72 awesome things to do with kids in L.A. before they grow up
Even in a place like Los Angeles, which is chock-full of activities, history and everyday wonders, parents and other guardians of children are still struck with anxiety when they hear the words: “What are we dooooing todaaaaay?”
(The question is usually asked in a tone that says, “And do not tell me we’re going to the same playground we’ve already been to six times this week.”)
We get it. Ideas can run dry, especially for busy moms, dads and caregivers. But L.A. is brimming with engaging and totally fun family-friendly spaces — and exploring them all through the bright eyes of a kid can help you fall in love with the city in entirely new ways.
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In this guide, we share 72 things to do with children in and around Los Angeles — memorable activities to fit every age, interest, energy level and attention span (and for grownups, every budget). Your youngster can scale a make-believe skyscraper at a rock-climbing gym, construct a sculpture out of wood scraps at a maker space, watch a sea lion belly-slide at a marine mammal rescue center — all within SoCal borders.
All of the experiences here have been road-tested by Times writers and contributors, many with kids of our own. The list is primarily geared for the 13-and-under set, but older teens and other childlike souls would enjoy quite a few of the activities as well. We’ve skipped some of the obvious destinations, such as theme parks, most neighborhood parks and farmers markets (though we have highly specific guides for those too).
The days are long but childhood is short, so make some core memories around town. Your kids will come home happy, more connected to the city and — fingers crossed — ready for a nap. It’s a win all around. — Michelle Woo, West Coast experiences editor
Showing Places
(Robyn Breen Shinn / For The Times)
Jump into a lake of slime at Sloomoo Institute Los Angeles
Beverly Grove Experience
Sticky, gooey, gloppy slime continues to be an obsession for the children of today’s generation, and as a mother, let me just say: I think it’s time we all join the craze! Really, there’s something addictively hypnotic about the substance, which you can experience in all its glory at the Sloomoo Institute, L.A.’s first and only slime museum. Housed in a boxy, Barbie-pink building on Fairfax Avenue, Sloomoo lets you interact with slime in more ways than you’ve probably ever considered. You can get doused under a waterfall of slime (you’re protected with a poncho and shower cap). You can feel slime under your bare feet at Sloomoo Lake. You can catapult slime at unsuspecting family members. You can stretch slime, you can squish slime, you can stick globs of slime onto a wall of slime.
And you can make your own slime, which was a highlight for me and my 11-year-old daughter. The process requires quite a bit of tough decisionmaking. What texture would you like? Butter? Clear? Cloud creme? Jelly? Icee? And what scent do you prefer? There’s a wall of different sample smells, from gummy bears to fresh-baked bread to dirt. Finally, you have to choose your color and mix-ins (tiny toys to mix into your slime). For parents, perhaps the best part of Sloomoo Institute is that you get to leave the mess there. All of it. After getting a few specks of slime in her hair, my daughter took a trip to the makeshift Sloomoo Salon, where a friendly staff member got it out with slime-resistant vinegar.
And you can make your own slime, which was a highlight for me and my 11-year-old daughter. The process requires quite a bit of tough decisionmaking. What texture would you like? Butter? Clear? Cloud creme? Jelly? Icee? And what scent do you prefer? There’s a wall of different sample smells, from gummy bears to fresh-baked bread to dirt. Finally, you have to choose your color and mix-ins (tiny toys to mix into your slime). For parents, perhaps the best part of Sloomoo Institute is that you get to leave the mess there. All of it. After getting a few specks of slime in her hair, my daughter took a trip to the makeshift Sloomoo Salon, where a friendly staff member got it out with slime-resistant vinegar.
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(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Watch puppets dance at eye level at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater
Los Angeles County Attraction
It’s always a treat to take a seat in the Bob Baker Marionette Theater and submit to the utterly analog charm of puppets on strings.
Bob Baker founded the theater in 1963 with partner Alton Wood, created thousands of marionettes and ran the outfit for decades in a rustic cinderblock-walled space near the edge of downtown Los Angeles. Legions of pint-sized Angelenos passed through, many of whom are now grandparents.
Since Baker’s death in 2014 at age 90, the troupe has moved to a splendid (and very red) space on York Avenue at the border of Highland Park and Eagle Rock.
The venue holds fewer than 100 people, and most kids sit “criss-cross applesauce” style on the carpet in front. Weekend shows (usually three on Saturdays) typically begin with jaunty organ intro music by Mr. Ed Torres, followed by about an hourlong presentation that features 100 or more marionettes, which waltz madly, sing operatically, bat eyelashes and operate right at a kid’s eye level. At the end of most shows (don’t tell the kids), there’s surprise ice cream.
Bob Baker founded the theater in 1963 with partner Alton Wood, created thousands of marionettes and ran the outfit for decades in a rustic cinderblock-walled space near the edge of downtown Los Angeles. Legions of pint-sized Angelenos passed through, many of whom are now grandparents.
Since Baker’s death in 2014 at age 90, the troupe has moved to a splendid (and very red) space on York Avenue at the border of Highland Park and Eagle Rock.
The venue holds fewer than 100 people, and most kids sit “criss-cross applesauce” style on the carpet in front. Weekend shows (usually three on Saturdays) typically begin with jaunty organ intro music by Mr. Ed Torres, followed by about an hourlong presentation that features 100 or more marionettes, which waltz madly, sing operatically, bat eyelashes and operate right at a kid’s eye level. At the end of most shows (don’t tell the kids), there’s surprise ice cream.
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(Alon Goldsmith / For The Times)
Get a magical, people-powered history lesson at the Venice Flying Carousel
Venice Family Ride
Artist Robin Murez’s whimsical, human-powered merry-go-round is interactive public art at its finest, serving up a children’s amusement-park attraction with a side of Venice history that parents will appreciate. Offering free rides to the little ones for just an hour each Saturday and Sunday (currently 11 a.m. to noon) from a temporary home along Linnie Canal, it can accommodate up to 15 kids, who choose from a handful of hanging swings, a chariot or one of eight animals, each lovingly hand-carved out of basswood by Murez. Among them are Robbie, an ostrich with a heart of gold (a nod to the ostrich farms of Abbot Kinney’s day), Arielle, a cape-wearing lioness (an homage to the winged-lion symbol of Italy’s Venetian Republic) and Paa’ar, a Tongva turtle whose presence references the original Indigenous inhabitants of the area. The mechanics of the machine itself, Murez says, reference the rides made by the Dentzel Carousel Co. that could be found in Venice in the early 1900s.
Murez’s kinetic history lesson, which eventually will have a permanent home in Venice’s Centennial Park (she’s gathering petition signatures to speed up the stalled process), delights approximately 30 kids (120 pounds max) each hourlong session. They’re buckled onto Orson the duck, Joelle L’Escargot (a crown-wearing snail), Ribbon the unicorn or one of their carved companions for a brief ride propelled by the artist (or a helper), who stands in the center energetically cranking what looks like a ship’s wheel. “I’ve learned carousel etiquette,” Murez said about how long each ride lasts. “It goes on for the length of one song, so that’s about two minutes. I play a lot of Frank Sinatra, I play Brazilian jazz. I take requests.” My request, no doubt shared by the local parents who bring their children two or three times a month to squeal with delight as they soar around the circle: Give the magical menagerie its forever home as soon as possible. In addition to the scheduled hour each weekend day, Murez’s magical carousel is open by appointment for special events like birthday parties.
Murez’s kinetic history lesson, which eventually will have a permanent home in Venice’s Centennial Park (she’s gathering petition signatures to speed up the stalled process), delights approximately 30 kids (120 pounds max) each hourlong session. They’re buckled onto Orson the duck, Joelle L’Escargot (a crown-wearing snail), Ribbon the unicorn or one of their carved companions for a brief ride propelled by the artist (or a helper), who stands in the center energetically cranking what looks like a ship’s wheel. “I’ve learned carousel etiquette,” Murez said about how long each ride lasts. “It goes on for the length of one song, so that’s about two minutes. I play a lot of Frank Sinatra, I play Brazilian jazz. I take requests.” My request, no doubt shared by the local parents who bring their children two or three times a month to squeal with delight as they soar around the circle: Give the magical menagerie its forever home as soon as possible. In addition to the scheduled hour each weekend day, Murez’s magical carousel is open by appointment for special events like birthday parties.
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(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Ride a train through a lovely oak grove at the Descanso Railroad
La Cañada Flintridge Botanic Garden
The Descanso Railroad train ride inside Descanso Gardens is open to riders once again, and model trains winding their way around a new railway garden are charming a new generation of engine-obsessed little kids. Imagine a garden where cedar trunks and fallen branches from nearby oaks uphold an overhead miniature railway, with more rails and trains running at toddler eye level.
The model train area is modestly sized; a brisk walk around it with brief stops to admire the tiny train stations would take only a couple of minutes. But with a lingering toddler, you could be here for hours. The walkways are wide enough to accommodate ample stroller traffic, and the low fences let kids get a full view.
The train ride — a ⅛ scale model of a diesel engine — first arrived at Descanso Gardens as a seasonal attraction in the 1980s and became a permanent feature in 1996. It closed in 2023 for a renovation, including an upgrade to be completely electric. Riders take a 4 mph train trip looping under the oak trees that lasts six minutes. You straddle a low bench to ride, rendering it not entirely skirt-friendly.
There is also, naturally, an on-site gift shop in the shape of a train car.
The model train area is modestly sized; a brisk walk around it with brief stops to admire the tiny train stations would take only a couple of minutes. But with a lingering toddler, you could be here for hours. The walkways are wide enough to accommodate ample stroller traffic, and the low fences let kids get a full view.
The train ride — a ⅛ scale model of a diesel engine — first arrived at Descanso Gardens as a seasonal attraction in the 1980s and became a permanent feature in 1996. It closed in 2023 for a renovation, including an upgrade to be completely electric. Riders take a 4 mph train trip looping under the oak trees that lasts six minutes. You straddle a low bench to ride, rendering it not entirely skirt-friendly.
There is also, naturally, an on-site gift shop in the shape of a train car.
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(Michelle Woo / Los Angeles Times)
Burst into giggles at a 'Pull My Finger' comedy show at the Crow
Santa Monica Comedy Show
Laughter, shrieks and knee slaps erupt inside the Crow, a comedy club tucked in a corner of Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station.
Except at this performance, the seats are mostly filled with audience members who rode to the club in car seats and whose drink of choice is chocolate milk. “Pull My Finger” is a G-rated comedy show that gets families giggling with highly interactive improv games in the style of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” The in-house troupe, Happy Crow Lucky, acts out scenes prompted by words and scenarios blurted out by young members of the crowd (fair warning: The plot often ends up involving poop, farts and “skibidi”). Each show is packed with a hefty number of puns, which dads will appreciate, and chances for your little ones to be part of the skits onstage. When I attended, there was also a special performance by Those Klein Boys, two rapping brothers who revved up the audience with their made-up-on-the-spot lyrics inspired by the day’s show. (How they were effortlessly able to think of phrases that rhyme with “bakery in Hawaii” is a true gift.)
“Pull My Finger,” which I’d say is best for kids ages 4 to 12 and their families, happens every third Saturday of the month. The Crow also hosts “BYOB(aby/ottle/uggy),” a totally adult comedy show for parents of babies (who are too young to understand the jokes), and “IRL,” a show for teens.
Except at this performance, the seats are mostly filled with audience members who rode to the club in car seats and whose drink of choice is chocolate milk. “Pull My Finger” is a G-rated comedy show that gets families giggling with highly interactive improv games in the style of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” The in-house troupe, Happy Crow Lucky, acts out scenes prompted by words and scenarios blurted out by young members of the crowd (fair warning: The plot often ends up involving poop, farts and “skibidi”). Each show is packed with a hefty number of puns, which dads will appreciate, and chances for your little ones to be part of the skits onstage. When I attended, there was also a special performance by Those Klein Boys, two rapping brothers who revved up the audience with their made-up-on-the-spot lyrics inspired by the day’s show. (How they were effortlessly able to think of phrases that rhyme with “bakery in Hawaii” is a true gift.)
