My family usually takes a big trip in the summer, but I tore my ACL earlier this year, so we decided to take it slow and give my body time to heal. However, I can’t sit still either, so I decided to plan a trip for my oldest child and I to visit friends in Los Angeles.
At first I was hesitant about going to such a big city with a six-year-old. We live in Portland, Maine, and sometimes it feels like there isn’t enough to do with the kids. Our activities usually revolve around food and birthday parties.
I asked threads for tips on what to do and quickly realized that the possibilities are endless. We did so many fun things and now I know that Los Angeles really is a kid-friendly city.
He loved all our adventures
Our flight out west was delayed, so when we finally got to LA, I threw our bags in the room and we ran to explore. Our first stop was the La Brea Tar Pits, which came highly recommended by friends. I bought a GoCity pass, which allows you to visit several attractions without buying a ticket, and the Tar Pits were included in the price.
Everyone recommended the La Brea Tar Pits to the author and he was not disappointed. Courtesy of the author
We explored the pits, which freaked me out as an adult, and then the museum, which displayed skeletons and fossils that were found there. My son loves archaeology, so this was a great way to start the trip.
Then we went to Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, which is kind of a tourist trap but I remember loving it as a kid. He was once again speechless standing next to the tallest man of all time; I loved seeing Marilyn Monroe’s dress that Kim Kardashian wore in real life.
Then we walked down Hollywood Boulevard looking for celebrities until we came to a thrift store. We went shopping and the cashier decided to give us 25% off because she thought my son was funny. Something similar happened when we bought t-shirts at Amoeba Music.
The author said that even places like Amoeba Music are incredibly kid-friendly. Courtesy of the author
The next day we went to Universal Studios Hollywood so he could visit Super Nintendo World. Since we had early entry and got to the park at 8am, we only stayed half a day.
After that we went to the Griffith Observatory where we saw the Hollywood sign and all the planetarium exhibits and watched a film about whether there is life on other planets. After that he had so many questions.
No trip to LA is complete without a stop at In-And-Out, where my son was given stickers and a chocolate shake before I could even place my order.
The next day, I took him to Sidecar to get donuts and the employee decided to give him his donut for free. At this point, my son started to believe that all kids in LA get free things. Then we went to shop for shoes for me and while I was looking for cool sneakers, the store owner called my son over to throw some basketballs into a basket.
After shopping for shoes, we went to the LA Zoo, which several people recommended. I’m not a zoo fan, but when we went in, we saw that there was a Lego DREAMzzz event where kids could help build a giant narwhal. Since my son is a huge Lego brick fan, he was excited to participate and meet a true Lego master. He even got a goodie bag to take home for participating.
The author’s son was able to participate in a Lego DREAMzzz event and help build a large narwhal. Courtesy of the author
To end our trip and continue the Lego theme, we went to Legoland in San Diego. He ran all over the park screaming, “This is the best place ever,” which was pretty cute to see.
We accomplished more in one week than we can at home in a month
If it sounds like we did a lot, that’s because we did. And even though he’s a bit of a homebody at home, in a new city he was excited about whatever came next.
When we are in Maine, all of our activities revolve around where we eat and whether we go to a party. There is not much culture and variety for kids, and we tend to have to drive to New Hampshire or Boston for more kid-friendly activities.
Even in restaurants here, it’s often difficult to find children’s books or crayons, which I know is not the responsibility of the owner but of the parents. Still, the sticker book that was handed out with the burgers made dinner much easier.
At the end of our trip, I asked him what he liked best. He said, “Everything,” and even when I asked him what his favorite activity was, he always gave the same answer.
For my part, I’m already thinking about when we can return to Los Angeles because now that I know the city is so kid-friendly, I want to do so much more.
