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

[EpcotNerd]

Hoping to visit DL then LA once things open up. I have an 8 and 10 year old. Where is a good place to stay for 2 days in LA, central to sites, safe, etc. The 10 year old wants to see the Hollywood Sign but other than that I'm wondering what else they'd enjoy checking out.
Thanks!

 

[Sandiz08]

Hollywood sign is over by Glendale. I would do the la brea tar pits. It was a unique experience.

 

[Chemist]

The La Brea tarpits are great.
I would absolutely do a beach day.
The Long Beach aquarium is very nice. Its much smaller than Monterey, but lovely.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I don't like any places to stay in LA and no matter how centrally located you are, it's going to be a lot of car time on the freeways. You'll be better off choosing an area that you wouldn't mind staying in vs. attempting to find a centrally located hotel. Two areas that come to mind are Santa Monica and Universal Studios area. There's a Sheraton and a Hilton by Universal Studios that I would recommend. I haven't stayed in Santa Monica in decades, so I can't recommend anything in particular there.

I agree with above posters on La Brea Tar Pits and Aquarium of the Pacific. I actually like Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach aquarium) more than Monterey. Both of those are half day visits. So, you may want to see what else there is to do near each of those. The Queen Mary in Long Beach is walking distance to the aquarium and has various tours (regular and ghost) and places to eat and you can even stay on board as a hotel.

 

[Kittyblue]

If you opt for Glendale I recommend the Glendale Hyatt. I've stayed there many times when my oldest had some minor stuff done at Children's Hospital LA. It's a block away from the Glendale Galleria mall.

There's the bigger attractions (Knotts, Universal Studios, Aquarium, Zoo). I agree about La Brea Tar Pits. My kids also loved the California Science Center in LA. If you have a kid that's in American Girl dolls there's a store and cafe at The Grove in LA. I've used this site a lot when looking for fun little things to do, including a calendar of special events: https://mommypoppins.com/

 

[EpcotNerd]

I don't like any places to stay in LA and no matter how centrally located you are, it's going to be a lot of car time on the freeways. You'll be better off choosing an area that you wouldn't mind staying in vs. attempting to find a centrally located hotel. Two areas that come to mind are Santa Monica and Universal Studios area. There's a Sheraton and a Hilton by Universal Studios that I would recommend. I haven't stayed in Santa Monica in decades, so I can't recommend anything in particular there.

I agree with above posters on La Brea Tar Pits and Aquarium of the Pacific. I actually like Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach aquarium) more than Monterey. Both of those are half day visits. So, you may want to see what else there is to do near each of those. The Queen Mary in Long Beach is walking distance to the aquarium and has various tours (regular and ghost) and places to eat and you can even stay on board as a hotel.

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.

 

[starry_solo]

There is a hotel right next to the Hollywood and highland mall. ive never stayed but always saw it when I went to El Capitan. It’s also close to the train stop to go to USH

 

[cruisehopeful]

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?

Safe if you are very aware of your surroundings all the time and don't look like a tourist. My initial reaction was that I would never stay in that area with kids, but I've had to take my kids to stay on the strip in Vegas a couple times when they were in competitions there and I just prepped them for what they'd see ahead of time. I haven't been to central Hollywood in a while. Looking at the video on the Lowe's site, it looks like it's cleaned up quite a bit. There are videos on Youtube of walking around the area and it looks pretty tame now. Lowes is a good brand.

Somewhere on this site, someone posted a list of studio tours in order of the most recommended to the least. I believe that Warner Bros was the most popular with those who've done several. Be sure to look at reviews when you are choosing a studio tour so you have an idea which TV/movie sets you have a chance to see. That will keep it interesting for your kids. The tour at Universal Studios is very good, too.

You can see the Hollywood sign from part of the freeway and from Griffith Park. If you want to get near it, there's a steep hiking trail that will get you closer to it.

 

[EpcotNerd]

Safe if you are very aware of your surroundings all the time and don't look like a tourist. My initial reaction was that I would never stay in that area with kids, but I've had to take my kids to stay on the strip in Vegas a couple times when they were in competitions there and I just prepped them for what they'd see ahead of time. I haven't been to central Hollywood in a while. Looking at the video on the Lowe's site, it looks like it's cleaned up quite a bit. There are videos on Youtube of walking around the area and it looks pretty tame now. Lowes is a good brand.

