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🇺🇸 Our 8-Day Los Angeles Itinerary With Kids: Disney, Hollywood, Beaches & More
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items Our 8-day Los Angeles family itinerary with Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Pasadena, shopping, restaurants, and more. This is the trip we actually took with our kids, including where we stayed...
Sections
8
1. 🇺🇸 Day 1 — Fly to Los Angeles
2. 🏰 Day 2 — Hollywood & Downtown LA
3. 🏰 Day 3 — Disneyland
4. 🎢 Day 4 — Disney California Adventure
5. 🌴 Day 5 — Santa Monica & Exploring LA
6. 🛍️ Day 6 — Culver City Stairs, Shopping & Beverly Hills
1. 🇺🇸 Day 1 — Fly to Los Angeles
We flew from Atlanta to Los Angeles in the evening, arriving late at night. After landing at LAX, we headed to our hotel, checked in, and got some sleep before starting our LA adventure.
We departed Atlanta around 8:50 PM and landed at LAX around 10:49 PM. Since we arrived late, we kept our first night simple and stayed near the airport.
✈️ Flying From Atlanta to Los Angeles | Delta Airlines
We stayed here for our first night after arriving in Los Angeles. It wasn’t anything particularly special that stands out to us, but it got the job done—and that’s really all we needed after a late flight. We were ready to get some sleep and start ex...
🏨 Where We Stayed: Holiday Inn Express LAX
We rented an electric car through Avis for our LA trip, and this was actually our first time driving an EV! ⚡️
Having a rental car made it much easier to explore all the different areas on our itinerary, but driving an electric car was a new experie...
🚗 Our LA Rental Car: Our First Electric Car Experience
2. 🏰 Day 2 — Hollywood & Downtown LA
We kicked off our first full day in LA with some classic Hollywood sights, then explored Chinatown and downtown before finishing the day with some very LA food favorites.
⭐ Hollywood Walk of Fame
Seeing the stars along the Hollywood Walk of Fame was really cool! It was one of those classic LA experiences we wanted to check off while we were there.
🎬 TCL Chinese Theatre
We stopped by the TCL Chinese Theatre while e...
⭐ Hollywood Sightseeing: Walk of Fame, TCL Chinese Theatre & Dolby Theatre
We stopped at Chado for afternoon tea during our first full day in Los Angeles, and we loved it! 🫖💕 It was such a unique experience and a fun change of pace from the typical LA sightseeing.
The decor was beautiful, the food was tasty, and the tea ...
🫖 Chado Tea Room — Afternoon Tea in LA
We stopped at Roscoe’s for chicken and waffles—a classic LA food experience we wanted to try while we were there.
🍗 Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘N Waffles
3. 🏰 Day 3 — Disneyland
We spent the day at Disneyland and were very strategic about maximizing our time in the park with two kids who couldn’t ride all the same attractions. Our goal was to get on as many rides as possible without making the day miserable for anyone.
I was very strategic about Disneyland because I wanted to make sure we got on as many rides as possible. Before we went, I made a list of every ride our youngest/shortest child was tall enough to ride. Our oldest rode all of those rides with us, and ...
🏰 Disneyland Park
The Hilton Anaheim was super convenient for our Disney days. We were able to catch the complimentary shuttle to and from the park, and there was also a short walk right outside the hotel.
With two kids and full days at Disney, having easy transporta...
🏨 Where We Stayed: Hilton Anaheim
I was very strategic about making sure we could ride as many attractions as possible with two kids of different heights. I made a list of every ride our youngest/shortest child could ride, and our oldest rode all of those with us. For rides our young...
🎢 Our Disney Ride Strategy: How We Maximized Rides With Kids of Different Heights
4. 🎢 Day 4 — Disney California Adventure
We spent another full day at Disney, this time at Disney California Adventure. After already having our ride strategy down from the previous day, we were ready to maximize another full day in the parks.
We had another full day of rides and attractions at Disney California Adventure. We used the same height-based strategy we’d planned for Disneyland, making sure the youngest could participate in everything she was tall enough for while using rider sw...
🎢 Disney California Adventure Park
We used the same height-based strategy at Disney California Adventure, making sure the youngest could ride everything she was tall enough for and using rider swap for attractions she couldn’t ride. It made navigating the park with kids of different h...
