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Rain, June Gloom, or 95° inland

Indoor & rainy-day activities

37indoor SoCal outings for when the weather won't cooperate — children's museums, indoor play & ninja parks, aquariums and science centers across OC, LA, San Diego and the Inland Empire. Sorted by distance from you, air-conditioning included.

Jump to your area

37 places within 100 mi of 92692

Budget5 mi

Pump It Up / Indoor Bounce

Lake Forest · Indoor Play · Indoor

Wall-to-wall inflatables for open-jump sessions — the go-to when little ones need to burn energy and it's too hot outside.

Open-jump ~$12–$15

Moderate5 mi

Color Me Mine Pottery Painting

Mission Viejo · Arts & Culture · Indoor

Paint-your-own pottery studio — calm, creative, air-conditioned, and you leave with a keepsake. Great for a rainy afternoon.

Studio fee + piece ($15–$40)

Budget8 mi

Great Park Ice Public Skate

Irvine · Indoor Play · Indoor

The Ducks' practice facility opens its rinks for public skating — a cool, indoor energy-burner on a hot OC afternoon.

~$15 admission + skate rental

Moderate8 mi

Pretend City Children's Museum

Irvine · Indoor Play · Indoor

A miniature city where kids run the grocery store, fire truck, and farm. Built for ages 0–10 and a lifesaver on hot or rainy days.

~$18.50/person

Budget12 mi

Ocean Institute

Dana Point · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Touch tanks, tall ships, and marine labs right on the Dana Point harbor. Pair it with a harbor walk and ice cream.

~$12.50/person weekends

Moderate15 mi

K1 Speed Indoor Karting

Irvine · Indoor Play · Indoor

Electric go-karts on an indoor track with junior karts for kids 48"+. A great rainy-day adrenaline hit for older kids and teens.

~$25 per race

Moderate16 mi

South Coast Plaza & Ice Rink

Costa Mesa · Shopping & Treats · Indoor

Window-shop the famous mall, watch koi in the carousel court, then lace up at the year-round ice rink for a treat-day combo.

Skating ~$17 + rentals

Moderate17 mi

Discovery Cube OC

Santa Ana · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Hands-on science with a hurricane chamber, dino dig, and rock-climbing wall — easily three hours of curious kid energy burned.

~$24.95 adult / $19.95 kid

Moderate17 mi

Bowers Museum & Kidseum

Santa Ana · Museums & Learning · Indoor

World-art galleries next door to the hands-on Kidseum, where kids try costumes, masks, and crafts from cultures around the globe.

~$18 adult; Kidseum ~$8

Budget28 mi

Pennypickle's Workshop (Temecula Children's Museum)

Temecula · Museums & Learning · Indoor

A whimsical interactive children's museum themed as a mad inventor's lab full of gadgets and experiments.

~$5–6 per person

Free32 mi

Ontario Mills

Ontario · Indoor Play · Indoor

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

Free entry; attractions extra

Budget32 mi

California Surf Museum

Oceanside · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Small museum tracing surfing history with vintage boards and the story of Bethany Hamilton.

~$5 adult; kids low/free

Moderate34 mi

Queen Mary

Long Beach · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Historic ocean liner turned floating museum and hotel with guided tours and seasonal events.

~$40 self-guided tour

Moderate35 mi

Aquarium of the Pacific

Long Beach · Animals & Nature · Indoor

Sea otters, a shark lagoon, and a lorikeet aviary. One of SoCal's best rainy-day-proof outings for animal-loving kids.

~$44.95 adult / $29.95 kid

Budget36 mi

Western Science Center

Hemet · Museums & Learning · Indoor

A compact paleontology museum starring 'Max' the mastodon and Ice Age fossils dug from Diamond Valley Lake.

~$8 adult, ~$6 kids

Free39 mi

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

San Pedro · Animals & Nature · Indoor

Free aquarium focused on Southern California marine life with touch tanks and tide-pool programs.

Free (suggested donation)

Budget40 mi

San Bernardino County Museum

Redlands · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Regional museum with dinosaurs, a huge bird-egg collection, fossils, and hands-on natural-history exhibits.