“Pull My Finger,” which I’d say is best for kids ages 4 to 12 and their families, happens every third Saturday of the month. The Crow also hosts “BYOB(aby/ottle/uggy),” a totally adult comedy show for parents of babies (who are too young to understand the jokes), and “IRL,” a show for teens.
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(Alisha Jucevic / For The Times)
Zoom down the Inglewood Pumptrack, a 'Disneyland for bikes'
Inglewood Park
Inside the sprawling Edward Vincent Jr. Park, there’s an area that’s always alive with action: the Inglewood Pumptrack. On the wavy, asphalt track that almost looks like a modern sculpture emerging out of a grassy field, kids and adults on bicycles zoom around, showcasing tricks and testing their endurance on hills, rollers and berms. On a pump track, instead of pedaling or pushing the bike forward, riders do an up-and-down pumping motion with their body to maintain momentum.
The site — launched by Grow Cycling Foundation and billed as L.A.’s first pump track — features two asphalt courses, the Woodlands and World Championship tracks. Woodlands, which is smaller and surrounds a host of trees, has smaller rollers and is designed for slower speeds, whereas the colossus World Championship track, which is wider with large rollers, was built in a mirrored design so two riders can race in opposite directions at the same time. Both tracks are open to all ages and levels.
Ameri de Vera, 9, who rides BMX on the Inglewood Pumptrack at least twice a month with her older sister, says, “I was scared at first because you have to get used to how it sways. It sways in different directions and there’s some sharp turns too. So you have to keep your eye on those, but it was really fun once I got used to it.”
Other wheels such as skateboards, longboards and rollerblades are welcome at the pump track on specific days of the week.
The site — launched by Grow Cycling Foundation and billed as L.A.’s first pump track — features two asphalt courses, the Woodlands and World Championship tracks. Woodlands, which is smaller and surrounds a host of trees, has smaller rollers and is designed for slower speeds, whereas the colossus World Championship track, which is wider with large rollers, was built in a mirrored design so two riders can race in opposite directions at the same time. Both tracks are open to all ages and levels.
Ameri de Vera, 9, who rides BMX on the Inglewood Pumptrack at least twice a month with her older sister, says, “I was scared at first because you have to get used to how it sways. It sways in different directions and there’s some sharp turns too. So you have to keep your eye on those, but it was really fun once I got used to it.”
Other wheels such as skateboards, longboards and rollerblades are welcome at the pump track on specific days of the week.
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(Wesley Lapointe / Los Angeles Times)
Swing, leap and face-plant at American Ninja Warrior Adventure Park
Santa Ana Indoor Playground
In the upper reaches of Santa Ana’s MainPlace mall lies American Ninja Warrior Adventure Park, a shrunken version of the popular NBC show in which contestants try to climb, swing and leap toward a million-dollar grand prize. Here, though, the main rewards are a good sweat and a sense of accomplishment.
After checking in and stowing your stuff in a locker, put on your gloves and socks and start anywhere you like. You can crawl all over the inflatable course or take on any of its five more challenging tests. Try everything, in any order. The artists and engineers who built the park did an amazing job of re-creating the show’s aesthetic, using black ceilings and walls to create depth and an impressive lighting system that casts a red and blue glow over everything beneath it.
Just be warned: The park’s obstacle courses are hard. Each is about 20 yards long and starts with an unstable path to be traversed on foot. After that comes a smorgasbord of hanging by your hands, followed by tests of grit, critical thinking and dynamic balance. The spinning log in the middle of course No. 4 was my vicious adversary. ANWAP is supposed to be for all ages, but this 10-foot cylindrical section of it was not intended for 50-year-olds with janky lower backs.
After checking in and stowing your stuff in a locker, put on your gloves and socks and start anywhere you like. You can crawl all over the inflatable course or take on any of its five more challenging tests. Try everything, in any order. The artists and engineers who built the park did an amazing job of re-creating the show’s aesthetic, using black ceilings and walls to create depth and an impressive lighting system that casts a red and blue glow over everything beneath it.
Just be warned: The park’s obstacle courses are hard. Each is about 20 yards long and starts with an unstable path to be traversed on foot. After that comes a smorgasbord of hanging by your hands, followed by tests of grit, critical thinking and dynamic balance. The spinning log in the middle of course No. 4 was my vicious adversary. ANWAP is supposed to be for all ages, but this 10-foot cylindrical section of it was not intended for 50-year-olds with janky lower backs.
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(Funbox)
Bounce away boredom at L.A.'s Funbox bounce park
Arcadia Indoor Playground
Glue together all the birthday party bouncy castles in your neighborhood on any given Saturday afternoon and you might come close to the 25,000 square feet of delight that is Funbox. Rainbow-colored, character-strewn and endlessly cheerful, this Arcadia funhouse at the Shops at Santa Anita mall is conveniently situated near the food court, Dave & Busters, Jump N’ Jammin and Bowlero.
Inside, you and your kids don grip socks (BYO or buy there) and bounce for up to 90 minutes across a massive landscape including a jousting station, obstacle course, ninja wall and 23-foot slide. Everything you moon-walk across is inflated, so there’s no reason to stop bouncing — don’t be surprised if, egged on by your kids, you log 30,000 steps during your trip. Kids under 13 need to be with an adult, but only kids 5 and under need an adult bouncing with them. The tickets are rather steep in comparison with other playspaces ($22 for ages 6 and over, $12 for ages 3 to 5, $59 for a family four-pack and toddlers up to 2 are free), but the tranquility in the car afterward should be worth it.
Inside, you and your kids don grip socks (BYO or buy there) and bounce for up to 90 minutes across a massive landscape including a jousting station, obstacle course, ninja wall and 23-foot slide. Everything you moon-walk across is inflated, so there’s no reason to stop bouncing — don’t be surprised if, egged on by your kids, you log 30,000 steps during your trip. Kids under 13 need to be with an adult, but only kids 5 and under need an adult bouncing with them. The tickets are rather steep in comparison with other playspaces ($22 for ages 6 and over, $12 for ages 3 to 5, $59 for a family four-pack and toddlers up to 2 are free), but the tranquility in the car afterward should be worth it.
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(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
Get tricked at Sunday brunch at Magic Castle
Hollywood Hills Magic Club
The Magic Castle, a den of mystery and prestidigitation in a customized Hollywood hilltop mansion, is adults-only — except for brunch performances on weekends, when children are welcome. Inside you’ll find a dash of Vegas, a dash of Hollywood history and a dash of deep magic geekdom — more Harry Houdini, less Harry Potter. With an invitation from a member (or a booking at the neighboring Magic Castle Hotel), you can make a reservation, turn up in classy attire (the club’s strict dress code eases a bit for the brunch set but still “adheres to a classic sensibility”), then step through the secret door (pssst! bookcase!). You’re obliged to order the buffet in the snazzy dining room (for nonmembers, it’s $75 for adults, $30 for kids). Proceed to a magic show in the main theater, then meander through the mansion, dropping in on card tricksters, sleight-of-hand artists and other entertainers.
Bonus tip: The Magic Castle Hotel is a converted 1950s apartment building, not nearly as fancy as the castle. Room rates start about $225 (and most units have kitchens). The furniture and grounds are worn, but we had alert service. And that red phone by the pool? That’s the free popsicle hotline.
Bonus tip: The Magic Castle Hotel is a converted 1950s apartment building, not nearly as fancy as the castle. Room rates start about $225 (and most units have kitchens). The furniture and grounds are worn, but we had alert service. And that red phone by the pool? That’s the free popsicle hotline.
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(Jennelle Fong / For The Times)
Win your dream plushie in the claw machines at the Neofuns Arcade
Monterey Park Games $
A row of pink, blue, green and purple machines beckons with windows full of plush toys at the center and along the walls of the arcade. On a busy Saturday, it’s almost a 1-to-1 mix of kids and adults with their faces pressed up against the glass of the machines, their hands deftly working to maneuver the claws over rainbow balls, stuffed bears and ducks in bow ties. The arcade is open until 11 p.m. on weekends, so expect the dueling air hockey players to jump in age as the night progresses. Pokémon fans will be especially pleased to find a smiling Pikachu featured as a prize in some of the machines. There’s a decent selection of play-for-tickets games too, with Air Dino basketball and Skee-Ball, and plenty of plush toys, knickknacks and even a coffeemaker you can snag for a certain number of tickets. If you manage to collect more than 150,000 tickets, you can usually turn them in for a toy that’s larger than your body.
Neofuns Arcade joins a crop of adorable claw machine arcades that have descended upon SoCal. Also check out the Clawcade in Torrance, Kawaii Klaws (multiple locations) and Claw Daddy Arcades in Montebello.
Neofuns Arcade joins a crop of adorable claw machine arcades that have descended upon SoCal. Also check out the Clawcade in Torrance, Kawaii Klaws (multiple locations) and Claw Daddy Arcades in Montebello.
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(Robyn Breen Shinn / For The Times)
Scale skyscrapers at Sender City
Westchester Climbing Gym
If you’ve got a miniature stunt kid, Spider-Man or Ghost Spider, they’ll love swinging their way to Sender City, vertical climbing playgrounds inside three Sender One climbing gyms — Westchester (marked on this map), Santa Ana and Lakewood. In this scalable metropolis, colorful walls are designed to look like roads, skyscrapers and circuit boards.
The climbing features are both static and kinetic, with kinetic routes made of tires that sway while climbing, providing an additional challenge. Two kids can weave their way through the spiderweb-shaped climb together. The thrilling jump-catch tower has little ones leap to catch a climbing bag (while attached to a harness, of course), while they grab glow-in-the-dark holds in the Mineshaft. Whether it’s your kids’ first time climbing or they climb every week, they’ll find ample challenges — or they can later head into the rest of the gym for harder routes.
Climbers ages 10 and older can clip themselves into auto-belays (under 10 must be clipped by parents), meaning the rope automatically catches and lowers them without the use of a human belayer. Both climbing shoes and regular close-toed shoes are permitted, and climbers must wear helmets and harnesses (athletic clothing is recommended, and you’ll want to bring socks for the slide). Advance reservations and on-site waivers are required for all parents and kids, even those who don’t climb, and all climbers must weigh between 35 and 300 pounds. Arrive 15 to 30 minutes early so you have time to change and sign waivers and still participate in a full session. To find other kid-friendly climbing gyms to visit, check out our guide.
The climbing features are both static and kinetic, with kinetic routes made of tires that sway while climbing, providing an additional challenge. Two kids can weave their way through the spiderweb-shaped climb together. The thrilling jump-catch tower has little ones leap to catch a climbing bag (while attached to a harness, of course), while they grab glow-in-the-dark holds in the Mineshaft. Whether it’s your kids’ first time climbing or they climb every week, they’ll find ample challenges — or they can later head into the rest of the gym for harder routes.
Climbers ages 10 and older can clip themselves into auto-belays (under 10 must be clipped by parents), meaning the rope automatically catches and lowers them without the use of a human belayer. Both climbing shoes and regular close-toed shoes are permitted, and climbers must wear helmets and harnesses (athletic clothing is recommended, and you’ll want to bring socks for the slide). Advance reservations and on-site waivers are required for all parents and kids, even those who don’t climb, and all climbers must weigh between 35 and 300 pounds. Arrive 15 to 30 minutes early so you have time to change and sign waivers and still participate in a full session. To find other kid-friendly climbing gyms to visit, check out our guide.
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(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)
Ride the world's shortest railway for $1
Downtown L.A. Historic landmark
Billed as the “world’s shortest railway,” Angels Flight gives downtown a mini, theme-park-like attraction. More than 100 years old, the cable railway built on an incline, which today runs between Hill Street and California Plaza connecting L.A.’s Bunker Hill neighborhood and downtown’s Historic Core, once ferried about 4,000 passengers daily. Today, it sits about half a block from its original location.
