Planning a holiday to LA with kids? According to Visit Los Angeles, these are the best family-friendly places to eat, play and sleep in the city of angels.
Eat
Dining out in LA with kids doesn’t mean forgoing trendy new restaurants. Los Angeles is home to a variety of dining experiences from food stands and stalls to the fast-casual restaurants and white table cloth dining establishments. Below are some of the best kid-friendly dining options that will also appeal to their parent’s appetites.
The Manufactory is the newest restaurant at the shopping and arts complex ROW DTLA, and marks an exciting collaboration between James Beard Award-winning chefs Chad Robertson, Elisabeth Prueitt and Chris Bianco. This culinary mosaic has an outdoor Ice Cream + Coffee Window which is a win-win for both parents and kids. The interior, all-day restaurant Tartine Bianco offers families a bright, open space and menu of fresh, farm-to-table ingredients.
Burritos at The Fields LA.
The Fields LA is a new, elevated food hall in Downtown LA’s Exposition Park offering nine dining options, including fried chicken sandwiches from Chef Tim Hollingsworth of Otium fame. The best part? Children eat for free at The Fields LA. While in Exposition Park, families can catch an LAFC soccer match at the brand-new Banc of California stadium and visit one of the nearby museums within walking distance.
For families with picky eaters, history buffs and gourmands, Grand Central Market (GCM), which celebrated it’s 100-year-anniversary in 2017, is a one-stop-shop. Movie-fans might recognise the market from “La La Land” starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. GCM is home to nearly 40 food vendors options ranging from street Thai food to Mexican and kid favourites such as McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream and PBJ.LA.
The Grand Central Market LA
Mid-Wilshire’s LACMA, often hosts family days. After you snap a family selfie at “Urban Light”, grab a bite at Ray’s + Stark Bar. Rays specialise in new American cuisine and offer a delicious Kid’s Table menu including organic chicken tenders and grass-fed hamburgers.
Spoke Bicycle Café in Elysian Valley, aka Frogtown, is one of the best family-friendly places to eat in LA. The cafe is in the up and coming L.A. River district which is undergoing a multi-million-dollar revitalisation project. Along the path parents can grab a crafted coffee and sandwiches at this eatery’s fun, colorful patio and then rent bikes from Spoke’s bike shop for a leisurely ride through urban nature.
Stay
Los Angeles has great family-friendly accommodation. These hotels have family rooms and offer the convenience and the laidback-style LA is known for.
The Garland, in Studio City, has family suites and fun activities such as drive-in movies, courtyard games, yoga and brunch. The hotel also has a roundtrip trolley that takes gets to and from Universal Studios and City Walk.
The Farmer’s Daughter Hotel in Mid-City is just steps from The Grove, Original Farmer’s Market, and an enclave of dining and shopping on Fairfax. This neighbourhood is great for families and the hotel itself features tack double rooms and an adorable outdoor pool with bright yellow rubber ducks.
Omni Hotel is in the Bunker Hill section of Downtown LA, the home of The Broad, MOCA and Walt Disney Concert Hall. Omni gives younger guests backpacks filled with items designed specifically for them through the Omni Kids Crew program. They also deliver milk and cookies to their guest room on the first night along with colouring menus and crayons when they dine on the property with their parents.
Loews Hollywood Hotel is located in the heart of Hollywood adjacent to the Hollywood and Highland centre. The property runs a robust Loews Loves Kids program. Those under 10 years old are given access to toys, books and night-lights; tweens and teens receive music download cards, their own DVD player and board games.
Play
LA is full of museums, movie studios, theme parks and attractions. Young families will never run out of things to see and do. Here are just a few of the various activities sure to bring delight to all.
Tech-forward millennial parents can teach children the magic of technology at Two Bit Circus, a brand-new VR and arcade amusement park in the buzzing Arts District. The space includes traditional circus and arcade games, VR experiences, escape rooms and a large dining area.
Families can help ease the trouble of missing their pets at home with a visit to the newest attraction to hit the California Science Center is Dogs! A Science Tail, which is a hands-on science exhibition that highlights the dynamic nature of the bond between humans and dogs.
The Broad Museum with it’s new colorful crosswalks art installation by Carlos Cruz-Diez in Downtown LA. The museum is named for philanthropist Eli Broad
The newest exhibition at The Broad is “The Soul of a Nation: Art in The Age of Black Power 1963-1983” running from March 23 through September 1, 2019. This exhibition sheds the light on the social and artistic contributions the black community made to the art world during the civil rights movement and provides parents an opportunity to discuss this aspect of American history with their kids. The exhibit is free for children 17 and under.
It’s likely impossible to find a child that doesn’t love dinosaurs or even a millennial parent, after all, they are the generation of “Jurassic Park” and “The Land Before Time.” The new exhibit “Antarctic Dinosaurs” runs at Natural History Museum in Exposition Park from April 3, 2019, to January 5, 2020. This special look at the prehistoric animals of the Antarctic region is bound to fascinate both children and parents alike.
A day at Universal Studios Hollywood will entrance kids and send young parents down memory lane with attractions themed to The Simpsons, Harry Potter and Transformers. Head to Harry Potter’s Hogsmeade to enjoy butterbeer (non-alcoholic) and ride the Forbidden Journey. The highly-anticipated Jurassic World – The Ride attraction which is inspired by the successful film franchise will debut this summer. Parents of older kids will surely want to brave the thrilling, 84-foot waterfall drop together.
A must-see activity in LA with kids is the behind-the-scenes tour at Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood. Among all of the treasures to be seen, parents will enjoy the Central Perk set from Friends while kids who want to be superheroes will especially love DC Universe: The Exhibit, which currently displays real costumes and props from 2018’s hit film Aquaman.
Families looking for a beachside day trip must visit Malibu. Surfing lessons with Aquasurf can be taken at Surfrider Beach next to the iconic Malibu Pier and family shopping at the Malibu Country Mart is also a must as the outdoor boutique shopping centre home to a playground and a toy shop. And of course, most notably, no family visit to Malibu is complete without a stop at The Getty Villa, where admission is free for all ages.
Griffith Park is a must for every visitor to Los Angeles. It’s also one of the best, all-ages activities in the city thanks to the Griffith Observatory, Travel Town Museum, Walt Disney’s Barn, Autry Museum of the American West and so much more. Beginners levels trails which offer peeks of the Hollywood in the 4,310-acre park are also perfect for families with active kids and tweens.
Griffith Observatory Los Angeles
Bob Baker Marionette Theater is a hidden gem in LA and a historic-cultural monument that produces 300 performances per year. Shows will begin at their new home in early summer when it reopens in the effortlessly cool neighbourhood of Highland Park.
For families travelling out of LAX, the airport is home to programs fun for the whole family, including the PUPs therapy dog program, where adorable comfort dogs greet passengers in the terminals and a beach-themed play area within the Great Hall area of Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena was founded in 1979 to increase children’s access to the arts, humanities, and sciences.
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Travel allows you to get outside your bubble. It makes you realise there are other ways to do things, and that’s OK. Plus, I am a huge fan of skiing and for the best powder – you need to head overseas.