In addition to the sizable indoor treehouse, complete with slide and tire swing, The Treehouse Social Club also boasts a pint-sized farmer’s market for little shoppers and a computer room for tech-savvy tots. Arts and crafts classes are just one of several workshops that kids can experience as well.
Contact number: (310) 288-3024
Location: 426 S. Robertson Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048
Learn more here.
What better way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon than drifting around Echo Park Lake in one of the small paddle boats for rent? Local families fly kites, have picnics, and hold birthday parties on the weekends in this quaint revitalized park. children are sure to notice and point out traveling ice cream and balloon salespeople. While they check out the playground, you can purchase a delicious and cheap lunch from the vendors selling tacos and freshly roasted corn.
Contact number: (213) 847-8524
Location: 751 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Learn more here.
Located at the summit of Mount Wilson in Pasadena’s San Gabriel Mountains, this observatory is open to the public every day. You may have to obtain a special forest permit to drive through the Angeles national park road that leads there, but it’s well worth it to see your children marvel at the cosmos through a giant telescope. Guided tours are available on weekends, and be sure to check weather conditions before heading up.
Contact number: (626) 440-9016
Location: “Mt. Wilson Peak, Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles, CA 91023”
Learn more here.
Located in Griffith Park, the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens houses a plethora of creatures and now also functions as a botanical garden. In addition to zoo favorites like monkeys and elephants, the zoo also has more exotic wildlife like condors and Komodo dragons. Your children may end up hypnotized by penguins, or enthralled by alligators. Check the website for seasonal offerings like the currently running “Spider City.”
Contact number: (323) 644-4200
Location: 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027-1498
Learn more here.
Newly refurbished after a long shuttering for remodeling, the Griffith Park Observatory remains one of LA’s iconic landmarks. The filming site for the famous knife fight in “Rebel Without A Cause,” a questionably lifelike bust of James Dean ornaments the patio. Take your children through the Observatory’s stunning exhibition halls where they can learn about the cosmos before observing them firsthand through state of the art telescopes. New features have been continually unveiled since the museum reopened to the public last year, be sure to check the website for up to date information and to make the (required) reservations.
Contact number: (213) 473-0800
Location: 2800 East Observatory Road, Los Angeles, CA 90027-1299
Learn more here.
Mention Zankou Chicken to any LA native and you’re sure to get a speech on the merits of its legendary garlic sauce. Better to just experience it first-hand at one of this popular chain’s many locations. The rotisserie chicken is perfect, with crispy flaky skin complemented smoothly by the aforementioned garlic sauce. Other Armenian staples like falafel, shawarma, and hummus are also great. children may want to order one of the combos, which come with an assortment of items, pita for dipping, and delicious pink pickled vegetables.
Contact number: (323) 665-7842
Location: 5065 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Learn more here.
LA is not much of a pizza town, probably because, unlike a lot of major cities, it’s never had much of an Italian immigrant population. There is delicious pizza to be had here, it’s just harder to track down. Opened by a Brooklyn transplant, Village Pizzeria in Larchmont has been serving amazing pizzas and Italian dishes and also functions as a market, selling sauces and dry goods imported from Italy. Order a large thin crust pizza to share with your children, and fresh pastas with meatballs or pesto for the grown-ups.
Contact number: (323) 465-5566
Location: “131 North Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90004”
Learn more here.
Plenty of Hollywood lore involves movie stars discovered at lunch counters and soda shops, but it’s hard to imagine finding today’s Lana Turner at a fast food joint. Better then to revisit the burger shops of yore, and none better than the historic Apple Pan on Pico. Stepping through the doors is like entering a time warp into 1947, when it opened. Neither the décor nor the streamlined menu has changed since then, boasting two delicious burgers and a smattering of sandwiches. The “steak burger” is classically thick and juicy, and its smokier cousin, the “hickory burger” tastes like it came right off a barbeque. The tuna sandwich and egg-salad sandwich have their devotees as well, and the fries are perfectly golden and crispy. Don’t forget to save room for a slice of one of the delicious pies, which come in pecan and cream, in addition to the titular apple. There are no tables, so you and your children may have to wait a few minutes for an opening at the small U-shaped counter, but your first bite will tell you it was more than worth it.
Contact number: (310) 475-3585
Location: 10801 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90064-2105
Learn more here.
Fish tacos are a California institution, and this modest Sunset Boulevard stand serves them perfectly. Try the fish or shrimp tacos; delicious fried seafood and crispy cabbage with sour cream sauce. Hungrier children should opt for a burrito, and grown-ups should try one of the delicious ceviches; raw seafood cocktails. Seating is outdoors on the patio for the taco stand, but there’s also an adjoining restaurant with a bigger menu and booths.
Contact number: (323) 664-4604
Location: “3143 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026-2131”
Learn more here.
Korean barbecue usually consists of grilled meats and a variety of small dishes of pickled veggies and salads with complementing sweet and salty flavors. At Shik Do Rak, these mainstays are served up with Duk Bo Sam, papery rice noodle skins, so children can fold up their choice of ingredients into a kind of wrap and dip them in flavored oil and chili sauces. More affordable than most Korean BBQ joints, Shik Do Rak is also great for large parties and families.
Contact number: (213) 384-4148
Location: “2501 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90006-2913”
Learn more here.
