Exploring California With Kids
California has so much to offer both tourists, and it’s residents. From famous cities to National Parks, it’s easy to overlook smaller spots that you never knew we’re there. The sheer amount of things to do in Southern California can be overwhelming. If not for our blog, Trang and I may never have found some of California’s best-hidden gems.
With two kids, international travel isn’t as easy as it once was. Thankfully California is a prime tourist location in its own right. With more things to do within the state than most countries can offer around the globe.
We’re fortunate to call California home and can’t wait to undercover even more great things about it.
Things to do in Southern California with Kids - Youtube Playlist
Los Angeles County
Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades has carved out a beautifully peaceful chunk of space for itself in the Los Angeles area. Open to all cultures and all religions the Lake Shrine is a nice refuge to all in our increasingly divided world.
Antonovich Trail in San Dimas was a fun hike with the kids. A lot of shade, a nice stream, things to look at. Plenty of little spots to explore and teach the kids about.
We’re always on the lookout for unique parks in the greater Los Angeles area. Arlington Garden in Pasadena is one of those places. The three-acre garden feels a lot like a mini arboretum that’s broken up into many different plant communities, with each area having its own distinctive feel and atmosphere. Opened in 2005, Arlington promotes well-being and relaxation.
The Wildlife Learning Center has provided care for displaced, rescued, and zoo-born wild animals for many years. At the time of our visit, the Wildlife Learning Center was only offering private tours so we opted for their Adventure Tour. We initially thought our 4-year-old would enjoy the tour the most, but everyone in the group loved the experience.
The Natural History Museum Los Angeles is a great place to bring the kids. The dinosaur exhibits and animal dioramas are awe-inspiring. While it will cost a family of 4 about $45 to visit, NHM also offers a free admission day once a month, so start planning your visit today!
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Orange County
The Redwood Grove in Brea’s Carbon Cayon Regional Park is an easy hike to take with the kiddos. While the grove is only 200-ish yards long it’s nice to see so many Redwoods in one spot without having to drive up to the mountains.
Going on the Tanaka Farms U-Pick Wagon Rides with Santa worked out perfectly for us. Our oldest daughter is very much in love with the idea of being a farmer when she grows up so picking veggies and meeting Santa was a win-win.
The Corona Del Mar State Beach is one of our favorites in Orange County. It’s fine sand and unique landmarks make it a must-visit if you’re looking for a fun beach to take the kids.
On weekdays Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch in Irvine, CA offers tickets for a more socially distanced experience. Which they accomplish through specified time slots and smaller capacity. The entire visit takes about 45-60 minutes
Adventure Playground Irvine’s hands-on design allows kids of all ages to get dirty and show off their creative side. Large Lego Blocks enable kids to make life-size versions for whatever they can imagine. We highly recommend a visit if you’re looking for something fun to do with the kids in Orange County.
Ventura County
We were shocked to see how much of a transformation the Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, CA undertakes for their fall harvest. Their gigantic pumpkin patch offers over a dozen different pumpkin types to choose from and plenty of great spots for taking fun family photos.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
The girls had a blast on our visit to the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris, CA. We learned a lot from the passionate volunteers donating their time to refurbish the old trains and teach visitors about the railway’s amazing past.
Right at the end of Sixth St. In Norco, CA, you’ll find the entrance to an easy family-friendly hike to a giant rock painted like a pumpkin. The pumpkin rock trail has a couple of nice landmarks to investigate as you make you’re way up the hill.
For a roadside attraction, the Cabazon Dinosaurs is a must-visit if you’re driving through. Initially opened in 1975 by Claude Bell, the Dinosaurs were initially built to attract travelers to his now-closed restaurant. Still, the dinosaurs were made famous in classic 80’s movies like Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and The Wizard.
The “it” place to be in Southern California this March has to got be the Walker Canyon poppy fields near Lake Elsinore. The last time our state had this much rain the canyon’s hills were alive with color. Fingers crossed super bloom 2019 will put our last one to shame.
March Field Air Museum is home to many of our country’s most iconic military planes. In addition to the aircraft, the March Field Air Museum is full of interactive models and documentary videos that make it a great place to take the kids to learn about our past.
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
We had a great time in Wrightwood, CA, playing in the snow. Since It was our girl’s first time experiencing snow, we wanted to find a less busy place for them to play. So we decided to drive up for a Wrightwood Snow Day.
Lytle Creek was a great activity for our family. With the pandemic in full swing, we’ve had to try more isolated activities. While It’s still possible to go out, safe options are getting even harder to find. Lytle Creek is nice because you don’t have to hike far to enjoy nice clear water coming down from the mountain.
The Mission Tiki Drive-in Theatre has been in our stable rotation of things to do for years. Even before kids, Trang and I would spend our summer nights watching double features.
The homely feel to Greenspot is what we really enjoy about this farm, it’s the least commercialized out of all the other pumpkin patches we’ve visited this year and we like that.
Riley’s Farm has been a staple in Oak Glen for decades. Overall, Riley’s is a beautiful farm with many U-PICK fruit Orchards and a REAL pumpkin patch.
Oak Glen is known for it’s October Apple Picking, but it really should be known for Snow-Line Orchards Apple Cider Donuts. Eaten fresh these mini donuts could heal the world 🙂
We headed over to Los Rios Rancho in Oak Glen to pick some end of season strawberries. We’re big fans of the Oak Glen area on a normal year. It’s a great little town with a lot of family-friendly u-pick farms.
In December, families from all over SoCal visit Logan’s Candies to watch them make their signature peppermint candy canes. The 45-minute presentation goes from boiling the sugar into bending the candy into its iconic shape. At the end of the demo, you can even form your unique candy cane!
We loved our previous visit so much that we came back to experience GreenSpot Farms Christmas Tree Farm. Visiting opening night, our family had a great time walking to see the trees and enjoying the activities. The warm smores hit the spot as well!
An apple-picking town where every parent is yelling out, “Don’t touch that!” Bad joke aside, Apple picking Oak Glen is a great day trip for any LA and Orange County families looking to do something fun with the kids.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EVENTS
The FUNBOX LA Pop-up selfie museum in the Westfield Santa Anita Mall is a colorful Instagram playground that any selfie-loving person can enjoy. FUNBOX LA is a family-friendly pop-up and well worth a visit if anyone in your family is addicted to Instagram. Learn more about this limited time pop-up in the Post
We drove down to San Diego for a day of fun and relaxation. In addition to a full day of eating, we headed south to visit the Wonderspaces San Diego popup exhibit located inside B Street Pier.
We had a blast visiting Happy Place at LA Live in Los Angeles. While it’s LA run in nearly over, Happy Place will be reopening in Chicago this Summer! The pop-up is excellent for more than just people addicted to Instagram. We brought our 20-month-old daughter, and she loved it!
The awe-inspiring atmosphere is the result of blending nature & special effect lighting. The blend delivers an experience, unlike anything we’ve seen before. The Enchanted: Forest of Light is an event that shouldn’t be missed.
For over 25 years The Mission Inn’s Festival of Lights has been wowing visitors of all ages. Located in Riverside California, The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa goes all out every holiday season.
Down an alley in the Art District of LA lays a pop-up ice cream museum that’s been selling out of tickets as fast as they put them up. The Museum of Ice Cream Pop-up has been wildly popular in its limited run.
We visited the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana to watch some pizza making. It was 6,333.30 feet of continuous pizza to be exact. An official record certified by the genius book of world records.