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Great Kids/Family Activities In Southern California
68
items My favorite places to take family and friends - kids & adults both love these adventures!
Map
Sections
10
ORANGE COUNTY
PALM SPRINGS
SAN DIEGO
LOS ANGELES
LONG BEACH
CATALINA ISLAND
ORANGE COUNTY
A fun place to walk and see some fish - and a small shark or two out in nature.
Home - Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy
Such a fun family place! Pet the guinea pigs, rabbits, and more! Feed the cow, the goat and the alpaca, llamas and more! Train ride, tractor ride, playground and party spaces!
River Street Ranch Home
Bring your bikes, push or ride on toy and have a great day walking the trails and watching nature!
Back Bay Loop Trail | City of Newport Beach
Every kid I know who goes to KID STRONG absolutely LOVES it! It teaches great skills for young kids.
Stronger Kids | United States | KidStrong
Open fields for family games, food courts, a railroad, pony rides, a train ride and a zoo - all at the same place! Who could ask for more?! We love it here! About $3-5 to enter the park, $8 train ride, $8 pony ride and $2 zoo entry.
Irvine Park Railroad 1 Irvine Park Rd Orange, California 92869
I mean - it's Disney Land!! So much fun!!
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California – Official Site
A nice way to spend the afternoon - then walk the boat docks!
Home - Ocean Institute
A fun day at the beach looking at sea creatures!
Dana Point Tide Pools - Fun Orange County Parks
If you love to shop with ocean views and all the best stores - this is the place for you.
Fashion Island
The most amazing place for birthday parties! They do it all and the kids have a blast!
Pump It Up Lake Forest Kids Birthday and More
A day at the ball field is a day well spent. I love going to Angel's Games and enjoying the game outside.
Los Angeles Angels
This place is huge inside! My family always has a wonderful time exploring the different sections. Steering your own Mars Rover is fun too!
Discovery Cube
Always a kids favorite! I've been a few times and it's always fun!
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament Dinner & Tournament
This is really fun for the kids- which do get involved towards the end of the show. Sometimes it's hard to follow along with the speaking but overall you get the picture of the story. Lots of fun and pirate action!
Pirates Dinner Adventure
I don't drink but I do love learning new things and the wine tour is very informative and fun. Then have lunch at the restaurant enjoy the outside views.
South Coast Winery Resort & Spa
Such a fun day on the water!! Everyone enjoys this fun activity and being on the water. These first two photos are of me on my kayak. It's so peaceful!
Back Bay Guided Kayak Tours | Newport Aquatic Center
Ride rides, shop, eat, rent a little boat and enjoy the day! It never disappoints.
Balboa Fun Zone
This place isn't so much of a “museum” but a cool interactive city/town. It has a grocery store with pretend groceries and cash registers, a library, a post office, beach, etc…. It is SO much fun for kids. We have a great time there!
Pretend City Children's Museum
This is a new location but all Lucky Strike Bowling alley's are a great time -for everyone. There is a bar for adults, great snacks to order, lounge areas, video games and of course bowling.
Lucky Strike Ladera Ranch
A fun place for the entire family! Eat a nice meal and then get up and go play! Lots of games for kids and adults.
Dave & Buster's Irvine
A fun place for kids and adults. I appreciate the smaller less extreme rides if I have to ride along and these rides are perfect. Still very fun but not a death scare. When you're done with the rides, head over a play a round of mini golf or go insid...
Castle Park: Your Ultimate Family Entertainment Destination
If Knotts is too much for you (cost or size wise) then this is a great option. Lots of rides for all ages of kids. And it's a much smaller park so it's not overwhelming. Plenty of good food to choose from, seating, a little show. A great day can be h...
Adventure City Family Amusement Park, Fun Attractions & Games
I have done the sport fishing excursion and it was so much fun. These first two photos are of me and what I caught that day. The boat staff really do everything for you including reel up your fish. I caught two smaller fish (still impressive in size)...
Dana Point Sportfishing
It's definitely not a big zoo and doesn't have that many animals to see but we do enjoy a nice afternoon here. We like to ride the rides, play on the play ground and then walk the animal route. It can be completed in 1-2 hours with kids. It's a nice ...
Santa Ana Zoo
Home Depot is everywhere but if you have kids and need something fun to do with them that is completely FREE… then sign them up for a DIY Workshop. Home Depot has them the first Saturday of the month. And LOWES has them the 2nd Saturday of the month ...
