Enjoy Skating, Holiday Lights, and Fun in LA

Holiday time is coming, and this is NOT the time to have an appliance break down! But, if it happens to you, Paradise Appliance Service will get an experienced technician out to you ASAP, so you can get back to your family, friends, and winter activities. Speaking of holiday fun, we’ve found a lot of it in the LA area, no matter where you live.

Santa has loaned the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens some of his reindeer and you can visit with them up close and personal, now through January 6, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. during the Reindeer Romp. The zoo has created a special Reindeer Village for you to learn all about these antlered creatures from the north – where they live, what they eat, and how they live in the rugged winter of their homeland.

Enjoy a photo op with the deer, or some days with Santa, too. All activities, except the photo with Santa, are included in regular zoo admission. And, while you’re at the zoo, be sure to learn about what holiday gifts the animals can expect. Weekend days are enrichment days for your favorites, where the critters will receive gifts and treats designed specifically for them.

Outdoor ice skating in downtown Los Angeles? Yes, now through January 21, the Bai Holiday Ice Rink at Pershing Square brings the magic of true winter skating to LA. The only difference is the downtown skyline, the artwork, and, well, probably the temperature.

The ice rink is located on South Olive St. and is right off the Metro. General admission is $9 and skates rent for $5. A silent skate party will take place on November 28 and December 19 from 7-8 p.m. and again at 8:30-9:30 p.m. For this disco on the ice, skaters will receive headphones and will be able to choose music from three stations. Or, if you’ve always been curious about curling, three Sunday mornings, November 17, December 15, and January 12 from 8:30-9:30 a.m., get a beginner’s lesson from members of the Hollywood Curling Club.

Another outdoor venue will be open at The Rink in Downtown Burbank, also open now through Sunday, January 6. This rink is open daily from 10 a.m. through 10 p.m., or until 11:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Located next to City Hall at Third Street and Orange Grove Avenue, the rink is a great break from shopping at the Burbank Town Center.

Ice meets the ocean at the Santa Monica Pier with an 8,000-square-foot rink named the Ice at Santa Monica. Located at Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue, the rink has opened and will remain active until January 21. Here, you can schedule private or group skating lessons, and private party bookings are available.

All-day skating and skate rental tickets are $15 with locker rentals available. You can shop for a while and enjoy a skate. Have a bite to eat and return. Skating hours are from early afternoon through evenings, weekdays, with morning hours and skating until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Griffith Park Holiday Light Festival Train Ride lights up like nowhere else with a ride around one mile of track through magical scenes built with tens of thousands of lights. This is an experience to be enjoyed by the whole family. Opening Friday, November 23, train rides begin at 5 p.m. with the last train running at 8 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 p.m. on weekends. The train rides close for Christmas on December 24 and 25 but reopens on the 26th through the 30th.

Located on Crystal Springs Road, this special ride is $5 per person. Limited tickets will be sold for each evening. Advance tickets are on sale now. The train will not operate in the rain.

The Enchanted Forest of Light opens on Sunday, November 18 at Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge. Experience Descanso Gardens in a whole new light in this unique nighttime event. Thousands of lights create a variety of experiences through one mile of walking trails through the gardens. Enjoy the tulips as you enter, visit the Lightwave Lake and control the coloring and quantity of lights to create your own artwork, and view the Fantasy Forest with the Gardens’ historical camellias and the Ancient Forest while transformed with sound and lighting illusion.

The Gardens are open daily through January 6 from 5:30 – 10 p.m. for this special experience, save for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Meanwhile back at the Los Angeles Zoo, now through January 6, view the zoo in a whole new way, at night with LA Zoo Lights. Animal-themed displays with splendid lighting and projections can be viewed through a 60- or 90-minute self-guided tour from 6 – 9:15 p.m. Tickets for this event are separate from regular zoo admission.

The lighting area is located away from most animal displays, although you can visit the reindeer, those creatures living in the Living Amphibians Invertebrates and Reptiles buildings, and the Asian Elephants if they choose to come outside of their barn and participate. The Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel will be open. VIP experiences with express entry and a private lounge are scheduled for a couple of dates. And, the family can experience New Year’s Eve in a whole new way with a buffet dinner, dancing and a live broadcast of the Ball Drop in New York’s Times Square. Be sure to book this one early!

No doubt there are a lot of Christmas Tree Lanes out there, but Alta Dena’s Christmas Tree Lane will rival most any other with its own nonprofit Christmas Tree Lane Association spending most of the year planning for the event. The Lane was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and became a California State Landmark in 1990. The Lane begins at the corner of Santa Rosa Ave. and Altadena Dr.

There would be no Christmas without candy canes and LA has many Candy Cane Lanes to view – here are a few:

With so much activity for the holiday season, and this is just the beginning, you don’t want to be tied down with appliance problems and waiting for a repairman. Call Paradise Appliance to schedule an appointment at a convenient time for you. We service Los Angeles and most of the surrounding area. We’ll get your oven, refrigerator, or washing machine operational again in no time, so you can get on the road to your next holiday adventure.