It’s Almost that Time of Year! Winter Fest OC is Near! + Giveaway!

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Winter Fest OC + Giveaway

By Erin

Winter Fest OC Begins December 20th With 40,000 Square Feet of All-New Winter Fun Attractions!

Winter Fest OC Orange County 2018

We don’t have real snow here in Southern California, but that does not mean we don’t know how to have some winter fun! There is NO shortage of fun holiday adventures to experience!  Winter Fest OC is coming back to the OC but with even more holiday experiences for all to enjoy from December 20th-January 6th. Located at the OC Fairgrounds, get into the holiday spirit as Winter Fest features 40,000 square feet of new attractions and brings back popular activities including an outdoor ice-skating rink, ice tubing at Snowflake Summit, real Snow Play, and so much more. *PLUS* enter for a chance to win a 4-pack of tickets to experience it all for yourself below! Even though we don’t get real snow here, doesn’t mean we cannot bring the snow to us to enjoy all the snowy winter fun with ice skating, hot chocolate and more!

With a record-breaking attendance in 2017, Winter Fest OC will debut its fourth consecutive year with new entertainment and attractions including SoCal Dicken’s Village, Candy and Snowflake Wonderland, and an expanded Festival of Lights tunnel.

Here are a few things I am looking forward to most about this years Winter Fest!

New to Winter Fest This Year:

SoCal Dicken’s Village – Take a trip down memory lane through the 1800’s with holidays past, present, and future. Decorate Christmas cookies, listen to holiday storytelling, visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus (through Christmas Eve), take a pony ride, and visit the new Victorian holiday shops.

Candy and Snowflake Wonderland – Step into an interactive wonderland full of candy and snowflakes with a new selfie experience that is sure to delight visitors and capture the picture-perfect Instagram moment.

Orange Ball New Year’s Eve Celebration – Ring in the New Year not once, but twice, with a special countdown, Orange Ball drop, fireworks and an unforgettable balloon drop at both 6pm and midnight. Multiple live bands will be playing to commemorate the end of the year, and the start of a new one.

Club Winter Fest – Private, ice rink-side VIP cabanas are available nightly starting at only $69 per session, creating the ultimate destination for holiday office parties, family retreats or date nights. Enjoy the all-new lounge area with exquisite views of the nightly Christmas tree lighting ceremony featuring fireworks, snow flurries and a free drink upon entry. Tickets are limited.

Festival of Lights – Stroll through Winter Fest’s 100-foot-tunnel of two million lights to explore five lands with animated displays. For additional fun for the kids, make sure to ride through the Festival of Lights on the trackless train.

Festival of Lights Winter Fest OC Orange County

Back by Popular Demand:

Snowflake Summit – Visit Snowflake Summit for unlimited ice-tube racing down the 150 foot, eight lane slide. Fast Pass wristbands are available starting at only $10 to skip the general admission line.

Flying Santa and his Reindeer – Don’t miss the magic of the North Pole as Santa and his reindeer fly over the fairgrounds December 20th – December 24th. This spectacle takes place during the nightly Christmas Tree Lighting celebration and features fireworks and snow flurries.

Penny’s Snow Play – Fresh snow blown in daily to make SoCal’s largest snow play attraction with two snow arenas: one caters to toddlers and the other to kids (and kids at heart.)

Also returning are the world’s largest rocking horse, wintery-themed bounce houses for kids, a giant walk-through ornament, strolling carolers, petting zoo, character meet and greets, crafts, arcade games, more than 30 carnival rides and games, and seasonal food and beverages. Families are also invited to celebrate El Dia de los Reyes or Three Kings’ Day on January 6th where Winter Fest will honor the tradition of the Three Kings with a parade and live camel.

Select discounts are offered for First Responders, Teachers, and Military/Veterans with proof of ID. First Responders are guaranteed free admission on Wednesday, December 26th and January 2nd, Teacher Appreciation Days are Friday, December 21st, 28th, and January 4th, and Military/Veterans are guaranteed free admission on Thursday, December 20th, 27th, and January 3rd.