The tiny funicular railway — it’s a charmer — is a must-do at least once. Tack it on, for instance, to a visit to Grand Central Market. One-way rides are $1 apiece and, at the time of publication, Metro Tap Card users get a discount. Fun fact: Its two cars, built in a Beaux-Arts architectural style, are named Sinai and Olivet.
The tiny funicular railway — it’s a charmer — is a must-do at least once. Tack it on, for instance, to a visit to Grand Central Market. One-way rides are $1 apiece and, at the time of publication, Metro Tap Card users get a discount. Fun fact: Its two cars, built in a Beaux-Arts architectural style, are named Sinai and Olivet.
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(Ridemakerz)
Assemble a remote control car and let it race at Ridemakerz
Anaheim Toy Store
Before me lay the chassis of a remote control car and a stack of wheels. And the clock was ticking. I fumbled with a wheel and hesitated to attach it to the vehicle’s base. I was losing precious time. “You’re not going to break it,” said Matt Ducheny, who runs the Anaheim outpost of Ridemakerz. With Ducheny’s assurance, I was comfortable to apply a little pressure, and my car suddenly was snapping into place.
Next, I had to affix the chassis to the base. I had chosen a sporty model. Standing around an oval-shaped workbench, I grabbed the drill hanging before me and my mini red Corvette became a reality. All told, it took me 90 seconds to construct a car. That time wasn’t bad, I was told, but I knew I had lost a good 30 seconds bungling with the wheels.
Ridemakerz aims to make the car crafting experience simple and efficient, creating a workbench set up designed to feel like a tiny pit stop. I kept things relatively basic, but the franchise boasts that it has more than 649 car combinations. There are, for instance, standard wheels, or flame-enhanced ones, not to mention dozens of rims, an assortment of grills and a host of light-up side pipes. A basic electric car starts at about $29.99, with remote control add-ons beginning at $25.
All told, I had a car zipping around the floor of the store in about 20 minutes. Now I just need someone to race with.
Next, I had to affix the chassis to the base. I had chosen a sporty model. Standing around an oval-shaped workbench, I grabbed the drill hanging before me and my mini red Corvette became a reality. All told, it took me 90 seconds to construct a car. That time wasn’t bad, I was told, but I knew I had lost a good 30 seconds bungling with the wheels.
Ridemakerz aims to make the car crafting experience simple and efficient, creating a workbench set up designed to feel like a tiny pit stop. I kept things relatively basic, but the franchise boasts that it has more than 649 car combinations. There are, for instance, standard wheels, or flame-enhanced ones, not to mention dozens of rims, an assortment of grills and a host of light-up side pipes. A basic electric car starts at about $29.99, with remote control add-ons beginning at $25.
All told, I had a car zipping around the floor of the store in about 20 minutes. Now I just need someone to race with.
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(Etan Rosenbloom)
Enter a fantastical wonderland at La Laguna de San Gabriel
San Gabriel Valley Park
Tucked inside Vincent Lugo Park in San Gabriel is a fantastical wonderland of 14 concrete sea creatures, populating an ocean of sand. You’ll find a giant whale with a slide for a tongue, a jaunty octopus named Ozzie, two dragons and a larger-than-life starfish, all ready to be climbed atop, slid down or just grinned at. This is La Laguna de San Gabriel, the creation of master concrete artisan Benjamin Dominguez. It’s impossible to not fall in love with the place.
Opened in 1965, La Laguna was the final project in a career that took Dominguez from his native Mexico to El Paso to Las Vegas and finally to Los Angeles. In L.A., you can find his whimsical play sculptures at Whittier Narrows and the Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove. But La Laguna was Dominguez’s masterpiece, an immersive environment where the creatures seem to exist in communion with one another.
Today, it’s also a great example of community preservation efforts in action. When it faced demolition in 2006, a group of locals formed Friends of La Laguna to save it. They raised some $700,000 to restore and preserve the playground, piece by piece.
Opened in 1965, La Laguna was the final project in a career that took Dominguez from his native Mexico to El Paso to Las Vegas and finally to Los Angeles. In L.A., you can find his whimsical play sculptures at Whittier Narrows and the Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove. But La Laguna was Dominguez’s masterpiece, an immersive environment where the creatures seem to exist in communion with one another.
Today, it’s also a great example of community preservation efforts in action. When it faced demolition in 2006, a group of locals formed Friends of La Laguna to save it. They raised some $700,000 to restore and preserve the playground, piece by piece.
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(Marine Mammal Care Center)
Watch sea lions belly-slide at Marine Mammal Care Center
San Pedro Animal Care
A visit to Marine Mammal Care Center makes for an easy family activity — kids can watch adorable seals and sea lions glide on their bellies, splash into pools and snag fresh fish out of volunteers’ hands. But the intimate center nestled in San Pedro’s Angels Gate Park does much more than prompt squeals and awws. A nonprofit originally launched out of the former Marineland, it’s renowned for its marine conservation efforts, rescuing more marine mammals per mile of coastline than any other organization in the U.S.
Sick, injured and abandoned seals and sea lions are regularly brought into the safe haven — you can find the current numbers on a whiteboard. One former patient, a sea lion named Sal, was found with a gill net wrapped around his neck. Another named Lynn was stranded after escaping an encounter with a shark. The animals are cared for by staff and volunteers, who administer medication, monitor the quality of the pool water and take progress notes. You can view the patients from a safe distance during a free visit, which you can schedule on the center’s website. While there, spend some time in the revamped visitor center, where your kids can learn more about ocean conservation with hands-on activities and perhaps pick up a fluffy seal pup stuffed animal on their way out.
Sick, injured and abandoned seals and sea lions are regularly brought into the safe haven — you can find the current numbers on a whiteboard. One former patient, a sea lion named Sal, was found with a gill net wrapped around his neck. Another named Lynn was stranded after escaping an encounter with a shark. The animals are cared for by staff and volunteers, who administer medication, monitor the quality of the pool water and take progress notes. You can view the patients from a safe distance during a free visit, which you can schedule on the center’s website. While there, spend some time in the revamped visitor center, where your kids can learn more about ocean conservation with hands-on activities and perhaps pick up a fluffy seal pup stuffed animal on their way out.
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(Michelle Woo / Los Angeles Times)
Make a sushi platter or beach cottage out of candy at Candified
Long Beach Candy Shop
There are a good number of candy shops to stumble into around Southern California, charming places where you can satisfy your sudden craving for an Abba-Zaba. But few are as impeccably curated — or multihyphenated — as Candified. Is the bright Belmont Shore space a Pop art gallery? A Color Me Mine-style craft studio? A purveyor of confections from the nostalgic (who remembers Chuckles?) to the trending on TikTok (Swedish candy is where it’s at, apparently). Yes, yes and absolutely yes.
Let’s start with the art. Hanging on the walls are giant framed portraits of icons — all made of candy. The Taylor Swift masterpiece uses 35,000 pieces and contains (gasp) 23,000 grams of sugar. Works depicting Lizzo, Harry Styles and “The Dance” by Keith Haring are equally jaw-dropping (and tooth-aching). The creations stem from the artistry of Candified co-founder Jackie Sorkin, who was the mastermind of Candytopia, one of L.A.’s original Instagram-era pop-up museums. She’s been called a modern-day Willy Wonka.
Then there’s the crafty studio. Kids can choose a project to create out of — you guessed it — candy. My kids were fully engaged in making sushi bento boxes for about an hour. Next time they might try assembling a beach cottage or pretty geode cookies.
Finally, there’s the candy shop itself, which carries both individually wrapped items and scoopable bulk candy. You’ll leave Candified with a high, both from the sugar and the sweet experience.
Let’s start with the art. Hanging on the walls are giant framed portraits of icons — all made of candy. The Taylor Swift masterpiece uses 35,000 pieces and contains (gasp) 23,000 grams of sugar. Works depicting Lizzo, Harry Styles and “The Dance” by Keith Haring are equally jaw-dropping (and tooth-aching). The creations stem from the artistry of Candified co-founder Jackie Sorkin, who was the mastermind of Candytopia, one of L.A.’s original Instagram-era pop-up museums. She’s been called a modern-day Willy Wonka.
Then there’s the crafty studio. Kids can choose a project to create out of — you guessed it — candy. My kids were fully engaged in making sushi bento boxes for about an hour. Next time they might try assembling a beach cottage or pretty geode cookies.
Finally, there’s the candy shop itself, which carries both individually wrapped items and scoopable bulk candy. You’ll leave Candified with a high, both from the sugar and the sweet experience.
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(Michelle Woo / Los Angeles Times)
Enter sticker heaven at Sticker Planet
Fairfax Sticker Shop
Sticker Planet sells one thing and that is stickers. Inside the snug, family-owned shop that’s been a favorite at the Original Farmers Market since 1992, you’ll find rolls of stickers along the walls and sheets of stickers in the aisles. You might enjoy the stickers of animals wearing fancy Victorian-era hats. Or stickers of the face of Ralphie from “A Christmas Story” with the words “Oh fudge!” Or maybe you fancy some fuzzy stickers of teddy bears in the hospital. The shop sells puffy stickers, holiday stickers, glow-in-the-dark stickers, stickers that smell like cotton candy or salami, and a few sticker-adjacent items like temporary tattoos and decals. There is an abundance of stickers, is what I am saying.
And it’s hard to pull your kids away — or leave the shop empty-handed. During a recent visit, my son scored a sheet of Spider-Man stickers and my daughter chose a jeweled alien in a rainbow-emitting spaceship. If there’s something specific you’re looking for — say, a sticker of bleary-eyed Garfield wearing pajamas and bunny slippers — ask one of the friendly staff members and they can likely help you locate it.
And it’s hard to pull your kids away — or leave the shop empty-handed. During a recent visit, my son scored a sheet of Spider-Man stickers and my daughter chose a jeweled alien in a rainbow-emitting spaceship. If there’s something specific you’re looking for — say, a sticker of bleary-eyed Garfield wearing pajamas and bunny slippers — ask one of the friendly staff members and they can likely help you locate it.
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(Tony Coelho / City of West Hollywood )
Hear tales fit for queens at Drag Story Hour
West Hollywood Library
When you’re a kid, what’s better than getting a story read to you on a Saturday morning? Having a story read to you surrounded by a bunch of other kids your age, and the story being read by a funny, beautiful drag queen dressed in a pageant dress who’s willing to dig through a tall stack of your favorite kids books.
Originally funded by West Hollywood’s Arts Division in 2017, this series at the West Hollywood branch of the L.A. County Public Library is produced by drag queen Pickle, who is also the city’s current Drag Laureate. While she has certain books that are her go-to titles, Pickle often rotates in topical tales based on the season. At the last Drag Story Hour that fell during Pride month, Pickle read books including “Rainbow Saurus,” “Cinderelliot” and “This Day in June.”
The event is free and held in the community room just off the front entrance of the West Hollywood Library. Drag Story Hour is held every other month on a Saturday. The next one happens on Dec. 7 at 11 a.m.
Originally funded by West Hollywood’s Arts Division in 2017, this series at the West Hollywood branch of the L.A. County Public Library is produced by drag queen Pickle, who is also the city’s current Drag Laureate. While she has certain books that are her go-to titles, Pickle often rotates in topical tales based on the season. At the last Drag Story Hour that fell during Pride month, Pickle read books including “Rainbow Saurus,” “Cinderelliot” and “This Day in June.”
The event is free and held in the community room just off the front entrance of the West Hollywood Library. Drag Story Hour is held every other month on a Saturday. The next one happens on Dec. 7 at 11 a.m.
