Los Angeles family guide

Things to Do in Silver Lake with Kids

Silver Lake is a hilly, creative Eastside neighborhood built around its namesake reservoir, whose fenced water is ringed by a popular walking and jogging path. The adjacent Silver Lake Meadow offers open lawn for picnics and play, while the Sunset Junction area concentrates cafes, boutiques, and restaurants. Steep public staircases climbing the hillsides are a quiet local curiosity worth seeking out.

Curated by Simir Shah

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

Silver Lake on the map

📍 Where Silver Lake is

Silver Lake sits in Los Angeles, Southern California. Nearest major airport: Hollywood Burbank (~9 mi / 15 km). It's roughly 114 mi (184 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: The reservoir loop is a flat, fully outdoor walk with a dedicated path; parking is easiest on the meadow side, and mornings are coolest and least crowded.

Family attractions near Silver Lake

The closest kid-friendly attractions in neighboring towns — with driving distance from Silver Lake.

Shopping & Treats · Los Angeles · 2.7 mi

Olvera Street (El Pueblo)

The oldest part of LA — food stalls, folklorico and Mexican crafts, right by Union Station on the East-LA edge.

Free to walk

Museums & Learning · Los Angeles · 2.8 mi

Griffith Observatory

Iconic 1935 Art Deco observatory that's been free to the public since it opened, per the wishes of benefactor Griffith J. Griffith. Look through the same 12-inch Zeiss telescope that's logged more public viewings than any telescope in the world, watch the Foucault pendulum swing to prove the Earth's rotation, and take in sweeping skyline views.

Free (planetarium ~$10)

Arts & Culture · Los Angeles · 3 mi

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

Parks & Hiking · Los Angeles · 3.2 mi

Griffith Park Pony Rides & Merry-Go-Round

Massive park with easy hikes, a historic carousel, and acres of picnic lawns. The hand-carved merry-go-round dates to 1926 and has spun in the park since 1937, its 68 horses and vintage band organ still original — legend has it that watching his daughters ride it in the early 1950s helped inspire Walt Disney to build Disneyland. Beyond the carousel and pony rides, Griffith Park's trails and picnic lawns stretch across one of the largest urban parks in the country.

Free (rides extra)

Museums & Learning · Los Angeles · 3.4 mi

Heritage Square Museum

Open-air museum of eight Victorian-era buildings — including an octagon house and a mansion — rescued from demolition and relocated here since 1969, when preservationists banded together to save them from LA's rapid redevelopment. Costumed guides and living-history days bring the 1850s-1900s architecture and everyday life to life.

~$12 adult / free under 6

Arts & Culture · Los Angeles · 4.2 mi

TCL Chinese Theatre & Hollywood Walk of Fame

Famous movie palace and star-studded sidewalk where kids spot celebrity handprints. The theater opened in 1927 with the premiere of The King of Kings, and its forecourt now holds nearly 200 sets of celebrity hand- and footprints in concrete, starting with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks that same year. Kids can hunt for specific prints — Harry Potter wands, Betty Grable's legs — that turn the sidewalk into an actual scavenger hunt.

Free to walk

Local restaurants in Silver Lake

Breakfast & Brunch

Cafe Tropical

A 50-year-old Cuban bakery-cafe on Sunset Blvd; order the cubano sandwich and guava-cheese pastelitos with a cafe con leche. Casual and easy with kids.