The Best Offbeat Travel Experiences

Hot-Air Ballooning over Napa Valley: Sure, you have to rise at dawn, but there's no better way to view Napa Valley than drifting over the vineyards in a balloon. Flights are offered in the morning on clear days, when the air is calm and cool. You can book a trip through your hotel or with Bonaventura Balloon Company or Adventures Aloft.

Rafting Scenic Northern California Rivers: You can white-water raft through thrilling cascades of raging Class IV water or float through tranquil vistas of blue skies, deep forests, and wildlife. Depending on the river and the time of year, some trips are okay for children over age 6.

Exploring a Real Gold Mine: Don your hardhat, "tag in," board the mine shuttle, and experience what it's like to be a gold miner. The Sutter Gold Mine tour company takes you deep into a mine that's loaded with gold deposits. You'll get an opportunity to sluice for some real gold.

Taking a Studio Tour: Studio tours are an opportunity to see the actual stage sets for shows such as ER and The West Wing, and you never know who you're going to see emerging from his or her Star Wagon.

Visiting Venice Beach's Oceanfront Walk: You haven't visited L.A. properly until you've rented some skates in Venice and embarrassed yourself in front of thousands while taking in the human carnival around you. Nosh on a Jody Maroni's haute dog; buy some cheap sunglasses, silver jewelry, or ethnic garb, all while enjoying the wide beach, blue sea, and performers along the boardwalk.

Flying a World War II Fighter Aircraft: Don your parachute, strap yourself into the 600-horsepower fighter aircraft, and prepare to have your mind blown as you (yes, you) perform aerobatic maneuvers -- loops, rolls, lazy-8s -- high above the Carlsbad coastline. It's an experience you'll never forget.

Getting Up Close to the Desert's Gigantic Windmills: Anyone who's driven through the desert near Palm Springs has marveled at these structures. Now visitors have a chance to see, touch, and learn about the efficient power generators, and why they're clustered here.

Explore Wreck Alley (San Diego): Five drowned vessels sit on the sea floor, 2 miles off Mission Beach, providing a chance for certified divers to investigate an exciting nautical graveyard that includes a 366-foot Canadian destroyer, the Yukon (intentionally sunk in 2000).

• Anaheim: Disneyland Resort Tickets
• Anaheim: Southern California CityPass Attractions Pass
• Los Angeles: Go Los Angeles Card
• Los Angeles: Universal Studios Hollywood
• San Diego: LEGOLAND California
• San Diego: San Diego Zoo
• San Diego:Go San Diego Card
• San Francisco: Go San Francisco Card
• San Francisco: San Francisco CityPass
• San Francisco: The Alcatraz and Double-Decker City Tour