I can’t believe the winter months have already come and gone. Spring flew right by me. And lo and behold, summer is right around the corner. I must say, I dread LA summers. Not so much the heat — but the bright, ferocious, incessant, unyielding sun…
But alas!
It looks as though we are here to stay this summer and why not make the most of it? I thought I’d put together a list of fun, must-go, must-see places to bring your tots and kids this summer in Los Angeles. Whether you are local, or visiting, here are some of our favorite spots that make our summer’s most memorable.
1. Griffith Park.
Pony rides. Trains. Carousels. Playgrounds. Picnics in the park. What better place than this? Not to mention, there are 2 golf courses, a nine hole, a kids course and a driving range.
And can’t forget Travel Town. Old trains and engines for the little ones to climb and see. And photo op moments like these…
2. Trails Cafe
By far one of our favorite places to go. Also in Griffith Park. The hidden gem of the gems. With haystacks and tree stumps. Coffee and scones. The best avocado sandwiches ever. And picnic tables. More reason to love it so? It sits so quietly and unassumingly … it just is. And it’s peaceful that way.
Three words: Non Stop Fun.
How lucky are we that we have a year long pass? And with a year long pass, here’s, well — just another day at the zoo…
5. The Aquarium of the Pacific
This is a nice reason to trek it all the way to Long Beach. The harbor is beautiful, the Queen Mary sits prettily for you to gaze and see, and the aquarium is pure joy for the little ones. This is definitely a summer tradition for us.
6. The Annenberg Community Beach House – Santa Monica Beach
I can’t say enough good things about this place. We discovered it kind of by accident, and then were wondering how we never heard of this place. It’s that amazing. The pool is big, clean and never packed. There are plenty of umbrella’s and nooks for shade. The splash pond is free and so much fun for the kids. There’s also a shaded kids playground with sand and swings. And a cute beach restaurant where you can sit with your feet literally buried in the sand. The boardwalk is just a few feet away and just steps to the ocean. Els LOVES this place. As soon as we hit the coast while driving she starts screaming – ‘beeeeeeeeeeeeach!’ ‘beeeeeeeeeeeeeeach!’
As far as indoor playgrounds go… this is the best. That I’ve seen anyway. Els loves this place because, well what’s not to love? There’s a bouncy house. Tons of current and cool toys. Imagination play areas. And lots of space to run and play. I love this place because it’s clean, super cutely decorated, never too full and great for play dates. There’s also a separate play area upstairs for 2 and under’s which is nice for them and smart. We love coming here on rainy days, but in the summer, it’s nice to beat the heat and come in here for some cool air conditioning.
The sister to the infamous Grove Shopping Center in LA. We love coming here because it’s like having everything you want and need in one lovely outdoor experience. There’s tons of food and shops for me, and tons of grass for Els to run and play in. Not to mention they give you clean blankets to use to picnic and every Tuesday they celebrate kids club with fun musical acts and arts and crafts. Kids also eat free in most places on those days too.
9. Lacma
Nothing wrong with enriching your child with some art and culture! I was very surprised at how kid-friendly this place is. And on Sundays, they have family days where they do a whole bunch of cool art projects with kids. Must check out. MUST.
10. The California Science Center
Our new favorite place to go. First of all it’s free. And it’s such a great overall, fun, educating experience for both adults and kids alike. Els never wants to leave. And seeing the space shuttle Endeavor was amazing. You have to see it to believe it.
At last! I’m done. What a lengthy post! But just looking at this list makes me appreciate living in LA all the more. Go summer.
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