Anyone have any ideas of stuff to do with kids around the LA area? Whale watching? fishing? boat cruise? Tar pits?

We're headed to Disneyland for a couple days and would like a day or so doing something different.

What hotels/resorts are the go-tos near the water?

TIA

That time of year is whale watching I believe. So that would be fun.

Ages and genders of kids would help.
How much you looking to spend?
How real do you want it?
Care about celeb hangouts?
Beach?
Filming locations?
Food experiences?
I assume you'll have a rental car.

If you're going to LA for Disneyland than you're in OC.

You should just go to San Diego instead and check out the SD Zoo. Or you can go Dana Point and enjoy the beaches and/or whale watching as well. Or go into Newport.

I'd rather those options than LA.

Also it's rainy season for that time of that year but we'll see if La Niña changes that or nots

HollywoodBQ said:

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Ages and genders of kids would help.
How much you looking to spend?
How real do you want it?
Care about celeb hangouts?
Beach?
Filming locations?
Food experiences?
I assume you'll have a rental car.

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both kids are ten years old, B/G twins. checking out a filming might be cool, and yes, we'll have a car.

My uncle lives outside Santa Barbara so flying into that airport and spending a day in that area is a possibility too.

thanks!

We went a couple of years ago with similar aged kids, here's my opinion on the things we did.

Disneyland and Universal Studios - kids liked them. They're what you expect.
Warner Brothers Studio - If there are any shows filmed there you like then it's cool. Wife loves Gilmore Girls/Friends and one kid likes Young Sheldon so enjoyed seeing where/how things were made. Also checked out the Greystone Mansion due to it's Gilmore Girls filming. Neat estate, but kids didn't care for it.
Hollywood Blvd. - People will say it's a tourist trap and it is but kids liked seeing the stars, Chinese Theater, Wax Museum and Hollywood Tour bus. I thought it was worth going to. We will lump Hollywood sign into this category even though it's far away. One of those things you want to see and get a pic of when you go to LA.
La Brea Tar Pits - Turns out they're closed on the first Tuesday of the month, we didn't catch that. Walked around, looks like it would have been worth going inside.
Petersen Auto Museum - I thought it was really cool. Kids got bored quickly.
The Grove and Farmer's Market - Everyone liked walking around, getting food, looking at some shops.

Only bad thing is we checked out the different beaches. Venice, Rolando. All had a large homeless population roaming about, at least one at each beach was aggressively screaming nonsense at random passerby's. Would not advise going there.

Towns03 said:

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HollywoodBQ said:

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Ages and genders of kids would help.
How much you looking to spend?
How real do you want it?
Care about celeb hangouts?
Beach?
Filming locations?
Food experiences?
I assume you'll have a rental car.

---

both kids are ten years old, B/G twins. checking out a filming might be cool, and yes, we'll have a car.

My uncle lives outside Santa Barbara so flying into that airport and spending a day in that area is a possibility too.

thanks!

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Cool. Santa Barbara would be great around New Years.

Here are a few things you can do that are family oriented and low cost.

Burbank AMC 16
If you want to take the kids to a movie with the people who actually make the movies, AMC 16 in Burbank is great. There are a lot of restaurants and things around there and people still clap at the end of the movie. And... people will stay through ALL of the credits.

Hollywood Bowl Overlook
One of my favorite observation spots at the "Jerome C. Daniel Overlook above the Hollywood Bowl" - that's how it's listed on Google Maps. From there, you can see the Hollywood Sign, the Hollywood Bowl, and The 101 "Hollywood Freeway" looking towards downtown LA (DTLA).

In N Out Burger in Studio City
If you want to take the kids to In-N-Out Burger, the one in Burbank usually has long lines, the ones in Hollywood and North Hollywood (NoHo) are pretty rough. In-N-Out Burger in Studio City became my go to during the scamdemic but you do have to watch for the occasional homeless person raging. Just don't sit outside and you can avoid any homeless problems.

Brunch in Toluca Lake
One of the things that is great in SoCal is sitting outside for a breakfast/brunch on a Saturday or Sunday. Paty's in Toluca Lake is my go to for that.

Car Show at Bob's Big Boy
Which reminds, me, every Friday night starting at 5pm and usually going through 7pm or later, there is an impromptu car show at Bob's Big Boy in Burbank. Lots of classic cars and other crazy cars show up there. You'll have to park a block away and walk but it will be great fun. And if you eat there, it's a place that lots of celebs talk about going to.

