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
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!
Walking the La Brea Tar Pits, you can’t help but think of the giant mastodon elephants and saber-tooth tigers that once shared this space. Being there makes it easy to imagine animals getting stuck in the tar some 50,000 years ago. It’s a great family-friendly place to visit with the kids.
Visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific with our 3-year-old was a blast. We initially set aside two hours to see everything but ended up having to plead with our daughter to head out after 5 hours of exploring!
Visiting Catalina Island gives LA and OC residents a unique chance to unwind. Just 27 miles off the coast. Catalina has something for everyone.
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Orange County
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.
The Orange County Model Engineers in Costa Mesa, CA have been giving FREE rides to train enthusiasts young and old for almost 30 years.
Zoomars is perfect for kids, and it’s been a staple in the Los Rios Historic District for over 30 years.
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
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
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.
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.
We really wanted to find a real farm that offered the possibility of picking pumpkins right off the vine. After some searching, we headed out towards Greenspot Farm in Mentone, CA. While the farm is pretty far off the beaten path, Greenspot more than makes up for the trip in character and charm.
Right in the heart of San Bernardino lies a forgotten piece of American history. The site of the Original McDonald’s.
We stumbled across Amy’s Farm on our search for petting zoo alternatives. Our daughter Kairi loves animals, and we decided to check it out after a friend’s glowing recommendation.
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.