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Los Angeles Itineraries
One of the great things about LA is that Family Fun doesn’t mean that the kids have all the fun and parents stifle a yawn or two. There are animals for every taste: fossilized, alive and roaring. LA’s museums burst with ethnic treasures, drop-dead gorgeous cars and works of art by such masters as Rembrandt, Picasso and van Gogh. Add a touch of the Old West and Old Mexico, and you have a complete itinerary that the whole family will enjoy.
Day 1: Downtown
Exposition Park, just south of Downtown LA has a day’s worth of museums, so you will only need to park once for the day. Start at either end of the park.
The Natural History Museum has more than 33 million specimens and artifacts. The foyer is the dramatic home for the skeletons of a T. rex and a Triceratops. Other halls feature dioramas, gems and minerals, and bugs. Kids will love the museum’s Pavilion of Wings where, for the seventh summer in a row, visitors can walk among giant swallowtail, monarch and other butterflies. Sometimes they even land on your shoulder. (Hint: They seem to like bright colors.) Open daily.
The California Science Center, is known for intriguing hands-on exhibits about everything from seeing how a periscope works to searching for camouflaged tree frogs. In the air and aircraft galleries, kids will find a Wright glider, an A-12 Blackbird (made mostly of titanium), a Bell helicopter and a Tigershark fighter jet. Open daily. Admission is free. There’s a small fast-food court inside for a quick lunch. An IMAX theater is also part of the complex; the theater often sells out, so it’s best to buy tickets ahead online.
Also in the park, the California African American Museum focuses on the African American experience from the west coast of Africa to the West Coast of the U.S. Closed Mondays.
End the day with a drive north on Figueroa for dinner at the Original Pantry restaurant, another LA classic. This diner-style restaurant is open 24/7.
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If you have teenagers, consider a stroll through the picturesque and historic USC campus, where many movies have been filmed. USC is next to the park, to the north.
Day 2: Zoo-ish
Park once and see three of LA’s major attractions: the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens (1), the Museum of the American West and the Griffith Observatory.
The LA Zoo is a big day in itself, but there are a few must-sees if you have limited time: check out the Komodo dragons, the impossibly cute koala babies, Red Ape Rain Forest (orangutans), the World of Birds Show and the Children’s Zoo with friendly, not-too-exotic animals to touch. Exhibits are grouped by continent and there are food carts every 10 feet (or so it seems). Save Spider City for after lunch. It’s creepy-perfect for kids. Open daily.
The Autry National Center’s Museum of the American West is filled with exhibits that pay tribute to all the cultures that were part of Western history, from Native Americans to movie cowboys. In the Family Discovery Center, kids can pan for gold. There are also special audio guides for kids to enjoy the permanent exhibits. If you get hungry, there’s the Golden Spur Cafe in the courtyard. Closed Mondays.
The Griffith Observatory has recently reopened after a major renovation and it is a dazzler. Because the Observatory is extremely popular, visitors must use a timed-entry and shuttle reservation system. The zoo parking lot is the pickup spot for Observatory entry. The Observatory makes astronomy fun for everyone — including people who can’t imagine such a thing. One wall of the Depths of Space Hall is lined with a photomural of the universe. Hanging overhead are accurate models of the planets in terms of relative size and distance from one another that leave everyone gaping in awe. Be one of more than seven million people who have looked through the famous Zeiss telescope — more than any other telescope in the world.
The Observatory is free but the shuttle is not. The Samuel Oschin Planetarium show requires separate, paid tickets. On the lower level, Wolfgang Puck’s Cafe at the End of the Universe is open until 9 p.m. Closed Mondays.
Or, drive Downtown to Olvera Street for dinner, another LA landmark. This cobblestone pedestrian street is lined with shops, carts, cafes and restaurants and has a great Mexican atmosphere. Open daily.
Day 3: Westside Wonders
Start your day at the Skirball Cultural Center, high in the Santa Monica Mountains on the 405 Freeway between the Westside and the San Fernando Valley. The multi-sensory, interactive Noah’s Ark permanent exhibit is a floor-to-ceiling wooden boat packed with pairs of whimsical animals from iguanas to life-size elephants — 186 species in all. The ark was designed with younger children in mind but it’s fascinating to older children and adults as well. Closed Mondays.
Next, head to LA’s legendary Farmers Market, for lunch. This outdoor dining and shopping spot has been here since 1934 and has kids’ faves (pizza by the slice and hot dogs) as well as Brazilian barbecue and French crepes.
Just east of the Market (no need to re-park) is The Grove, LA’s most popular outdoor shopping experience with a trolley ride and a dancing fountain.
After lunch, drive back down Fairfax to Wilshire Boulevard. Museum Row begins here with the Petersen Automotive Museum on the southwest corner. This place makes cars fascinating for everyone — promise. The galleries are filled with Ferraris, classic hot rods and Hollywood star cars. Closed Mondays.
Leave your car in the Petersen lot and walk east to three more museums. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), with the largest art collection in the West, has a cafeteria (kids’ menu) and a wide range of exhibits. Check out the contemporary collection where the sculpture is much more challenging than a Rodin — although they have plenty of those too. You might decide to make this the last stop of the day, since the museum is open until at least 8 p.m., the cafe stays open for dinner and admission is free after 5 p.m. every day. Closed Wednesdays.
Still got some energy? Then walk through Hancock Park to the Page Museum and tar pits oozing with black gunk. Kids love the saber-toothed cat skeleton and other fossils excavated from the site. Open daily.
Across Wilshire from the Page is the small Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) where the changing exhibits feature colorful ethnic and outsider arts and crafts. The museum shop is irresistible. Closed Mondays.
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If you have older kids, make your first stop the Getty Center, also high in the Santa Monica Mountains off the 405 Freeway. Kids love the tram ride up the mountain, and the museum feels like a castle on top of the world. The Getty Center has come up with great ways to intrigue kids: Art Detective Cards, GettyGuide audio players just for them and a Family Fun Room.
The award-winning gardens on the west side of the museum are partly surrounded by the most velvety grass kids have ever rolled down. There are several lunch possibilities here, including: food carts, an outdoor cafe and a large cafeteria-style restaurant. New this summer is the Stark Outdoor Sculpture Collection, with dramatic works located throughout the site. Closed Mondays.
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