mksci2

Hi! We are an active family of 4 (2 boys- 13.5 and 12) who will be traveling to LA in April. It will be the kids first time and my husband and I haven't been there in at least 20 years, if not more, so we are not current on the things that are a must see for families. We were also thinking to head toward San Diego if time permitted. We are flying in and out of LAX and will have a car. What are some suggestions of things to see and do with kids, my kids ages? Would visiting Joshua Tree be reasonable to fit into a 7 day trip like this?
Thanks in advance for any help and recommendations!

lrice

We always love to hike up to the Hollywood sign. See what is playing at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Go to the Santa Monica Boardwalk and ride the carnival rides or go to the beach!

If you like museums, the Getty is amazing and free (except for $20 parking.)

clarkgriswold

California Science Center if anyone is interested in seeing the Space Shuttle. Most of the other exhibits gear towards younger than 10 but it's all free so worth a visit.
La Brea Tar Pits
The Grove
The Academy of Motion Pictures Museum
The Petersen Auto Museum
Santa Monica Pier/ Malibu Pier
Universal Studios or WB Studios Tour
The Grammy Museum/ LA Live (Crypto/Staples Center if the kids are into Sports), and maybe tour of Dodger Stadium
The Sunset Strip/ Beverly Hills/ Bel Air/,,,, The Getty Center (free except for parking)
The Safari Park (on the way to San Diego)
San Diego Zoo/ Beaches/ Balboa Park

Joshua Tree would really be an overnight thing due to lots of traffic along the way, both ways. Depends on how much you'd like to visit the desert.

tomfuller

Great list. If you didn't want to drive to/from San Diego, you could take an Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train (several per day) and leave the driving to Amtrak. The trip on the train from Los Angeles Union station to downtown San Diego takes 3 hours which is at times faster than driving. I think that San Diego would be more enjoyable than a trip to the desert to see Joshua trees.
Santa Barbara also has a good zoo and the mission up the hill. Santa Barbara is also served by the Pacific Surfliner trains.
Depending on where you are coming from, there are a couple of lower cost airlines that fly to smaller airports than LAX. My wife flew from Redmond Oregon to Burbank on the new Avelo airline and said it was good not to have to drive out of LAX. Car rental prices are gong up soon all over California.

PrairieHikerII

Visit an ethnic enclave such as Chinatown, Koreatown, Thai Town, Little Armenia, Little Tokyo, and Little Salvador and eat great food. Take the ferry to romantic Catalina Island where you can hike in the lovely hills on the Trans-Catalina Trail or go zip-lining, kayaking, sailing, paddleboarding, or enjoy fine dining and shopping. Palos Verdes Peninsula has great Pacific Ocean views, a lighthouse, and several hiking trails such as the Seascape Trail.

mksci2

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Much appreciated

jamie99

Agree with Petersen Automotive Museum and also Safari Park en route to San Diego. It is in Escondido, north and west of SD and inland so it gets really hot in summer but in April should be a good time to visit.

jpie

We are in Palm Springs now and I would agree that the trip to Joshua Tree would most likely be a long trip with lots of traffic and not much time to see anything unless you stay overnight. Just going there from Palm Springs and exploring takes a full day and we are much closer.

It is too bad you have to fly in and out of LAX and cant go in or out San Diego one way. One thing you might consider (depending or your arrival time) is going straight to San Diego and spending 2 nights there to get a bit of beach time and visit the Zoo and or Safari Park and then drive to LA from there to enjoy the more "city sites" of LA mentioned above since while they are okay IMO the beaches are mostly better in San Diego. Or if you have a late departure from LAX on the way out you could do that in reverse-stay 1-2 nights in SD at the end of your trip, then drive up to LAX for your flight.

We love to recommend this property to folks if you do decide to stay a night or two in San Diego-great location, very walkable and great area of San Diego:

https://www.catamaranresort.com/

Jim_Tardio

Disneyland is always an option. Your kids are at a good age for that. I suggest you forgo San Diego, Santa Barbara, Joshua Tree, etc and stay in the LA area....you'll be busy enough just trying to get around. Spend some time on the coast along the beaches in Manhattan/Hermosa Beach, or a bit farther south at Huntington/Seal Beach. Both Getty Museums are great. Griffith Park Observatory and surrounding park are great. Sample some LA classic food...Pink's Hot Dogs, Tommy's Burger or In n Out, Dupars in Farmers Market on La Brea Ave, Canter's Deli on Fairfax. Have a great trip.

julia37

The LA ideas look great for me and my partner for 4 or 5 days on September . We are also heading to San Diego after by train and have a longer USa road trip planned from there. One question - which area of LA should we stay in? We will not be hiring a car until later in the holiday and would like to soak up some of the LA atmosphere at this stage. We have stayed in Santa Monica years ago so looking for somewhere new. Thanks.

Jean

julia37, you need to prioritize the sightseeing you want to do in your 4-5 days before you can figure out where to stay. There isn't one area of L.A. that would be both central to everything on clark's list and be convenient for visitors relying on public transportation. Clark's entire list is barely possible for mksci2 (the original poster) who will be here for 7 days and have a car. And the list doesn't include things/places that for me would be "soaking up the L.A. atmosphere"... such as a night at the Hollywood Bowl or Greek Theater, a day at Griffith Park and the Observatory, spending time in neighborhoods like Silver Lake, Larchmont, Los Feilz, K-Town, etc., or taking an architecture tour or cycling along the coastal bike path....

mlgb

Leaving aside San Diego, the most central area for the Los Angeles list would be West Hollywood/ Bev-Center-ish.

Since I live here I don't stay in hotels but have a look at something like the Kimpton Wilshire (a chain that I always like). If you have a car that will add to your total cost.

jamie99

Julia, please start a new thread, your interests are different, you will not have a car and will be visiting in September whereas OP will be visiting next month and will have a car. Also state your budget in USD please and note hotel booking sites as well as the hotel's own website do NOT include the room tax of 15% until you get to the checkout phase of booking.
s

julia37

Thanks all for your thoughts. Looking forward to our trip. Fodors area guides helped us pin the general area. Downtown hotel booked. Thanks.

mksci2

Thank you! These are great suggestions

maitaitom

"The Academy of Motion Pictures Museum"

Just my personal opinion, but the Academy of Motion Pictures Museum might be the biggest waste of time I have ever spent at a museum, and I love movies. I'm mad I became a member of the museum just to get in on opening day, because now we have to go back one more time to get my money's worth, which was virtually nil. Underwhelming to be sure.

clarkgriswold

I would not stay downtown or in Hollywood, surrounded by freeways, in September, a month that is usually fraught with heat waves. Hollywood can be 101 degrees, every day for days, while Santa Monica is 79 degrees. Even West Hollywood is usually 7 or 8 degrees cooler than Hollywood/downtown. If you are relying on public transpo you might look at Culver City, which is westside-cooler while also being convenient to metro rail and not an expensive Uber/Lyft from the airport.