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(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
Take selfies with pop culture icons at the Funko toy store
Hollywood Store
Dark and cavernous, the Funko store on Hollywood Boulevard is part toy store, part theme park. At 40,000 square feet, it’s twice the size of New York City’s FAO Schwarz and filled with elaborate installations featuring larger-than-life versions of the brand’s trademark Funko Pop figures — little bodies, oversized heads. On a recent visit, I walked past a model of Wakanda with a running waterfall; Funko Pop versions of Harry, Ron and Hermione from the Harry Potter series sitting at a wooden table with an empty spot (just for you!); and the stars of “The Little Mermaid” perched inside a shipwreck that reached to the ceiling. Donald Duck stood at the entrance to the Crown Hotel and at the back of the store the Demogorgon from “Stranger Things” appeared to be crashing through a wall. There is also a stand of kiosks where you can design your own Funko Pop for $30. It comes in a special Hollywood branded box and is usually ready for pickup within 15 minutes.
Long lines used to stretch down the street when the store first opened in November 2019, but that frenzy has since died down (although I’m told there’s often a rush after a matinee performance at the Pantages Theatre down the street). I saw plenty of toddlers enjoying the store, but this is also a great pick for hard-to-please tweens and teens. Older kids might also enjoy a visit to the Shake Shack next door or Amoeba Music across the street.
Long lines used to stretch down the street when the store first opened in November 2019, but that frenzy has since died down (although I’m told there’s often a rush after a matinee performance at the Pantages Theatre down the street). I saw plenty of toddlers enjoying the store, but this is also a great pick for hard-to-please tweens and teens. Older kids might also enjoy a visit to the Shake Shack next door or Amoeba Music across the street.
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(Michelle Woo / Los Angeles Times)
Unveil your proudest Lego build at Bricks & Minifigs
Lomita Toy Store
For Lego fans, if it’s a shiny new set you’re after — the new Super Mario expansion or Minecraft house, perhaps — well, you can find that at any official Lego Store or big-box retailer. But if you’re looking to toss out the manuals, connect with a local community of builders and get a little weird with the bricks, you’ll want to head straight to Bricks & Minifigs.
It’s a Lego aftermarket shop with a handful of L.A. franchise locations, including the one I visited in Lomita. You can bring in your used Lego products to earn cash and, while there, pick up everything from loose bricks in bulk (take home whatever fits in a small bucket for $8) to rare retired sets (I spotted a 2017 Grand Admiral Thrawn minifigure selling for $200). At the Lomita store, owned by Miguel Zuniga, there’s a genuine family vibe — guests are invited to place their personal minifig (a customized Lego person) inside a Lego replica of the shop, showing that they’re part of the crew. And on the last Friday of every month, there’s BAMily Night, an event that welcomes Lego enthusiasts of any age to bring in a build they’re proud of and share it with others.
Sometimes, Zuniga will host meet-and-greets — recent guests have included Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, the creators of “LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy,” and “Lego Masters” contestant Allyson Gail. You’ll always see kids in the space, whether they’re competing in a Lego building contest or searching for that very specific brick they lost last Christmas.
It’s a Lego aftermarket shop with a handful of L.A. franchise locations, including the one I visited in Lomita. You can bring in your used Lego products to earn cash and, while there, pick up everything from loose bricks in bulk (take home whatever fits in a small bucket for $8) to rare retired sets (I spotted a 2017 Grand Admiral Thrawn minifigure selling for $200). At the Lomita store, owned by Miguel Zuniga, there’s a genuine family vibe — guests are invited to place their personal minifig (a customized Lego person) inside a Lego replica of the shop, showing that they’re part of the crew. And on the last Friday of every month, there’s BAMily Night, an event that welcomes Lego enthusiasts of any age to bring in a build they’re proud of and share it with others.
Sometimes, Zuniga will host meet-and-greets — recent guests have included Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, the creators of “LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy,” and “Lego Masters” contestant Allyson Gail. You’ll always see kids in the space, whether they’re competing in a Lego building contest or searching for that very specific brick they lost last Christmas.
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(Michelle Woo / Los Angeles Times)
Learn how to use power tools at Rediscover Center
Culver City Maker Space
What would happen if you took a space, filled it with discarded materials and invited people to go forth and make things? You might get something like the imaginative wonderland that is the Rediscover Center, a maker space that feels like a balm for our screen-warped brains.
I brought my husband and 5-year-old son to a family crafting session at the Venice location one Sunday morning and it was 75 minutes of blissful flow. Along the walls were rows of containers of donated treasures — bits of fabric, old zippers, tiny plastic toys, broken jewelry, packing peanuts, marbles and bottle caps — that we were welcome to grab from and bring back to our work table. What we did with those items was up to us. “What would we make today?” we wondered. There were plenty of creations around the room to keep us inspired. Mobiles made of toilet paper tubes! A space helmet fashioned out of metallic materials! Cardboard animal masks! In the end, my husband and son assembled a birdhouse-rocket hybrid while I created a DIY sign for my son’s room. We were proud of it all.
Rediscover Center, which also has a Mid-City space, also offers open tinkering sessions for those over 8 — there, after completing a tool training workshop, you can work with wood and tools like hammers, saws, drills and sanders. There are sustainability-focused camps and community events too. And if you have stuff at home you’re about to throw out — anything from berry baskets to old golf balls — why not donate it instead? Your trash might just become a stranger’s next masterpiece.
I brought my husband and 5-year-old son to a family crafting session at the Venice location one Sunday morning and it was 75 minutes of blissful flow. Along the walls were rows of containers of donated treasures — bits of fabric, old zippers, tiny plastic toys, broken jewelry, packing peanuts, marbles and bottle caps — that we were welcome to grab from and bring back to our work table. What we did with those items was up to us. “What would we make today?” we wondered. There were plenty of creations around the room to keep us inspired. Mobiles made of toilet paper tubes! A space helmet fashioned out of metallic materials! Cardboard animal masks! In the end, my husband and son assembled a birdhouse-rocket hybrid while I created a DIY sign for my son’s room. We were proud of it all.
Rediscover Center, which also has a Mid-City space, also offers open tinkering sessions for those over 8 — there, after completing a tool training workshop, you can work with wood and tools like hammers, saws, drills and sanders. There are sustainability-focused camps and community events too. And if you have stuff at home you’re about to throw out — anything from berry baskets to old golf balls — why not donate it instead? Your trash might just become a stranger’s next masterpiece.
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(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times)
See creatures in the Aquarium of the Pacific
Long Beach Aquarium
Although the aquarium teems with all manner of marine life, the undisputed star attractions here are the many and varied species of sea jellies that float about like living lava lamps. There are tanks full of pale-blue blubber jellies swirling about like animated mushrooms. You’ll also see smacks (yes, that’s the word for a group of them) of bell-shaped warty comb jellies twinkling like Christmas lights; majestic-looking, tentacle-trailing Pacific sea nettles; and fringed, Frisbee-like moon jellies fluttering like gelatinous pie tins.
Although the aquarium is open every day of the year (except Christmas Day), it’s worth paying a visit on a weekend between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. so you can pop by the Moon Jelly Touch Lab on the Harbor Terrace and hand-feed some of the Aurelia labiata yourself. Buy a condiment cup or two of brine shrimp (one for $3, two for $5; I highly recommend the latter), pour it into the water next to a jelly and watch tiny pink blobs appear inside its translucent bell, indicating its stomachs are filling with lunch. At this point, you should take the opportunity to reach out and lightly touch the moon jelly’s bell (you won’t get stung — its venom is too weak for humans to feel) so you can tell all your friends about that time you petted a jellyfish.
For a local perspective, check out the aquarium’s Southern California Gallery, which includes the California two-spot octopus, leopard and horn sharks, California scorpionfish, a moray eel, California spiny lobsters, Catalina goby and the state marine fish — the Garibaldi.
Although the aquarium is open every day of the year (except Christmas Day), it’s worth paying a visit on a weekend between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. so you can pop by the Moon Jelly Touch Lab on the Harbor Terrace and hand-feed some of the Aurelia labiata yourself. Buy a condiment cup or two of brine shrimp (one for $3, two for $5; I highly recommend the latter), pour it into the water next to a jelly and watch tiny pink blobs appear inside its translucent bell, indicating its stomachs are filling with lunch. At this point, you should take the opportunity to reach out and lightly touch the moon jelly’s bell (you won’t get stung — its venom is too weak for humans to feel) so you can tell all your friends about that time you petted a jellyfish.
For a local perspective, check out the aquarium’s Southern California Gallery, which includes the California two-spot octopus, leopard and horn sharks, California scorpionfish, a moray eel, California spiny lobsters, Catalina goby and the state marine fish — the Garibaldi.
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(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Behold the 1989 Batmobile (and other cool cars) at Petersen Automotive Museum
Mid-Wilshire Museum
Even those with minimal interest in cars can have plenty of fun at the Petersen, the massive automobile museum housed in that iconic red building covered in stainless steel ribbons on the Miracle Mile.
From the first functional car (which was built in 1886) to a life-size replica of Lightning McQueen from the Pixar movie “Cars,” the Petersen has plenty of flashy automobiles and factoids to marvel at.
Movie lovers can find the DeLorean from “Back to the Future,” Black Panther’s claw-marked Lexus, the 1989 Batmobile and Scooby-Doo’s Mystery Machine, among other car stars. The entire place feels a bit like a 3D encyclopedia, with perfectly organized collections of TV-famous vehicles and cars that belong to celebrities including Slash, Daniel Wu and Patrick Dempsey. Where else would you learn that athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Charles Barkley and Joe Namath inspired Lightning McQueen’s competitors in the “Cars” franchise?
For an additional charge, you can explore the Vault, where there are more than 200 automobiles, including race cars, lowriders and one-of-a-kind paint jobs. You can also sneak a peek at the 1998 Popemobile (designed for Pope John Paul II), the yellow van from “Little Miss Sunshine” (which was one of five used to film the movie) and a massive statue of the Michelin Man. On the first floor there’s the Meyers Manx Cafe, a perfect place to process all of your newfound car expertise and refuel with sandwiches and pizza.
From the first functional car (which was built in 1886) to a life-size replica of Lightning McQueen from the Pixar movie “Cars,” the Petersen has plenty of flashy automobiles and factoids to marvel at.
Movie lovers can find the DeLorean from “Back to the Future,” Black Panther’s claw-marked Lexus, the 1989 Batmobile and Scooby-Doo’s Mystery Machine, among other car stars. The entire place feels a bit like a 3D encyclopedia, with perfectly organized collections of TV-famous vehicles and cars that belong to celebrities including Slash, Daniel Wu and Patrick Dempsey. Where else would you learn that athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Charles Barkley and Joe Namath inspired Lightning McQueen’s competitors in the “Cars” franchise?
For an additional charge, you can explore the Vault, where there are more than 200 automobiles, including race cars, lowriders and one-of-a-kind paint jobs. You can also sneak a peek at the 1998 Popemobile (designed for Pope John Paul II), the yellow van from “Little Miss Sunshine” (which was one of five used to film the movie) and a massive statue of the Michelin Man. On the first floor there’s the Meyers Manx Cafe, a perfect place to process all of your newfound car expertise and refuel with sandwiches and pizza.
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(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Pick your own berries or sunflowers at Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark
U-pick Farm
Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark is serious about sustainable farming — both in its farming practices and in family-friendly events that draw visitors from near and far. It hosts farm camps in the summer, a Fall Harvest Festival, Christmas tree sales and Christmas on the Farm, complete with Santa, all while running nonstop farm tours and a fun center with games, shows, gold panning, riding trikes through a maze and feeding adorable farm animals. (Keep your eyes peeled for goats overhead — they’ve built an elaborate elevated trail for goats to wander the grounds.) There are also 40 acres of farm open to people eager to pick their own veggies and berries, with regular transportation to and from the picking sites.
The “pick your own” experience brings crowds of budding farmers to the farm — especially during strawberry season in the spring. You can check which crops are available for picking on any given week on the farm’s website.
The “pick your own” experience brings crowds of budding farmers to the farm — especially during strawberry season in the spring. You can check which crops are available for picking on any given week on the farm’s website.
