Best Activities to Do With Kids in Los Angeles

The weather in Los Angeles is almost always great for family activities. Our team members at Teak Master know the value of quality family time. It was hard to narrow our list down to just a few, but here are our suggestions for fun family activities in LA.

Biking at Griffith Park

Image via Pixabay by sabinevanerp

Kids and adults of all ages will enjoy a bike ride around the 4,200 acres at Griffith Park. You can bring your own bikes or grab some rentals at Spokes ‘N Stuff at the ranger’s station parking lot. Families with varying skill levels may enjoy the simpler and more flat routes along the perimeter. Families ready to work up a sweat can ride from East Hollywood to Burbank by using the park’s trails.

You can check out this helpful guide to discover all the different trail options. These trails range from easy to advanced. Even the short rides provide a unique perspective on the city.

Along with bike riding, Griffith Park has plenty of activities for kids and adults. There are large expanses of green space for picnics, with picnic areas available with day-use passes. Nature lovers can go on a scavenger hunt to identify native California plant species like lilac, mountain mahogany, and sumac. You can stop for a ride on the merry-go-round, take a hike to the Hollywood sign, take a pony ride, and so much more. You can also see the city and learn about the universe at the Griffith Observatory.

Kidspace Children’s Museum

The non-profit Kidspace Children’s Museum is designed to encourage creative exploration for kids of all ages. The exhibits engage children physically, emotionally, and intellectually while encouraging them to approach the world with kindness and joy.

One of the most popular exhibits is called Butterfly Season, which is open in the spring. Kids get to explore the life cycle of the caterpillar, interact with hands-on exhibits about butterflies and other pollinators, go on a bug safari, and even create a clay caterpillar to hold seeds that can sprout at home. Families can adopt a live caterpillar to take home and watch the process from chrysalis to Painted Lady butterfly.

Other interactive exhibits include a splash dance fountain, rope bridge, physics forest, and arroyo adventure where kids can get dirty and wet while exploring a natural California habitat.

Echo Park Lake

Echo Park Lake is part of The City of Los Angeles’s Aquatics division, which offers residents 16 year-round swimming pools, 39 seasonal pools, and 11 open water facilities like Echo Park Lake. Families can rent the famous swan boats for a paddle around the lake. The foot-activated covered boats give you a chance for a little physical activity while enjoying the sights of the Echo Park neighborhood. Hour-long rental times are available all day. Some locals recommend timing your paddle for the sunset hours to really appreciate the views.

La Brea Tar Pits

To help your kids feel connected to the earth’s history, your family may enjoy a visit to the La Brea Tar Pits. Located in the heart of Los Angeles on Wilshire Boulevard, it is a gateway into what it was like during the ice age. The Tar pits form when a crack in the earth allows crude oil to seep to the surface, leaving behind a black sticky substance. Native Americans in the area used it for glue and waterproofing canoes and baskets.

Over the course of its known history, the tar has coughed up bones from animals of all eras, including long-extinct species like mastodons, mammoths, and saber-toothed cats. Among the museum’s many thousands of fossil specimens are a partial human skull and many human artifacts.

 A visit to the site gives you the chance to observe the active tar pit and see life-size recreations of the animal species. You can watch scientists in action as they continue to excavate the site with the goal of understanding how our planet’s past can help reveal its future.

Angels Flight

In downtown LA, the bright orange funicular known as Angels Flight Railway has been a landmark since 1901. For only one dollar, you can ride up or down between Hill Street and Grand Avenue on Bunker Hill. Angels Flight is open daily from 6:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. including holidays and weekends. The lower Grand Avenue entrance is also close to our next activity suggestion.

Grand Central Market

It’s easy to combine an Angels Flight ride with a stroll through LA’s Grand Central Market, a thriving, bustling landmark that has brought many of LA’s cultures together since 1917. Known as the “Wonder Market” when it first opened, it was billed as “the largest and finest market on the Pacific Coast.” 

Today, the market’s 40 vendor stalls feature longtime residents like China Café and up-and-coming stars on the food scene. The market has always been a way to showcase the talents and vision of the immigrant food community. Your family can pick up lunch from a restaurant stall and fresh produce for the week’s cooking.

Aquarium of the Pacific

Aquarium of the Pacific lets families explore the ecosystem of the Pacific Ocean with featured exhibits including a coral reef, penguin habitat, shark lagoon, and sea otter habitat. You can watch your children become mesmerized by the jellies, and learn about Southern California Steelheads and the endangered species of frogs. Kids and adults of all ages will enjoy the calm and peaceful aquarium experience.

Reach Out to Teak Master Today! 

We hope you enjoyed our list of seven activities to do with your kids in Los Angeles. We know these barely scratch the surface of all the great things our city has to offer. What do you like doing with your family? We would love to hear about the ways you bond together. Feel free to contact us anytime and add to the list. If you need any restoration services for your home, then we would love to have your business.