Laurel Canyon Dog Park
Also up Mulholland Road, a free activity is going to the Laurel Canyon Dog Park. It doesn't look nearly as nice today as when it was featured in an episode of Entourage but, it's fun to hang out, catch the professional dog walker and dog people vibe. My wife and I used to stop here to kill time after early arrivals from Sydney to Los Angeles when we had several hours to kill before we could check-in to our hotel.

Walk of Fame in Hollywood
Hollywood Blvd - Walk of Fame, sure. Remember that it goes all the way past Vine and part of it is actually on Vine. So you don't have to get all jammed up at Hollywood and Highland. I do recommend at least driving past the Chinese Theater so the kids can see the street performers.

Beverly Hills - Rodeo Drive
Park and walk around for a while. It's always interesting and you don't have to buy anything.

The Rainbow on Sunset
If you have any interest in Rock and Roll and want to have a pizza, you must go to The Rainbow on Sunset. The pizza is good and there are tons of pictures of Rockers on the wall. Some of them actually stop in from time to time. Last time I was in there, I sat at a table next to Blackie Lawless of WASP.

Santa Monica Pier + Venice Beach
When my kids did summer camp / day care type of thing, one of the field trips they would do was to go to The Santa Monica Pier. Also, not far from there is Venice Beach. Both of these are places where you do need to watch your step a little bit but, the kids will see these places on TV a lot and it will be fun for them to tell people that they've been there. And when they're older, they'll remember that their dad took them there.

Manhattan + Redondo
Manhattan Beach is cool but relatively small. Redondo Beach is a little more of a tourist trap. Both are really safe.

Dana Point
You mentioned going to Disneyland and also asking about resorts. The only one I've stayed at was Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa but, that was for a multi-day work event. It was great.

Shopping
For shopping in a touristy type environment, shopping at The Grove was already mentioned in this thread. My Australian friends always loved 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica but for my money, I like Americana on Brand in Glendale. My daughters loved going to the H&M there and various other name brand stores. With the price of a Rolex GMT Master II being around $11,000 now, I kind of wish I would have bought the one I looked at in the Glendale Galleria years ago, when they were only $4,500.

Food
If you're looking for some great ethnic food options, I'll give you 3:
1 - Gangnam Station Korean BBQ in Koreatown. This place is fully legit and a great time. Especially if your kids have never tried KBBQ before. This place is as authentic as you can get without going to Seoul.

2 - Darya Persian Restaurant in Costa Mesa by South Coast Plaza (another great place to shop). The Filet Mignon Kebabs are out of this world. It's kind of a businessy place, not a tourist place so this one might not make the cut for your trip.

3 - Portillo's Buena Park - yeah, it's Chicago famous but this one is the real deal. If your kids have never had an Italian Beef sandwich, these guys are the real deal.

And lastly with respect to restaurants, my personal go to for celeb sightings is Ollo on PCH in Malibu. Again, I used to go there frequently when it was Coogies and I was there for business at Pepperdine. Saw loads of celebs in there. Ted Danson, Cheech Marin, Reggie Miller, etc.

Scenic Drives
Earlier, I mentioned a couple places off Mulholland. My recommendation there is to have lunch at In-N-Out in Studio City. Then stop at the Overlook over the Hollywood Bowl and get some happy snaps there. Then keep driving west on Mulholland to the Laurel Canyon Dog Park. After that, take Laurel Canyon down into Hollywood and go to the Walk of Fame.

Definitely one of my favorite drives in SoCal is Las Virgenes to Malibu Canyon Road from The 101 in Calabasas down to PCH in Malibu. One time I had a friend visiting and he started to do this drive and ran into a forest fire and had to turn back to The 101. Anyway, you get to drive through a tunnel in the mountains and that final drop down into Malibu is gorgeous.

Due to all the destruction that took place in Malibu and Pacific Palisades from the forest fires last January, driving on PCH from Malibu to Santa Monica could be downright scary right now.

Somewhat scenic but totally iconic, you just have to do The 405 from The 101 down to Sunset or I-10. It's wide, congested and honestly, just part of the full experience.

Bonus - The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley

great list! Thanks for putting this together.

Have you ever been to the aquarium? or the Getty museum?

Towns03 said:

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great list! Thanks for putting this together.

Have you ever been to the aquarium? or the Getty museum?

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I have not been to the aquarium, or the Getty Museum.

Another activity that I've seen friends post pictures of that looks awesome is the Petersen Automotive Museum in Pasadena.

Note that Pasadena will be busy around the time of the Rose Bowl / Rose Parade.
They do have viewings of the floats in the days after the Rose Parade.

I haven't been to any of the float displays but, my wife and kids (and even me, once) did help work on the Burbank Rose Parade Float. My job was cracking garbanzo beans in half.