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(Yakult U.S.A. )
Get schooled on probiotics (and meet a productive robot) on a free Yakult factory tour
Fountain Valley Factory Tour
If your kid loves opening those compact, foil-topped Yakult bottles and taking a swig, why not give them an inside look at how the sweet and slightly tangy probiotic beverage is produced?
On the free Yakult factory tour, you’ll watch a fun hologram presentation, interact with a huge touchscreen, learn about the history of the company and see how the drink is made, filled and sealed. And since all that activity may leave you parched, you’ll even get treated to a nice, cold bottle of Yakult.
Yakult was invented and developed in Japan by Dr. Minoru Shirota in 1935. It has since spread worldwide to more than 40 countrie,s and Sirota’s special strain — Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota — has been incorporated into many probiotic products and even skincare.
Inside the factory building in Fountain Valley, you’ll walk down a futuristic-looking hallway to see the entire production unfold: from the Seed Room, where the culturing of the probiotic strain takes place, to the Palletizing Room, where kids will be mesmerized by a robot methodically stacking the packaged Yakult bottles to prepare for shipment. Each room and the manufacturing stages are first explained in a short video — hosted by Mr. Yakult, the company’s kawaii mascot.
Recycling tip: Check with your local recycler, but Yakult bottles (and their foil lids) are known to bring in more money per pound than most other recyclable items.
Factory tours are open to those ages 5 and up, and are offered Monday through Friday (except holidays) at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made online here.
On the free Yakult factory tour, you’ll watch a fun hologram presentation, interact with a huge touchscreen, learn about the history of the company and see how the drink is made, filled and sealed. And since all that activity may leave you parched, you’ll even get treated to a nice, cold bottle of Yakult.
Yakult was invented and developed in Japan by Dr. Minoru Shirota in 1935. It has since spread worldwide to more than 40 countrie,s and Sirota’s special strain — Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota — has been incorporated into many probiotic products and even skincare.
Inside the factory building in Fountain Valley, you’ll walk down a futuristic-looking hallway to see the entire production unfold: from the Seed Room, where the culturing of the probiotic strain takes place, to the Palletizing Room, where kids will be mesmerized by a robot methodically stacking the packaged Yakult bottles to prepare for shipment. Each room and the manufacturing stages are first explained in a short video — hosted by Mr. Yakult, the company’s kawaii mascot.
Recycling tip: Check with your local recycler, but Yakult bottles (and their foil lids) are known to bring in more money per pound than most other recyclable items.
Factory tours are open to those ages 5 and up, and are offered Monday through Friday (except holidays) at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made online here.
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(Michelle Woo / Los Angeles Times)
Become a worker inside a bustling construction zone at Dig It
Torrance Children's play space
To step into Dig It is to walk into a bustling, scaled-down construction zone, albeit one dedicated to play rather than the building of infrastructure. It’s likely to be humming with noise and activity, as this place is geared equally toward imagination and assembly. Once your kid enters its shoe-free playground, there is no shortage of stackable, buildable playthings.
Foam shapes beckon them — they can construct a fort, a castle or maybe a car — as do wooden wheels and blocks, where large, simple-to-affix tools stand at the ready to be turned into vehicles, towers or more. An earthquake table — push a button and it shakes — turns tremors into a joyful experience, as they can see if their mini creations can withstand a good wobble. For kids who want to practice some grown-up activities, Dig It has toy-like excavators, but for those who just want to be silly, there’s a giant hamster wheel and multiple slides.
And there’s more: Magnetic walls filled with knobs and malleable ramps beg to be touched, racing ramps await whatever you may build and a conveyor belt is going to require teamwork. “Play is really how children learn,” says Crystal McGinnis, Dig It’s general manager. She nods to a young girl escorting multiple balls through tunnels and ramps affixed to a wall. “She is learning about science. She’s learning about cause and effect. She’s learning about gravity.”
Dig It dedicates its weekday mornings to toddlers, 5 and younger. They have free run of the space from 10 a.m. to noon, at which time Dig It allows in kids of all ages. Children’s admission starts at $21, and that includes one adult. Additional adults are $8.
Foam shapes beckon them — they can construct a fort, a castle or maybe a car — as do wooden wheels and blocks, where large, simple-to-affix tools stand at the ready to be turned into vehicles, towers or more. An earthquake table — push a button and it shakes — turns tremors into a joyful experience, as they can see if their mini creations can withstand a good wobble. For kids who want to practice some grown-up activities, Dig It has toy-like excavators, but for those who just want to be silly, there’s a giant hamster wheel and multiple slides.
And there’s more: Magnetic walls filled with knobs and malleable ramps beg to be touched, racing ramps await whatever you may build and a conveyor belt is going to require teamwork. “Play is really how children learn,” says Crystal McGinnis, Dig It’s general manager. She nods to a young girl escorting multiple balls through tunnels and ramps affixed to a wall. “She is learning about science. She’s learning about cause and effect. She’s learning about gravity.”
Dig It dedicates its weekday mornings to toddlers, 5 and younger. They have free run of the space from 10 a.m. to noon, at which time Dig It allows in kids of all ages. Children’s admission starts at $21, and that includes one adult. Additional adults are $8.
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(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Paddle a swan boat in Echo Park Lake
Echo Park Experience
On warm days, it’s hard to beat a ride on the swan boats at Echo Park. They’re powered by foot paddles, and the pedaling is easy because you’re in no hurry. Maybe you’ll want to do a circuit of the lake (really a man-made reservoir). Maybe you’ll sidle up to the towers of whitewater rising from the mid-lake fountain. Maybe you’ll wait until after dark (because the swans light up).
The boats are managed by Wheel Fun Rentals. All ages are welcome to ride the Swan Pedal Boats (operators even have infant life jackets). Guests under age 15 must have a parent or guardian over 18 years old on board. The small boats can seat two adults and two children under age 10. The large boats can seat up to five people. Hand-crank pedal boats also are available.
The boats are managed by Wheel Fun Rentals. All ages are welcome to ride the Swan Pedal Boats (operators even have infant life jackets). Guests under age 15 must have a parent or guardian over 18 years old on board. The small boats can seat two adults and two children under age 10. The large boats can seat up to five people. Hand-crank pedal boats also are available.
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(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Kick a field goal on a tour of SoFi Stadium
Inglewood Football Stadium
Any young sports fanatic would enjoy a tour of SoFi Stadium, but football fans will be especially impressed. It’s a fast-paced, roughly 60-minute swing through the stadium that starts in the VIP entrance and takes you from the bleachers to the locker room. The biggest thrill is when you’re let onto the field and have ample time to hone your throwing, kicking and running skills.
Along the way, the tour guide drops some interesting bits of knowledge: The entire stadium is 100 feet underground. Magic Johnson always requests chicken fingers when he’s dining there. The enormous video screen contraption weighs 2.2 million pounds. And my favorite tidbit: The birds are kept away from the stadium by hawks that are wrangled by a bird handler named Tango, who lives on the premises. There are three price levels of tours — we opted for the midpriced version that offered the field experience as well as access to the beautifully curated Kinsey African American Art & History Collection, which was well worth the upsell.
Tours are offered daily and are priced at $45, $57 and $68 depending on the level of access. Dates and times vary depending on games and events taking place; check the schedule here for available times and to purchase tickets.
Along the way, the tour guide drops some interesting bits of knowledge: The entire stadium is 100 feet underground. Magic Johnson always requests chicken fingers when he’s dining there. The enormous video screen contraption weighs 2.2 million pounds. And my favorite tidbit: The birds are kept away from the stadium by hawks that are wrangled by a bird handler named Tango, who lives on the premises. There are three price levels of tours — we opted for the midpriced version that offered the field experience as well as access to the beautifully curated Kinsey African American Art & History Collection, which was well worth the upsell.
Tours are offered daily and are priced at $45, $57 and $68 depending on the level of access. Dates and times vary depending on games and events taking place; check the schedule here for available times and to purchase tickets.
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(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Go ’round and ’round on the Santa Monica Pier Carousel
Santa Monica Children's ride
Core memory: Your kids’ faces lighting up on their first merry-go-round ride. For more than 100 years, the carousel inside the Looff Hippodrome has been wowing kids and making adults only a tiny bit motion-sick. Rides are an inflation-friendly $3 each, and kids under age 3 ride free with a paying adult. Catch a ride on one of the colorful hand-carved horses (or the pig or the goat) and enjoy roughly 3½ minutes of the most fun the early 20th century has to offer.
The ride spins surprisingly fast, so hang on tight if you get dizzy easily. The horses on the outer ring of the carousel are stationary while the interior ones go up and down. If you or your little rider are apprehensive about hopping in the saddle, there are “chariot” benches to sit on.The carousel is indoors, but you can see the Pacific Ocean just outside the windows if you squint a little. Nearby is a gift shop and an old-fashioned ice cream sundae bar.
The ride spins surprisingly fast, so hang on tight if you get dizzy easily. The horses on the outer ring of the carousel are stationary while the interior ones go up and down. If you or your little rider are apprehensive about hopping in the saddle, there are “chariot” benches to sit on.The carousel is indoors, but you can see the Pacific Ocean just outside the windows if you squint a little. Nearby is a gift shop and an old-fashioned ice cream sundae bar.
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(Joel Barhamand / For the Times)
Enter the coolest miniature city at Belmont Shore Railroad Club
San Pedro Model Railroad Club
Inside a run-down former Army base building overlooking the L.A. Harbor, you’ll hear the clickety-clack of trains rolling along the Belmont Shore Railroad. Around the track, people peer over to take in the scene, their faces Godzilla-like in proportion, for these locomotives are 1/160th scale (imagine a caboose resting on your thumb).
It’s amazing to see what the model railroaders have built here: an entire miniature city called Belmont. Though it is a fictional metropolis, it’s filled with re-creations of many real historical and geographic features of Southern California: the Monolith Cement Plant, San Joaquin and the green hills around the Tehachapi Loop. In the real world, a trip around the railroad line would be 20 miles.
The club, which accepts new members through an application process, opens its doors for public viewing from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays. Just note that the track is at a viewing height suited for adults, so you’ll likely have to lift up your young train fan to get a good glimpse.
It’s amazing to see what the model railroaders have built here: an entire miniature city called Belmont. Though it is a fictional metropolis, it’s filled with re-creations of many real historical and geographic features of Southern California: the Monolith Cement Plant, San Joaquin and the green hills around the Tehachapi Loop. In the real world, a trip around the railroad line would be 20 miles.
The club, which accepts new members through an application process, opens its doors for public viewing from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays. Just note that the track is at a viewing height suited for adults, so you’ll likely have to lift up your young train fan to get a good glimpse.
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(Tommy Gelinas / Valley Relics Museum)
Bask in the neon glow of the Valley Relics Museum
Van Nuys Museum
Once upon a time, brilliant neon signage lit up business districts and corner shops all over Los Angeles. Even if many of the classic signs from the 1920s through the ’50s have been replaced over the years, a tube of electrified gas can still cast its spell on kids and adults alike.
So we’re fortunate to have the Valley Relics Museum with us. Housed in a double airplane hangar at the Van Nuys Airport, the museum displays the glowing remnants of San Fernando Valley restaurants and bowling alleys, liquor stores and paint shops, all cleaned up and plugged in. It has neon from long-gone local spots like the Palomino Club, once the West Coast’s premier outpost for country music, plus signage from businesses that’ll press the nostalgia buttons for Valley natives, such as Mel’s Drive-In and Bob’s Big Boy.
Beyond the gaseous tubes, the Valley Relics Museum possesses a treasure trove of pop culture ephemera, as filtered through an 818 lens. You’ll find displays devoted to Universal movie monsters, BMX bikes and vintage lunchboxes — something for any adult to connect with their inner kid. For the actual kids, there’s also a bank of vintage arcade games and pinball machines, all free to play. That’ll keep ’em occupied for a while. But the neon is what will keep you coming back.
