Los Angeles With Kids
What Los Angeles with kids really looks like, from a family that plans these trips for a living.
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel
Is Los Angeles good for kids?
Yes, and it is better for kids than people expect once you look past the theme parks. Beaches, a mountaintop observatory, a real space shuttle and Ice Age fossils, much of it free. You just need a car and a smart base.
How many days?
Three days for the beach, the observatory and the science center, more with a Catalina day or extra beach time.
What is the one thing we cannot miss?
The Griffith Observatory and the space shuttle at the California Science Center, plus a day at Santa Monica Pier and the beach.
Do we need a car?
A car, yes. LA is spread out and the Metro does not reach everything, so rent a car, use rideshare at night, and always pad for traffic.
When should we go?
LA is a year round city. Spring and fall are warm and clear, summer is hot inland but lovely at the coast, winter is mild. Beaches are best from late spring through early fall. Pack a layer for cool ocean mornings.
Beaches, Big Skies and the Movies
Los Angeles is sunshine, beaches and big open skies, a sprawling, easygoing city where you can build sandcastles in the morning and stand under a real space shuttle in the afternoon. Set aside the theme parks and there is still a huge amount here for kids, from tar pits full of Ice Age fossils to a mountaintop observatory.
LA is enormous and spread out, so where you base really matters. The beach cities, Santa Monica and Venice, are the easiest, breeziest choice with kids. Hollywood and Downtown hold the big museums and the observatory. Wherever you land, you will need a car, so pick a base near your priorities and plan around the traffic.
Getting Around
There is no getting around it, LA is a car city. Most families rent a car, with rideshare for evenings, as the Metro, though growing, does not reach everything. From LAX, drive or rideshare to your base, plan just two or three stops a day, and always pad for traffic.
Neighborhoods worth basing in
Santa Monica & Venice
The classic family base, right on the Pacific with the famous pier, a wide beach, a beachfront bike path and an easy, breezy feel. Neighboring Venice adds its boardwalk and canals. Walkable by LA standards and close to the sand, this is where I put most families.
Hollywood
The heart of movie land, with the Walk of Fame, the TCL Chinese Theatre and views up to the Hollywood sign. Fun to see and central for the observatory and Griffith Park, though busier and less relaxed as a base than the beach.
Downtown LA
The revived downtown, home to the best museums and, a short hop south, the California Science Center with its space shuttle. Good for a culture focused stay, though most families still prefer to sleep near the beach.
A Santa Monica beach hotel
Santa Monica’s grand beachfront hotels sit right on the sand with pools and ocean views. The blow the budget treat, steps from the pier and the bike path.
A family hotel by the beach
The beach cities have plenty of comfortable, family friendly hotels near the sand and the pier, with pools and easy parking. Practical and relaxed, a short walk to the beach.
A Westside apartment
Santa Monica and the Westside have apartments and condos that give a family room to spread out, handy for beach days and simple meals. Book near the beach path and the bikes.
The Three I Build Every Los Angeles Trip Around
Santa Monica Pier and the Beach
Start at the beach, because that is LA at its easiest with kids. The Santa Monica Pier has a small amusement park with a Ferris wheel right over the ocean, an aquarium underneath, and the wide beach beside it. Rent bikes and ride the flat beachfront path down toward Venice, with its boardwalk performers and canals. A perfect, low stress first day.
Griffith Observatory
Free to enter and perched on a hillside in Griffith Park, the Griffith Observatory is a genuine LA gem. Kids peer through telescopes, play with hands on space exhibits, catch a planetarium show, and take in a sweeping view over the whole city with the Hollywood sign right there. Go late afternoon into evening to see it by day and lit up at night.
The California Science Center
South of downtown, the California Science Center is free and superb, and it is home to the Space Shuttle Endeavour, a real spacecraft you can stand beneath and marvel at. Add hands on science galleries, an ecosystem zone and an IMAX, and it is an easy, wonderful full day, and a rare free one in a pricey city.
Family Time, Built In: Los Angeles With Kids
Set the theme parks aside and LA still overflows with things for kids. The beach and pier, the observatory, the science center and its shuttle, the La Brea Tar Pits with their Ice Age fossils bubbling up in the middle of the city, the LA Zoo and a vintage train in Griffith Park. Sun and space and sand, all week long.
The harbor ferry to the beach
Sunday fish market
Paddle boats on the the coast
Planten un Blomen
Griffith Observatory plaza
PARK & DOWNTIME PICK
Griffith Park, one of the largest city parks in North America, with the observatory, the LA Zoo, a vintage carousel, pony and train rides, and miles of trails, or the beach itself. Endless, mostly free, outdoor space to burn off energy.
Five Things To Eat In Los Angeles
Tacos
In-N-Out burger
Korean BBQ
Fish tacos
Frozen yogurtNicole’s Perspective
Sun, sand and space shuttles, easy with kids
I have spent years planning California for families, and LA surprises people once they look past the theme parks. As a former teacher I love that a single day here can take in Ice Age fossils, a real space shuttle and a mountaintop observatory. Add the beach, and the mix of science, nature and sunshine is hard to beat.
I steer families to LA for a sunny few days built around the beach and a couple of standout, often free, attractions, usually as part of a wider California road trip. Base by the sea, keep the driving sane, and it is a relaxed, rewarding stop.
The Day Trip: Catalina Island
An hour by ferry off the coast, Catalina Island feels a world away, a car free little harbor town of Avalon ringed by clear water. Kids love the ferry ride, the glass bottom boats over the kelp forests, and the golf cart taxis. It is an easy, charming day trip that swaps the freeways for a slice of island calm.
Things I Would Tell A Friend Before They Booked
How Many Days
Three days suits LA with kids. One for the beach and Santa Monica Pier, one for Griffith Observatory and the tar pits, one for the California Science Center and its shuttle. Add a day for Catalina or more beach time.
Day one for Santa Monica Pier, the beach and a bike ride to Venice. Day two for the Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park and the La Brea Tar Pits. Day three for the California Science Center and the space shuttle downtown.
Add a ferry day to Catalina Island, then the LA Zoo and a carousel ride in Griffith Park.
LA is the anchor of a Southern California trip. The coast, San Diego and Santa Barbara are all an easy drive, so give LA a few days and build a road trip around it.
Los Angeles With Kids, Answered
Is Los Angeles good for kids?
Yes, and it is better for kids than people expect once you look past the theme parks. Beaches, a mountaintop observatory, a real space shuttle and Ice Age fossils, much of it free. You just need a car and a smart base.
How many days?
Three days for the beach, the observatory and the science center, more with a Catalina day or extra beach time.
What is the one thing we cannot miss?
The Griffith Observatory and the space shuttle at the California Science Center, plus a day at Santa Monica Pier and the beach.
Do we need a car?
A car, yes. LA is spread out and the Metro does not reach everything, so rent a car, use rideshare at night, and always pad for traffic.
When should we go?
LA is a year round city. Spring and fall are warm and clear, summer is hot inland but lovely at the coast, winter is mild. Beaches are best from late spring through early fall. Pack a layer for cool ocean mornings.
Ready To Put Los Angeles On The Calendar
Send me your dates and your kids’ ages and I will map the days around the traffic, sort a base near the beach, and fold in Catalina or a wider California road trip.
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