DIY Workshops | The Home Depot
Lowe's is everywhere but if you have kids and need something fun to do with them that is completely FREE… then sign them up for a DIY Workshop. Home Depot has them the first Saturday of the month. And LOWES has them the 2nd Saturday of the month - bo...
DIY-U by Lowe’s
Santa Anita Race Track is so much more than horse racing! We have gone for weiner dog races and others! They also have Corgi races which is great fun for the entire family. Check their site for what races they have upcoming.
SoCal Summer Corgi Nationals | Arcadia & Pasadena CA
Santa Anita Race Track is so much more than horse racing! We have gone for weiner dog races and others! They also have Corgi races which is great fun for the entire family. Check their site for what races they have upcoming.
Hallowienerfest Dachsund Race | Arcadia & Pasadena CA
PALM SPRINGS
Palm Springs is a wonderful hot playground with lots of fun things to do!
We love this places! So many dinosaurs to explore! It's incredible!
CABAZON DINOSAURS
A great place to feed the girafes and ride a camel!
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Springs, CA
This is a gorgeous ride up the mountain. If you're afraid of heights I'd steer clear though. But I went during winter to see the snow and sled and play. It was wonderful to drive in cool weather to the parking lot, a bus picked us up, we got our tick...
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
The first 3 photos here are of my personal excursion on Red Jeep Tours. I had a great time exploring Palm Spings!
Desert Adventures Red Jeep Tours
SAN DIEGO
I think I love San Diego more than Los Angeles! It's SO beautiful and serene with TONS of fun things to do!
It's a fun adventure for kids & adults where you go from the streets of San Diego to the water. The 2nd photo here is from when I went. I had such a great time!
San Diego Seal Tour
A place not to be missed when in San Diego. There are hills but the zoo buses take you all around the entire zoo so you can see it all if you get tired. So much here to see and do! When they did their “Walk on the Wild Side” fundraiser years ago I we... because it's so early int he morning I was able to see a Cheeta on a leash walking through the zoo with it's handlers. Giant Turtles being fed and more. It's such an amazing place. These first 5 photos here are my personal photos and you can see exac...
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers: Home
It's one of the BEST places in San Diego for a reason - offering incredible animal encounters! I have done the behind the scenes safari and fed a Rhino and Giraffe. I've also seen the “Cheeta Run” which is an amazing sight to see!
Safaris
Every kid loves exploring this ship!
USS Midway Aircraft Carrier | San Diego Museum | San Diego Tours
So many things to do here! Museums kids and adults will love!
Home - Balboa Park
After a day touring the USS Midway… walk over to the seaport village and grab lunch. Then browse a few cute shops and watch a sealion or two.
Seaport Village
If your family loves baseball and wants to have gorgeous views… this a great field to view a game and then some.
Schedule - San Diego Padres - MLB.com
La Jolla is STUNNING! Watch the sealions from the designated area and enjoy walking on the rock edge. But be safe!
La Jolla Cove
One of my favorite places to ride & feed the camels!
Oasis Camel Dairy
This is a unique experience for family. It does kind of smell but not horribly. The first 5 photos here are my personal photos of when I went there. I have been a few times. The smell never changes - I mean, it's a dirty cave on the ocean with seagul...
The Cave Store
This is a great place for medium sized rides - when Knotts is too much but Adventure City is not big enough. Lego Land rides are perfect. And it's usually a lot less crowded.
LEGOLAND California | Theme Park & Vacation Destination
It's the perfect size museum for kids and lots of things for them to touch and do. We enjoyed sitting in the helicopter and the space shuttle seats. It was very exciting for the kids.
San Diego Air & Space Museum - Balboa Park, San Diego
LOS ANGELES
Hello Hollywood! A must stop city for anyone coming to Southern California.
The behind the scenes studio back lot tour is everyone's favorite!
Universal Studios Hollywood - Los Angeles, California - Official Site
An amazing place to see if you're in town. With something for everyone to enjoy.
Griffith Observatory
It's famous for a reason! Such a fun and must see place when you're in town. Rides, restaurants and beachside fun!
Santa Monica Pier
Such a unique and fun experience! We did the BLUEY CAMP and all the kids had a blast!
CAMP, A Family Experience Store
This is my favorite theme park. They host a Members only AAA night where you can get in and stay all night long. And at like 5-6pm everyone else is asked to leave and it's just folks with AAA. There are NO lines and NO people to bother you. It is won...
