Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids

LA with Kids: A Mom's Insider Guide

• Melissa Conn • Season 1 • Episode 29

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If you're planning a trip to Los Angeles with kids, this episode is your insider playbook. Melissa lived in LA for 20 years, raised her kids there, and still visits multiple times a year — including just last week, when she visited two attractions for the very first time. From navigating LAX to booking hotels on points to finding the best things to do in LA with kids across the Westside, Downtown, and beyond, this is the honest, practical guide you've been looking for.

In This Episode:

  • Why LA trips need to be planned by zone — and how to avoid the traffic trap
  • The LAX curbside pickup hack that will save your sanity
  • When to rent a car (and when the Metro actually wins)
  • Where to stay in LA with kids — from budget-friendly to points redemptions
  • The Getty Center, Warner Brothers Studio Tour, Grand Central Market, Academy Museum, and more
  • A complete 4-day LA itinerary you can actually pull off
  • How to pair LA with Disneyland like a pro

Whether you're planning a standalone LA trip or combining it with Disneyland or San Diego, this episode will help you make the most of one of the world's great family destinations. Find detailed guides and hotel reviews at thefamilyvoyage.com and losangelestraveler.com.


Timestamps

  • 00:00 Welcome to LA
  • 01:22 The lay of the land
  • 05:12 Getting Around LA
  • 08:08 Where to Stay in LA with Kids
  • 13:27 Best Things to Do in LA with Kids
  • 28:03 Sample 4-Day Itinerary
  • 30:01 More Resources and Wrap

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Melissa

Hey there and welcome back to Family Travel Unpacked. I'm your host Melissa, and in case you're new here, you can always find tons of detailed destination guides, travel tips, hacks and more on my website, thefamilyvoyage.com. And if you've been enjoying the show, please be sure to hit follow wherever you're listening so you never miss an episode. And while you're at it, drop a five star review'cause it really helps other families find the show. Today we're talking about one of my favorite topics, Los Angeles. And I say that straight from the heart because I lived there for 20 years. My kids were born in downtown just a few blocks from where I worked for a decade. We raised our kids on the west side through their early years, and now we still go back a few times a year to visit our family and friends and keep checking out all the great stuff the City of Angels has to offer. In fact, we literally just got back last week from another trip, and later in this episode I'll share one place we visited for the very first time. LA can feel incredibly overwhelming to plan. It's huge. The traffic is legendary, and there are so many different things to do, and somehow you have to pull it all together without losing your mind or your wallet. So today I'm gonna walk you through the big decisions: where to stay, how to get around, and what to actually do with your kids. And I'll share what has and hasn't worked for our family. I'll also touch on what to think about if you're building a bigger SoCal trip that includes somewhere like Disneyland or San Diego, because it really does change how you should plan your hotel situation. First, in case you've never been there. Let me reframe how you should think about Los Angeles. It is not a city with one downtown and a few neighborhoods around it. It's a sprawling metro area. We're talking 25 miles a coastline, dozens of distinct neighborhoods, and a lifetime's worth of things to do. That's the great part. The challenging part is that it also has a lifetime's worth of traffic. Now, one of the most common mistakes I see in LA itineraries from content creators who don't really know the city well is that they're completely unrealistic. They might have you going from Santa Monica to Universal Studios to downtown, and then to Malibu for sunset all in one day. That's just not how LA works. Traffic, opening hours, parking, those are real constraints that'll eat up your day if you don't plan right. So my big framing is this. Think of LA in zones. The west side, which includes Santa Monica, Venice, Malibu, Culver City, Brentwood. Think of that as one zone. Then downtown LA and its surroundings are another area. And finally there's the Hollywood Burbank Universal Studios Corridor. If your itinerary has you bouncing around too much between those different zones multiple times a day, you're gonna spend a lot of your vacation just sitting in the car. But the good news is that each of those areas has so much to offer that you could fill a day in any one of them. Let's talk logistics first. LA has two main airports, LAX and Burbank, which is officially called the Hollywood Burbank Airport. Here's my honest take. If you can get into Burbank without adding any complications to your travel, do it. It's so much easier to deal with smaller, faster, and depending on where you're staying, especially if you're heading to Universal Studios, Warner Brothers or that North Hollywood area, it puts you in a much more convenient position. I'd actually say it's a better choice than LAX if you're staying downtown as well. We flew into Burbank on one of our recent trips, and it just can't tell you how easy it was. You walk a few minutes and then you'll be at the rental car center, but there's also a quick shuttle that you can take if you