(by) Donna McCrohan Rosenthal
February’s opportunities range from a pharaoh’s riches, to reacquainting ourselves with an admired genius, to Yosemite’s magnificence, as you’ll find in this month’s roundup of trips and short hops around California.
To the northwest in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park through Sunday, February 12, the DeYoung Museum presents “Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” with 181 priceless ancient treasurers and the greatest collection of Ramses II objects and Egyptian jewelry to ever tour the U.S. (deyoung.famsf.org/visit; 415-750-3600).
To the southwest, Disneyland celebrates Disney’s 100th anniversary with many new attractions, among them two nighttime spectaculars: “World of Color – One” at Disney California Adventure Park and “Wondrous Journeys” at Disneyland Park, along with Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railroad, “a relaxing train ride that suddenly turns into a wild romp through ever-changing and rearranging cartoon scenes (disneyland.disney.go.com; 714-781-4636).
Speaking of Disney, “Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts,” an international traveling exhibit with more than 350 objects, continues through Monday, March 27 at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens to the southwest in San Marino. It highlights how 18-th century French and other European decorative arts influenced Disney while an ambulance driver in France after WWI to later use French mofits in films and theme parks (huntington.org; 626-405-2100).
Near Disneyland in Buena Vista through Sunday, February 26, Knott’s Berry Farm resumes its annual Seasons of Fun with the return of the Knott’s PEANUTS Celebration, a special multi-weekend event uniquely dedicated to the beloved PEANUTS characters. Guests can step inside the pages of a Charles M. Schulz comic book strip as Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and the rest of the PEANUTS gang take over with revelry that includes interactive experiences, animated photo ops, deliciously themed treats, playful shows, and more. For planning ahead: The Knott’s Boysenberry Festival will extend daily from Friday, March 17, to Sunday, April 16, when you can indulge in a lineup of dishes only found at Knott’s in the spring, combined with entertainment, live music and fun activities for guests of all ages (www.knotts.com; 714-220-5200).
To the north, the National Parks Service has announced for Yosemite in 2023: “There are some big changes coming to how you’ll plan your trip to Yosemite this February and summer…. Temporary Vehicle Reservations WILL NOT be required this summer to enter Yosemite National Park. Instead, the NPS will spend two months between January and February 2023 conducting public in-person and virtual meetings for input, as well as accepting online comments to create a new Visitor Access Management Plan…. The public comment period is open through February 3, 2023. This is a historic opportunity to provide feedback on how one of America’s most beloved National Parks will operate for potentially decades to come” (nps.gov/yose; 209/372-0200).
