what to do in Los Angeles for 13 days (with 5 month old and 3 year old)

[Kingmoo]

We'll be in LA for a couple weeks in June. Any ideas for daily activities and what part of LA to stay in. Should we even bother going to San Diego for a few days?

I would like to make sure we have a few relaxing days at a nice beach (preferably near the hotel) and I would like to make sure our 3-year-old sees Mickey Mouse but I'm not sure if Disneyland is geared towards his age-bracket...

[sandy_beach]

Check tripadvisor for best recommendations. San Diego is much nicer than LA and is definitely worth seeing

[doomhammer]

We'll be in LA for a couple weeks in June. Any ideas for daily activities and what part of LA to stay in. Should we even bother going to San Diego for a few days?

I would like to make sure we have a few relaxing days at a nice beach (preferably near the hotel) and I would like to make sure our 3-year-old sees Mickey Mouse but I'm not sure if Disneyland is geared towards his age-bracket...

One thing you should know about LA is traffic.. traffic and more traffic.. its like DVP all the time :D..! Always budget at least 30-45 min for every trip.

Well you're going to be there for a while so grab a rental and drive around.. lots to see.. Disney is in Orange County.. Anaheim, Fullerton region so you'll get some good hotel deals there.. There is California Adventure nearby Disney.. Knott's Berry Farm also close by.

If you're into shopping there is Ontario Mills in Ontario (Yes they have Ontario in California).. its a good hr to 1.5hr from OC but great deals. Check out the site for Ontario Mills for coupons and stuff.

Take the PCH for a nice drive.. its very beautiful at times.. go Diego as you said.. lots to see there also.. there's a large aquarium and a world class zoo.

Back to LA- you can drive to Hollywood.. go to Santa Monica Blvd.. check out the Hollywood Walk of Fame.. that is a complete day by itself.. There's also Universal Studios which is always a big tourist attraction.

Go to the various piers there.. You can also take the ferry to Catalina Islands.. very upscale and beautiful from Long Beach harbor.

Hmm.. can't think of any but if I do Ill reply here.

[doomhammer]

Also some good eats:

- CPK (California Pizza Kitchen)
- CheeseCake Factory
- BJs
- If you're into Persian food there is Hatam and Dariya restaurants
- If you're into Arabic food take Artesia exist off 91 and you'll find lots there
- Irvine Spectrum mall seems to attract tourists :lol:
- You want to go paint balling? There is a US Marine camp Pendleton off 5 freeway.

Thinking....... what more????????

[doomhammer]

Trying to remember this kickass Japanese restaurant haha..
Will reply if I recall it.

[cardle]

We are tentatively planning on staying in Carlsbad in July for 10 days with our 6 yo. Had a look at LA and for us San Diego looks better for kids...even though it is a lot easier getting a direct flight to LA.

Sorry to hijack your thread but I have one question about Carlsbad, we won't be renting a car, is it doable staying in Carlsbad? This is the only thing putting us off.

[cocodc]

doomshammer has very good advice, I concur with all recommendations.

Re: Disneyland... don't be worried with a 3 year old. It's pretty much geared to every age! He will love to see the characters, plus there are quite a few "rides" at his endurance level. Only caveat is the price... pretty expensive day for 2 adults and a 3 year old, especially if you know you'll want to go again when his sibling is at a more appropriate age. I would recommend the Doubletree Anaheim, just up the street from Disney.

Re: San Diego: Kids (and you?) will enjoy the zoo. As well, if your son likes planes/boats, SD is the place to go (large airforce/naval area). Great beaches around SD (IMO far better than LA); I would recommend Silver Strand and La Jolla. Drive Shelter Island out to Point Loma. SD is such a nicer pace than LA, I'd personally hang out down there for more of your time.

[doomhammer]

We are tentatively planning on staying in Carlsbad in July for 10 days with our 6 yo. Had a look at LA and for us San Diego looks better for kids...even though it is a lot easier getting a direct flight to LA.