Tickets and select value packages are available now starting at only $10. For more information on Winter Fest OC, visit www.WinterFestOC.com and for the latest updates on entertainment, food and fun follows Winter Fest OC at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTubeor with #WinterFestOC.

Now it’s time to spread some Holiday Cheer! We are giving away a pack of 4 GA tickets +ICE SKATING! Please enter below and good-luck! *See all rules below* Happy Holidays!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*****US Residents Only +18 years to enter. No purchase necessary to enter. Ends 12/18 at 12AM PST. All readers have an equal chance to win, however, you must enter to win. Winner will be selected at random via RaffleCopter and notified via email. If the winner cannot be reached by email within 48 hours, a new winner will be selected the same way. There are several different ways to enter. Prizes are not transferable or refundable and must be accepted as awarded. The winner is responsible for any and all other costs and expenses not listed above. Horsing Around In LA is not liable for unclaimed prizes or fulfillment of the prize.*****

Girl Power at the BMW Performance Center

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Girl Power at the BMW Performance Center

By Erin

*This is a sponsored post for A Girl’s Guide To Cars and the BMW Performance Center, all opinions are my own.*

Imagine about 30 girls who love cars, and fast cars at that. Now imagine that but at the BMW Performance Center in Thermal, California. Yep, well that’s exactly what happened recently at A Girl’s Guide To Cars #Drive2Learn conference held in Palm Springs, California. I only love one speed, and that’s fast. Fast horses, fast roller coasters, and of course fast cars. So you can only imagine how thrilled I was to learn we would be getting to drive around in fast cars at the BMW Performance Center on the test tracks. You know I was excited! (Be sure to stick around til the end here, there is a HUGE giveaway at the end of this post that YOU will want to enter for a chance to win so that you can experience the BMW Performance Center for yourself along with some other fun goodies!)

One of the best things about going to the performance center is that you get to test all of the BMW vehicles and take them to their limits while learning some valuable skills. For an amazing experience where you can see what a performance vehicle is really capable of, you need to head to the BMW Performance Center ASAP! This would make for an awesome Christmas gift.

The BMW Performance Center West is a permanent performance driver training facility located in Thermal, California, near Palm Springs. The facility is open to the public and offers a wide range of driving schools for people of all ages and capabilities. There are also special programs for private and corporate groups.

The BMW Performance Driving Schools are taught by BMW professional driving instructors on a private course. Our instructor Adam was amazing. We also got to do a hot lap with him later, which was even more awesome! The classes provide individuals with the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the Ultimate Driving Machine® and learn skills like basic car control, proper vision, emergency and panic braking, handling last-minute lane changes, distracted driving, high-speed control, precision driving and much more.

Set in a backdrop of breathtaking mountain views, the facility features a brand new, luxurious modern building, up to 5.1 miles of expansive track layouts, meeting space, a gourmet café, gift shops, and a truly unique experience. Check this view out, there’s even a hot air balloon in view in the top left corner!

Our Experience

We did a 1/2 day session and it was a bit of a hybrid of 3 different courses and almost an hour of classroom training where we learned the correct posture to have in the drivers seat and how to maximize speed while maintaining our safety in the corners and straightaways.

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2019 Lexus UX 200: Crafted for the Modern Frontier

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2019 Lexus UX 200: Crafted for the Modern Frontier

By Erin

*This is a sponsored post with A Girls Guide to Cars. All thoughts and opinions remain my own*

A few weekends ago I attended A Girls Guide to Cars Drive2Learn Conference, where we got to test drive a bunch of awesome cars. One of my favorites was the 2019 Lexus UX. It wasn’t even on the market for purchase yet at the time we were driving this beauty around and it drew quite a crowd wherever we went! I love red cars to begin with so you can see why right away I was drawn to this one!

Who This Car is For

The Lexus UX is a crossover (The U stands for Urban) featuring a bold urban design and unmistakable strength. From its smart compact size to its agile performance and turning radius, every aspect of the first-ever Lexus compact crossover was crafted for exploration. So who would this car be perfect for?

