How Far is LA from DL??

[TwingleMum]

I will be spending 9 nights at DL staying onsite. Prior to that I will have 3-4 free days. I would like to go to La Brea Tar pits and The Calif Science Museum one day, a day at the beach and a day at Legoland. Would Anaheim be a good place to get a reasonable hotel room and use it as a base of operations?? My 3 kids are pretty young (6,3,3) so US and Hollywood is too old for them. We've been to SW many times in Orlando. Thanks for the input!!

 

[TwingleMum]

I found a reasonable hotel in Orange Ca ,(Hawthorne Suites) would that be alright??

 

[iceskatejen]

Depending on what time of day you are travelling to and from LA from the DL area, the trip could take anywhere from about 45 minutes to 2 hours. And I wouldn't take kids that young to Universal Studios. I don't think they'd get much out of it and most of the attractions are too intense and scary for kids that age. Legoland is towards San Diego (the opposite direction of LA) and from Anaheim, should take a little less than 90 minutes.

 

[MateasMom]

Yep. You'll want to be careful to avoid traffic, but you'll be fine staying in Anahiem. With little kids especially, you don't want to be checking in and out of hotels all week. I'm thinking maybe they would enjoy the Aquarium of the pacific and then do lunch and go walk on the piers and see the cool boats. And like PP said, Legoland (which is south of DL, about an hour I would guess) would be PERFECT for their ages and is so much fun if you can fit it in.

 

[QueenTriton]

If you are going other than in the summer months or Winter Break, and want to go to Legoland, check ahead, as it is closed some weekdays. The Aquarium is a good idea and can be combined with a nearby beach. If you want a beach day only, try Corona del mar or Huntington as they have parking lots and bathrooms. The kids may be a bit young for the Tar Pits. They are located in a place somewhat a pain to get to as well, and subject to Freeway and surface street traffic. I think the Calif Science Museum is at USC. Again, traffic can be an issue and you sure don't want to get lost on surface streets in that neighborhood. Closer to Anaheim is the Discovery Science Center, geared toward a younger age, but not as big or "cool." Pasadena also has a great children's museum - Kidspace, and lots of great restaurants.

Anaheim is a good place to access both Legoland and LA attractions.

 

[staley7580]

We went to the Tar pits, and it was smaller then we expected, but still cool. We also went to Hollywood, and then to the El Capitan theatre, and Ice cream shop. It was about 2 hours from anaheim to the tar pits. It was bout 1 hour from anaheim to Legoland, but about 2 hour to get back.

 

[rsjj]

here are my two cents...

legoland...your children will love! it's definitely geared towards that age group. is your 6yo a boy? if so, and if he's into bionicles, he'd love it there! my DSs were so into bionicles, especially our oldest, and when we went to legoland, he just loved it!!

calif science center...it's pretty cool. lots of hands on type activities & fun to explore, with that being said...lots of school take their field trips there, since it's free. could get a bit "chaotic" & may be overwhelming for your little ones

la brea tar pit...pretty interesting, but i don't think the kids might enjoy it as much. there's the natural history museum near by, and it's got a big dinosaur that they might like. and i think it's free the first (or second?) tuesday of every month.

someone mentioned kidspace in pasadena. our DSs loved it! they just remodeled it a year or two ago. and it's expanded a lot! they have a bike track where the kids can ride bikes/scooters, and they provide helmets as well. and depending on the time you go, they may have some special events happening that coincide w/the season/holiday, etc.

hope it all helps. have a great time visiting california & disneyland!

 

[TPCShauna]

I loved the La Brea Tar Pits but I don't know that a 6 and two 3 year olds would. It was definitely interesting but I think it might be a little over their heads unless they are very mature.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the San Diego Zoo. It is world-class and just incredible! There are tons of activities for little ones and all of the habitats are amazing. I would highly recommend a day trip, especially if you are willing to drive down to San Diego for Legoland. It is well worth the drive!

 

[Shakthi]

We took our DD (3) to SD Zoo and SW this time but we spent two nights there. It was good because at the end of the days we were too tired to do the drive back. It took us almost 2 hours. It would've been too much for DD. We found nice hotels at great rates in SD with good free breakfast. Very cheap compared to the ones in Anaheim. So we first went to SD and then drove up to spend the rest of the trip in Anaheim. In my opinion, it can be done as a day trip if you are not thinking about going to Legoland on the same day, but still, it all depends on how your kids react to a whole-day-out park trip. We also visited Knotts Berry farm which is closer to DL. Although not as fancy and elaborate as DL, it was a lot of fun for DD, she loved Camp Snoopy. We thought this arrangement worked perfectly for us.

 

[TwingleMum]

Thanks for all the help. The Calif Science Center is having a special Star Wars exhibit that my sons would go nuts if they went. So I really want to go up there for a day,I thought since we'll be there I could check out the Tar Pits. I think they would also love Legoland. We live on the water (the Atlantic Ocean) and I thought a day at the beach with the Pacific Ocean would be fun for them to see "the Other Ocean". Thanks for all the input. I'll probably keep the hotel in Orange unless something better comes along.

 

[AllJackedUp]

In the past, when my son was younger, we always just split the trip, spending the first few nights at DL, then going south to SD area. There are lots of nice hotels in the North County, some right off the beach that weren't too expensive. My son loved playing at the beach about as much as Legoland. Legoland is fantastic for younger children. I'm so glad we went when my son was about 8. It was Halloween and he entered the costume contest. He had a great time. The rides (although there's not that many) were all geared for younger children and just perfectly themed.

The SD Zoo and Wild Animal Park are always great as well. I'm just glad that we didn't have to make the drive all the way back to Anaheim. That would not have been pleasant after a day in the parks.