Can’t get enough neon? Visit the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale — another worthy guardian of L.A.’s neon heritage.
So we’re fortunate to have the Valley Relics Museum with us. Housed in a double airplane hangar at the Van Nuys Airport, the museum displays the glowing remnants of San Fernando Valley restaurants and bowling alleys, liquor stores and paint shops, all cleaned up and plugged in. It has neon from long-gone local spots like the Palomino Club, once the West Coast’s premier outpost for country music, plus signage from businesses that’ll press the nostalgia buttons for Valley natives, such as Mel’s Drive-In and Bob’s Big Boy.
Beyond the gaseous tubes, the Valley Relics Museum possesses a treasure trove of pop culture ephemera, as filtered through an 818 lens. You’ll find displays devoted to Universal movie monsters, BMX bikes and vintage lunchboxes — something for any adult to connect with their inner kid. For the actual kids, there’s also a bank of vintage arcade games and pinball machines, all free to play. That’ll keep ’em occupied for a while. But the neon is what will keep you coming back.
Can’t get enough neon? Visit the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale — another worthy guardian of L.A.’s neon heritage.
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(Crumbs & Whiskers)
Get cozy with the kitties at Crumbs & Whiskers Cat Cafe
Beverly Grove Cafe
If your kids have been dropping hints about wanting a new feline friend, or they just need something else to “pspspspsps” at for a few minutes that isn’t you, take them to this cat cafe at Melrose and Fairfax. Crumbs & Whiskers combines a chic rec-room vibe with a cozy, romantic atmosphere. The modern interior is both lush and inviting, featuring dark walls and concrete floors that ensure cleanliness and freshness. These hard surfaces are cleverly balanced with white faux-shearling rugs, accented by fluffy pink and gray pillows. The overall effect is delightfully indulgent, encouraging visitors to relax and cuddle with the kitties. This setup is intentional, as interacting at the cats’ level fosters better connections.
At any given time the cafe has about 25 cats (who were at risk of euthanasia) roaming the space and ready to be adopted. Guests are encouraged to plop down on a pouf and get cozy with the kitties. But remember, they’re cats. So play it cool and let them come to you. In order to grab a coffee with a kitten you’ll need to make a reservation. Weekday rates run $25 for a 30-minute session and $40 for 70 minutes. Children must be at least 7 years old to enter, and those under 12 need to be accompanied by an adult.
At any given time the cafe has about 25 cats (who were at risk of euthanasia) roaming the space and ready to be adopted. Guests are encouraged to plop down on a pouf and get cozy with the kitties. But remember, they’re cats. So play it cool and let them come to you. In order to grab a coffee with a kitten you’ll need to make a reservation. Weekday rates run $25 for a 30-minute session and $40 for 70 minutes. Children must be at least 7 years old to enter, and those under 12 need to be accompanied by an adult.
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(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Join a rolling, pedaling party at a CicLAvia event
Experience
As a growing Los Angeles tradition, CicLAvia now happens eight times a year. On each of those dates, a different stretch of city streets closes to cars, giving cyclists and others of all ages a chance to reclaim the road amid a festive atmosphere.
Is it the presence of so many bikes that makes those days so exhilarating, or is it the absence of cars?
The first L.A. CicLAvia happened in 2010. The final event of 2024 is the Valley, a 5-mile straight-ahead ride on Sherman Way through Canoga Park, Winnetka and Reseda on Sunday, Dec. 8.
Organizers of these nonprofit events like to stress that there’s no official start or finish and that the day need not be a ride from Point A to Point B. They also like to remind riders to wear helmets and never stop in the middle of the route. E-bikes are usually allowed, as long you’re pedaling. (Details here.)
Also, if you don’t have a bike or don’t want to lug it across town, CicLAvia keeps a list of places that can rent you a bike. Alternatively, you could travel by foot, by skates, by scooter, by rollerblade even by pedicab.
Is it the presence of so many bikes that makes those days so exhilarating, or is it the absence of cars?
The first L.A. CicLAvia happened in 2010. The final event of 2024 is the Valley, a 5-mile straight-ahead ride on Sherman Way through Canoga Park, Winnetka and Reseda on Sunday, Dec. 8.
Organizers of these nonprofit events like to stress that there’s no official start or finish and that the day need not be a ride from Point A to Point B. They also like to remind riders to wear helmets and never stop in the middle of the route. E-bikes are usually allowed, as long you’re pedaling. (Details here.)
Also, if you don’t have a bike or don’t want to lug it across town, CicLAvia keeps a list of places that can rent you a bike. Alternatively, you could travel by foot, by skates, by scooter, by rollerblade even by pedicab.
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(Will G MacNeil / HAWKs)
Go on a hiking adventure with HAWKs
Nature Camp
During the pandemic, when so many families were feeling cooped up and suffering from “screen brain,” Emma Flanders decided she needed to get her toddler son Abel outside stat. She started taking him on hikes around L.A. and he was hooked. Says Flanders, “He was interacting with the natural world around him in different ways, hiking and exploring. I saw how transformative that was.”
Flanders realized that other parents wanted to give their kids similar outdoor experiences, but in the busyness of life, doing all the necessary research was a challenge. (Which trails are accessible? What supplies will they need? What’s the bathroom situation like?) So she created a program that helps dissolve that barrier to entry. HAWKs (Hiking Adventures With Kids) offers day camps and after-school programs that help kids explore the natural world and learn why it’s awesome. Activities can include guided hikes, local flora and fauna identification, nature journaling and photography, and foraging for salad ingredients — all led by knowledgeable educators (the crew includes aspiring botanists, ornithologists and ecologists).
And the camps happen in some of the coolest natural spaces in L.A., from the Pasadena Casting Pool (where campers have tracked the growth of tiny tadpoles) to the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing (where they got a private tour). Through the programs, the principles of Leave No Trace are constantly instilled to help ensure these spaces will still be thriving when the kids grow up.
Flanders realized that other parents wanted to give their kids similar outdoor experiences, but in the busyness of life, doing all the necessary research was a challenge. (Which trails are accessible? What supplies will they need? What’s the bathroom situation like?) So she created a program that helps dissolve that barrier to entry. HAWKs (Hiking Adventures With Kids) offers day camps and after-school programs that help kids explore the natural world and learn why it’s awesome. Activities can include guided hikes, local flora and fauna identification, nature journaling and photography, and foraging for salad ingredients — all led by knowledgeable educators (the crew includes aspiring botanists, ornithologists and ecologists).
And the camps happen in some of the coolest natural spaces in L.A., from the Pasadena Casting Pool (where campers have tracked the growth of tiny tadpoles) to the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing (where they got a private tour). Through the programs, the principles of Leave No Trace are constantly instilled to help ensure these spaces will still be thriving when the kids grow up.
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(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
Find so much more than books in the Cerritos Library children's section
Cerritos Library
The Cerritos Library is a library on steroids. The entrance features a 15,000-gallon saltwater aquarium. The popular children’s section includes a 40-foot replica of a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, a lighthouse that kids can play in, a rainforest tree, a model space shuttle and a highly tactile (and scientifically accurate) wall of geologic formations. And you’ll find a fireplace with a holographic fire in the “old world reading room” on the first floor and a dolphin fountain outside that kids can play in on hot days.
Oh, and there are books too. Thousands of them in the children’s area. Need a few recommendations? Visit the reference desk simply called “Help” and a friendly librarian can help lead your kid to their next page turner.
Oh, and there are books too. Thousands of them in the children’s area. Need a few recommendations? Visit the reference desk simply called “Help” and a friendly librarian can help lead your kid to their next page turner.
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(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Search for fluffy-tailed friends at the Bunny Museum in Altadena
Altadena Museum
The Bunny Museum in Altadena is a — how can we put this? — whole other animal. As the origin story goes, Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski’s romance began with a single bunny gift, which became an extensive collection, which turned into a full-fledged rabbit-themed museum. Throughout the space are displays of everything from collectible bunny figurines and bunny art to Bugs Bunny paraphernalia and movie posters featuring bunnies.
As you peruse the collections, your brain will be filled with all sorts of facts about the fluffy-tailed animal: Did you know bunnies are a symbol of fertility? Or that there was a dance that originated at San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel in 1911 called the Bunny Hug? There are bunny greeting cards, displays of bunny watches and so many plush bunnies. In the holiday room, you’ll find Rose Parade float bunnies, a Chamber of Hop Horrors (recommended for those 13 and up) and White House Easter eggs. Note that while children are surely welcome to hop on over to the cozy destination, the owners emphasize that this is a museum and not a petting zoo. Little ones inclined to touch the collections or cuddle the two resident rabbits should wait until they’re a bit older to visit.
As you peruse the collections, your brain will be filled with all sorts of facts about the fluffy-tailed animal: Did you know bunnies are a symbol of fertility? Or that there was a dance that originated at San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel in 1911 called the Bunny Hug? There are bunny greeting cards, displays of bunny watches and so many plush bunnies. In the holiday room, you’ll find Rose Parade float bunnies, a Chamber of Hop Horrors (recommended for those 13 and up) and White House Easter eggs. Note that while children are surely welcome to hop on over to the cozy destination, the owners emphasize that this is a museum and not a petting zoo. Little ones inclined to touch the collections or cuddle the two resident rabbits should wait until they’re a bit older to visit.
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(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)
Discover what it takes to run a farm at Moonwater Farm
Compton Urban farm
From the sidewalk, Moonwater Farm looks like a private residence with a stunning garden filled with California poppies, calendula, lavender and lush fruit trees. But as you continue to walk up the driveway into the backyard, you’ll find something more — a flourishing urban micro farm with chickens, horses, goats and more luscious plants.
After a 25-year career in the print and packaging business, Kathleen Blakistone and her partner, Richard Draut — both of whom are master gardeners — used their retirement savings to start their second career as urban farmers in 2011. They initially bought their Compton property, roughly half an acre, to launch an aquaponics farm business but decided to instead transform the space into a community farm where they could teach others about farming, raising livestock, sustainability and how to grow and preserve their food.
Located in the historic Richland Farms neighborhood, Moonwater Farm hosts field trips, workshops and a farm camp for kids ages 9 to 14.
After a 25-year career in the print and packaging business, Kathleen Blakistone and her partner, Richard Draut — both of whom are master gardeners — used their retirement savings to start their second career as urban farmers in 2011. They initially bought their Compton property, roughly half an acre, to launch an aquaponics farm business but decided to instead transform the space into a community farm where they could teach others about farming, raising livestock, sustainability and how to grow and preserve their food.
Located in the historic Richland Farms neighborhood, Moonwater Farm hosts field trips, workshops and a farm camp for kids ages 9 to 14.
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(Catherine Pearlman)
Explore magical sea life at Leo Carrillo State Beach
Malibu Tide pool
There are a number of tide pools around SoCal to view sea life, but those at Leo Carrillo State Beach are some of the most accessible for kids. They’re close to the entrance of the beach and there are no stairs to climb.
At Leo Carrillo, there are surprises in each direction. Majestic sea caves. Rocky crags. Views of the Channel Islands. Every now and then, you can gaze toward the sky to find flocks of pelicans flying in formation close to shore.
The tide pools are made up of hundreds of small, pewter-colored boulders. As the waves come in, water gets trapped between the rocks, allowing for optimal sea life viewing. Here you can see mussels, crabs and barnacles but also starfish, cowrie snails and California spiny lobsters.
Before heading out, check the tides and arrive about an hour before the lowest tide. That way you have time to wander without worrying about the rising water. You can also download an app like Tide Alert (NOAA) and set up alerts for low-tide events every day.
Make sure to wear sturdy shoes — the rocks can be simultaneously sharp and slippery. And remember to look but not touch, and definitely don’t remove any of the sea life you find in the tide pools. That threatens the sensitive ecosystem and is strictly prohibited.
