Top Ten Things To Do In Los Angeles (With Kids)

I had a great response to my post on The Top Ten Things To Do In Los Angeles For Less Than Five Dollars, so I thought I would do a similar post with a kid-specific twist. All of the destinations on my first list are kid-friendly, including the Getty, the Huntington Gardens Children’s Garden, and the Petersen Automotive Museum. If you are looking for more everyone-in-the-family-friendly things to do – check it out. The list below, however, is handy on these days when you need exhaust your children so that you can get some sleep yourself.

Presenting,

The Top Ten Things to Do In Los Angeles With Kids

1. Adventureplex: This indoor climbing extravaganza is a great workout for kids (and moms, if you follow them in there) and serves good, healthy food suited to every taste in the on-site restaurant.

2. Playa Vista Water Park: This gated, clean, and quiet area with randomly timed water jets has just enough water to keep the kids happy but not so much that your seats get drenched on the ride home.

3. Los Angeles Zoo: The LA Zoo may not be the best in the country, but it is a fun day worth the trip. Walking around in Griffith Park, where the Zoo is located, is its own treat.

4. Treehouse Social Club: The Treehouse is small, but has a wide variety of toys, games, and climbing zones to make things interesting for a few hours. They, too, serve good food for parents and kids, as well as a wide variety of drinks and snacks.

5. Noah’s Ark at the Skirball Cultural Center: An amazing engineering feat, Noah’s Ark is something we return to often. This is LA’s best activity for kids.


6. Aquarium of the Pacific: Located in Long Beach, this Aquarium is a bit of a drive from LA proper, but their hands-on displays and kid-friendly set up are worth it.

7. Kidspace Museum: This fantastic facility in Pasadena is truly amazing. Water play, science exploration, climbing towers, more water play, a river with a water wheel, and good food make this place one of our favorites.

8. 2 for 1 Disneyland/California Adventure: Disney regularly offers a “2 parks for the price of 1″ deal to LA residents that you should not pass up.  California Adventure, the sister park next to Disneyland, is great fun, and features far more of the Pixar movies and characters that our kids are familiar with than Disneyland proper does. Don’t let this deal pass you by.

9. California Science Center: To encourage the budding scientist in your life, check out the Science Center’s awe-inspiring collection of jets, planes, and space exploration gear. This place is extremely kid-friendly and has lots of scientific demonstrations to keep older kids interested.

10. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: The kids section of the museum is a solid addition to a somewhat mediocre collection. The Museum is currently under construction and will be completely redone by the end of 2010. However, it is still worth at least one visit now, if only to see the mineral collection and the giant shark.

Tagged as: cheap, cheap activities for kids, Griffith Park, kid friendly, kids, Kids and Teens, Kidspace Museum, Los Angeles California, Los Angeles Zoo, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Petersen Automotive Museum, Skirball Cultural Center, United States