~$10 adult, kids less

Budget45 mi

Children's Discovery Museum of North County

Escondido · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Hands-on museum for young kids with art studios, a toddler area, water play, and rotating exhibits.

~$12-14 per person

Free47 mi

California Science Center

Los Angeles · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Hands-on science museum home to the Space Shuttle Endeavour and a kids' Discovery Center.

Free (Endeavour ticket extra)

Moderate48 mi

Natural History Museum of LA County

Los Angeles · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Dinosaurs, gems, a butterfly pavilion, and outdoor Nature Gardens to explore.

~$18 adult / $7 child

Moderate48 mi

Highland Park Bowl

Los Angeles · Indoor Play · Indoor

LA's oldest bowling alley, beautifully restored, fun for older kids and families.

~$7-9/game

Moderate48 mi

Bob Baker Marionette Theater

Los Angeles · Arts & Culture · Indoor

Historic puppet theater delighting young kids with live marionette shows.

~$18-20/person

Budget49 mi

Rose Bowl Aquatics Center

Pasadena · Indoor Play · Indoor

Family pools and splash play near the Rose Bowl, great for hot-day water fun.

~$8-10 day pass

Free50 mi

Roundhouse Aquarium

Manhattan Beach · Animals & Nature · Indoor

Tiny free aquarium at the end of the Manhattan Beach Pier with touch tanks and local sea life.

Free (suggested donation)

Free52 mi

Griffith Observatory

Los Angeles · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Iconic hilltop observatory with free space exhibits, public telescopes, and sweeping skyline views.

Free (planetarium ~$10)

Moderate52 mi

La Brea Tar Pits & Museum

Los Angeles · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Active Ice Age fossil site with mammoths, saber-tooth cats, and bubbling tar pits.

~$18 adult / $7 child

Budget53 mi

The Autry Museum of the American West

Los Angeles · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Family-friendly Western history and Native American art museum with hands-on kids' areas.

~$14 adult / $6 child

Moderate56 mi

Birch Aquarium at Scripps

La Jolla · Animals & Nature · Indoor

La Jolla aquarium overlooking the ocean with kelp tanks, a seahorse exhibit, and tide-pool touch experiences.

~$25 adult / ~$20 child

Budget57 mi

Heal the Bay Aquarium

Santa Monica · Animals & Nature · Indoor

Small hands-on aquarium tucked beneath the Santa Monica Pier with local sea creatures and touch tanks.

~$5 suggested; kids under 12 free

Moderate57 mi

Cayton Children's Museum

Santa Monica · Indoor Play · Indoor

Large hands-on children's museum at Santa Monica Place with imaginative play zones for young kids.

~$20 per person

Free59 mi

The Getty Center

Los Angeles · Arts & Culture · Indoor

Hilltop art museum with a fun tram ride, sculpture gardens, and grassy lawns.

Free (parking ~$25)

Moderate67 mi

San Diego Natural History Museum

San Diego · Museums & Learning · Indoor

"The Nat" features dinosaur fossils, a giant-screen theater, and kid-friendly nature exhibits.

~$22 adult / ~$14 child

Moderate67 mi

San Diego Museum of Art

San Diego · Arts & Culture · Indoor

Balboa Park's premier art museum with family art-making activities and a sculpture garden.

~$20 adult / under 17 free

Budget67 mi

San Diego Model Railroad Museum

San Diego · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Largest indoor model railroad museum in North America, with elaborate miniature SoCal landscapes.

~$15 adult / kids free

Moderate67 mi

Fleet Science Center

San Diego · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Hands-on science museum in Balboa Park with interactive exhibits and a giant-dome IMAX theater.

~$25 adult / ~$22 child (incl. IMAX)

Moderate67 mi

San Diego Air & Space Museum

San Diego · Museums & Learning · Indoor

Iconic round Balboa Park museum packed with real aircraft, spacecraft, and a flight simulator.

~$24 adult / ~$15 child

Moderate68 mi

The New Children's Museum

San Diego · Indoor Play · Indoor

Downtown interactive art museum built for kids, with climbing installations and hands-on art studios.

~$15 per person

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