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Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano

The best things to do in Los Angeles with kids

With books, animals, museums and mini-golf, it’s easy to keep little ones entertained with these things to do in L.A. with kids

Michael Juliano
Written by: Alexa Joy Sherman
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Looking for things to do in Los Angeles with kids to keep your small ones smiling (including a trip to Disneyland, of course)? Boredom leads to bad moods for even the most angelic of children, so keep the yawns (and tantrums) at bay with our exhaustive list of things to do in L.A. with kids. Whether you’re in Hollywood, Venice or the Valley or looking for kids museums or theme parks, we have picks designed to help you not only meet, but exceed the expectations of even the toughest tiny customers—be they bookworms, speed demons or petite patrons of the arts.

Best kids activities in L.A.

  • Attractions
  • Animal rescue homes
  • San Fernando Valley
  • price 1 of 4

Walk around the leafy grounds of this suburban Sylmar sanctuary to see everything from monkeys to foxes—and school trips and birthday parties. For hands-on photo ops, request a close encounter with a porcupine, an armadillo, a two-toed sloth or even a giraffe. Make sure to say hi to Zeus, the starry-eyed blind owl in the gift shop.

  • Things to do
  • Long Beach
  • price 2 of 4

Dedicated as much to education as entertainment, this aquarium more than justifies the drive down to Long Beach. Inevitably, the shark lagoon and its touchable habitat is a standout for kids. Other highlights include the adorable sea otter habitat as well as a low-key exhibition about whales. Much of the rest of the aquarium is divided geographically: loveable sea lions in the Southern California section, all kinds of garish fish in the tropical Pacific area and a variety of exotic creatures in the Gulf of California exhibit.

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  • Museums
  • Natural history
  • Miracle Mile
  • price 1 of 4

Back in 1875, a group of amateur paleontologists discovered animal remains in the pits at Rancho La Brea, which bubbled with asphalt from a petroleum lake under what is now Hancock Park. A century and a half later, the pros are still at work here, having dragged millions of fossils from the mire. Scope out the fossils on display inside the museum, and make sure to take a tour of the active tar pits.

  • Museums
  • Science and technology
  • Griffith Park
  • price 1 of 4

You could comfortably spend a few hours here—even with little ones—just taking in the exhibits and the shows. Swing by the Foucault pendulum in the central rotunda, stick around to see a Tesla coil demonstration and watch a movie in the handsome, high-tech Samuel Oschin Planetarium. Make sure to head downstairs, too; young ones love jumping up and down to make the seismograph machine scribble and checking out what they’d weigh on each planet.

Hike the Hollywood Hills and see Griffith Park.

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  • Attractions
  • Animal rescue homes
  • San Pedro

This San Pedro rehabilitation center scoops up distressed marine mammals along the coast between Long Beach and Malibu in hopes of reintroducing them to the ocean. Though these stories can be sad—sudden blindness, a shark bite—the mood stays light thanks to a cordial crew of volunteers and a comical chorus of sea lion barks. Viewing is restricted to a sidewalk outside the fences—close enough to see the sweet faces of belly-flopping baby elephant seals.

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  • Things to do
  • Griffith Park
  • price 1 of 4

The L.A. Zoo’s greatest asset is its location, a lush oasis tucked into the hills of Griffith Park. It’s a pretty popular place, but the zoo’s size—133 acres, plus a huge parking lot—means that it rarely feels crowded. Kids will love to see the elephants and repitles, as well as to take a ride on the beautifully painted Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel.

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  • Things to do
  • Griffith Park

As the first universally accessible playground in the Western U.S. and the largest in the nation, this popular Griffith Park playground is a gem. Kids can make like astronauts inside a spaceship, man the controls in an airplane cockpit, access their inner pirates and safely land on the soft, rubberized surface beneath the many slides, swings, monkey bars, zip lines and much, much more.

More great things to do in L.A.

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