Where to go this weekend with kids around Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley
In season now: Pumpkin patches and fall farms with kids around Los Angeles →48 places for this weekend
Lacy Park
5.0San Marino · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Lot at the Virginia Rd entrance; about $4 per person for non-San Marino residents on weekends and holidays (under 4 free), free on weekdays
Vroman's Bookstore Kids' Section
5.0Pasadena · 15 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot behind the store (Colorado Blvd and El Molino Ave)
Bob Baker Marionette Theater
5.0Los Angeles · 20 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: Street parking on York Blvd (read the signs), not hard on weekend mornings
Arcadia Public Library Children's Room
5.0Arcadia · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot
Ride the Metro A Line
5.0Arcadia · 5 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free Park & Ride lot at Arcadia station (First Ave and Santa Clara St)
Los Angeles County Arboretum
5.0Arcadia · 5 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free arboretum lot (Baldwin Ave)
Descanso Gardens
5.0La Cañada Flintridge · 20 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free garden lot
Glendale Central Library Children's Area
5.0Glendale · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Library garage, free for an initial period with a library card (check current rules); the Americana garage also works
Fern Dell Trail (Griffith Park)
5.0Los Angeles · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free street parking on Fern Dell Dr, hard to find after 10am on weekends
Cerritos Library
5.0Cerritos · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library and Civic Center lots
El Dorado Nature Center
5.0Long Beach · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Nature center lot, about $5 per car on weekdays and $8 on weekends
Aquarium of the Pacific
5.0Long Beach · 40 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Aquarium garage about $8–10 (with validation), lines after noon on weekends
Santa Ana Zoo
5.0Santa Ana · 40 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free zoo lot
Arcadia County Park Playground
5.0Arcadia · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots off both Santa Anita Ave and Huntington Dr
Monrovia Public Library and Library Park
5.0Monrovia · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Library lot and free street parking on Myrtle Ave
Kidspace Children's Museum
5.0Pasadena · 15 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free museum lot (next to the Rose Bowl), different arrangements on Rose Bowl event days
Franklin Canyon Park Lake
5.0Beverly Hills · 45 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots by the lake and at the Sooky Goldman Nature Center
Irvine Park Railroad (Irvine Regional Park)
5.0Orange · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Entry about $3 per car (weekdays) to $5–7 (weekends and holidays), several lots inside the park
OC Zoo (Irvine Regional Park)
5.0Orange · 45 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Irvine Regional Park entry about $3–7 per car, lot next to the zoo
Noah's Ark at the Skirball
5.0Los Angeles · 45 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: Free lot at the center
Pretend City Children's Museum
5.0Irvine · 50 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free museum lot
Grand Park Fountain and Playground
5.0Los Angeles · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Music Center garage (from about $10 on weekends); or take Metro to Civic Center/Grand Park station and you are there
Heritage Park Castle Island Playground
5.0Cerritos · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot off Bloomfield Ave
Travel Town Museum
5.0Los Angeles · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free museum lot (Zoo Dr), plenty of room on weekend mornings
Griffith Park & Southern Railroad
5.0Los Angeles · 30 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot off Crystal Springs Dr
Angels Flight Railway
5.0Los Angeles · 30 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Take the A Line to Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill or Historic Broadway and walk; if driving, garages around Grand Central Market
Santa Monica Main Library Children's Area
5.0Santa Monica · 55 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Library garage, first 30 minutes free, hourly after that (check current rates)
Arcadia Wilderness Park
4.0Arcadia · 10 min drive
1.5 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free inside the park; check hours on weekend open days
Charles H. Wilson Park
5.0Torrance · 45 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots off Crenshaw Blvd and Jefferson St, fuller during the Saturday farmers market
Los Angeles Central Library Children's Department
4.0Los Angeles · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Library garage (524 S Flower St), discounted with library card validation; or take Metro to 7th St/Metro Center and walk 5 minutes
Cabrillo Beach Inner Harbor and Tide Pools
5.0San Pedro · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Beach lot about $1–2/hour (daily cap on summer weekends), right next to the aquarium
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
5.0San Pedro · 45 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Beach lot about $1–2/hour (right next to the aquarium), daily cap on summer weekends
Polliwog Park
5.0Manhattan Beach · 50 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots off Manhattan Beach Blvd and Redondo Ave
Heritage Park Regional Library and Duck Pond
5.0Irvine · 50 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free Heritage Park lot
South Coast Botanic Garden
5.0Palos Verdes Peninsula · 50 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free garden lot
California Science Center
4.0Los Angeles · 35 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Exposition Park garage about $18 per car (Figueroa and 39th St entrances); or take the Metro E Line to Expo Park/USC
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
4.0Los Angeles · 35 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Museum lot about $18 per car (Bill Robertson Ln); or take the Metro E Line to Expo Park/USC
Tongva Park
5.0Santa Monica · 55 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Civic Center garage or the downtown Santa Monica garages, first 90 minutes free (check current rules)
Mother's Beach (Marina del Rey)
5.0Marina del Rey · 55 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: County lot off Admiralty Way, hourly (about $1–2/hour), arrive in the morning on summer weekends
Santa Fe Dam Lake Beach and Water Play Area
5.0Irwindale · 10 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Entry about $10 per car (more on holidays), lot right next to the beach
Discovery Cube Orange County
4.0Santa Ana · 40 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free museum lot
Annenberg Community Beach House
5.0Santa Monica · 60 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Beach House lot charges by the hour (about $3/hour, summer day rate about $12), full before noon on summer weekends
Puddingstone Lake Beach (Bonelli Park)
4.0San Dimas · 20 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Entry about $10–12 per car, dedicated lot at the swim area
Balboa Island Ferry and Fun Zone
5.0Newport Beach · 60 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: City lots on the Balboa Peninsula (about $2/hour) or free street parking on Balboa Island (hard to find on weekends)
Getty Center
4.0Los Angeles · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Lot at the bottom of the hill about $25 per car (about $15 after 3pm), then the free tram up
Manhattan Beach Pier and Beach
4.0Manhattan Beach · 50 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: County lot under the pier and street meters (about $1.5–2/hour), arrive before 10am on summer weekends
Santa Monica Pier and Carousel
4.0Santa Monica · 55 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Pier deck lot and beach lots about $15/day, arrive before 11am on summer weekends; or park in a downtown garage and walk
Monrovia Canyon Park Falls
3.0Monrovia · 10 min drive
2 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Lot inside the park, about $5 per car on weekends and holidays, cash or check the website