🎬 Plan a Trip
Los Angeles with kids
Curated by Simir Shah
24 spots within 60 miles of 92692
Aquarium of the Pacific
Long Beach · Animal & nature
Sea otters, a shark touch lagoon and a walk-in lorikeet aviary make this SoCal's best big-aquarium day and a great rainy-day backup.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid admission
Get directions →Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
San Pedro
A free, kid-scaled aquarium focused on local Southern California sea life, with touch tanks and tide-pool programs by the beach.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Battleship USS Iowa Museum
San Pedro · History & culture
Kids roam the decks and giant gun turrets of a real WWII-era battleship that carried presidents, docked right on the LA waterfront.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid admission
Get directions →Point Fermin Park & Korean Bell of Friendship
San Pedro
Blufftop lawns around an 1874 Victorian lighthouse, with the massive Korean Friendship Bell and whale-spotting ocean views just up the hill at Angels Gate Park.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Olvera Street (El Pueblo de Los Angeles)
Los Angeles
LA's birthplace is a brick-paved Mexican marketplace where kids snack on taquitos and browse craft stalls near the city's oldest surviving house.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Grand Central Market
Los Angeles
A century-old downtown food hall with dozens of stalls under neon signs — steps from Angels Flight and the Bradbury Building for a fun DTLA loop.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Angels Flight Railway
Los Angeles · History & culture
A tiny 1901 funicular billed as the world's shortest railway — a one-minute ride up Bunker Hill that kids ask to repeat, right across from Grand Central Market.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Small per-ride fare
Get directions →Exposition Park Rose Garden
Exposition Park
A free sunken garden of thousands of rose bushes and a central fountain — the perfect run-around break between the Science Center and the Natural History Museum.
🗓️ Closed Jan 1–mid-Mar for annual pruning
Get directions →California Science Center
Exposition Park
Free hands-on science museum with a toddler Discovery Room — the Space Shuttle Endeavour is currently off view while its new launch-position gallery is finished.
🗓️ Year-round (Endeavour off view until the new Air and Space Center opens, slated late 2026)
Get directions →Natural History Museum of LA County
Exposition Park · Museum & science
Dinosaur Hall with real T. rex skeletons, a gem vault and outdoor Nature Gardens — a reliable full morning for dino-obsessed kids.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid admission
Get directions →Echo Park Lake Swan Boats
Echo Park
Pedal a giant swan boat past the lotus beds with the downtown skyline behind you — the lakeside path and playground are free if you skip the boats.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Kidspace Children's Museum
Pasadena · Museum & science
Mostly-outdoor children's museum by the Rose Bowl with climbing towers, water play and dig pits — pitched squarely at the under-10 crowd.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid admission
Get directions →Griffith Observatory
Los Angeles
Free space exhibits, public telescopes and Hollywood Sign views from a hilltop landmark — the planetarium show is the one worthwhile paid add-on.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
Los Angeles · Museum & science
Kids watch real Ice Age fossils being excavated and see tar actually bubbling in the free outdoor park around the museum.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid admission (grounds free)
Get directions →Griffith Park
Los Angeles
One of the largest city parks in the country, with easy trails, picnic lawns, train rides and the zoo — note the historic 1926 merry-go-round has been closed since 2022 while the city restores it.
🗓️ Year-round (merry-go-round closed for restoration)
Get directions →Petersen Automotive Museum
Los Angeles · Museum & science
Three floors of movie cars, race cars and hot rods across from the Tar Pits — an easy sell for any vehicle-obsessed kid.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid admission
Get directions →The Grove & Original Farmers Market
Los Angeles
A free trolley, dancing fountain and the 1934 Farmers Market's food stalls mean every picky eater finds something — an easy pairing with the Tar Pits nearby.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens
Los Angeles · Animal & nature
130+ hilly acres of animals inside Griffith Park with a kids' play area and botanical gardens — bring the stroller for little legs.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid admission
Get directions →Hollywood Walk of Fame & TCL Chinese Theatre
Hollywood
Kids hunt for favorite names among the sidewalk stars and match their hands to celebrity prints in the theatre forecourt — keep it to an hour, it's a busy stretch.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Travel Town Museum
Los Angeles
Free outdoor railroad museum in Griffith Park where kids climb on real vintage locomotives and ride a miniature train around the grounds.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Venice Beach Boardwalk
Venice
Street performers, the famous skate park and a flat beachfront bike path that connects all the way to Santa Monica — best with kids in the morning before crowds build.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal City · Theme park
Movie-themed rides, the famous Studio Tour tram and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter make this the classic LA theme-park day for school-age kids.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 $$ ticketed
Get directions →Santa Monica Pier & Pacific Park
Santa Monica
Iconic oceanfront pier with a solar-powered Ferris wheel, a kid-sized coaster, midway games and a small hands-on aquarium tucked underneath.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →The Getty Center
Los Angeles
The hilltop tram ride up is half the fun for kids, and the sculpture gardens, fountains and big lawns balance out the world-class art inside.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →How many days & where to stay
Plan on 3 full days to cover LA's family highlights — one for Exposition Park's museums or Universal Studios, one for the coast, and one for Griffith Park plus Hollywood or downtown — and add a fourth if you want both Universal and the museums. Families sleep easiest on the coast (Santa Monica or nearby) for the beach, sea breeze and walkability, while staying near Universal City makes theme-park days painless; Hollywood is central but noisier at night. Wherever you base, plan one zone per day — LA's freeway traffic makes criss-crossing the city with kids the fastest way to ruin a trip.
