14 Best Family Things to Do in Los Angeles

The California Science Center is an interactive museum dedicated to space travel, the environment, and inventions from different time periods. Its air and space exhibits feature many impressive artefacts, including an Apollo 16 mission spacesuit, a Gemini 11 capsule, and Space Shuttle Endeavor, which travelled into orbit between 1992 and 2011. You can enjoy an immersive movie experience at the onsite IMAX theatre, conduct fun experiments at the science lab, and observe rare marine life at the aquarium.

Santa Monica Pier attracts families with its beachfront promenade and the impressive carnival rides and kid-friendly games you’ll find there. Founded in 1909, this traditional amusement park is where you can ride the iconic Santa Monica Pier Carousel, which dates back to the late 1930s. Fairground rides typically cost between $5 and $10 each. Cycling is a popular activity as the pier features a 26-mile-long pathway that runs parallel to the Pacific Ocean. Fitness enthusiasts can work out at an outdoor body-building gym, located south of the pier.

Paramount Pictures Studios offer daily tours of its many sets and sound stages for about $58 per person. The 2-hour studio tour takes place in the morning and afternoon, with a guide sharing interesting facts about this renowned film studio. You may even catch some of your favourite TV shows being filmed during your tour. If you’re a fan of ghost stories, Paramount Pictures Studios’ After Dark tour is a 2.5-hour-long walking tour that includes a visit to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Annenberg Community Beach House on Santa Monica Beach is equipped with many facilities for visitors of all ages, including a swimming pool, a playground, beach volleyball courts, and a guesthouse. You get to rent a sun chair and lounge on the viewing deck while the little ones have fun at the splash pad. The property also offers swimming, yoga, stand-up paddleboard, and synchronised swimming lessons. Admission to the Annenberg Community Beach House is free of charge, though charges are applied for pool usage and equipment rental.

Griffith Park, located 2.5 miles east of the Hollywood Bowl, is one of the largest municipal parks in the USA. It offers a variety of activities for all visitors, including hiking, golfing, cycling, and horseback riding. There are over 50 miles of trails, many of which are set close to waterfalls and lagoons within the park. You can also visit rare wildlife at the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens, catch a concert at the Greek Theatre, and enjoy panoramic views of Los Angeles at the Griffith Observatory.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame commemorates notable actors and filmmakers by memorialising their handprints, signatures, and nameplates with a large golden star. Located on Hollywood Boulevard, this area is often packed with camera-toting tourists looking to spot their favourites along the sidewalk. Another popular landmark here is the TCL Chinese Theatre, which has been showcasing the latest Hollywood films since 1927.

The Bob Baker Marionette Theater dates back to 1963, making it the longest-running puppet theater in the USA. A Los Angeles landmark, families get to enjoy plays featuring handcrafted puppets, many of which were created by the founder of the theatre. They can even purchase a puppet of their own, with proceeds going towards funding educational programmes and preserving the art of puppetry in the city. Tickets to the Bob Baker Marionette Theater costs around $15 per person.

Descanso Gardens is a 150-acre botanical park located 5.4 miles northwest of the Kidspace Children's Museum. Its themed gardens are teeming with oak trees, rare herbs, medicinal plants, and beautiful flowers, including North America’s largest camellia collection. The gardens are also where you can spot over 100 species of birds and mammals such as squirrels, mule deer, and bobcats. The best way to explore Descanso Gardens is by taking the Enchanted Railroad, which costs $3 per ride.

The Kidspace Children's Museum lets your little ones enjoy hours of indoor and outdoor activities. It spans 3.5 acres of interactive exhibits and workshops, such as storytelling sessions, building workshops, and even a giant ant colony climbing structure. The Arroyo Adventure is one of the highlights at the Kidspace Children's Museum, where children can learn how to build dams, play musical instruments made with natural instruments, made clay art, and climb a giant hawk's nest. Things can get rather messy, so be sure to bring along extra clothes, towels, and shoes.

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is home to a massive collection of marine life and primarily focuses on species native to Southern California waters as well as community outreach and education. The museum's focus shows off different animal habitats and features touch tanks for a more up-close and personal experience.

All ages are welcome at this museum, and you'll find different lessons designed for specific age groups. It takes about 2 hours to experience most of what the museum has to offer, but most visitors find themselves staying closer to 3 to take in and understand all the exhibits.

The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is the perfect attraction for animal lovers of all ages. With over 270 species of mammals, birds, invertebrates, reptiles, and amphibians to view, you can spend all day immersed in an animal kingdom. Fifty-eight of these species are classified as endangered, so you can look forward to the rare opportunity to view these animals close up while supporting important conservation efforts.

Besides a wide variety of exotic and native animal species, the zoo is also home to over 800 plant species, and admission to the botanical gardens is included in your general admissions price. The zoo also has a plant rescue centre that works in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture and is responsible for the maintenance of rare plant species smuggled into the country. 

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County displays over 35 million artefacts, many of which date back to prehistoric times. The museum has around 15 permanent exhibits on dinosaurs, mammals, insects, birds, gems, and minerals. A must-visit is the Dinosaur Hall, which has a remarkable T-Rex growth series and more than 300 fossils of ancient dinosaurs and sea creatures. You also get to watch the museum staff handling real archeological findings at the 2nd floor Dino Lab.

The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is where you can check out over 1 million fossils from 650 species in Los Angeles. The bubbling asphalt pits have trapped numerous creatures that once roamed southern California during the Ice Age. Over the years, bones of mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers, and condors have been excavated and put on display at the onsite museum. Join the Excavator Tour to learn about the history of Brea Tar Pits and see scientists working at the Fossil Lab.

Madame Tussauds Hollywood is your opportunity to take a photo with your favourite Hollywood stars. The wax figures here are so lifelike that it’s almost better than getting a selfie with the real thing! The museum contains 125 wax sculptures, including a massive “life-size” sculpture of King Kong. Some of the stars on display include Johnny Depp, Clint Eastwood, Beyoncé and Madonna.

Madame Tussauds Hollywood is located on the glamorous Hollywood Boulveard, so you can easily incorporate it into a star-studded day of movie magic.