Six Flags Magic Mountain in California - The Thrill Capital of the World
This was something that I had won at a work party - one intro flight lesson plus a 45 min flight in the air with an instructor. We had the BEST time. This is an experience you won't forget plus you get to see Hollywood without the traffic. These firs...
Intro Flight Lesson Los Angeles | Santa Monica Flyers
I love walking around mansions I could never afford. This one is in Beverly Hills and quite beautiful. It doesn't take long to waslk around it. You were not aloud inside when I went unless you were a “friend” of the mansion or had an event happening ...
Historical Site in Beverly Hills, CA | Friends of Greystone
LONG BEACH
A hop, skip & a jump away from Los Angeles or Orange County. Long Beach offers some unique experiences.
Fun for everyone in the family! We love touching the stingray and sharks!
Aquarium of the Pacific
The Queen Mary is ALWAYS a fun experience! I always take family there when they are visiting and everyone enjoys it!
Long Beach's Coolest Tourist Attraction | The Queen Mary
These first 4 pictures are from my whale watching trip. We saw so many whales and I could not believe how close we were to them. It was an amazing experience!
Long Beach Whale Watching with Harbor Breeze | Visit Long Beach
This is a fun experience exploring the USS Iowa. We enjoyed getting to roam about the ship and take photos. The 2nd and 3rd pics are my personal photos from the ship.
Experiences – Battleship USS Iowa Museum
CATALINA ISLAND
A fun day trip to Catalina Island makes for the perfect afternoon!
When visiting Catalina Island this is always a must for me! It's so much fun to see inside the ocean without getting wet or being afraid of getting eaten. The kids and adults always enjoy this activity!
Semi Submarine Nautilus - Catalina Adventure Tours
A quick trip over to Catalina Island is a great way to spend the day. Rent a golf cart and tour the island yourself. Make sure you do the yellow sub tour - it's a great time! Then enjoy lunch by the water and a little shopping before catching your bo...
Santa Catalina Island
Book a whale watching or shark tour and you won't be disappointed! I have loved both of these adventures!
Tripadvisor
BIG BEAR/LAKE ARROWHEAD
A trip up the mountain to snow then back down to surf at night. Who wouldn't love that.
This is our favorite place to go snow tubing. They provide the tubes and they have different levels of hills. So the more scared child to the most daredevil of a child will enjoy this tube park. It's the perfect size park, not lots of people making i...
Snowdrift Snow Tubing Park
This is my favorite place to shop and walk around. It's safe because it's kind of like an outdoor mall vs. Big Bear downtown where you're walking on a sidewalk next to the street and cars. It also has gorgeous views of the lake, lots of restaurants t...
Lake Arrowhead Village
The first 4 pictures here are mine and I had a lovely time. They have beautiful calm horses and the guide leads you through a nice path then when you come back they have a fun petting zoo area - which I just love! It was a beautiful day and we can't ...
Baldwin Lake Stables & Petting Zoo | Big Bear Lake, CA
We go to the zoo every time we are on the mountain. These first two photos are mine. It's a very nice zoo - way nicer than we were expecting. And if you have a membership to Santa Ana Zoo you get in free, which is nice. They have quite a few animals ...
Home Page
We go here to snow tube because we enjoy the setup, less crowded and price. We've gone here 3 times and really enjoy it.
Snowdrift Snow Tubing Park
CARLSBAD/DEL MAR/SAN CLEMENTE
A newer outlet mall with gorgeous ocean views, cool breeze and few people. It's a nice family day of shopping.
Outlets at San Clemente
These first 4 photos are my own. I have been here about 4 times and I love it every single time. It is BEYOND beautiful with gorgeous ocean views in the distance. There are SO many flowers - of all kinds. They have a play ground area, a tractor ride,...
The Flower Fields | Carlsbad, CA
What an amazing place. All bird lovers will enjoy coming here for a unique experience! It's very educational and very fun! Most people don't even know it's here - every one I tell about it has never heard of it.
Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary
PERRIS
This was such a fun day! The first 3 pictures are my personal photos from when I went here. It was definitely an experience!
Perris Indoor Skydiving at Skydive Perris: Near Los Angeles
TEMECULA
I love horseback riding and being outdoors so this was heaven for me. It's a nice little ride around the vineyards and countryside. They had someone taking photos of the group so you could purchase them if you wanted. These first 6 photos are my pers...
Valentines