3 days in Los Angeles
Written October 2026
Los Angeles is not one place, it's about six places connected by a freeway, and the biggest mistake people with kids make is trying to see all of them. You'll spend a morning in the car, and nobody in the back seat will thank you for it.
So this plan does one part of town a day. Day one is Santa Monica: a kids' museum, a park, an aquarium under the pier and dinner with your feet in the sand. Day two is Griffith Park, where the zoo, a train museum and the observatory all sit within a few miles of each other. Day three is Exposition Park and downtown, for dinosaurs, a funicular and a very old street.
Disneyland is its own trip, down in Anaheim, and we've left it out on purpose. This is the rest of LA.
Where to stay
Stay in Santa Monica. Day one is on foot, day three is a train ride, and you only need the car for day two. If you'd rather split the difference, a downtown hotel puts day three outside your door, and a Hollywood one cuts the drive to Griffith Park.
Wherever you land, ask about parking before you book. It's the surprise line on LA hotel bills.
Shore Hotel
The easy one by the pier, an easy walk from the aquarium and the rides.
Connecting rooms · Pool
Palihouse Santa Monica
The apartment one, in a 1927 building a few blocks from the beach, with suites that have kitchens.
Suite with separate bedroom · Kitchenette
Shutters on the Beach
The splurge: a Cape Cod style resort right on the sand, with a pool that looks out at the ocean. It leans more grown-up than kid, but kids are welcome and rooms have sofas or rollaways.
Suite with separate bedroom · Pool · Kitchenette
Hotel Erwin
A beach hotel in Venice with real suites and apartment-style rooms, so everyone gets a bed. A few miles down the coast from Santa Monica, with a quieter feel.
Suite with separate bedroom · Kitchenette
Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza
The downtown pick, right at the top of Angels Flight, so day three starts at your door. It's the farthest from the beach.
Cribs available · Pool
Magic Castle Hotel
Hollywood's one with the Popsicle Hotline: your kid picks up a red phone and a tray of popsicles shows up. Nearer to Griffith Park, and a short walk from the Hollywood/Highland Metro station, one stop from Universal.
Suite with separate bedroom · Pool · Free breakfast · Kitchenette
Some booking links here pay Play Day a commission. It does not change which hotels are named or the order they are in.
At a glance
- Walking
- Light on day one (a mile or so, mostly flat, near the pier). Day two is parks and a hill at the observatory. Day three is a few short walks downtown. Every day has a drive in it.
- Ages
- Toddlers to about ten. The Cayton museum is for kids up to eight, and the zoo, the trains and the dinosaurs work for any age. Older kids will like the observatory most.
- Season
- Any time. Summer afternoons are hot inland, so do Griffith Park in the morning, and the beach is best from late spring through fall.
Getting around
LA is a driving city, and we won't pretend otherwise. Get a car, and give yourself more time than the map says, because traffic decides everything. The drive from Santa Monica to Griffith Park can be half an hour or well over an hour, depending on when you leave.
Two of the three days can lose the car if you want. From Santa Monica, the Metro E Line runs from its last stop, Downtown Santa Monica, to Expo Park/USC, a few minutes' walk from the dinosaur museum and the science center. The same line goes on to 7th St/Metro Center downtown, and Grand Central Market and Angels Flight are a short walk apart. Day two is the one that really needs wheels, though the DASH Observatory bus runs from the Vermont/Sunset Metro station up to the observatory if you want to skip the parking.
Santa Monica: the pier, a park and the beach
Most of today is within a mile or so of the pier, so park once downtown and walk. A play museum first, a park, then the pier, and a drive up the coast for dinner in the sand once the sun starts to drop.
MorningGive it about two hoursCayton Children's Museum
A hands-on museum built for kids up to eight, with a real helicopter, a miniature marketplace and art studios. It's on the third level of Santa Monica Place, which is a funny place for a museum, and it works because you can get here by train and leave the car at the hotel.
It's open some days and not others, and busy on rainy days. Check the listing before you build the morning around it.
- Entry
- Paid
- Wheelchair accessible
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- Nearest food on this plan
- Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery, 0.4 mi
- Late morningGive it about an hour · 0.2 mi from the last stop
Tongva Park
A short walk from the museum, a winding park with a playground, gardens and an overlook where you can see the pier. Let everyone run first, then sort out lunch.
For a picnic, Bay Cities Italian Deli is a short drive away, and a sandwich from the deli counter travels well. Order before you're starving.
- Entry
- Free
- Wheelchair accessible
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Good for ages
- Ages 5 and up
Also here: Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery
- AfternoonGive it about an hour · 0.2 mi from the last stop
Heal the Bay Aquarium
A small aquarium tucked under the pier, with touch tanks, a kelp forest and over 100 local species. It's the kind you can finish in an hour, which is exactly right before the rides.
