3 Best Places To See in Irvine, CA

“Pretend City Children's Museum is a non-profit organization in Irvine, CA. The museum helps all children and depends on a community-based budget and visitor support. Pretend City Children's Museum is "the world in a nutshell," intended for children to learn how the real world works while engaging their curiosities and imaginations. The museum is a child-size interconnected city built to support rich educational intentions with great fun, where kids can assume many real-world roles and let their creativity rule. Children can explore interactive exhibits and activities facilitated by their qualified professional staff and learn foundational math, reading, and science skills while fostering creativity, curiosity, problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork. More than 1,000 families participated in the museum's first health fair, with more than 200 free screenings provided to children.”

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“UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art is a well-maintained museum in Irvine, CA. The museum educates children and the public about the importance of art through its outreach programs and preserves the aesthetic beauty of California's cultural heritage. The museum has three exhibitions a year in addition to traveling exhibitions. Langson IMCA's holdings currently include over 4,500 works representing various genres and mediums that span late 19th-century Plein air painting to post-war California Impressionism and contemporary art. The Irvine Museum has published eighteen excellent and beautifully illustrated books and numerous DVDs and notecards. These are available in the museum bookstore and online store. The museum offers free school visits for students in grades 3 – 12. Admission is free and open to the public, and parking is also free for museum visitors.”

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“The Marconi Automotive Museum and Foundation for Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Dick & John Marconi in 1994. The building was originally purchased to house the race team when John & Dick were racing full-time. After years of collecting exotic, rare, and classic cars, they donated their multimillion-dollar car collection to the Marconi Foundation for Kids. For almost 30 years, the Marconi Automotive Museum has been used as an event facility and educational center to generate money for children's charities and organizations throughout Orange County. The Marconi collection is home to over 100 vehicles and one of the largest Ferrari collections in North America, as well as Formula 1, Indy, and Vintage race cars. This museum has something for everyone. Visitors can get up close to the cars because none are roped off like other museums. The museum has plenty of parking. They have professional staff who are happy to answer any questions you have. They host fundraisers, toy drives, car events, educational tours, and more to benefit charities.”

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