Los Angeles family guide
Things to Do in Venice with Kids
Curated by Simir Shah
Reviewed & updated June 2026 · we check listings regularly, but hours and prices change — confirm before you go.
📍 Where Venice is
Venice sits in Los Angeles, Southern California. Nearest major airport: LAX (Los Angeles Intl) (~5 mi / 7 km). It's roughly 14 mi (22 km) from Downtown LA and 116 mi (186 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.
Things to do in Venice
Local restaurants in Venice
Taqueria Chihuahua
Old-school neighborhood taqueria, a low-key Venice institution.
Ospi
Lively Italian trattoria channeling a Brooklyn red-sauce joint, great for family brunch and pasta.
Local shops in Venice
Small World Books
General indie bookstore on the Venice boardwalk since 1969, a quiet cultural landmark.
Tortoise General Store
Wife-and-husband shop of imported Japanese crafts, ceramics, and housewares in a wabi-sabi setting.
Mystic Journey Bookstore
Spiritual shop and crystal gallery on Abbot Kinney with crystals, tarot, and incense.
Burro
Curated stationery, local-artisan jewelry, and whimsical home goods on Abbot Kinney since 1999.
Skylark
Independently owned boutique of vintage and reworked-vintage women's clothing and art.
Strange Invisible Perfumes
Organic, hand-blended botanical fragrance house and apothecary made on Abbot Kinney.
Waraku USA
Tokyo street-style shop importing limited sneakers and Japanese designer apparel.
Seasonal & outdoors near Venice
The closest splash pads, patches, lights and more — distances from Venice.
More Los Angeles family guides
Listings are curated and may change — confirm hours and details before you go.