Somewhere on this site, someone posted a list of studio tours in order of the most recommended to the least. I believe that Warner Bros was the most popular with those who've done several. Be sure to look at reviews when you are choosing a studio tour so you have an idea which TV/movie sets you have a chance to see. That will keep it interesting for your kids. The tour at Universal Studios is very good, too.

You can see the Hollywood sign from part of the freeway and from Griffith Park. If you want to get near it, there's a steep hiking trail that will get you closer to it.

This is EXCELLENT advice, I'll look for that thread on the studio tours, that's exactly the kind of thing I think we'd all love to do. And good tips on staying in Hollywood, I'll definitely do more research before settling on that. I might be back with more questions ☺

 

[wingednike]

The Warner Brothers tour is excellent. Depending on your interests, the Hollywood Bowl and Pantages may also be fun. Exposition Park has the Natural History Museum.

 

[Jeskova26]

The Griffith Park Observatory is a great place for kids and you can get a really good view of the HOLLYWOOD sign

 

[Jeskova26]

The Griffith Park Observatory is a great place for kids and you can get a really good view of the HOLLYWOOD sign

You can also visit the the carrousel that inspired Walt Disney to do everything he ended up doing

 

[Disco Lemonade]

Do you still have to plan out going to the Observatory/go early? We tried to do it before but there was no where left to park. It’s been a few years, and maybe there was some other option available that I wasn’t aware of.

 

[ninergrl6]

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.

That's absolutely the place to stay for what you want to do. The Hollywood and Highland complex (where Loews is) can satisfy all of those needs. It's literally attached to the Chinese Theater and the Dolby (formerly Kodak, home of the Oscars and American Idol finales), is across the street from El Capitan (which exclusively shows Disney movies), is on the Walk of Fame, and has views of the Hollywood sign and kiosks for tours. It's totally safe with tons of restaurants and stores; it's basically a mall that hosts celebrity events. Orchid Ave., the street directly behind H&H, used to have some motels that were more affordable than Loews that I stayed at A LOT but I don't know if they're still there.

If you're looking to take a studio tour, I recommend Warner Bros. I've done it a few times and it's always fun. I've done a few other studio tours, but WB is the best IMO.

I also used seeing-stars.com as a resource for "Hollywood" type events, like movie premiers and people getting stars on the Walk of Fame. It was good to know if Hollywood Blvd. was going to be closed for an event and if I should keep my eyes peeled for celebs It also lists filming locations, Hollywood landmarks, restaurants frequented by celebs, how to get tickets to tv show tapings, all of the kitschy Hollywood stuff it sounds like you're looking for.

 

[EpcotNerd]

That's absolutely the place to stay for what you want to do. The Hollywood and Highland complex (where Loews is) can satisfy all of those needs. It's literally attached to the Chinese Theater and the Dolby (formerly Kodak, home of the Oscars and American Idol finales), is across the street from El Capitan (which exclusively shows Disney movies), is on the Walk of Fame, and has views of the Hollywood sign and kiosks for tours. It's totally safe with tons of restaurants and stores; it's basically a mall that hosts celebrity events. Orchid Ave., the street directly behind H&H, used to have some motels that were more affordable than Loews that I stayed at A LOT but I don't know if they're still there.

If you're looking to take a studio tour, I recommend Warner Bros. I've done it a few times and it's always fun. I've done a few other studio tours, but WB is the best IMO.

I also used seeing-stars.com as a resource for "Hollywood" type events, like movie premiers and people getting stars on the Walk of Fame. It was good to know if Hollywood Blvd. was going to be closed for an event and if I should keep my eyes peeled for celebs It also lists filming locations, Hollywood landmarks, restaurants frequented by celebs, how to get tickets to tv show tapings, all of the kitschy Hollywood stuff it sounds like you're looking for.

Thank you, this is very very helpful! Sounds like that's the way to go for our cheesy tourist needs

 

[ninergrl6]

Thank you, this is very very helpful! Sounds like that's the way to go for our cheesy tourist needs

My pleasure! You're taking me down memory lane from when I used to go to Hollywood several times a year.