A traffic-proof 3-day family itinerary
Pick your anchor — Exposition Park museums OR Universal
LA traffic rewards picking one zone per day, so choose your Day 1 lane. Museum families: park once at Exposition Park and walk between the free California Science Center (hands-on galleries and a toddler Discovery Room — note the Space Shuttle Endeavour is off view until its new gallery opens), the Natural History Museum's Dinosaur Hall, and the free sunken Rose Garden for a run-around break between them. Theme-park families: give the whole day to Universal Studios Hollywood instead — arrive at opening, do the Studio Tour early, and let older kids close out the night in the Wizarding World.
The coast — Santa Monica & Venice OR Long Beach
For the classic beach day, start at Santa Monica Pier when it opens: Pacific Park's Ferris wheel and kid-sized coaster, the little aquarium under the pier, and the wide beach right there. Then rent bikes or walk the flat beach path south to the Venice Beach Boardwalk for street performers and the skate park, heading back before afternoon crowds peak. Prefer animals to boardwalks? Swap in a Long Beach day at the Aquarium of the Pacific — sea otters, a shark touch lagoon and a lorikeet aviary — and if energy holds, add the free Cabrillo Marine Aquarium or the Battleship USS Iowa in nearby San Pedro.
Griffith Park morning + Hollywood or DTLA afternoon
Spend the morning in Griffith Park: the free Griffith Observatory for space exhibits and Hollywood Sign views, then climb vintage locomotives at the free Travel Town Museum or visit the LA Zoo (the historic merry-go-round remains closed for restoration). In the afternoon, choose a flavor: a quick hour on the Hollywood Walk of Fame matching handprints at the TCL Chinese Theatre, or head downtown to graze the stalls at Grand Central Market, ride the tiny Angels Flight funicular up Bunker Hill, and finish with taquitos on historic Olvera Street. Doing all three areas in one day means a lot of car time — pick two.
Book Los Angeles tours & tickets
Bookable via Viator · we may earn a commission (no extra cost to you)Studio tours, theme-park tickets, and family experiences across LA — booked through Viator.
Free cancellationWarner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
Cosm LA: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in Shared Reality
Cosm LA: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Immersive Film
Free cancellationLos Angeles Bubble Planet Immersive Interactive Experience
Free cancellationFull-Day Iconic Sights of LA, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Beaches and More
Free cancellationGuided Whale Watching Tour from Long Beach
Where to stay in Los Angeles
Hotels & rentals via Stay22 · we may earn a commissionCompare hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals near Los Angeles on one map — then book on your favorite site.
More experiences via GetYourGuide · we may earn a commission (no extra cost to you)
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Los Angeles with kids?
Three full days covers the family highlights — one for Exposition Park's museums or Universal Studios, one for the Santa Monica coast or the Long Beach aquarium, and one for Griffith Park plus Hollywood or downtown. Add a fourth day if you want both Universal and the museums without rushing.
What's the best area of LA to stay with kids?
Most families are happiest near the coast — Santa Monica and its neighbors are walkable, cooler in summer and put the beach outside your door. Staying near Universal City makes a theme-park day painless, while Hollywood is central but busier and noisier at night. Wherever you stay, plan one zone per day; criss-crossing LA in traffic with kids is the fastest way to sour a trip.
What can you do in LA with kids for free?
A surprising amount: Griffith Observatory and its Hollywood Sign views, the California Science Center's main galleries, the Getty Center (parking is the only cost), Travel Town's vintage trains, the Exposition Park Rose Garden, El Pueblo/Olvera Street and the beaches themselves are all free to enter.
Planning an LA trip?
Get family itineraries, seasonal guides and the best things to do in your inbox — plus you're entered into this week's $50 giveaway. Unsubscribe anytime.
Going deeper? See first-timer LA logistics, the Universal Studios guide, LA vs San Diego and the best time to visit. Attraction list verified August 2026 — note the Griffith Park merry-go-round is closed for restoration and the Space Shuttle Endeavour is off view until its new gallery opens; confirm hours before you go.