At Leo Carrillo, there are surprises in each direction. Majestic sea caves. Rocky crags. Views of the Channel Islands. Every now and then, you can gaze toward the sky to find flocks of pelicans flying in formation close to shore.
The tide pools are made up of hundreds of small, pewter-colored boulders. As the waves come in, water gets trapped between the rocks, allowing for optimal sea life viewing. Here you can see mussels, crabs and barnacles but also starfish, cowrie snails and California spiny lobsters.
Before heading out, check the tides and arrive about an hour before the lowest tide. That way you have time to wander without worrying about the rising water. You can also download an app like Tide Alert (NOAA) and set up alerts for low-tide events every day.
Make sure to wear sturdy shoes — the rocks can be simultaneously sharp and slippery. And remember to look but not touch, and definitely don’t remove any of the sea life you find in the tide pools. That threatens the sensitive ecosystem and is strictly prohibited.
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(Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Times)
Weather a flood of imagination at the Skirball's Noah's Ark exhibit
Brentwood Museum
I’d make the Noah’s Ark Exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center a rite of passage for every kid in Los Angeles if I had a magic wand. The space is designed to resemble the mythical ark from the Bible story and is filled with intricate animal sculptures and creative interactive opportunities just as enchanting for caretakers as they are for kids. In the storm room you can pull levers to make your own lightning and wind, crank a wheel to allow a giant giraffe to cautiously turn its head (“Is that a storm coming?”) and assemble wooden blocks as you imagine helping to build the massive ark. Deeper into the exhibit, kids can play with pairs of stuffed animals tucked into cubbies or climb netting into the rafters of the boat. If you’re lucky, you might catch a presentation by a master storyteller or interact with one of the 13 puppets that occasionally show up on the floor. (Check the website for scheduled programming.) Reservations are not required, but they are recommended, especially on Thursdays when entry is free. You’ll have 90 minutes to explore the exhibit. And here’s my tip for parents: Take time to look at the various animal sculptures while your little ones play. They are all made of found objects and the creativity is astonishing.
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(Carter Hiyama / For The Times)
Browse the shelves — and expand your knowledge of the Spanish language — at La Librería
Mid-City Book Store
Co-owners Chiara Arroyo and Celene Navarrete opened La Librería in 2012 with the goal of promoting Spanish literacy for kids.
The store’s catalog, thousands of books strong, features imported books from Latin American and Spanish publishing houses. The store’s mission is to help libraries, school districts and individual schools across the country beef up their Spanish-language book collections to make them more accessible to kids. “The majority of our business right now is supplying bilingual and Spanish books to dual immersion programs across the country,” said employee Maria Guerra.
La Librería’s shelves are stacked with pre-K through 12th-grade level books for children and young adults along with YA classics and contemporary stories by authors such as Gilles Barraqué and Amaia Arrazola. “The high-quality editions in our catalog reflect the rich culture and history [as well as] the ethnic and linguistic diversity of Spanish-speaking countries and communities,” reads the store’s website.
“I studied Chicano studies at UCLA, so I know the history of Spanish being prohibited as a functioning language in the U.S.,” said Guerra. “For me, this is a big part of reclaiming Spanish and promoting its value.”
The store also hosts cultural events with writers, artists and musicians and partners with organizations aligned with promoting Spanish literacy in America.
On weekends, don’t expect to find a quiet corner to curl up with a book; the store serves mostly families. “The store does cater to younger audiences,” said Guerra. “But we’re also seeing a lot of young adults and a lot of people who are reclaiming Spanish as a heritage language.”
The store’s catalog, thousands of books strong, features imported books from Latin American and Spanish publishing houses. The store’s mission is to help libraries, school districts and individual schools across the country beef up their Spanish-language book collections to make them more accessible to kids. “The majority of our business right now is supplying bilingual and Spanish books to dual immersion programs across the country,” said employee Maria Guerra.
La Librería’s shelves are stacked with pre-K through 12th-grade level books for children and young adults along with YA classics and contemporary stories by authors such as Gilles Barraqué and Amaia Arrazola. “The high-quality editions in our catalog reflect the rich culture and history [as well as] the ethnic and linguistic diversity of Spanish-speaking countries and communities,” reads the store’s website.
“I studied Chicano studies at UCLA, so I know the history of Spanish being prohibited as a functioning language in the U.S.,” said Guerra. “For me, this is a big part of reclaiming Spanish and promoting its value.”
The store also hosts cultural events with writers, artists and musicians and partners with organizations aligned with promoting Spanish literacy in America.
On weekends, don’t expect to find a quiet corner to curl up with a book; the store serves mostly families. “The store does cater to younger audiences,” said Guerra. “But we’re also seeing a lot of young adults and a lot of people who are reclaiming Spanish as a heritage language.”
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(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)
Learn to fly a plane at Compton/Woodley Airport
Compton Flight school
Located in a white building with blue lettering, near the corner of Alondra Boulevard and Wilmington Avenue, is the Compton/Woodley Airport. It opened in 1924, a century ago, and is named after Earl W. Woodley, who owned and operated the airport from 1936 until his death in 1962. The facility became the first airport west of the Mississippi to launch an integrated flight school, according to Clinton Simmons, a former member of the Los Angeles County Aviation Commission.
Today, the Compton/Woodley Airport is home to 200 aircraft, an aviation museum (temporarily closed) and several aviation-related businesses. It’s also the destination where people as young as 8 years old can learn to fly a plane with the Fly Compton Foundation.
The foundation was founded in 2020 by a group of Black professional pilots and aircraft mechanics who wanted to expose kids, especially Black and brown youth in Compton, to the world of aviation.
Fly Compton has a yearly training program to teach kids ages 8 to 18 how to fly an aircraft and eventually get their private pilot license. The classes, which run from September to May, include weekly instruction — there is one fly day per month — and virtual classes every Saturday. It costs $125 per year (plus $25 per month) for kids ages 8 to 12 and $200 (plus $50 per month) for those ages 13 to 17. The foundation also offers an eight-week private pilot summer camp, which is free for selected students as it’s funded by private and corporate donations.
Today, the Compton/Woodley Airport is home to 200 aircraft, an aviation museum (temporarily closed) and several aviation-related businesses. It’s also the destination where people as young as 8 years old can learn to fly a plane with the Fly Compton Foundation.
The foundation was founded in 2020 by a group of Black professional pilots and aircraft mechanics who wanted to expose kids, especially Black and brown youth in Compton, to the world of aviation.
Fly Compton has a yearly training program to teach kids ages 8 to 18 how to fly an aircraft and eventually get their private pilot license. The classes, which run from September to May, include weekly instruction — there is one fly day per month — and virtual classes every Saturday. It costs $125 per year (plus $25 per month) for kids ages 8 to 12 and $200 (plus $50 per month) for those ages 13 to 17. The foundation also offers an eight-week private pilot summer camp, which is free for selected students as it’s funded by private and corporate donations.
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(Hawk On Hand)
Watch a hawk fly though the air and land on your arm with Hawk on Hand Falconry
Montecito Heights Experience
“The first time a hawk lands on your glove, adults turn into kids and kids into adults,” said Adam Baz. Through L.A.-based Hawk on Hand Falconry, you can surprise your birder buddy with a 90-minute falconry session withexpert Baz or someone from his team. Once you’ve gathered at Ernest E. Debs Regional Park in Northeast L.A., you’ll spend 90 minutes in the company of a Harris’ Hawk named Jasper that will fly to and from your gloved left hand, demonstrating notable intelligence, a ferocious glare, inch-long yellow claws and a hunger for tiny bits of mouse.
“All that matters to them is food,” Baz told a guest one recent afternoon. “They don’t love me.” But they’re fascinating creatures, and Baz (who has a master’s degree in ornithology) can tell you all about their species, habits, lifespans and personal histories. The cost for experiencing multiple birds, along with a pettable barn owl named Archie and an Augur buzzard named Kanoni (“an African cousin of the red-tailed hawk,” Baz said), is $400 for a group of up to four.
When Baz isn’t showing off the birds to curious customers, he and his birds are often hired by TV and movie productions to keep pigeons away or protect drones from seagulls.
“All that matters to them is food,” Baz told a guest one recent afternoon. “They don’t love me.” But they’re fascinating creatures, and Baz (who has a master’s degree in ornithology) can tell you all about their species, habits, lifespans and personal histories. The cost for experiencing multiple birds, along with a pettable barn owl named Archie and an Augur buzzard named Kanoni (“an African cousin of the red-tailed hawk,” Baz said), is $400 for a group of up to four.
When Baz isn’t showing off the birds to curious customers, he and his birds are often hired by TV and movie productions to keep pigeons away or protect drones from seagulls.
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(Allison Zaucha / For The Times)
Enter an eye-popping art universe at the Mosaic Tile House
Venice Landmark Home
Venice is full of wonders, from the canals to the boardwalk to that Ballerina Clown sculpture atop the CVS at the corner of Rose Avenue and Main Street. But perhaps the most fantastical is the Mosaic Tile House. Beginning in 1994, artists Cheri Pann and Gonzalo Duran gradually transformed their ho-hum 1940s bungalow into a bedazzled fairy tale, covered in handmade tiles, melted-down bottles, coffee mugs, pottery, mirror shards and more.
Nearly every surface is a riot of color and texture, both inside and outside the house. Kids will especially appreciate the jaunty panda, iguana and “giraffe-a-roo” sculptures out front, and the Alice in Wonderland tableaux on the side walkway. There simply isn’t an inch of this property lacking in whimsy.
While you can certainly appreciate the Mosaic Tile House as an over-the-top visual spectacle, there’s also a sweet lesson here about how art can change our lives. Cheri and Gonzalo fell in love while constructing her studio at the house, and 30 years later, they still live and work here. In addition to their handiwork on the house itself, you can see her large-scale paintings hanging on the studio walls, and his kooky automatons and metalwork in a second studio out back. You’ll likely see one or both of them when you visit. It is their home, after all, albeit a home unlike any other you’ll encounter in L.A.
To visit the house, email mosaictilehouse@mac.com for reservations.
Nearly every surface is a riot of color and texture, both inside and outside the house. Kids will especially appreciate the jaunty panda, iguana and “giraffe-a-roo” sculptures out front, and the Alice in Wonderland tableaux on the side walkway. There simply isn’t an inch of this property lacking in whimsy.
While you can certainly appreciate the Mosaic Tile House as an over-the-top visual spectacle, there’s also a sweet lesson here about how art can change our lives. Cheri and Gonzalo fell in love while constructing her studio at the house, and 30 years later, they still live and work here. In addition to their handiwork on the house itself, you can see her large-scale paintings hanging on the studio walls, and his kooky automatons and metalwork in a second studio out back. You’ll likely see one or both of them when you visit. It is their home, after all, albeit a home unlike any other you’ll encounter in L.A.
To visit the house, email mosaictilehouse@mac.com for reservations.
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(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Lace up your skates and find a groove at Moonlight Rollerway
Glendale Roller Skating Rink
In the 1980s, roller rinks took over where disco clubs left off. Teens would spend their days obsessing over that epic skating sequence from “Xanadu,” making lists of songs to request at the DJ booth and scouring the mall for the perfect pair of satin skating shorts. Or was that just me?
If you want to introduce your kids to that decade on wheels, the perfect place to do it is at the Moonlight Rollerway. Knowing that the key to a successful skating experience is the music, the Glendale rink hosts themed nights featuring tunes mostly from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. Wednesday night is Rainbow Skate, a weekly LGBTQ event.
All the interior details — the candy-colored lights, the geometric-print rug and the mirrored ball hovering over the rink — will take you back to that totally rad era. After a good skate, make a trip to the snack bar and order up a corn dog and nachos. Just try to avoid getting any of the cheese on those new satin shorts of yours.
