Rose Parade Floats, After the Parade: Getting an eyeful of allllll of those petals and seeds and leafy things that create the rolling wonders known as the floats of the Rose Parade? You can do that at home, on a screen, if you zoom in, or you can behold the beauty in person at the A Showcase of Floats Presented by Miracle-Gro. It's ticketed at $15 per visitor, through Sharp Seating Company, and it all happens around E. Washington and Sierra Madre Boulevards on Jan. 1 (after the parade wraps) and all day on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Don't dawdle, as petals, and petal-covered things, don't last forever; admire them pronto.
California Restaurant Month opens: A lot of places observe lavish Restaurant Weeks each year, those deal-filled dine-out experiences that give people a taste of top dishes for a song. LA does it a couple of times a year, for two weeks at a pop, and, yep, dineLA is just ahead in mid-January, hurrah. Our state fills up the foodie heart for the whole first month of the year with a caboodle of specials of the prix fixe sort, with lower prices and spotlight meals playing big roles. Where will you go, eat, smile? Start here.
Christmas Time Is (Still) Here: The beloved Peanuts carol heralds the moment when the Christmas season arrives, but what of its sweet goodbye? This is that week for many places around Southern California, which continue to feature the bows and baubles and shows and trees and treats associated with the yuletide. Knott's Merry Farm continues through Jan. 7, as does Holiday Time at Disneyland, and CHILL at the Queen Mary. The Festival of Lights at Mission Inn is also sparkling through Saturday, Jan. 6.
Rock the Garden: So you're longing to get outside, now that the new year is here, but you'd like a little zazz and sound and flavor to your excursion. Best saunter by South Coast Botanic Garden, which wants to "Put Some Groove into Your Nature Walk" over several select January dates. Jan. 1 is one of those dates, if you're looking for New Year's Day fun, but there are more to come. Where to go? Beautiful Palos Verdes, of course.
Joshua Tree Christmas Bird Count: And speaking of getting outside and connecting with nature, there is this lend-a-hand (or an eye, rather) event at Joshua Tree on Friday, Jan. 5. Keeping tabs on what feathered friends are visiting what spots is an important calling around the start of winter, and while many bird counts fluttered in December, this one is still ahead. It's free to join, there's two meet-up spots, and you should show with binoculars. Details? Flap, flap, flap in this direction, avian enthusiasts of greater Southern California.
