Unique & Hidden Gem Activities for Families
Explore the best unique & hidden gem activities for families options for kids and families in Santa Monica
Cayton Children's Museum
Educational play for ages 8 & under. Designed for children 8 & under, this museum boasts hands-on exhibits & frequent family programs.
Fisherman's Village
Visit this great place for kids and families!
The Museum of Jurassic Technology
Quirky exhibits of art & natural history. Collection of microscopic sculpture & other eccentric curiosities in art, science & natural history.
Star Eco Station
Wildlife rescue center & museum. Environmental museum offering tours & exhibits of 200+ birds, reptiles & other rescued wildlife.
Stoneview Nature Center
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Skirball Cultural Center
Modern Jewish museum with many events. This contemporary facility offers Jewish historical exhibits & a range of courses, readings & talks.
Centinela Adobe
19th-century house with weekly tours. Restored adobe-style house from 1834 with historical furniture, artifacts & weekly tours.
Alice Kids Playroom
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Adam's Garden Indoor Playground & Party Space
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Scooter's Jungle of El Segundo
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Red Rock Canyon Park, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority
Colorful rock canyon with trailheads. Unique, colorful rock formations bordering hiking trails through a canyon & offering mountain views.
Roundhouse Aquarium
No-cost ocean & marine life education. This free aquarium sits at the end of Manhattan Beach Pier & is host to classes, parties & camps.
Adamson House Museum
Spanish Revival beach home & gardens. Tile-rich Spanish Colonial Revival beach house, built in 1929 & now open for home & garden tours.
Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve
Nature reserve with trails & a lake. Wildlife reserve, trails & a lake teeming with birds, butterflies & lizards, plus an amphitheater.
QUEST ROOM - Hollywood Escape Rooms
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Dinosaur skeletons & rotating exhibits. From T. rex skeletons to an insect zoo, popular attraction holds more than 35-million artifacts.
California Science Center
Hands-on exhibits, IMAX & the Endeavor. Admission's free to permanent exhibits at this kid-friendly spot, also boasting IMAX & the Endeavor.
Exposition Park Rose Garden
Charming park devoted to roses. Cheerful formal park featuring a collection of roses & a gazebo.
Hermosa Beach Museum
Historical society & heritage museum. Historical society featuring a quaint museum devoted to local heritage, with archival photos & more.
The Great Wall of Los Angeles
Iconic mural depicting state history. 2,754-foot-long mural depicting the history of California, with a focus on women & minorities.
Posh & Petite Playhouse
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Funhouse Factory
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Fern Dell Nature Preserve
Outdoor space with lush foliage & trails. Serene enclave at Griffith Park featuring walking paths amid tropical foliage & a man-made brook.
Doheny Mansion
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Bronson Caves
Man-made caves featured in iconic films. Seen in many iconic films, these man-made caves provide trails & scenic views of the Hollywood Sign.
We Rock the Spectrum Redondo Beach Kids Gym
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Leonis Adobe Museum
Center exploring 19th-century ranch life. Living history museum focusing on the old West, depicting California ranch life in the 1880s.
Hollyhock House
A Frank Lloyd Wright house with gardens. Self-guided tours are available of this Wright-designed home, with roof terraces & gardens.
Griffith Observatory
Planetarium, telescopes & city views. This art deco landmark from 1935 features a high-tech planetarium, public telescopes & city views.
Seaside Lagoon
Summertime swim spot & sandy beach. Seasonal spot for swimming, open during summer, with a sandy beach, snack bar & a play area.
Kid Mamba Mural
Visit this great place for kids and families!
King Gillette Ranch, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority
588-acre park in Santa Monica mountains. Sprawling ranch in the heart of Malibu Creek Watershed offers 1920s architecture, views & hiking.
Winnetka Wonderland
Visit this great place for kids and families!
The Mystic Museum
Oddities museum & eclectic gift shop. Novelty & vintage memorabilia store also featuring a small museum for Ouija boards, oddities & more.
Vista Hermosa Natural Park, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority
Green spaces, a playground & city views. Trails lead to picnic areas, grassy fields, a pond/waterfall, city view overlooks & a playground.
Griffith Park
Hiking trails, city views & L.A. Zoo. Urban oasis featuring hiking & equestrian trails, plus city views, the Greek Theatre & the L.A. Zoo.
African-American Firefighter Museum
Historic site with firefighting relics. Landmark station exhibiting old fire equipment used by L.A.'s first African-American firefighters.
Blue Ribbon Garden
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Travel Town Railroad
Miniature train offering mile-long rides. Miniature, mile-long train ride that circles the Travel Town Train Museum in Griffith Park.
Old Los Angeles Zoo
Abandoned zoo with ruins & hiking trails. Founded in 1912, this now-abandoned zoo offers past enclosure ruins, picnic space & hiking trails.
INDIAN ALLEY
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Malibu Creek Rock Pools
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Griffith Park & Southern Railroad
Park featuring rides on mini trains. Center for train rides on reproductions of classic American locomotives, with a mile-long track.
Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn
Walt Disney's workshop & train museum. Old-fashioned model train museum, with memorabilia from originator Walt Disney's life & hobbies.
James Irvine Japanese Garden at JACCC
Intimate gardens with cascading stream. Japanese-style Zen garden featuring plants, trees & cedar bridges spanning a cascading stream.
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