If you want to introduce your kids to that decade on wheels, the perfect place to do it is at the Moonlight Rollerway. Knowing that the key to a successful skating experience is the music, the Glendale rink hosts themed nights featuring tunes mostly from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. Wednesday night is Rainbow Skate, a weekly LGBTQ event.
All the interior details — the candy-colored lights, the geometric-print rug and the mirrored ball hovering over the rink — will take you back to that totally rad era. After a good skate, make a trip to the snack bar and order up a corn dog and nachos. Just try to avoid getting any of the cheese on those new satin shorts of yours.
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(Autry Museum of the American West)
Learn about the real West at Autry Museum of the American West
Griffith Park Art Museum
The Autry is much more than a cowboy museum. The interactive art space has more than 600,000 pieces of art and cultural objects, and is the steward of the second-most significant Native American collection in the country. There, you’ll learn about true representations of the West, including the influence of Indigenous people, queer cowboys and even modern groups like the Compton Cowboys. At the long-term “Imagined Wests” exhibit, you can spin a wheel to write your own western, play a “Jeopardy!”-style game to test your knowledge of western films or step in front of a green screen to set yourself in the middle of a fight scene.
For the youngest museum-goers, there’s family play space where they can build a barn, pretend-shop with a grocery cart, play with trains, do some crafts, assemble a marble track and read a book from the library underneath the grapevine.
For the youngest museum-goers, there’s family play space where they can build a barn, pretend-shop with a grocery cart, play with trains, do some crafts, assemble a marble track and read a book from the library underneath the grapevine.
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(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Pet a sweet old goat at Montebello Barnyard Zoo
Montebello Zoo
The L.A. Zoo is great for viewing exotic animals from afar, but where do you go to get up close and personal with your fuzzy or feathered friends? You go to the Montebello Barnyard Zoo, tucked away in a large park on the Rio Hondo. Here there are affectionate horses, goats, sheep and donkeys to pet (you can feed them for an extra $3), fluffy bunnies hopping about, pigs napping in the afternoon sun and cows sauntering around their pens like they own the place. Out back, there’s a small pond where ducks and other waterfowl quack loud and proud, commingling with turtles as they frolic in the water.
With its handmade wood signs and small scale, the Montebello Barnyard Zoo is a sweet, homespun place. And it feels all the better to visit knowing that most of these animals were rescued or donated; many are living out their retirement years here. It’s a great place for young ones to learn that animals outside the home need and deserve the same kind of care that we show our pets.
If you’re feeling fancy, you can ride a pony or take a leisurely trip on a John Deere tractor train. But we know the real draw here. It’s the animals, braying and neighing and mooing and maa-ing their friendly hellos as you walk by.
With its handmade wood signs and small scale, the Montebello Barnyard Zoo is a sweet, homespun place. And it feels all the better to visit knowing that most of these animals were rescued or donated; many are living out their retirement years here. It’s a great place for young ones to learn that animals outside the home need and deserve the same kind of care that we show our pets.
If you’re feeling fancy, you can ride a pony or take a leisurely trip on a John Deere tractor train. But we know the real draw here. It’s the animals, braying and neighing and mooing and maa-ing their friendly hellos as you walk by.
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(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Enter the age of dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Exposition Park Museum
Awe is standing before a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, your own head feeling a gumball in comparison. Come for the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, but stay for just about everything else — the quietly mesmerizing African and North American Diorama Halls, where artistically framed animals allow you to imagine a real-life encounter, or the heavily interactive Nature Lab, where you can learn about the challenges that face our urban coyotes or experience a meet-and-greet with a live animal.
I’ve spent many a weekend at the Natural History Museum — full disclosure, I occasionally volunteer at the space — and each visit I learn something new, be it a glimpse at how ancient fish such as a coelacanth once lived or tidbits about how a saber-toothed cat may have hunted. I’ve also stood, transfixed, near a display dedicated to P-22, the famous late mountain lion of Griffith Park, and watched a projection of a Los Angeles freeway that shows us just how perilous life can be for our wildlife companions.
But I always spend some time with the dinosaurs. The Natural History Museum’s Dinosaur Hall is a place of amazement, where one can ponder the gargantuan skull of a Triceratops, or come face to face with an oddity like the mosasaur, a sea creature. Each stroll through the exhibit space is filled with both childlike wonder and factoids about how our planet evolved.
I’ve spent many a weekend at the Natural History Museum — full disclosure, I occasionally volunteer at the space — and each visit I learn something new, be it a glimpse at how ancient fish such as a coelacanth once lived or tidbits about how a saber-toothed cat may have hunted. I’ve also stood, transfixed, near a display dedicated to P-22, the famous late mountain lion of Griffith Park, and watched a projection of a Los Angeles freeway that shows us just how perilous life can be for our wildlife companions.
But I always spend some time with the dinosaurs. The Natural History Museum’s Dinosaur Hall is a place of amazement, where one can ponder the gargantuan skull of a Triceratops, or come face to face with an oddity like the mosasaur, a sea creature. Each stroll through the exhibit space is filled with both childlike wonder and factoids about how our planet evolved.
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(Specialty Restaurants Corp.)
Watch airplanes fly by while running freely at the Proud Bird
Westchester Restaurant
Playgrounds, planes, picnic tables and pizza: Kid heaven is here at the Proud Bird, a food hall, bar and fully fenced outdoor play area. Once the designated spot for grabbing a stiff drink during a flight delay, the space now evokes Europe’s pub-adjacent playgrounds.
The indoor bazaar offers Bludso’s BBQ and a selection of pizzas, burgers, Asian food, salads and chicken and waffles. There’s a kids menu with smaller portions of what’s on offer for adults, including cheese pizza, fried rice and BBQ brisket. Order at the bar or at a kiosk by Bludso’s and you’ll get a text to pick up your food once it’s ready.
While you wait, grab your drink and score a table out back by the two-story play structure. Beyond that is a gigantic yard full of WWII aircraft to admire. There’s even a Little Free Library by the door if your kid is more of a bookworm than a wiggle worm.
Planes arriving at LAX fly close overhead, awing children and leaving only a modest whiff of jet fuel behind. There’s also ample seating indoors, along with some interesting exhibits about aerospace history in Southern California. This is the ideal spot to kick back with a drink with friends while your kids run around between bites of food.
The indoor bazaar offers Bludso’s BBQ and a selection of pizzas, burgers, Asian food, salads and chicken and waffles. There’s a kids menu with smaller portions of what’s on offer for adults, including cheese pizza, fried rice and BBQ brisket. Order at the bar or at a kiosk by Bludso’s and you’ll get a text to pick up your food once it’s ready.
While you wait, grab your drink and score a table out back by the two-story play structure. Beyond that is a gigantic yard full of WWII aircraft to admire. There’s even a Little Free Library by the door if your kid is more of a bookworm than a wiggle worm.
Planes arriving at LAX fly close overhead, awing children and leaving only a modest whiff of jet fuel behind. There’s also ample seating indoors, along with some interesting exhibits about aerospace history in Southern California. This is the ideal spot to kick back with a drink with friends while your kids run around between bites of food.
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(Cross Roads Escape Games)
Solve puzzles and uncover magic in kid-friendly escape room 'The Fun House'
Anaheim Escape Room
Shortly after Cross Roads Escape Games opened in 2016 with its foreboding, horror-inspired “The Hex Room,” co-founder Madison Rhoades realized the market at the time was lacking in kid-friendly, family-focused escape rooms. Enter “The Fun House.”
“This is exactly what kids want — an immersive, themed experience where they can go wild and touch everything and explore,” Rhoades says.
After entering via a giant clown — don’t worry, clown-phobics, there are no clowns or scares in the actual room — groups find themselves in a space where paintings come alive and talk to you and all sorts of nooks, crannies and doors are there for exploration. Expect in this magic-themed room to uncover some illusions — winning “The Fun House” means you’ve graduated to becoming a successful magician.
Cross Roads features two versions of the game, one for adults and one geared more for kids, with the recommended age being 8 and older (an adult must be present if anyone under the age of 13 is participating). The “kids” edition simply means puzzles may contain a few less steps to being solved. But Rhoades is quick to point out that sometimes the little ones are better puzzle solvers anyway.
“The Fun House” runs most Wednesdays through Sundays and requires a minimum of three players, with a price of $42 per person.
“This is exactly what kids want — an immersive, themed experience where they can go wild and touch everything and explore,” Rhoades says.
After entering via a giant clown — don’t worry, clown-phobics, there are no clowns or scares in the actual room — groups find themselves in a space where paintings come alive and talk to you and all sorts of nooks, crannies and doors are there for exploration. Expect in this magic-themed room to uncover some illusions — winning “The Fun House” means you’ve graduated to becoming a successful magician.
Cross Roads features two versions of the game, one for adults and one geared more for kids, with the recommended age being 8 and older (an adult must be present if anyone under the age of 13 is participating). The “kids” edition simply means puzzles may contain a few less steps to being solved. But Rhoades is quick to point out that sometimes the little ones are better puzzle solvers anyway.
“The Fun House” runs most Wednesdays through Sundays and requires a minimum of three players, with a price of $42 per person.
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(Andres Melo / For The Times)
Restock on ‘Mammoth Chunks’ at the Time Travel Mart
Echo Park Gift Shop
If the deals strewn across the windows of the Time Travel Mart (“Papyrus and Quill Blowout!” and “30% off neural implants”) don’t lure you and your kids, the meeting of a robot and a Neanderthal taking place in the storefront might do the trick. Started in 2008 by 826, a nonprofit organization founded by authors Nínive Clements Calegari and Dave Eggers that’s dedicated to inspiring students to approach writing as a creative practice, it is inarguably one of the most creative gift stores in America.
The small market, designed like a convenience store, is animated by conversations between visitors slowly studying the details of the items up for sale, which include a steel wool scouring pad deemed a “robot toupee,” a hand-cranked music box billed as a “Victorian iPod” and a create-your-own T. rex head. “Which is funnier,” you might overhear, “this bottle of robot milk or the Dark Ages Breath Ruiner spray?” Whatever choice they make is ultimately for the greater good: All proceeds go toward operating 826, which publishes stories by students that are available for purchase in the freezer aisle.
The small market, designed like a convenience store, is animated by conversations between visitors slowly studying the details of the items up for sale, which include a steel wool scouring pad deemed a “robot toupee,” a hand-cranked music box billed as a “Victorian iPod” and a create-your-own T. rex head. “Which is funnier,” you might overhear, “this bottle of robot milk or the Dark Ages Breath Ruiner spray?” Whatever choice they make is ultimately for the greater good: All proceeds go toward operating 826, which publishes stories by students that are available for purchase in the freezer aisle.
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(Keren Lynn Photography / Kidspace)
Pull giant levers and adopt a caterpillar at the very hands-on Kidspace Children's Museum
Pasadena Local intel
On this 3.5 acre campus — one of the most magical children’s spaces in L.A. — young visitors can dig for fossils, ride a trike around a track, go fishing from a canoe, discover the laws of physics with giant levers and pulleys, and sell their harvest at a farmstand. And all this is before even entering the buildings. It’s easy to spend an entire day at Kidspace, Pasadena’s long-standing family destination filled with more than 40 hands-on exhibits. Make sure to save at least an hour of that time for Arroyo Adventure, a creek with a running stream that adventurous kids can walk through. Tip: Bring a swimsuit or a change of clothes.
At Kidspace, each season is anchored by a whimsical celebration: Winter Frolic, happening now, features a no-ice sock skating rink. In the summertime, there’s Kidspace Campout, complete with campfire songs and lessons about native wildlife. And in spring, it’s Butterfly Season, a popular time at the museum when kids can adopt a live caterpillar.
At Kidspace, each season is anchored by a whimsical celebration: Winter Frolic, happening now, features a no-ice sock skating rink. In the summertime, there’s Kidspace Campout, complete with campfire songs and lessons about native wildlife. And in spring, it’s Butterfly Season, a popular time at the museum when kids can adopt a live caterpillar.
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