BusyMomaNJ

We have about 10 days of vacation coming up at the end of August and would like to bring our teen boys to Southern California on vacation. We don't mind splitting up the trip between two major locations (hotel-wise) but would like input about activities. They like the beach. Expressed interest in visiting the Tar Pits, the Santa Monica Pier, and Sea World. One wants to keep museums to a minimum since they are "boring." I would like to spend one day in Disney Land. Was thinking of splitting the time between LA and San Diego with the option of doing day trips. Definitely want to get them to La Jolla to see the sunset and the sea lions.We can fly out of Newark or Philadelphia and plan to rent a car. We typically stay in residence-style hotels so we have extra space for them to spread out and the option of having a kitchenette.
Any and all ideas/ suggestions for activities, cheap eats for hungry boys and places to stay are VERY WELCOME! Thank-you in advance!!!

tomfuller

A rental car is probably a good idea since Los Angeles is so spread out.
Ask your kids if this museum is boring. http://www.tarpits.org/
You might want to go to Santa Barbara instead of San Diego.
There are several good restaurants out on the pier in SB.
I also like the zoo and the mission in Santa Barbara.

DebbieDoesDulles

Disney is a zoo in August, well always really, and they'll need more than one day. If you just have one day I would advise Universal Studios instead.

Since they like the beach you might check availability at Sea View Inn Manhattan Beach which is a nice neighborhood where you won't be worried about them wandering off by themselves. Santa Monica would be more convenient for getting in to the Tar Pits etc, but SM tends to be very pricey in August. Check CalMarHotel.com if you don't mind an older-apartment style hotel. They're supposedly doing renovations this year but I'm not sure what will be done by August.

Jean

Be aware that in L.A., August is a very busy time in the coastal towns. On weekends especially, traffic is very heavy and parking can get scarce by late morning. If you know your dates, you may want to google to see if the beach cities have any large events planned which could impact your stay.

Look at the Sea View Inn in Manhattan Beach for the time in L.A. Along with everything you'd need for a day at the beach, they also offer complimentary bicycles, so you could cycle to the Santa Monica Pier and the piers in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach. There's a small aquarium on the MB Pier. Within a couple of miles, there are dozens of moderately-priced, teen-friendly restaurants and a movie complex, and the local bus (#109) stops a block from the hotel if you want to let the kids explore a bit on their own. It doesn't leave the beach area but does go to several shopping areas/malls, the piers, the movies, and metro rail stations. If you stayed at the Sea View, you probably wouldn't need to drive every day.

http://www.theseaviewinn.com/

http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/Met...meta_id=106929
[Beach Cities line 109]

The Santa Monica Pier and the La Brea Tar Pits would each be about 45 minutes by car from Manhattan Beach. You could drive to Hollywood and Universal City/Studios (at least an hour each way) or go by metro (about 1.5 hours each way).

Jean

I understand not-too-many-museums-please, but your sons might enjoy viewing the space shuttle Endeavor at the Space Center near downtown L.A. and USC. There's also an IMAX theater in the Science Center, and the Natural History Museum is next door. The Memorial Coliseum (site of 2 Olympics and possibly a 3rd in 2024) is in the same park.

https://californiasciencecenter.org/...ttle-endeavour

Note that timed reservations are required on weekends and holidays. If possible, I'd make them for whatever day you go.

janisj

Excellent advice from Jean --

There is no way you can 'do' Disneyland in one day in August -- especially if you aren't staying on property and have early access.

The crowds are enormous and ever w/ fastPass you won't be able to ride that many of the better attractions. Plus there is California Adventure which has nearly as many good attractions as DL plus boardwalk-type rides, and Downtown Disney (the boys might enjoy the ESPN Zone)

You would need at minimum 2 full days for the parks . . .

jamie99

They might find the Petersen Automotive Museum interesting and not "boring".
https://petersen.org/
Also that time of year there are usually some beach volleyball tournaments going on in Manhattan and Hermosa Beach and possibly also Huntington Beach. The Manhattan Open used to be in August but last year they moved it to July.

Jean

Yes! to the Petersen if your sons like cars.

If they are REALLY into cars, there are more interesting car museums up the coast in Oxnard (Mullin Museum) and north of L.A. in Sylmar (Nethercutt Museum) which is on the way to Six Flags Magic Mountain.

StantonHyde

My kids (Boy: 13, girl: 10) thought the following:
Space Shuttle: boy--cool, liked looking at all the info, girl-not really

Peterson Auto Museum--if you really like cars, then. If you REALLY like cars, do the tour of the basement. For my kids, it was a little too long, but for car nerds, it heaven. My kids were fine with it--just that DH wanted to spend the entire day there. Too much.

We did Disney in a day. This is our third time there over 8 years or so. At this point, they just wanted to ride the faster things or Pirates of the Carribean. We did not do California Adventure.

Do they like Harry Potter at all? If so, then Universal Studios Harry Potter World was amazing. Really good.

I liked Santa Barbara but I like San Diego better. The wild animal park is pretty cool for older kids. If you click on my user name, I have trip reports for Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

MichelleY

I think your teens would enjoy San Diego more than Santa Barbara.

maitaitom

Some of my favorites...

