Los Angeles with Kids? Recommendations on what to do/where to stay?

[JenniBarra]

Interesting. The very little research I did made me think we need to stay in Hollywood, and the Loews hotel looked centrally located, that we could walk to a few tourist-y things. Thoughts on that? Is it a safe place?

I should have put in my original post that we're more interested in the kitschy side of LA attractions, we have zoos and aquariums near us here, we would definitely like to focus on the movie-making side of the tourism spectrum like the Chinese Theater, a studio tour, the Hollywood sign, etc.

Granted there are locations in places other than LA, but that part of Hollywood has Ripley's and a wax museum. It has not reopened yet, but The Hollywood Museum in the Max Factor building has lots of cool movie memorabilia in it. I also second the El Capitan. It's a beautiful restored old time "picture palace," there's an organist, and a lot of times there's some special element as part of the film. For example, I saw Frozen there and it opened with someone doing ice sculpting.

 

[ninergrl6]

I also second the El Capitan. It's a beautiful restored old time "picture palace," there's an organist, and a lot of times there's some special element as part of the film. For example, I saw Frozen there and it opened with someone doing ice sculpting.

Very cool! (no pun intended) I love El Cap. It feels like old time Hollywood. Whenever I've seen movies there, they've had props and costumes from the movie on display to view afterwards. It's a whole experience, not just "seeing a movie." Disney has done a great job of turning it into a destination.

 

[oakleycat]

Agree with everyone that if you want to stay in Hollywood, Loews is the place to stay. We've stayed there many times and it is clean, safe and centrally located. That said, there are definitely issues with crime and drug use here since they relaxed the drug laws, and you will definitely see lots of homeless and very possibly people using drugs openly. I don't like to take my kids out there after dark. There are still plenty of great things to do, we love watching a movie at the El Capitan, visiting the Funko Pop store, and my kids still love checking out the stars and the footprints at the Chinese theatre. The Warner Bros tour is great and you can also tour the Dolby Theatre and see Oscars memorabilia (not sure if they're restarted tours post-COVID restrictions).

 

[ChanaC]

I recommend staying in Universal City. It's just "over the hill" from Hollywood, and if you are renting a car it's like a 10 minute drive to Hollywood and Highland without traffic, which is almost like the Times Square of Hollywood. There is also the Metro (aka subway) at Universal and you can hop on and take it literally one stop to Hollywood and Highland. Considering how expensive rental cars are these days it might save you money. You could walk Hollywood Blvd down to Hollywood and Vine where there is another Metro station, so you can take it another two stops north to get back to Universal. The subway, like all US subway systems, can be a little sketchy at times but if you stick together and are aware of your surroundings you will be fine.

Universal is also ten minutes away from Warner Bros if you want to do that studio tour. Also, if you are renting a car, you can then drive past the Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network campuses (technically CN is just a building) all in Burbank. You can't do tours of any of them, but it is kind of cool to pass by and imagine the cartoons being made inside all of them!

You'll be able to see the Hollywood Sign from Hollywood Blvd, but if you want a closer look I also recommend Griffith Park. The Griffith Observatory is still closed, but keep looking, who knows it may open by whenever you plan to come. If it is open, it's a cool place to walk around with really great views of the Hollywood Sign and Los Angeles. If you do this, I highly recommend going on a weekday. Also, parking up there is tricky. Try parking in the Greek Theater parking lot and taking the shuttle up. It's really affordable and much less of a headache.

Also, if your kids have a favorite movie or TV show try seeing if you can Google any filming locations. You never know what you'll find! For example, I realized after two years of living in LA commuting from my apartment to my job that I passed by a prominent Back to the Future filming location every day!

 

[kristasmom]

If you are Funko Pop fans there is a huge Funko Pop store on Hollywood Blvd that I have been wanting to visit. There is also a Hello Kitty Cafe in Irvine, another spot I am hoping to visit soon now that things are reopening.

 

[reluctantoranges]

I recommend visiting Skirball Center (Noah's Ark), the Huntington Library & Gardens, and the Cayton museum