It keeps short hours, so check the listing before you plan the afternoon around it.
- Entry
- Paid
Late afternoonGive it about an hour and a half · 0.2 mi from the last stopPacific Park
The amusement park on the end of the pier, with a dozen rides, including a solar-powered Ferris wheel and a coaster. Most kids will want the wheel. Go up near sunset and you'll get the whole bay.
- Entry
- Free
- Wheelchair accessible
- Yes
DinnerGive it about an hour and a half · 1.4 mi from the last stopBack on the Beach Cafe
It's a mile or two up the coast, so drive. Tables sit right on the sand, which means your kid can dig between courses, and you get to finish a hot meal. Worth the detour.
It sits at the entrance to the Annenberg Community Beach House, which has a shaded play area just past the gate. Come early and stay for it.
- Takes reservations
- Yes
- High chairs
- Yes
- Kids' menu
- Yes
Also here: Annenberg Community Beach House
Still have energy? Walk the sand back toward the pier. The Pacific Wheel lights up after dark, and it makes a very good bedtime incentive.
Griffith Park: the zoo, the trains and the observatory
This is the driving day, so make it count. Griffith Park is huge, but the zoo and Travel Town sit about a mile apart on Zoo Drive, and the observatory is a few miles up the hill. Do the animals and the trains while it's cool, and save the view for the end of the afternoon.
MorningGive it about three hoursLos Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens
A big zoo (133 acres, and it feels it), so pick a few things and let the rest go. The Winnick Family Children's Zoo is the one for little kids, with a petting area where they can brush the goats and sheep.
Autry Museum of the American West is right by the zoo, with a play space inside. It's a cool, quiet backup if the day runs hot.
Open until 5:00 pmAlso here: Autry Museum of the American West
Late morningGive it about an hour and a half · 1.1 mi from the last stopTravel Town Museum
Real locomotives and old train cars sitting outside under the trees, and a miniature railway that loops around the grounds. It's a short drive from the zoo and a sure thing for any train kid.
It's closed a day or two a week, so check the listing before you drive out.
- Entry
- Free
- LunchGive it about an hour · 2.2 mi from the last stop
Bob's Big Boy
A retro diner in Burbank, a couple of miles from the trains, with teddy-bear waffles on the kids' menu. It's lunch that feels like an outing.
AfternoonGive it about an hour · 3.7 mi from the last stopShane's Inspiration
A universally accessible playground in Griffith Park, built with ramps, shade, a zip line and a merry-go-round and seesaw that kids in wheelchairs can use, so everyone plays side by side. A good place to burn off lunch before the observatory.
- Good for ages
- Ages 5 and up
- Late afternoonGive it about two hours · 1.5 mi from the last stop
Griffith Observatory
Up on the hillside, with a view over the basin and the Hollywood Sign. Inside, there's a Tesla coil that crackles, space exhibits and a big telescope you can look through on clear nights. The Tesla coil is what kids tell their friends about.
The building is closed some days while the grounds stay open, and the parking fills up. The DASH bus from the Vermont/Sunset Metro station is the easy way up. Check the listing.
- Entry
- Free
- DinnerGive it about an hour and a half · 1.1 mi from the last stop
Alcove Cafe & Bakery
Just down the hill in Los Feliz, in two old houses with patios to spread out on. It's a bakery too, so you can promise cake as a reward for the drive.
- Wheelchair accessible
- Yes
- Changing table
- No
- High chairs
- Yes
- Kids' menu
- No
The drive back to Santa Monica is the worst part of the day. Wait out the traffic with a second dessert, or stay on this side of town (the stay section says how).
Exposition Park and downtown: dinosaurs, a funicular and Olvera Street
Today is the train day if you're staying in Santa Monica: the E Line takes you to the museums, then on downtown. Dinosaurs first, then lunch in a market, a very short train ride up a hill and one of the oldest streets in the city.
MorningGive it about two and a half hoursNatural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The Dinosaur Hall is the main event, with skeletons you can walk right up to and around. Outside, the Nature Gardens are a small urban wilderness, with a pond and room to let a kid wander after a morning indoors.
The California Science Center is right next door, with an ecosystems hall and a giant kelp tank you walk through. The space shuttle Endeavour is getting a new building on the grounds too, so check the listing for what's open. Pick one museum for a toddler, and both for a school-age kid.