have too much luggage to schlep. The downside is that it doesn't have the same volume of nonstop flights as LAX, so your options might be more limited depending on where you're flying from. LAX has way more nonstop options from more cities, including Columbus, Ohio, but as of early 2026, it's still a beast once you land. The automated people mover that's supposed to connect the terminals to the rental car facility and the rideshare area has been delayed yet again. We're talking years now, so you still have to take a shuttle, and that shuttle stops all around that ultra congested airport loop. It adds a lot of time to your arrival, whether you're picking up a rental car or taking a ride share. Now there's a sneaky exception that's worth knowing about. If you order a Lyft Black, Uber black, or a car service like Black Lane, those cars can actually pick you up right at the curbside at your terminal. No shuttle required. On our trip last week, my husband used Black Lane to get downtown quickly for a Laker game with some friends. It's more expensive than a typical ride share, but he had a hundred dollars credit on his city Strata Elite, specifically for Black Lane so the out-of-pocket cost was actually less than an Uber would've been, and he saved at least 20 minutes because he didn't have to take the shuttle to the rideshare pickup area. That same night. I also actually ordered A Lyft black from my mother-in-law who flew with us, but was staying with a friend nearby. Since Ronnie left on his own, with my blessing, of course, there's no way that I could have managed getting my mother-in-law, the kids, her wheelchair and the luggage for five people on and off a shuttle, and into the rental car by myself. Having my mother-in-law picked up curbside by the Lyft black was a game changer. Both of their pickups worked perfectly at the curb. No fuss. So if you're flying to LAX and you're not renting a car, that's definitely the move to save time and stress. I usually find Lyft to be a lot cheaper than Uber in la, but you can always check both and also make sure you check your credit cards for DoorDash and Lyft benefits that can make your ride even more affordable. Now, back to the whole airport thing. My recommendation is that you check both airports when you're searching for flights. You have to balance the airfare, the routes, the convenience on the ground, and where you're staying to make the right decision for your trip. One question I get asked constantly is, do I really need to rent a car in la? My honest answer after living there for so long and coming back so many times as a tourist is probably yes, especially with kids. LA's Public Transit has improved a lot in recent years. The Metro rail system has expanded and they're doing a ton of infrastructure projects ahead of the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics. But a lot of it's just not done yet. And you also have the challenge of that last mile problem. You can get roughly to the neighborhood you want, but you might still need a bus, an Uber, or a solid walk to get to your actual destination. Unfortunately, LA is never gonna be Manhattan. And with kids in tow, especially if you've got gear like strollers or anyone who gets tired easily, the transit shuffle can add a lot of friction to your day. The other option people try is relying entirely on Uber or Lyft. It's convenient, but the problem is that costs can add up so fast. A ride from LAX to Santa Monica runs about$50 each way. Add a trip across town to Warner Brothers or Universal and you're looking at another$30 each way minimum. For a family of four doing that a few times a day, you can easily spend as much as a rental car and you're still sitting in the same LA traffic. You just don't have to be the one behind the wheel. But what you give up on is a lot of the flexibility to, let's say, add stops along the way or make a quick trip somewhere without thinking about the cost of every single ride. Now that said, Metro can actually be a really useful supplement to having a rental car. We've done it a few times. Here's one example from our own recent trips. We always like to stay at The Shay in Culver City, which has a metro stop right outside the front door. The hotel actually provides metro cards for guests for free. When we went downtown for a Laker game last year, it was way more convenient and honestly cheaper to hop on the train than to deal with traffic and parking downtown. So I wouldn't say skip the car entirely, but don't dismiss Metro either if it's convenient for what you wanna do. There are specific situations where it definitely wins. After hearing all that, if you wanna take a car free approach, your best base is gonna be either Santa Monica or Culver City. I mentioned The Shay a minute ago, which is in the heart of Culver City. We really love it, and it's halfway between Santa Monica and downtown on the E line. The Hampton Inn Suites Santa Monica is right next to the end of the E line, and then you can walk to the beach, the pier, the promenade, or hop the train to downtown. Either of those is a good setup for going car free with kids. If you do rent a car, make sure you download Spot Hero and Park Mobile before your trip, those can save you some real money on parking in certain areas of the city. And do budget for parking because it adds up. A lot of hotels these days will charge between 40 and$60 a night just to keep your car. And attractions have their own parking fees on top of that. Even shopping malls could