Los Angeles family guide
Things to Do in Koreatown with Kids
Curated by Simir Shah
Reviewed & updated August 2026 · we check listings regularly, but hours and prices change — confirm before you go.
Koreatown on the map
📍 Where Koreatown is
Koreatown sits in Los Angeles, Southern California. Nearest major airport: LAX (Los Angeles Intl) (~10 mi / 16 km). It's roughly 114 mi (183 km) from San Diego — SoCal traffic can make a drive take far longer than the distance suggests, so plan around it.
Visiting? See SoCal at a glance, getting around and which airport.
Family attractions near Koreatown
The closest kid-friendly attractions in neighboring towns — with driving distance from Koreatown.
L.A. LIVE & Crypto.com Arena
Downtown LA's entertainment district around Crypto.com Arena — Star Plaza's statues of Lakers, Kings and Sparks legends, restaurants, and an atmosphere that peaks on game nights. The plaza's more than a dozen bronze statues range from Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Wayne Gretzky and Oscar De La Hoya, with a Kobe and Gianna Bryant memorial added in 2024 as the newest addition.
Free to walk the plaza; game/event tickets extra
Natural History Museum of LA County
Dinosaurs, gems, a butterfly pavilion, and outdoor Nature Gardens to explore at one of LA's oldest cultural institutions. The transformed Dinosaur Hall holds the world's only T. rex growth series — a juvenile, teen, and adult skeleton together — plus a working Dino Lab where you can watch scientists prep real fossils.
~$18 adult / $7 child
California Science Center
Hands-on science museum with a busy kids' Discovery Center, plus the Space Shuttle Endeavour — soon to be displayed in an entirely new way. The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, a purpose-built wing standing Endeavour upright in launch position with its full stack, opens November 2026 and will be the only place on Earth to see a complete shuttle system displayed that way.
Free (Endeavour ticket extra)
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
An active Ice Age fossil site where mammoths and saber-tooth cats were once trapped in bubbling asphalt, and where paleontologists still dig today. The indoor museum building closed in July 2026 for a major renovation expected to last roughly two years, but the outdoor pits and the Project 23 excavation site remain open to the public, with occasional ticketed behind-the-scenes tours.
~$18 adult / $7 child
The Grove & Original Farmers Market
Open-air shopping plaza built in 2002 behind the historic Original Farmers Market, which itself dates to 1934. Ride the trolley, built on a real 1950s Boston streetcar undercarriage, between the two, and catch the dancing fountain show — designed by the same firm behind the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas — set to music.
Free (trolley rides)
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The Oscars' own museum — the history of filmmaking, rotating exhibitions on directors and world cinema, and the Dolby Family Terrace on the roof with sweeping views toward the Hollywood Sign.
General admission ~$25 adult, free under 18Local restaurants in Koreatown
Genwa
Sit-down Korean BBQ with a ring of roughly 18 banchan and smokeless grills for quality marinated and unmarinated cuts. Roomy booths make it more family-manageable than party-style spots.
Sun Nong Dan
Galbi jjim braised short rib and seolleongtang bone-broth soup; the torched-cheese short rib is the signature. Comfort-food soups are very kid-friendly and it stays open late.
Park's BBQ
Widely considered the gold standard for Korean BBQ in LA, with premium marbled beef.
Surawon
House-made tofu, including a black-soybean version, in bubbling soondubu jjigae. Individual stone-pot soups are great for kids.
Seasonal & outdoors near Koreatown
The closest splash pads, patches, lights and more — distances from Koreatown.
More Los Angeles family guides
Koreatown family FAQ
Where can families eat in Koreatown?
Local, family-friendly spots in Koreatown include Genwa, Sun Nong Dan, Park's BBQ and Surawon — independent, SoCal-only eateries, never national chains.
Listings are curated and may change — confirm hours and details before you go.