  • Singles or couples who want a smaller luxury car that gets a decent MPG–29/37/33 for city/highway/combined
  • Smaller families (4 or less) looking for an entry-level urban luxury car
  • Drivers who want the reliability of a Lexus
  • The Urban professional who ultimately cares about comfort, parking ability, and safety tech
  • First time Lexus buyers looking to buy their first luxury vehicle.
  • Xennials- “Gen X” and “Millennials”

The pricing on this one is very competitive. The UX200 starts at $32,000 and the UX250h from $34,000. Buyers can opt for the F Sport package on both models for an additional $2,000. It is an around-town car that is not ideal for hauling a lot of stuff if you go on long trips with a lot of people, but perfect for those looking for an around town car or a couple looking for a car to travel and explore around in.

Packed with Tech Toys Galore

Once you jump into your seat you will find yourself in comfortable, well-supported eight-way power NuLuxe seats in the front with 2-way power driver seat lumbar. There is everything here that a 30-something would expect of a luxury car, the sweeping instrument panel boasts a seven-inch display, a push button start, head-up display that provides all the essential info you need, 4 USB ports and much more. Featuring Apple CarPlay, 4GB WiFi hotspot, Dynamic Voice Command, as well as Amazon Alexa that allows owners to unlock the doors, check the fuel level and even start-up the car all from their smartwatch. If you like being connected, the UX has you covered. The optional Lexus Navigation comes with a 10.3-inch screen. The only thing I am not a huge fan of here is the touch-pad. I am used to the touch-screen so I constantly kept touching the screen only to remember that, “oh yeah, I need to use the touch-pad!” It took a little bit of time to get used to that. Everything else though was spot on and are tech gadgets that are all nice to have!

Safety in Mind

Safety is huge for me when considering a car. Living in Southern California where the freeways are always overcrowded with cars and with some drivers that should probably not be on the road, safety is of the upmost importance! With ten airbags and the Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 as standard, the UX is one extremely safe SUV. The Pre-Collision System includes daytime and low-light detection for pedestrians and daytime detection of bicycles, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control uses a radar on the front grille and forward-facing camera to keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead at speeds of up to 110 mph. Other safety features include Road Sign Assist, Lane Tracing Assist, Automatic high beams, Lane Departure Alert with Steering assist. There is an optional Blind Spot Monitor that I highly recommend, I have this on my current car and I don’t think I will ever get another car without one! I love that feature so much! The safety goodies you could possibly want can be found in the UX.

What This Car Costs 

2019 Lexus UX 200 Red

  • Lexus UX 200 base price, for the gas version is $32,000
  • Luxury: $37, 200
  • Hybrid: $34,000
  • Hybrid Luxury: $39,200
  • Sport: $34,000
  • Hybrid Sport: $36,000
  • Lexus UX 200 with Premium  Package and Optional Navigation as shown in this post is $35,875

Why I Love It

There are so many things to love about this car!

  • Exterior: The look of this car is so unique, this was proven when we were out and about taking photos of this car in town where lots of other people were walking by. Many would stop and look and then ask about this car. It was pretty cool to see so many people interested in this car when it wasn’t even on the market yet. When you drive in a city with hundreds of thousands of other cars, the ability to stand out is very much appreciated!
  • Handling: The car feels small and it moves quick, a very smooth ride. It drives like a dream and can make some really quick and sharp turns! It has a 34-foot turning circle—perfect for LA traffic!
  • The price point: the least-expensive Lexus, but it doesn’t feel cheap.
  • Comfort: The UX is an easy car to jump in and out of, with comfy seats that are supportive without being  too hard or too soft and was surprisingly roomy.
  • Safety: all the safety features I’d want or need are available with the UX
  • MPG— The 29/37/33 for city/highway/combined that this gets is pretty good compared to other like cars/SUVs.
  • The grille: Very flashy and is made of dozens of beveled spindles that makes it look fancy and stylish.

I enjoyed driving this car around town while we were in Palm Springs and I’d gladly consider purchasing the 2019 Lexus UX 200!