Things to do with kids in Downtown LA
The smart way into Downtown from the San Gabriel Valley is the A Line: board at Arcadia, step out 40-some minutes later at Civic Center/Grand Park into a wading fountain in front of City Hall, walk 10 minutes to the 1926 Central Library, ride the $1 Angels Flight up Bunker Hill, and finish with lunch at Grand Central Market.
For museums, head south to Exposition Park: the free California Science Center and the dinosaur hall at the Natural History Museum next door make a full day on one parking fee, and the Metro E Line goes straight there. Fifteen minutes north is Griffith Park, with Travel Town, the little train, the LA Zoo, the observatory and the fern canyon of Fern Dell; 10 minutes northeast is the Bob Baker Marionette Theater in Highland Park. Two stops is plenty for a 2-year-old; a big kid can go from the Foucault pendulum at the observatory all the way to Angels Flight.
- 7 places
- 4 free
- 7 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
7 places
Drive times from Downtown LA
Grand Park Fountain and Playground
5.0Los Angeles · 5 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
Angels Flight Railway
5.0Los Angeles · 5 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
Los Angeles Central Library Children's Department
4.0Los Angeles · 5 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
California Science Center
4.0Los Angeles · 10 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 · 10 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Museum lot about $18 per car (Bill Robertson Ln); or take the Metro E Line to Expo Park/USC
Bob Baker Marionette Theater
5.0Los Angeles · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: Street parking on York Blvd (read the signs), not hard on weekend mornings
Fern Dell Trail (Griffith Park)
5.0Los Angeles · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free street parking on Fern Dell Dr, hard to find after 10am on weekends
💡 Good to know
- Downtown parking is expensive: ride the A Line or park in the Exposition Park garage ($18) rather than hunting for a space; on game and concert days Downtown and Exposition Park get much busier, so glance at the calendar first.