Mommy Poppins’s website has a great Los Angeles bucket list for families. Since we are new to LA, it has become the perfect base for many of our local explorations. As we learn more about the city, we continue to add to this list as well as cross things off. Obviously we have quite a bit of time to do these things since our son is only small, but I imagine the years will continue to go by faster than we anticipate, so we try to do something new every month.
The first 100 items below are from Mommy Poppin’s 100 things to do with your kids in LA before they grow up. Everything after that are things that we have added. For more information on each activity, visit the link above at Mommy Poppin’s site. I am just listing them here just for our sake and to cross things off as we do them! I will occasionally update individual items with a link to our experiences/review.
Go to the Rose Parade- Go to the Pasadena Doo Dah Parade
- Have brunch and hit the beach at Paradise Cove
Sled the Venice sand bermsVisit Griffith ObservatoryPick your own veggies at Underwood FarmsTour the STAR Eco StationSee an IMAX movie at the California Science Center (we saw the Lemurs of Madagascar)Visit Kidspace Children’s Museum- See a play at the Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga
- Finagle a guest pass to kids brunch at the Magic Castle
See a movie at Disney’s El Capitan- Ride the Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel at sunset
Ride the Orange County Great Park helium balloon- Go to a Native American event at the Autry National Center
Camp in Malibu Creek State Park- Do an LA Conservancy Family Walking Tour
- Go rollerblade along Venice Beach
- Head south to swim with the belugas or dolphins at SeaWorld
Go to a Medieval Times dinner tournament- See EquestFest over winter break
- Play at Noah’s Ark at the Skirball
- Build a campfire and cook dinner at Dockweiller Beach
- Do a Sunset Ranch Hollywood sign trail ride
- Ride a Fillmore & Western train
Take a whale watching trip- Skydive on Universal Citywalk at iFly Hollywood
Try the Muscle Beach Travelling RingsRide the trains at LA Live Steamers in Griffith ParkGo on a Faery HuntGo to the Rose Bowl Flea MarketHike to the Bat Cave at Griffith ParkVisit Olvera Street during a traditional Mexican festivalRegister with Central Casting to be extras in a movie- Watch a taping of a live kids’ show
- Take a surfing lesson
Rent (or bring) a bike to ride the beach bike pathIce skate in short sleeves at one of the seasonal outdoor ice rinksSee a show at Bob Baker Marionette TheaterGo for a walk through the Venice CanalsTake a day out of school to go to Disneyland when it’s not busy- See the buffalo on Catalina Island
Check out Watts Towers- Visit the Flower Mart downtown
- See the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano –
Visit San Juan Capistrano&the Mission Ride Angels Flight- See the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade
- Go watch some old TV shows at the Paley Center
Ski or sled at a local ski resort, then have dinner by the beach- Go to a Presidential Library – Reagan or Nixon
Buy a season pass to one of the big parks (Disneyland, Universal,Knotts) so that you can drop in any time, even if only for a couple of rides- Ride the high-wire bicycle at the California Science Center
Watch a horse show at the LA Equestrian CenterWander The Huntington Gardens- Attend a hand print or a star laying ceremony on Hollywood Blvd.
- Go to an open rehearsal at the Hollywood Bowl
Join LACMA Nexgen, and go to a Family Sunday- Attend an event at the Central Library (story hour, author event, etc..)