Sorry to hijack your thread but I have one question about Carlsbad, we won't be renting a car, is it doable staying in Carlsbad? This is the only thing putting us off.

Hmm.. well do you have a friend and/or relatives you can borrow a vehicle? Because.. public transport is pretty spotty and that too 'poor' people seem to use it :|.. its a bit different from what we're used to in Canada.

Without a vehicle you'll be stuck really.. nothing to do on foot!

[doomhammer]

Oh if you're going to drive to Diego on 5.. try to stop by in Dana Point, CA.. its so beautiful.. esp from top of the hill you see the Pacific ocean.. sunset.. its an extremely beautiful view.. and those multi-million $ houses aren't bad either :D !!

[herrdude]

Probably not terribly interesting for the family,

but you GOTTA check out Fry's, it's a real rfd-er's paradise!

There is one not too far from Disneyland...

http://www.frys.com/template/isp/index/Frys/isp/Middle_Topics/H1+Store+Maps/anaheim/

[doomhammer]

Probably not terribly interesting for the family,

but you GOTTA check out Fry's, it's a real rfd-er's paradise!

There is one not too far from Disneyland...

http://www.frys.com/template/isp/index/Frys/isp/Middle_Topics/H1+Store+Maps/anaheim/

Yes lol..!! But they have kids.. so I wasn't sure :D!!

[herrdude]

And to add to doomshammer list:

Awesome and cheap Vietnamese food in Santa-Ana (next to Anaheim)
Great Korean food not too far from there

Check out the LA Observatory where they filmed Rebel Without a Cause. From there you have great views and you can see the Hollywood sign.

As for Disneyland, you can take your kids to Downtown Disney, it's gratis and the kids will love it. If you go at night you can catch the fireworks.

[Morphius909]

We go to SD/LA about 2-4x/year. Staying with Family in Malibu and Woodland Hills and hotels in SD.
We have two kids, 2yo and 6yo.

Our favorites:
-SD is THE place for families, with the best beach (Coronado..we usually spend days here) and just the relaxed atmosphere around SD. Lots to see, the Carrier Ship, harbour area, naval reserves, boat tours...
-Disney
-Outlet shopping either at Las Americas or Camarillo
-SD Zoo
-Beverly Hills for window shopping ;)
-The Grove
-balboa park
-zuma beach is nice by Malibu
-Griffith Observatory is cool

Skip:
-LegoLand. Seriously. We went offseason with ZERO lines and still found it lame.


13 days seems like a lot..but we go into Shutdown Vaca mode when we are down...just take it easy adn RELAX and ENJOY all that california has...sun, great cheap eats and Beach/Oceans.
-

[cardle]

Hmm.. well do you have a friend and/or relatives you can borrow a vehicle? Because.. public transport is pretty spotty and that too 'poor' people seem to use it :|.. its a bit different from what we're used to in Canada.

Without a vehicle you'll be stuck really.. nothing to do on foot!

No option with the car:(

Even the Coaster light rail? I have been reading up on it at http://www.gonctd.com/schedules/coaster It doesn't come that frequently but it seems doable.

For the dates we want to go MANY hotels are booked up in the best places and unfortunately we don't have much flexibilty with the dates.

[dafunkgirl20]

I wouldn't spend 13 days in just LA.

We did this trip about 2 years ago with an almost 2 year old and a 4 year old.

We got the So Cal City pass and did 3 days at Disney (even my 2 year old loved it), 1 at Universal (the kids LOVED the characters and actually really enjoyed the tour), then we drove out to Carlsbad and did 2 days at Legoland (I wouldn't recommend it for children that young - my 4 year old is super tall and couldn't do half the rides and my 1 year old could do even less). Then we spent a week in San Diego.

San Diego is one of our favorite cities!!!! It's so beautiful, you can do some of your downtime while there and with the So Cal City pass you get entrance to Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. We did Coronado, Balboa Park.... it was great.