- Entry
- Paid
- Wheelchair accessible
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
Also here: California Science Center
LunchGive it about an hour · 3.3 mi from the last stopGrand Central Market
A historic food hall downtown with dozens of stalls (from Expo Park, ride the E Line on to 7th St/Metro Center, then walk or hop one stop on the B or D Line to Pershing Square), so everyone eats something different and meets at the shared tables. Good for a fussy eater, and a rare lunch where nobody has to compromise.
- Takes reservations
- No
- Wheelchair accessible
- Yes
- High chairs
- Yes
AfternoonGive it about 30 minutes · nearby from the last stopAngels Flight Railway
The market's Hill Street entrance is right across the street. Two little orange cars climb one steep hill, and the ride is a couple of minutes long. Your kid will ask to do it twice (do it twice).
Grand Park is a short walk up the hill, with a splash pad and lawns for running.
- Entry
- Paid
- Nearest food on this plan
- Grand Central Market, next door
Also here: Gloria Molina Grand Park
Late afternoonGive it about an hour · 0.8 mi from the last stopOlvera Street
A short pedestrian street in the oldest part of the city, with market stalls, toys and food stalls. It's closed to cars, so hands can let go for once. It's about a mile north of Angels Flight: walk it if legs are up for it, or take a short ride.
- Entry
- Free
- Wheelchair accessible
- Yes
- Nearest food on this plan
- Philippe The Original, 0.2 mi
DinnerGive it about an hour · 0.2 mi from the last stopPhilippe The Original
Two blocks north of Olvera Street, near Union Station, and the place that claims to have invented the French dip. Sawdust on the floor, long shared tables and a counter line that moves. The perfect last dinner before the drive home.
- Takes reservations
- No
- Wheelchair accessible
- Yes
- High chairs
- Yes
- Kids' menu
- No
Heading back to Santa Monica, the drive or the train both take a while. Let someone else worry about it and pick up dessert on the way.
If it rains
It's LA, so this is rare, but the plan holds. Day one is already half indoors, with the Cayton museum and the aquarium. On day two, skip the zoo and the trains and go to the Autry and the observatory. Day three is museums.
With a toddler
Spend all of the morning at the Cayton museum, then Tongva Park and an early dinner on the sand. On day two, do the Children's Zoo and Shane's Inspiration, and skip the observatory. On day three, stay with the dinosaurs and the Angels Flight ride, and skip Olvera Street.
With big kids
Swap day two for Universal Studios Hollywood. It's a full day, with the Studio Tour and the Wizarding World, and it's a few miles from Griffith Park. The Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City is a short walk from the gates, over a footbridge. Venice Beach and its skate park are two or three miles down the coast from Santa Monica if your kids skate.
What to skip
Trying to fit Disneyland into a week like this. Both are their own days, and neither is where the kid-friendly LA is. And ending day two with the freeway to Santa Monica at rush hour.
Questions
Is Los Angeles good for kids?
Yes, as long as you pick a part of town a day. There's a zoo, a pier, a funicular, a train museum, an observatory and a very good dinosaur hall. The catch is the driving, so group your days and leave margin for traffic.
How many days do you need in Los Angeles with kids?
Three is comfortable: one for Santa Monica, one for Griffith Park and one for Exposition Park and downtown. Add a day for Universal Studios Hollywood if your kids are tall enough for the rides.
Where should you stay in Los Angeles with kids?
Santa Monica, if the beach and the pier are the priority. It's walkable on day one and a train ride from the museums on day three. Downtown is the pick if you want the museums and Angels Flight close, and Hollywood puts you nearer to Griffith Park and Universal. Six picks are under Where to stay.
Do you need a car in Los Angeles with kids?
For most of it, yes. You can skip it on day one and day three by taking the E Line, but Griffith Park is easiest by car, though the DASH bus runs up to the observatory from the Vermont/Sunset Metro station.
What is there to do in Los Angeles with toddlers?
The Cayton Children's Museum in Santa Monica, the Winnick Family Children's Zoo, Travel Town's trains, Tongva Park and the sand at Santa Monica. The Angels Flight ride is two minutes, which is about right for a toddler.
Photos
Griffith Observatory: Pedro Szekely from Los Angeles, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Cayton Children's Museum: caytonmuseum.org (Business website) · Pacific Park: TjGilmour (CC BY 3.0) · Back on the Beach Cafe: backonthebeachcafe.com (Business website) · Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens: Bill Abbott (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Travel Town Museum: Klaus Nahr (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Shane's Inspiration: Junkyardsparkle (CC0) · Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: David Leigh Ellis (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Grand Central Market: Esun (Public domain) · Angels Flight Railway: Dietmar Rabich (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Olvera Street: NewtonCourt (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Philippe The Original: Bobak Ha'Eri (CC BY 3.0) · Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza: Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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