I have been to several of the world-class theme parks in Southern California lately. One thing I found is that you can enter into the world of many favorite animated cartoon characters if you enjoy that sort of thing.

Of course Disneyland is the first park that comes to mind, with Dumbo, Mickey, Goofy and the others. For great local insight and tips for planning a Disneyland vacation, the SoCal Vacation Guru is the site for you. Who doesn’t love the wonderful job Disney has done in creating a fictional universe of lovable characters?

Knott’s Berry Farm is not far from Disneyland, and you can continue your movie star hunt by visiting Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts clan. Knott’s has done a nice job of absorbing Charlie Brown, his faithful pet and their friends into their culture.

Universal Studios up in Hollywood would be a good next stop in your vacation, where you can chill with the likes of Homer Simpson, the Flintstones and Rubbles, Betty Boop and Spiderman. Here is a site that offers what the locals know about visiting the characters who live at Universal Studios.

The third park to visit for characters would be Six Flags Magic Mountain up in Valencia. The first thing you see when you get close to the park are the Six Flags roller coasters. As soon as you get inside, you realize that the place is run by the Looney Tunes characters from the Warner Brothers cartoons.

You will find Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck, Sylvester and the Roadrunner, some of whom hang out with the guests. The childrens’ area has attractions centered around these whacky celebrities, which is a nice break from the thrill rides that dominate the place. The characters are very charming and are pretty easy to find around the mountain.