Inland Empire family guide

Things to Do in Ontario with Kids

Ontario is a practical, well-connected hub where families combine errands with outings, headlined by the Ontario Mills mega-mall and its arcades, movies, and rainy-day wandering. Just up Euclid, Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park offers a swim lake, fishing, and a summer water playground, and the Museum of History & Art downtown is a quiet, free stop.

Curated by Simir Shah

Reviewed & updated June 2026 · we check listings regularly, but hours and prices change — confirm before you go.

📍 Where Ontario is

Ontario sits in Inland Empire, Southern California. Nearest major airport: Ontario Intl (~1 mi / 2 km). It's roughly 36 mi (58 km) from Downtown LA and 97 mi (156 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.

💡 Local tip: Cucamonga-Guasti's swim lagoon and waterslides are seasonal (summer only) and charge per-person plus parking, so check the day's hours before you load the car.

Things to do in Ontario

Parks & Hiking

Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park

Family park with a swim lagoon, summer water slides, fishing lakes, and shaded picnic areas.

~$10 vehicle; pool extra

Indoor Play

Ontario Mills

Huge indoor outlet mall with Dave & Buster's, an arcade, a ropes course, and comedy — great for rainy days.

Free entry; attractions extra

Shopping & Treats

Ontario Mills

California's largest outlet mall (200+ stores) with AMC 30, the Improv and Dave & Buster's — a solid rainy/hot-day fallback. Note your entrance door.

Free entry; attractions ticketed

Farmers markets in Ontario

Sunday · 8am–12pm

Ontario Townsquare Farmers Market

Year-round market with certified-fresh produce and local vendors in a walkable town-square setting.

See all SoCal farmers markets →

Local restaurants in Ontario

Mexican & Tacos

El Pescador Mexican Grill

Family-friendly Ontario Mexican grill with fresh ingredients, handmade guacamole and a full breakfast lineup.

Pizza & Italian

Vince's Spaghetti

A bottomless-spaghetti Inland Empire institution where the meat sauce and garlic bread haven't changed in 70+ years — kids and grandparents both leave full and happy.

See all local SoCal restaurants →