restrictions. Please check website for updates, cancellations and guidelines before arrival.

All ages welcome, but please be aware the current program is geared more towards ages 3-7.

Free but registration is required

5)

IMMERSIVE VAN GOGH EXHIBIT at the Amoeba Music Building

Amoeba Music Building 6200 Hollywood Blvd.Los Angeles CA 90028

Exhibition brings Vincent Van Gogh's Masterpieces to Life via 500,000+ Cubic Feet of Projections

The visually-striking exhibition encourages guests to experience the awe-inspiring works of post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh through 500,000 cubic feet of immersive projections, 60,600 frames of video, and 90,000,000 pixels. The Los Angeles site will be the company's fourth location, following the successful on-going exhibits in Toronto, CAN, San Francisco, and Chicago.

Tickets on sale now at https://www.vangoghla.com/

"Strikingly spectacular digital art exhibition that invites audiences to "step inside" the legendary works of post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh, evoking his highly emotional and chaotic inner consciousness through art, light, music, movement, and imagination."

Curated selection of images from Van Gogh's 2,000+ lifetime catalog of masterpieces, including Mangeurs de Pommes de Terre (The Potato Eaters, 1885), Nuit étoilée (Starry Night, 1889), Les Tournesols (Sunflowers, 1888), and La Chambre à coucher (The Bedroom, 1889).

Paintings will be presented as to how the artist first saw the scenes, based on an active life and moving landscapes turned into sharp yet sweeping brush strokes.

The hour-long, timed-entry, walk-through experience is designed with health and safety as a priority. Capacity will be limited in accordance with the City of Los Angeles' safety protocols.

All ages; $39 and up per person. Visit https://www.vangoghla.com/ or call 844-307-4644.

6) Another Van Gogh - different than Immersive Van Gogh

Beyond Van Gogh - Anaheim Convention Center

Anaheim Convention CenterWest Katella AvenueAnaheim CA 92802

Immerse yourself in the world of Vincent Van Gogh like you've never experienced before. Beyond Van Gogh is a rich and unique multimedia experience, taking the viewer on a journey through over 300 iconic artworks including instantly-recognizable classics "The Starry Night", "Sunflowers", and "Cafe Terrace at Night", now freed from their frames. Set to a symphonic score and using the artist's own dreams, thoughts, and words to drive the experience as a narrative, Van Gogh's art comes to life by appearing and disappearing, flowing across multiple surfaces and heightening the senses with their immense detail. Guests will leave with a new appreciation of this prolific artist's stunning work.

All ages welcome, for more info email Hello@BeyondVanGoghOC.com

7) CLUE Live! - A Walking Experience

Set to Open at Westfield Century City and Westfield Topanga + The Village from July 9 through September 5

One of them committed the crime.... and it's up to you to find out whodunit!!

Westfield Century City 10250 Santa Monica BlvdLos Angeles CA 90067

Guests are invited to step into the world of the iconic board game, CLUE with the all-new safe and interactive immersive experience, CLUE Live! – A Walking Experience.

In this all-new experience, guests become detectives to solve the mystery of who murdered the elusive Mr. Boddy in a walking tour to visit the legendary rooms of Tudor Mansion with a choice of two exciting locations in Los Angeles.

Game-playing sleuths can experience CLUE Live! – A Walking Experience at Westfield Century City and beginning on September 5th, gumshoes can solve the mystery at The Village at Westfield Topanga.

Guests must listen closely, ask questions and use investigative skills to solve the mystery.

Tickets through Fever for the Westfield Century City through August 8th with tickets for the Westfield Topanga & The Village experience coming soon.

A Walking Experience is a family-friendly event and is recommended for ages 8 and older with an adult accompanying minors.

8) Art of the Brick at the California Science Center

California Science Center 700 Exposition Park DriveLos Angeles CA 90037

Advance exhibition tickets are required before you visit.

Experience The Art of the Brick, the world's largest display of LEGO® art! Discover over one million LEGO bricks transformed into more than 100 sculptures by artist Nathan Sawaya.

PERNiCiEM: The Endangered Species Connection. Created by LEGO artist Nathan Sawaya and photographer Dean West, gallery features thirteen sculptures of the world's most endangered species, including the humpback whale and lowland gorilla, each presented with a cinematic image of their natural environment.

Featuring intriguing works of art made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world, T

he Art of the Brick collection includes Sawaya's original sculptures as well as re-imagined versions of some of the world's most famous art masterpieces, such as Michelangelo's David, Van Gogh's Starry Night and Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

Also includes a 20-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, a seven-foot tall Easter Island Moai statue and an innovative, multimedia collection of LEGO brick infused photography by Dean West.

9) Orange County Fair 2021

Orange County Fair 88 Fair DrCosta Mesa CA 92626

2021 OC Fair: July 16-Aug. 15

The OC Fair will be held July 16-Aug. 15, Wednesdays-Sundays. Tickets for the annual OC Fair are on sale, but with limited daily capacity due to covid, days could sell out.

Tickets must be purchased in advance on ocfair.com. Bonus: no transaction fees on Fair admission! Fairgoers should make sure to get tickets for special days and group adventures now.

· Masks are required for unvaccinated guests inside OC Fair buildings

OC Fair Hours

July 16-Aug. 15, 2021

Open 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday

Open 10 a.m.-midnight Friday-Sunday

Closed Monday & Tuesday

More details will be available in the coming months on ocfair.com/thefair.

Chanin Victor is a family travel specialist focusing on experiential, immersive, multigenerational travel. She is a versatile freelance writer, skilled journalist, and avid photographer. Based in Los Angeles with her family, Chanin seizes every opportunity to embark on new adventures. Discover her travels and insights at chaninvictor.com - PLUS - if you're interested in Chanin's family-friendly travel stories, inspiration and travel tips, look HERE: https://chaninvictor.com/travel-trends/ at the Santa Monica Observer!