run you 15 to$20 for parking. Part of the reason we stay at The Shay in Culver City is that my Hyatt Globalist status gives us free parking when we stay on points. And if you have a Hyatt Loving friend who can give you a Guest of honor award, you can get that benefit too. Speaking of hotels, your ideal strategy in LA really depends on what you wanna do. Let me break it down by area. Now if you want that classic LA Beach experience with the ability to walk to a lot of different things, Santa Monica's where you wanna be. You get great restaurants, there's shopping, the Pier, the beach bike path, and a more relaxed vibe than in some other parts of the city. The Shore Hotel is a nice mid-range option right near the pier It has ocean views, a pool, and easy access to all of the retailers and restaurants in Santa Monica. For a more budget friendly choice. The Hampton Inn Suites I mentioned is just a couple blocks inland and it's a lot cheaper. Plus it has great metro access. Both of those are just a few minutes walk from Tongva Park, which is really pretty to walk around and also has a great play area for kids, including a splash pad in the summer. If you want something that's a step up, the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica is worth knowing about, especially if you have a Citi strata premier or Citi strata elite card. The Huntley is part of the I prefer hotel program and Citi thank you points transferred to. I prefer at a one to four ratio. So one Citi Point becomes four preferred points. As long as it's available. You can book the Huntley for fewer than 19,000 Citi thank you points per night, which is an incredible deal for such a nice Santa Monica hotel. We have family that used to stay there every year and they really loved it. I've also heard that the Huntley has an amazing rooftop brunch on the weekends, so you'll have to check that out and let me know. One downside of the Huntley and other places that are further north in Santa Monica is that it's not as easy to get to the beach. You're up on the bluffs of Santa Monica. Super pretty area, but that means you have to either walk down and back up the California incline or you have to walk south a few blocks to take the pedestrian bridge over PCH and then go down some stairs. Personally, I wouldn't love doing that with a family's worth of beach gear. Moving on, I have to talk about The Shay that I mentioned before because we've stayed there so many times at this point that it's basically our LA home base. I've already got another stay booked. This is a Hyatt property in Culver City. It's right near the 10 and the 4 0 5. Those are freeways, by the way, and they always start with the, unless you're talking about PCH. The location of The Shay is ideal to access different parts of the city, downtown, the beach, mid city. I really love the lobby in the hotel and it's so great for families. It's got a game room with a pool table and a big Nintendo switch set up. Plus there are TVs showing sporting events and it's right next to the bar. There's a lot of open space in the lobby to hang out, plus cozy nooks for conversation and a big work table. It's just got a great vibe. There's also a nice pool up on the roof, which is where they serve breakfast at the in-house restaurant. The neighborhood has tons of great restaurants and shops, and they're all walking distance from the hotel. Plus, like I said, there's a metro stop literally right in front of the entrance. The other reason I love The Shay is that we can book it on World of Hyatt points at a very reasonable rate. Now the day before I'm recording this episode, Hyatt did announce some big changes to their award chart. unfortunately, I think The Shay is gonna get a lot more expensive, but I don't have the details yet. That said, it's probably still gonna be a good option. In a city where hotel rates rarely dip below two 50 or even 300 a night once you factor in taxes and destination fees, using points can be the difference between making this trip happen or not. I earn most of my Hyatt points by transferring from Chase Ultimate Rewards, so cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Those also can be paired with a no annual fee card, like the Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited to maximize the rewards that I'm earning on my everyday spending. I'll link to all of those in the show notes and definitely download my free ebook if you wanna understand how to build that kind of point strategy from scratch to make trips like LA happen without stressing your wallet. Moving to the other side of the city. If Universal Studios or the Warner Brothers Studio Tour is a major focus of your trip, consider basing yourself in North Hollywood or Burbank. The Garland is a nice boutique hotel and it's got a beautiful SoCal craftsman style that meets a mid-century modern vibe. The Garland offers rooms that have bunk beds in alcoves, which is great if you have a kid who needs an early bedtime. And there's plenty of space for the family to spread out. Plus it has a pool and family jacuzzi, a rotating calendar of onsite events and there's even a free trolley to Universal City Walk and the Metro Station nearby. That can be a great option that takes away the stress of traffic and car seats if you're going to Universal Studios. We haven't stayed the Garland yet, but it's a hotel that I recommend to a lot of families who wanna be up in that area. All right. What about a trip that includes both LA and Disneyland? You're gonna wanna