There is no need to drive to LA or San Diego to find fun things to do! Many great events happen in and around campus.
Local farmer’s market: Every Saturday from 8AM-12PM there is a farmer’s market at the Mariners Church (5001 Newport Coast Drive) which is about a half hour walk PV or Verano. In addition to having tons of fresh, local produce, the market also has stalls that sell jewelry, handbags, and other homemade items. They also often have food trucks for snacks while you walk!
Theater, Music, and Dance: UCI’s School of the Arts offers several performances a year in drama, music, and the arts. They offer discounted tickets for students (http://www.arts.uci.edu/artspass). A little farther off campus is the Segerstrom Center for the Arts which gets an extensive variety of musical theater, symphonies, and dance performances (https://www.scfta.org/). They offer student rush tickets for $20 for select performances.
Hiking: The Orange County Park System has a variety of trails and parks in the area. There are varying difficulty levels for more and less experienced hikers. Some trails also allow for bicycles and pets (http://ocparks.com/parks).
Pumpkin Patch for Halloween: Just a few miles from campus is Tanaka farms which has a pumpkin patch for Halloween. They have hundreds of pumpkins growing on the vines and you can walk through and select your perfect jack-o-lantern. They also have hay rides, corn mazes, and other American Halloween traditions (http://www.tanakafarms.com/tours-pumpkin-patch).