Battleship USS Iowa
http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/battleship-uss-iowa-museum-san-pedro/

If it's cars, trains and cool musical instruments, try the Nethercutt Museum (It is FREE and the best little known museum in Los Angeles County)
http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/nethercutt-museum-collection-sylmar/

Los Angeles Coliseum Tour
http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/stadium-full-memories/

Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens
http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/the-huntington-library-art-collections-botanical-gardens-san-marino/

In San Diego..check out Balboa Park
http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/21708-2/

nanabee

Santa Barbara for teenage boys? It takes about 1/2 day to visit the Mission and 1 day maybe to see the zoo and San Diego has a much bigger and better zoo.

denise8101214

You can spend one day at Disney. You will see less than if you spend two days there but it is not a deal breaker for anyone I know.

marvelousmouse

Just my opinion but Sea World's not very cool. Maybe if you're a young kid. And Santa Monica Pier is not all that great either, but it's fun in the evening. SM in general is a lot of fun to wander around, and there's a mix of expensive and cheap food. You could rent bikes and bike the path to Venice beach- I think teens would get a kick out the whole scene. If they like Japanese stuff, I think the onigiri place in SM is called sunny blue. Delicious!

I would do three nights in Anaheim. 1) hotels tend to be cheaper and 2) California adventure park is now a full day park, and has some of the best thrill rides for teens. The best way to manage the crowds is Is a hopper- do Disneyland until you can't stand the lines, go over to CA because it's generally less packed, and then at closing time, go back to Disneyland for last minute rides and fireworks (DL usually closes late, a couple hours after DCA).

Maybe a concert at the Hollywood bowl? There might be an act they'd like.

Tar pits museum, definitely. LACMA is a great informal art museum if you're not a strict art fan, but I don't know how interesting it would be for the boys. You may want to walk over after the tar pits and checkout the outdoors sculputures though.

You know, something I'd definitely recommend is a street art/graffiti tour. I haven't taken one in LA, but I've been on ones other places. I think they're an awesome thing for people are have a hard time relating to museums. behind those pieces of art- some of which is just as stunning as something you'd see in a major museum- there's a narrative of social justice, turf wars, rebellion, championing for the underdog, all of which tends to appeal to teens.

http://laarttours.com/guidedtours/

maitaitom

If you go to the Tarpits...you might want to check out...the Page Museum

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/la-b...m-los-angeles/

For something a little more unusual, there are a couple of pretty cool cemeteries. Hollywood Forever has a fun tour. Forest Lawn in Glendale has the Last Supper

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/holl...ery-hollywood/

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/22863-2/

Gardyloo

Remember the OP and family are coming from New Jersey; if they want to see retired space shuttles or museums, it's not like they need to travel across the country to do it.

I don't know that more than a day at Disney is necessary for boys of that age. They're probably not going to be lining up for visits to Sleeping Beauty's Castle or Casey Jr., and besides, have you seen the prices lately? Buy them each VR headsets instead.

I think a lot depends on the kids. The beach is good because the Southern California beaches are very different from the NJ shore or Atlantic beaches in general. And outside of the box, while I certainly wouldn't do this for more than a day or two, even a trip into the desert might be fun - head to Palm Springs (cheap in the summer for obvious reasons) with a day in Joshua Tree National Park and/or a ride up the aerial tram, both distinctly non-NJ experiences.

I also like Santa Barbara over San Diego; the Mission is beautiful and highlights an aspect of California and western history not widely appreciated in other parts of the country. Refugio Beach is spectacular in the summer, and surprisingly often deserted, and there are nearby vineyards for Mom and Dad.

Other thoughts... Olvera Street and the old Pueblo. Balboa Island and waterfront Fun Zone (amusement park) in Newport Beach (a real sleeper overlooked by out of town visitors.) Rent bikes for the Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo Beach Strand. Griffith Park zoo and planetarium. Ballgame at Dodger Stadium or in Anaheim. Day trip to Catalina Island. Hit a movie at the Chinese or Egyptian theaters...

Last thought, off the radar, but here goes. Take four days of the ten for a one-way road trip up the coast to the Bay area. Travel via Santa Barbara, overnight near the Hearst Castle on Hwy 1. Tour the castle, then drive up the Big Sur coast to Point Lobos State Park near Carmel - marine wildlife, awesome scenery. Spend the second night in Carmel or Monterey. The next day visit another gorgeous Spanish mission in Carmel, hit the Monterey aquarium, visit Cannery Row or hang on the beach in Carmel. The last day, early start and a stop at Henry Cowell or Big Basin redwoods before dropping the car at San Jose or San Francisco airport, off home with ye. (You could also start north and head south, with the ocean on the right side of the car.)

Just something to consider.

MichelleY

If you do end up in San Diego, the USS Midway is fabulous.

Jean

Regarding Gardyloo's suggested 4 days "off the radar"... If you did this Thursday through Sunday, you would likely have trouble finding lodging for 1-night stays anywhere along the coast.

marvelousmouse

And if you find anything, it's going to cost a lot of money, too, especially fri/sat!

nanabee

I would be very cautious about considering Palm Springs or Joshua Tree (which is nearby) in August. Unless you like extremely hot weather by which I mean over 100 F degree heat.