With broad beaches, scenic coastal hills, movie studios and world class museums all basking under a mild Mediterranean climate, Los Angeles offers a range of attractions for families, whether you want to soak in some sun or stalk some stars.
Outsiders know this city best for Hollywood, but Los Angeles is really so vast and diverse you could easily spend a week touring without ever setting foot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame or a studio back lot. But your kids might not forgive you!
I'm a former resident of the City of Angels who made my home by the beach in Santa Monica, which is technically a city of its own but is for all practical purposes the westernmost point of Los Angeles. It's a place where the freeway ends, and I like to think, the best of L.A. begins. Santa Monica is a little gem that has the feel of both the small beach town it once was, and the sophisticated center it has become. Laid back surfers bike to the beach with boards on their back and families line up to ride a Ferris wheel reminiscent of another era, while others visit high-end boutiques and take in a vibrant street life. Yes, at least in parts of L.A., people do still walk.
Likewise, when you head east on L.A.'s famous freeways, you'll come to Pasadena, an altogether different but equally family-friendly community, which is the site of the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses parade, lush public gardens and some of the city's oldest architecture.
All over Los Angeles, in fact, there are remnants of the history of this city, which has its origins long before the days of the silent movie. L.A. was founded by the Spanish in 1781, later annexed by Mexico in 1821, and finally purchased by the U.S. 27 years later as part of the treaty that ended the Mexican American war. Today old Spanish style houses and churches sit alongside modern apartment buildings, and 12-lane freeways exit onto little slivers of mountain and beachside road built by some of the earliest residents. Regarding more modern history, Muscle Beach, where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used to train in the 1970s, is still a working outdoor gym on Venice Beach.
This is not to diminish the allure of Hollywood attractions like the Walk of Fame, where every member of the family young or old will recognize some of the stars memorialized. Even Mickey Mouse has a star there; in 1978 he became the first cartoon character to receive the honor. But the really great thing about this city as a vacation destination is you can do it all: cover the touristy spots by day and then retreat to a quieter area by the beach or in the hills. You can take a family hike without ever leaving the city limits, rent bikes and ride for miles along the beach, or get in a car and drive around the posh streets of Beverly Hills and Bel Air.
Los Angeles Family Vacations
Los Angeles Family Vacations
Families will love:
- Mild Mediterranean climate
- Broad beaches, scenic coastal hills, movie studios and world class museums
- Offering a range of attractions for families
Written by Andrea Orr
Read more about Los Angeles Attractions
Latest Los Angeles Trip Report
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