🎢 Disney California Adventure Ride Strategy
5. 🌴 Day 5 — Santa Monica & Exploring LA
After our Disney days, we switched gears and explored more of Los Angeles. We spent time at Santa Monica Pier, ate by the water, let the girls enjoy some rides, and explored Culver City and Baldwin Hills before calling it a day.
🌊 Santa Monica Pier
We spent time at the Santa Monica Pier, where we grabbed something to eat and let the girls ride some of the attractions. It was an easy way to combine sightseeing, food, and something fun for the kids.
🌄 Baldwin Hills
We spe...
🌊 Santa Monica & Malibu: Our LA Westside Day
We stayed at the Four Points Los Angeles International Airport during this part of our trip. It gave us another convenient LA home base as we continued exploring different parts of the city. It was just okay. Wouldn’t be my first choice to stay at ag...
🏨 Where We Stayed: Four Points Los Angeles International Airport
We had lunch at Killer Shrimp in Marina del Rey on May 26, 2024, and it was delicious! 🍤 This was a great stop while exploring the LA area and definitely one of the meals that stood out from our trip.
Our take: We’d happily go back—it was that good...
🍤 Killer Shrimp — Marina del Rey
We stopped by Culver City Mall while exploring the area.
🛍️ Culver City Mall | Westfield Culver City
6. 🛍️ Day 6 — Culver City Stairs, Shopping & Beverly Hills
We packed another full day into LA, starting with the Culver City Stairs before spending time shopping and driving through some of the city’s most recognizable areas, including Sunset Boulevard, Malibu, Baldwin Hills, and Beverly Hills.
We actually tackled the Culver City Stairs—and yes, I had my youngest strapped to my back in our Ergobaby carrier. 😂💪
Definitely a workout, but it was a fun way to get some activity in while seeing another part of LA. Traveling with kids doesn’t a...
🥾 Culver City Stairs
💎 Rodeo Drive
We made our way through Beverly Hills and stopped around Rodeo Drive. Even if you’re not shopping for anything, it’s fun to walk around and take in the luxury storefronts and famous Beverly Hills scenery.
🌴 Sunset Boulevard
We drov...
💎 Beverly Hills & Rodeo Drive
👗 Thrift Shopping in LA
We spent some time thrift shopping during our LA adventure. This was one of the fun parts of the trip for me because LA has such a different shopping scene from home.
👗 Thrift Shopping in LA
7. 🧒 Day 7 — Kidspace, Pasadena & Beverly Hills
We spent our final full day exploring Pasadena and Beverly Hills, with a kid-focused stop at Kidspace, a quick Rose Bowl photo opportunity, and an amazing dinner at Crustacean Beverly Hills.
Kidspace was a great experience for the girls. There were tons of hands-on activities, which made it much more engaging for them than simply walking around looking at exhibits.
It was a great way to give the kids something specifically designed for ...
🧒 Kidspace Children’s Museum
🌹 Rose Bowl
The Rose Bowl is right next to Kidspace, so Hubby took the opportunity to grab a selfie outside. 😂 It was an easy little stop to add while we were already in the area.
Rose Bowl Stadium
Crustacean Beverly Hills was amazing. I actually had been here years earlier when I interned in LA, so getting to come back with my family made this dinner extra special.
It was one of those full-circle moments that made the trip feel even more memo...
🦀 Crustacean Beverly Hills – Iconic Modern Asian Dining
8. ✈️ Day 8 — Fly Home
After a very full week exploring Los Angeles, we checked out and headed back to LAX for our flight home.
We departed LAX around 11:51 AM and arrived back in Atlanta around 6:24 PM. After eight busy days of Disney, sightseeing, shopping, beaches, food, and exploring with two kids, we were definitely ready for home. 😂✈️
✈️ Flying Home From Los Angeles | Delta Airlines
One thing we learned from this trip: group your LA activities by area whenever possible. Los Angeles is huge, and traffic can make crossing the city take much longer than you expect. We planned our days around nearby areas so we could spend more time...
📍 Our LA Travel Tip: Group Activities by Area