work on your logistics to maximize your vacation time and minimize the hassle. You can think about flying into LAX or Burbank, depending on what you wanna do, spending your first couple of nights in the city, and then heading down to Anaheim for your Disney days before flying home. From John Wayne Airport in Orange County. That's airport code SNA, because it's in Santa Ana, or you can use Long Beach. Both of those airports are a lot closer to Disneyland than LAX, and they're just so much faster and easier to get through. For Disneyland itself, we've stayed at the Howard Johnson, the Hojo, in Anaheim. This is a local favorite. Tons of families like to go there because it's reasonably priced, it's just a 10 minute walk from the park entrance, and it has a pirate themed splash area right on site that our kids absolutely loved when they were little. Another excellent option is the Courtyard by Marriott at theme park entrance. It's literally steps from Disneyland and it has a real big kid water park right on the property plus some of the rooms can sleep six. Okay, let's get into the good stuff. What should you actually do in LA with kids? I'm gonna organize this by area, which is how I'd suggest thinking about your days. Let's start with the West side. Now there's some debate about what that name actually encompasses, but after living there for 15 years, I'd say everything west of about La Cienega and north of LAX, right up until you hit the mountains or the ocean. The Getty Center in Brentwood is hands down, one of my favorite places in all of Los Angeles, and my kids always ask to go back, even though they've literally been hundreds of times. Your experience starts with a beautiful tram ride up the mountain, and then you're walking between different pavilions filled with incredible art. There's a great impressionist collection also lots of antiquities plus rotating photography exhibits. Everywhere you look, there are huge views of the Pacific Ocean and the city below. The gardens are gorgeous too, give yourself an hour just to wander around. The cafe is great and has a bunch of different stations to choose from. And unlike almost everything else in LA, the Getty is actually free to enter. You just pay 25 for parking or less if you go later in the day. That means if you're taking a ride share there, you're not paying for anything at all. Just be sure to reserve your admission in advance because they are doing time tickets these days. Even if your kids aren't naturally drawn to art museums, the Getty tends to win people over. There's plenty of space to roam, there's a garden to explore and there's even an art detective scavenger hunt for kids that you can pick up at the entrance. Not far from the Getty is the Skirball Cultural Center, and I always recommend pairing these two since they're just a few minutes apart and there's rarely traffic on the road connecting them. The Noah's Ark exhibit at Ski Ball Lets kids make storm sounds, help animals into the arc and play through multiple levels of the boat. It's one of the most creative children's museum experiences in the city or really anywhere. I'd say the sweet spot for Noah's Ark is probably in that toddler and preschool, maybe even early elementary age. The museum also hosts family concerts in the amphitheater at no extra cost in the summer, and it has a great art studio for kids. The permanent exhibits on Jewish culture and history and the rotating special exhibits are really wonderful if you have another adult to take turns with you. Just a heads up to keep the experience great, noah's Ark has timed admission, so you definitely wanna reserve in advance if you're gonna visit on a weekend or during a school break. Now from that area, if the traffic, God smile on you, you could consider heading out to Malibu. Point Dume is an easy one and a half mile hike, about an hour for most families, and there are spectacular views from the bluff. You might spot sea lines below, or dolphins swimming out in the distance. In spring there are wild flowers all along the trail. Afterward, you're right at Westward Beach, which tends to be a lot less crowded than the beaches closer to the city, and actually runs a few degrees warmer. It's always nice to stay for sunset, but be sure to bring layers because it gets cold in LA at night, especially near the water. There are some hiking trails closer to the city that I used to recommend a lot, but unfortunately they were damaged terribly by the 2025 Palisades wildfire, and there's no estimate on reopening. It's a real loss that hit the whole community hard. I'll be keeping an eye on its status but for now, there is one trail that has reopened and it's a good alternative to point Dume if you don't wanna go that far outta the city. It's called Inspiration Point, and it's at Will Rogers State Historic Park in the Palisades. The Loop Trail just reopened this past fall. It's a little longer and harder than point Dume, but it's also a much shorter drive. Now heading back down to Santa Monica, the pier actually has its own amusement park called Pacific Park. I like that you can just pay per ride here. There's no cover admission or you can purchase a bracelet that allows your kids to go on unlimited rides or a certain number of rides. Kids can enjoy the Ferris wheel, or older kids can check out the rollercoaster and other different things. Plus there are midway games and it's just like a fun, family friendly atmosphere. The pier also has its own aquarium called Heal the Bay, and