Museums worth visiting with kids around Los Angeles
These museums are chosen for hands-on: a creek to wade, fossils to dig, a boat to load, a tram to ride, rather than things behind glass. There's a fit for everyone from 2 to 10, and three of them are completely free.
The San Gabriel Valley's first choice is Kidspace in Pasadena, mostly outdoors, where the creek, mud kitchen and climbing towers are heaven for ages 1–8. South of Downtown, Exposition Park pairs the free California Science Center with the Natural History Museum next door for a full day; Griffith Observatory is free and its planetarium is a must from age 5. To the west, the Getty Center's tram, gardens and Family Room suit little kids, and Noah's Ark at the Skirball next door is the most inventive children's gallery in the city. In Orange County, Discovery Cube digs for dinosaurs and Pretend City in Irvine is a miniature town built for ages 1–6.
- 8 places
- 3 free
- 8 stroller-friendly
- closest is 15 min away
8 places
Drive times from Arcadia
Kidspace Children's Museum
5.0Pasadena · 15 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free museum lot (next to the Rose Bowl), different arrangements on Rose Bowl event days
Noah's Ark at the Skirball
5.0Los Angeles · 45 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: Free lot at the center
Pretend City Children's Museum
5.0Irvine · 50 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free museum lot
California Science Center
4.0Los Angeles · 35 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Exposition Park garage about $18 per car (Figueroa and 39th St entrances); or take the Metro E Line to Expo Park/USC
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
4.0Los Angeles · 35 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Museum lot about $18 per car (Bill Robertson Ln); or take the Metro E Line to Expo Park/USC
Discovery Cube Orange County
4.0Santa Ana · 40 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free museum lot
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
Griffith Observatory
3.0Los Angeles · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Observatory lot about $10/hour and nearly impossible on weekends; better to park at the Greek Theatre lot and take the DASH Observatory bus ($0.50) up the hill
💡 Good to know
- The California Science Center, the Getty and the observatory are free but parking runs $10–25; LA County Library and LAPL cards get free museum passes through Discover & Go.
- Go at weekend opening for the smallest crowds, and bring a change of clothes to the children's museums: the Kidspace creek always wins. Noah's Ark needs a timed ticket at all times.