From mellow trails and dark-sky stargazing to live music and Western movie history, it is a desert playground with plenty to offer SCV day-trippers and overnighters alike. ©ADOBESTOCK

Adventures Begin at Joshua Tree National Park 

Joshua Tree National Park may be just a few hours from Santa Clarita, but it feels like crossing into another world: a meeting place of two deserts where twisted yucca trees, hulking

Weekend visitors to Agua Dulce can trade screen time for wild time at Animal Tracks Sanctuary’s Weekend Public Experience. One animal you may see is this serval, which is a small wild cat native to Africa. SIGNAL FILE PHOTO

Winter Break Fun and Beyond to Keep Kids Busy 

Winter break in Santa Clarita doesn’t have to mean weeks of cabin fever and endless screen time for youths. From low-cost city day camps and cozy story hours to wild animal encounters

The Gibbon Conservation Center is the only facility in the world to house and successfully breed all four genera of gibbon. SIGNAL FILE PHOTO

Some Hidden Gems in the Santa Clarita Valley 

On a winter weekend in Santa Clarita, the most memorable escapes aren’t always the ones wrapped in tinsel and traffic — they’re the odd little surprises hiding in plain sight,