there are some neat local creatures there. If you like to ride bikes. The trail along the beach is fantastic for families. Perry's Beach Cafe rents all sizes of bikes, including trailers and tag alongs for younger kids. I recommend that kids only ride independently on this trail once they're pretty confident riders who understand the rules of the road because there are a lot of locals who ride the trail daily and they go fast. Moving east, we get to what locals call Mid-City. It's kind of everything between the west side and downtown, but as a visitor, you're gonna be focused on a pretty small area, let's say from Wilshire to Melrose, between Fairfax and La Brea. First off, this area is a foodie paradise. It's not all cheap, but there are hundreds of great options packed into this neighborhood, especially around Melrose. You can go for anything from amazing Argentinian steaks at Carlito's Gardel to the famous chili dogs at Pinks. Let your family's taste guide you for lunch, and I promise you'll find something amazing. Just check out Yelp and look for the ones that have a lot of really solid reviews. But the big draw in this part of the city is what's known as Museum Row, and it punches way above its weight. The LaBrea Tar Pits are genuinely one of the most unique attractions anywhere in the world. You're right in the middle of Los Angeles, but there's an active Paleontological excavation site where researchers are still finding ice age fossils. You can walk around the grounds for free and see the bubbling asphalt pits and the life-size recreations of the megafauna that have been found in this area. The Page Museum on site goes deeper- Fossils. An Ice Age Encounters show, a 3D movie about the excavations. It's really fascinating for school age kids and adults. If you have a budding paleontologist in the family you could also book one of their behind the scenes tours to see how the excavation is proceeding. Right next door is the Urban Light installation at LACMA. That's the famous array of restored vintage street lamps. That's become one of the most photographed spots in LA by far. It's beautiful at any time of day, and even if you don't opt to visit the museum, you should definitely stop off and get some fun photos together. The Peterson Automotive Museum is just across the street, and it's super fun for car lovers, no matter how old they are. They've got exotics classics, celebrity cars like the DeLorean from Back to the Future. There's a Pixars Cars design studio, and there's even a racing simulator that's included at no extra charge. We took our kids as preschoolers and again as tweens, and they had a blast both times. And then there's one that we just visited for the first time last week, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. It finally opened right after the pandemic, and I'm glad we got over there because it was really, really neat. One of the highlights is a Jaws exhibit that goes beyond just artifacts from the movie. It dives into explaining the specific techniques that were developed to make the movie possible and how those translate into what you actually see on the screen as a viewer. It's the kind of exhibit that makes you wanna go immediately, re-watch the film. My personal favorite was an exhibit about set design, which is centered on the work of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, the designers behind everything from Barbie to Anna Karenina. It was so cool to see how a film's Visual World gets built, and there were some really fun photo ops and interactive world building opportunities for the kids. If you have any film lovers in your family, whether they're kids who are curious about how movies get made, or adults who love to watch a good flick, put this on your list for sure. The Grove is also right nearby, and it's great for an afternoon. There are music synchronized fountains that kick off at the top of every hour, and they're so mesmerizing for little ones, especially if they're ready for an nap. Sometimes there are family friendly events on the green behind the fountain. Plus you can take a free trolley ride around the whole center. Oh, and you can also go into stores I guess, but I don't usually. The original farmer's market is right next door, and it's been around for nearly a hundred years. It kind of operates like a food court where everyone can find something different- a lifesaver when your family can't agree on where to eat. But unlike a typical food court, it's not just generic cheap food. There are tons of unique spots that you won't find anywhere else, shops doing really creative stuff and just overall interesting tasty food. If you keep going east from there, you're gonna hit downtown la. I'll be honest with you about downtown. It's had a complicated decade. It went through a real renaissance during the time that I worked in one of the high rises and then lost some momentum for various reasons: global financial changes, the pandemic LA's housing crisis and more. But it's still worth including in your itinerary. After all, it's the historic and cultural heart of the city. Go during the day, take normal personal safety precautions if you're out at night and you'll be fine. Seeing a Show at Disney Concert Hall or a game at crypto.com arena is also totally fine in the evening. Alright, so here are my top stops in downtown LA. The Broad is a free modern art museum that's really neat for visitors of all ages. The Infinity Mirror Room by Yayoi Kusama is the highlight and definitely the