LA is very spread out, so a 1-hour drive to anywhere is very typical. You need to plan your daily travel accordingly or else you could be stuck in a 2-hour traffic.
Other than LA, you can also explore San Diego, Palm Springs, Yosemite, Sequoia, Big Sur and San Francisco.
Surfing & Paddleboarding in Sunset Beach
17281 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA 92649
Canals around Sunset Beach is a fun place to paddleboard and the rental shop is right on the canals. You can surf on the ocean side as well. Check out ocpaddlesports.com
Disneyland
Anaheim, CA 92802
Universal Studios Hollywood
100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608