I've been wanting to visit Paramount Ranch for a few months now, so it took me about 1 nanosecond to reply "YES!" when mi amigo Pedro asked me if my daughter and I wanted to tag along on his daytrip to exactly that place. Just why would I want to visit this place? Nestled amongst the oak trees in the Santa Monica Mountains, it's a western themed movie set, as seen in Tales of Wells Fargo,
The Cisco Kid,
Little House on the Prairie,
and more recently, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.
Best of all - it's FREE to visit!I actually visited two days in a row (I won't bore you with an explanation as to why). On the first day, a movie was being filmed in the saloon. We were able to walk right up and peek in on the hustle and bustle of the shoot! Someone assisting with the movie told us it was to be a 15 minute short, potentially for submission at movie festivals.
We wandered about, peeking in windows and imagining that we were in a dusty old Western town, like Tombstone.
On the second day, a few of the buildings were open, so we were able to really see the sets! 
There are hiking trails surrounding the ranch and a covered picnic area in case you want to chow down while visiting this location. We were on a mission to explore, however, so we saved our lunches for later.
We hit the road and headed toward Malibou Lake. Nope, that's not a typo! (Read more about the fancy spelling here: http://www.maliboulake.net/contact/history.html.) As long as I've lived in the area (30+ years!), I had never been there before! It's mostly private and inaccessable, but a hidden gem nonetheless.
Daytrip Stop #2: Peter Strauss Ranch
Just a few miles past the lake is Peter Strauss Ranch, which is FREE to explore. This ranch was once a resort, but was purchased by actor Peter Strauss in 1976 and later becamee a part of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. This quiet, peaceful place was once teeming with entertainment. The Terrazzo Dance Floor/Patio was made in 1939 of imported Italian terrazzo tile with a pointed star to commemorate Hollywood. It was a popular place for Big Band concerts and dancing in the 1940s. Willie Nelson,
Johnny Cash,
and Mandrell Sisters
all performed here for a local TV show. There's a huge old pool on premises - currently it's empty, but don't get any big ideas, skateboarders, it's not like a modern pool with easy-to-skate bowls. It was built in the 40's, could hold 650K gallons of water and had a capacity of 3000 people! (And to that last part I say, "No thank you!" LOL) 
The kids wandered about and found peacock feathers scattered on the stone amphitheater seats! We asked the gentleman who works for the Conservancy about it and he told us that a flock of wild peacocks live in the area, probably originating from when the ranch had an aviary. The one male was molting, and one of the girls on our adventure found what just may be the final feather from his colorful tail!
We hit the road yet again, turning onto world famous Mulholland Drive. We passed the Rock Store, famous for it's celebrity biker stop-ins (think Tommy Lee of Motley Crue
and comedian Jay Leno).
We might have stopped in for a cerveza on the patio, however, the kids were looking forward to lunch on the beach, so we kept on going.Daytrip Stop #3: Malibu Pier
We headed toward the Malibu Pier, which is FREE to visit. Seeing as it was after daybreak, parking was at a premium. It's possible to park on the street (which I managed on the second day) but there's a parking lot available directly in front of the pier if you're willing to fork over a few bucks. They'll refund a part of the fee if you get your ticket validated at one of the pier's restaurants.
First, we wandered down to the beach, where we plopped down in the sand and tore into lunch. We watched the numerous surfers
compete for waves as we dined. On the second day, we took a bench on the pier and watched dolphins swim by.
After lunch, we wandered along the pier to the end, beckoned by Ruby's Shake Shack. It's a surprisingly affordable choice for sweet treats, so we sat down in the 50's themed diner and ordered chocolate malts (kid's size: $2.99) and vanilla soft serve cones ($1.59). Everyone's bellys were full, and parking validation only covers two hours, so it was time to move on to...
Daytrip Stop #4: Lake Shrine Temple and Retreat
This hidden gem is a place that I hadn't heard of until recently, shockingly, considering that a portion of the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi
are enshrined here in the World Peace Memorial. 
Photographs don't do this place justice... It is quiet, tranquil, and stunningly beautiful. The tenderly cared for flowers perfumed the entrance to the pathway. I was taken aback by just how sweet their scent was. As we wandered around the lake, we watched the swans glide gracefully through the water and giggled (quietly!) as turtles popped their heads up to the surface.
It's quite impressive how truly peaceful this place is, despite being located right off Pacific Coast Highway
on Sunset Boulevard. Most of the visitors respected the tranquility of the place, with one or two exceptions - not us, I promise! - and dotted around the lake were several meditating individuals. By the way, there is no admission fee to visit the Lake Shrine, although donations are graciously accepted.Our day of exploring some of Southern California's hidden gems came to an end. We headed back home, thrilled to have finally seen some of the places that tourists from around the world come to see, that we often take for granted.
Paramount Ranch? Check. Peter Strauss Ranch? Check. Malibu Pier? Check. Lake Shrine? Check.
Excellent memories? Check.
Interested in California daytrips? Check these out:
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