most famous exhibit. You have to reserve timed tickets in advance and I recommend going early because the line builds up fast. There's also a cool color changing infinity installation upstairs that doesn't require a ticket. Plus there's a huge Jeff Koons dog sculpture that my kids loved. We spent about 90 minutes at the Broad in all, and it felt like we saw everything we wanted to see. If you want more info for your visit, be sure to download the museum's app before you go. Kids can do a scavenger hunt that's narrated by LaVar Burton from Reading Rainbow and Star Trek, which is pretty cool. Once you're done at the Broad Walk across Grand and cut through California Plaza to Ride Angels Flight Railway, a historic orange funicular that costs$1, or 50 cents if you have a Metro tap card. Downtown LA is actually built on a hill, so the funicular was installed to help people commute up and down. It drops you right in the back of Grand Central Market, which is one of the great food experiences in all of la. When it opened in 1917, it was the largest market of its kind on the west Coast, and a decade ago it got a major infusion of incredible new food vendors- tacos, fresh fruit, ramen, you name it. We've happily eaten our way through it, and my kids always ask to go back. Right across the street from Grand Central Market is the Bradbury building. You just need to pop in for a few minutes, but it's an impressive 19th century architectural gem that you've definitely seen in movies or TV shows. You can just stop by and admire The atrium for free during business hours. A few blocks away is the LA Central Library, which is worth going even if you're not there for the books. It's a fascinating Mediterranean revival building with ancient Egyptian touches. It was built in the 1920s and they offer free docent LED tours almost every day. Even without a tour, pop in and check out the incredible rotunda inside, and then enjoy all the different paintings in the children's section. For music lovers, the Grammy Museum at LA Live, which is further south, is a multisensory interactive experience. It covers the awards, the artists, and the development of different musical genres. Personally, I think it's better for older kids than little ones, i'd say maybe eight and up. So this one's definitely on our list to revisit on a future trip now that our kids are older and really involved in music. While you're in this part of the city, exposition Park is just a short drive or metro ride south of downtown, and it could be worth building into your day. The California Science Center has the Space Shuttle Endeavor on display. It's one of only four places in the country where you can see one up close. And most of the museum, including the space shuttle, is free. Right next door the Natural History Museum has an enormous dinosaur exhibition. It's one of the biggest in the world and in the spring, they always have a really nice butterfly garden that we've always enjoyed. Okay. By the way, if you're a member of an A STC Affiliated Science Museum back home, you can bring your membership card to get in for free at either the Natural History Museum or the Page Museum at the Tar Pits. Okay. Moving to the Northeast, you'll hit Hollywood, Burbank and Griffith Park. Our family's favorite here is the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. I think it's one of the best things to do in LA with older kids. Really, tweens and teens are gonna get the most out of it. They'll love walking around and pointing out the spots where some of their favorite shows and movies were filmed- gilmore Girls, young Sheldon, Spider-Man, and Plenty more. And a lot of the wow moments for us adults are about understanding what goes into making movies and TV shows look so realistic. In addition to the narrated cart ride around the back lot, they have some really fun interactive exhibits on animation, special effects, costumes. There are Harry Potter rooms, DC superhero props, and you can even hold an actual Oscar. Our family's gone twice in the last few years, and we spent more than two hours on site each time. I have a whole article on tips for visiting Warner Brothers Studios because there's some nuance to deciding on when to schedule your visit, and a really cool way to save on your tickets, and that info is all over on LosAngelesTraveler.com. I'll drop a link down in the show notes. Griffith Park is a 4,300 acre park right there in the heart of Los Angeles. There's so much to do in Griffith Park that it could get its own episode, but you'll have to settle for a minute and a half. The Griffith Observatory has wonderful planetarium shows and incredible city views, including a good look at the Hollywood sign. The observatory itself is free, which is nice, but try to go on a weekday because weekends get really crowded, especially the parking lot. The Ferndell Nature Trail in Griffith Park is an easy, shady half mile walk that even little kids can handle, or you can extend it up to about two miles if you continue to the Trails Cafe. It's a nice opportunity to move your body, away from the freeway traffic and breathe some fresh air, even though you're literally in the middle of the city. Speaking of moving your body, the playground in Griffith Park is pretty well known among Angelina parents. It's called Shane's Inspiration and is actually the flagship playground of an organization by the same name. Their mission is to build playgrounds that are accessible for all kids. We used to take our kids weekly to