- Do a sleepover at either the Tar Pits or Natural History Museum
- Go to the Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown
- Do a beach clean-up
Wander the Camellia Festival at either Descanso or Huntington GardensTake part in a Dia de los Muertos Festival at Hollywood Forever Cemetery- Drop in on Los Encinos Living History Day
Explore the Natural History Museum’s seasonal Butterfly PavilionExplore the Natural History Museum’s seasonal Spider Pavilion- Visit the Moorpark Teaching Zoo
Do a Kids Run the Bases day at Dodger StadiumGo to a Family Festival at the Getty CenterTour (or stay at) the Queen Mary- Spend a day at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire
- Go to the Los Angeles County Fair
Attend the Hollywood Christmas Parade- Go to the LA Times Festival of Books
- Ride the Marina del Rey Water Bus to a waterside concert
- Bake cookies, bring them to your local fire station, and get a tour of the station and engines
- Take a Beverly Hills Trolley Tour
- Attend a Saturday Scene family show at the Geffen Playhouse
Go sea kayaking- Have dinner at the Santa Monica Food Trucks, with a table (and grown-up drinks) at The Victorian
- Take a Family Fossil Trip to Red Rock Canyon
- Celebrate Mardi Gras at the Farmers Market
- Get in the Halloween spirit at Knotts Scary Farm
- Sign up for a free Apple Camp at the Apple Store
See the Space Shuttle Endeavour at the Samuel Oschin Pavilion- Take a trapeze lesson
Volunteer to work on a Rose Parade float and/or view the floats up closeafter the parade- Check out the Heritage Square Museum
- Catch a Sunday shark feeding at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium
- Enjoy a Sunday morning concert at McCabe’s and try out all the guitars afterward
- Experience a Toyota Symphony for Youth at Disney Concert Hall
- Create a recycled masterpiece at ReDiscover or
at Trash For Teachers - Take a Warner Brothers Studio Tour
See the Avila Adobe – LA’s oldest house- Go for Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues
Catch some live music at Amoeba Records and show kids what records are- Attend the annual Jet Propulsion Laboratory Open House (in Oct usually)
- Catch the Tall Ships Festival
Rent a family bicycle surrey at Lake Balboa- Go on a Grunion Run
And the Never Ending Part Below:
Spend a day at Hansen Dam swimming & playing on the playgroundsVisit the REMO drum shop for a free family drum circleHike the Old zoo trail at Griffith ParkPetersen Automotive Museum- Visit the Gentle Barn
Go Glamping- Nazi Bunker hike in Topanga
- Go Camping at Leo Carillo National Park and spend time looking for starfish in the tide pools
Visit the Santa Monica Airport Observation deckVisit the Van Nuys Airport Observation play areaDiscovery Cube in LAHike in Santa Monica Mountains with a ranger- Hike Devil’s punch bowl
Attend horse racesSee a bear on a hike (monrovia canyon falls)Albalone Cove Tide poolsLaguna Beach Crystal Cove Tide Pools- Explore Newport Bay
Stay at a kid friendly ranch/farm- Palos Verdes Nature walk with a ranger
Hike Switzer Falls- Hike Sturtevant Falls
Wildlife Learning Center in Sylmar- Living Desert in PS
Joshua Tree hikes- Camp Joshua Tree
Indian Canyon in PS- Serenity Park Parrot Sanctuary
- Aerial Tram in PS
- Gibbon Conservation Center
- Randall Henderson Trail (Palm Desert)
Go fishing at Troutdale- Volunteer with mountain trust
- Go mini-golfing
Go bowlingGo roller skatingGo to the trampoline place- Check out another farm stay at Rinconada Dairy
- Try a family meditation morning
- Do a food factory tour
Yoga kids classCabrillo Aquarium in San PedroHike the Sunken City of San PedroVasquez Rocks- Mud Caves of Anza Borrego
- White Point Nature Preserve
- SD Animal Safari Park
- Santa Fe Dam for fishing
Adventure PlaygroundHike the Channel Islands- Check out the Arboretum
Amtrack Ride to San Juan Capistrano for the day (visit zoomars petting zoo)- Fryman Canyon hike
- Los Liones HIke
- Sullivan Canyon hike in Brentwood
- Escondido Falls in Malibu
- Baldwin Heights hike
- Greystone Mansion
What have we missed? I know there are more and more things out there each day! Are any of these on your never ending Los Angeles bucket list? What have you crossed off your list?
