Get Out of Town!

The Glendale Youth Orchestra's season finale features a Mozart Symphony and four concerto winners on cello, flute and violin.

Just a few minutes across the L.A. River from Burbank, the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens in Griffith Park provides a beautiful place for extended walks and an up-close view of amazing animals from throughout the world.

The short trek to the lush hilltop oasis of Amir's Garden is a popular hike year round and particularly welcoming on hot days.

Excellent seafood at Brophy Bros. in Santa Barbara is always worth the drive. Fresh vegetables year-round and seasonal fun such as the current pumpkin patch are a big draw for Underwood Family Farms near Moorpark.

Seven hours drive from Burbank, Zion National Park is a scenic wonder with a range of experiences for visitors, from easy to extremely challenging.

Page, AZ, is a good base camp for Glen Canyon National Recreation Center and Dam, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, the Navajo Bridge, Antelope Canyon, Rainbow Bridge, Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

The legendary Caioti Pizza Cafe serves up excellent food daily in Tujunga Village, since moving from its original location in Laurel Canyon about 10 years ago.

Gam Tu Bop's superior rice balls and Cauldron Ice Cream's unique puffle cone concoctions are two terrific treats to try in Glendale.

Ojai is a perfect day trip from Burbank: lunch at Suzanne's Cuisine, local galleries, artisan shops and a large park with easy trails make for a great way to Get Out of Town.

Located in Burbank's backyard, the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley boasts Wildflower Hill, showcasing several varieties of now-blooming wildflowers, along with a demonstration garden, an education center and a nursery for those interested in learning more about and planting their own California native plants and wildflowers.