another of the group's playgrounds, Aiden's Place in Westwood, and it's really such a great experience for kids of all abilities. There's definitely more to do in this part of la, but I wanna save a few minutes for another popular topic. Theme parks, since we're up in the hills, we'll start with Universal Studios. I'll say it's actually pretty manageable. It's right in the city, and most families can do what they want in just a single day. We went about two years ago and felt satisfied after six or seven hours in the park although I'll say that we aren't big thrill ride people. The wizarding world of Harry Potter is one of two big draws in the park along with the Super Nintendo world that has a great Mario Kart ride. Be sure to check the Los Angeles school calendar because this is a park that attracts a lot of locals, much more so than let's say Disneyland or Disney World. Also, you'll wanna get your tickets in advance and down below I'll link to my favorite theme park ticket supplier, which is a great option because you can save up to half the price of your rental car if you bundle it with your theme park tickets. Now, Disneyland pairs really well with a few days in la, but if you're just visiting, I probably wouldn't do it as a day trip. You'll wanna drive south to Anaheim, either the night before you plan to visit Disneyland, or really early in the morning. Weekday crowds are lighter in the parks, but weekend traffic to get you there is easier. So you have to balance those factors into your decision. As I mentioned before, the Hojo and the courtyard by Marriott are both solid Anaheim Hotel options. For any of you East Coasters listening, Disneyland is smaller than Disney World Resort, but it actually crams in a ton of attractions and it's a lot less overwhelming as an experience compared with Orlando. It's been a few years since we went to Disneyland, but I'm definitely itching to go again. Now I know that was a ton of info, so let me give you a framework for a three or four day LA trip, which I think is what most families are looking at. Day one, hit the west side, start with a Getty Center in the morning and pop over to the Skirball if you have younger kids. Then head to Malibu for Point, doom and Westward Beach in the afternoon. Grab dinner somewhere casual in Malibu or head back towards Santa Monica. Day two is for downtown la. Check out the broad right when it opens. Grab lunch at Grand Central Market. Ride Angels flight. Pop into the Bradbury building for a quick peek of the architecture, and then spend the afternoon at the Grammy Museum or go a little further south to Exposition Park for the Science Center and Natural History Museum. In the evening you can take in a show at Disney Concert Hall or somewhere else in the music center or get tickets for a game crypto.com arena. If you're staying at The Shay or another metro accessible hotel, this is a great day to ditch the car. On day three, you'll head to Burbank and Mid-City. Take the Warner Brothers Studio tour in the morning, and while you're up there, stop at Griffith Observatory, then wind down on Museum Row. Start at either the Academy Museum or the Peterson Automotive Museum, depending on your interests. Then walk down the block to Urban Lights and the La Brea Tar Pits. Head to the Grove for an evening stroll and wrap it up with dinner at the Farmer's market. If you're staying for a fourth day, that's a great time to visit Universal Studios or drive South to Anaheim for a Disneyland day. If you're adding Disneyland as a multi-day segment, think about the split stay, fly in to Burbank a few days in la, then head to Anaheim and fly home from Orange County or Long Beach instead of fighting your way back through LAX. Alternatively, on day four, if the weather's great and you want something laid back, you could always hit the beach. In my huge article on visiting LA with kids, I've got some suggestions for which beach to visit, depending on what you're looking for. Our family always gravitates toward the Annenberg Community Beach House on Santa Monica State Beach. In addition to a nice big parking lot, it has amenities like nice bathrooms and a restaurant and cafe, plus a little play area and splash pad for the kids. I could honestly talk about LA for hours. After all, I have nearly 20 years of material to work with. If you wanna go really deep on la, I've been quietly building a dedicated site called LosAngelesTraveler.com for a few years now. It's got a ton of granular detail, things like hotel reviews, museum guides, tips for the Warner Brothers Studio tour, airport breakdowns. Way more than I can pack into a podcast episode or even into the family voyage. It is a great companion resource if LA's on your horizon. The thing I always want families to take away is this: LA is big and it can feel really intimidating, but it genuinely has something to offer for every type of traveler- outdoorsy families, museum lovers, film buffs, foodies, beach people. I promise you're all gonna find your thing. And because it's so large, you're never really done exploring LA. Every time we go back, we find something we haven't done yet, and that's what I love about LA. It never runs out. Thanks so much for listening to Family Travel unpacked. If you found this helpful, please share it with another family who's planning a trip to LA. Word of mouth is everything for a small podcast like this one. And don't forget to leave that five star review wherever you're listening. Until next time, happy travels.