The drive down was nice too, just take the Coastal Highway. Stop in LaJolla (beautiful place).

We are doing the trip again this fall. We are spending a week in Anaheim/LA area. 5 days disney (we'll have a 3 and a lil guy turning 6 at Disney), Santa Monica, maybe Hollywood...? Then we are driving down to Long Beach and taking a 7 day cruise into the Mexican Riviera.

You could look into a 3-4 day cruise. They are fairly affordable and could be a lot of fun.

[dafunkgirl20]

One thing to keep in mind when traveling with a 3 year old - it's not about whether they will remember the vacation in 10 years or not (which they likely will - my son remembers his trip to the Dominican from when he was 3 years old and he's 5.5 now), it's about them enjoying themselves at that moment and making fun memories!

[Kingmoo]

So far I'm thinking:

-stay in Santa Monica for a couple nights after arriving in LAX @ 4pm (not too far from airport...)

-drive highway 5 and stop in Dana Point and LaJolla (as suggested)

-stay in Carlsbad for a week for relaxation on the beach.

-stay in Coronado for 6 nights

I like the 3 or 4 day cruise idea! Should we do Disneyland from Carlsbad or LA? Is one day of Disney enough?

Thanks for all recommendations!

[TrevorK]

So far I'm thinking:

-stay in Santa Monica for a couple nights after arriving in LAX @ 4pm (not too far from airport...)


Santa Monica has a lot of neat things to see that should appeal to children. The pier and that I think would appeal to a three year old (I don't have kids, but I think it would as it seemed busy with families). We went to Muscle Beach/Venice Beach and I'm not sure that would be child friendly. There were a lot of medicinal marijuana shops, a lot of marijuana smoking and definitely the more unique characters/street vendors. Every parent is different, but just be aware of that if you head to Venice Beach.

While there were some that complain there is no bus service in LA County I found the opposite, we took the bus quite a few places as it heads from Santa Monica right into the city. Perhaps one of the covered bus tours would be appealing to you and your children? There is also The Grove which is a giant farmers market, there were a lot of children running around so that might be appealing. It's right near all the Hollywood stuff.


-stay in Coronado for 6 nights

If you have a vehicle there is the Wild Animal Safari where you get to do things like feed the animals. It's more expensive, but I would think a three year old would enjoy it.


When I was in Newport Beach I found it very relaxing. We stayed at an awesome resort (Hyatt) and it was really laid back. Might also be a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of a big city.

[dafunkgirl20]

Our friends stayed in Carlsbad for 7 days and thought it was far too long. Is Carlsbad known for good beaches?

Carnival Cruise lines goes out of Long Beach - check it out. We were planning on doing the 3-4 night cruise but then chose the 7 nighter as it goes to Cabo San Lucas. They have fantastic kids club from what I hear. The price for a 4 night cruise was close in price to what we would pay for a 4 night hotel stay, food, entertainment.

We did 3 at Disney and are planning on doing 5 this time around... so for us 1 would have been far too rushed. Remember Disney consists of 2 parks (Disneyland and California Adventure) We did one day at each and then park hopped the last day. Depending on when you are going, Carsland is supposed to be open this summer at California Adventure. Also remember you are going with small children so you are likely to go back to the room for a nap.

You can get 3 day park hopper passes through airmiles if you're looking to save $$. Or get the Southern California City Pass!!

[Kingmoo]

looked into the 3 and 4 day cruises out of LA. The cheapest I can find is $1,542 for a 3-night.

Seems like cruises are cheaper the further you book them in advance, as opposed to most other forms of travel which are cheapest at last minute.

EDIT:
just looked into Carsland opening June 15. I definitely do not want to be there for the crowds that this will pull in. Perhaps I should hit Disney the day after we arrive (June7) so that we might also miss some of the crowds of kids getting out of school for the summer.