The first couple minutes of this Janet Jackson event give a good view of H&H. Loews and the Hollywood sign are behind the stage, El Cap is across Hollywood Blvd. when her car pulls up (my friend and I still call those "the Janet Jackson stairs"), and the Dolby and Chinese Theater are stage right. Obviously it isn't swarming with fans every day, but they used to have events at the complex regularly. I've accidentally stumbled on awards shows, movie premieres, and celeb charity fundraisers there.

Here is what the area looked like on a normal, busy, pre-covid day. If you're interested in visiting Universal Studios, the metro from H&H has easy access (just two stops away). The Dolby and Chinese Theater used to offer tours several times a day, but I'm not sure if/when those will resume post-pandemic.

 

[evilmommie]

As someone who went to school in LA and also lived in LA, I personally wouldn't stay in Hollywood. I'd stay in Santa Monica (Shutters or the Wyndham) and then drive/uber into your highlights in the LA area. My favorite haunts: Griffith Observatory, Hollywood walk of fame, Grauman's Chinese Theater, El Cap. Many of the same suggestions already. Maybe try to get Magic Castle tix. They used to let kids in on Sat/Sundays. Not sure what they are up to these days. http://www.magiccastle.com Great museums in Exposition Park around USC. Tour USC ;-)

 

[sjmac42]

West Hollywood is a good compromise, straight shot to the Hollywood attractions around Hollywood/Highland mall and a little less gritty in the evenings. Also a bit closer to Santa Monica Pier which is a lot of kitschy fun and Rodeo Drive. There is a good Best Western Hotel there.
Another great area is Beverley Grove. It’s about as”central” to many attractions as you can get in very spread out LA. The Beverly Laurel motel is a basic motel that looks like it is in a 50’s sitcom and was a lot of fun. Farmers Daughter and The Orlando are 2 others in this area which are quite good, close to the Farmers Markets, Beverley Centre, Peterson’s Automotive Museum (movie cars) and La Brea Tarpits. The Farmers Markets were walkable and we felt very safe in the evenings with plenty of restaurants and cafes in the area.
Hollywood itself is fine but as I mentioned earlier, it can be a little “gritty” at times. But there are always plenty of people about so it’s pretty safe as long as you take the usual sensible precautions with your possessions as you would in any large crowded city. I’ve stayed at Loews which is great and usually full of Australians (boring for us, may be interesting for you ). Magic Castle gets great reviews but I’ve never stayed there and it’s been a long time since I stayed at the Roosevelt and it was a nice place but not sure what its like currently so hard to recommend. Maybe someone else here knows.
Have a great trip

 

[DL1WDW2]

I used to stay often at Universal Studios Hollywood Hilton and Sheraton to combine weekend at Universal and their CityWalk and going to Hollywood Bowl. Every season the HB usually has different themed weekends including a tribute to Disney, etc and I would try to plan trip for those concerts. I was brave enough to take the Metro Rail Subway from Hollywood Bowl back to Universal and once took the City Bus from Universal to HB... walking past many homeless people by myself...I cant believe I ever did that now but this was 15 years ago. The taxis dropped off and picked up convenient to the HB & Universal, both ways and that was the best solution. Obviously if there is a big event arriving and departing at same time , it is a little safer with many people attending events.
I really liked the convenience of the Sheraton & Hilton on Universal property & it’s shuttle service. Very nice hotels. I also stayed at the Hollywood Plaza Hotel Best Western one night with easy walk from Bowl to El Capitan (Disney Soda Fountain Store) & Graumans Chinese Theatre.
Unfortunately I wonder about availabilty and safety w/ strict California Covid Guidelines. I mentioned seeing the new Cruella movie to my niece in San Diego & how I preferred to see it in a real theatre... she had to remind me they have been closed forever ... I just gooogled Venice Beach sidewalk on Oceanside and it has been closed off.
Keep us posted with your plans. Everything has changed and is still changing day by day...
Just remembered the Getty Center Museum with incredible hilltop views of entire area! It overlooks the San Gabriel Mnts.
I think it is free but you are required to make a parking reservation and pay to park since parking is very limited in Southern California. Again make sure it has reopened. There are 2 Getty Museums ( the older is a Villa Estate nearer to Santa Monica, I think. The Getty Center is new & modern architectural building and must take a tram up steep hill from parking (bus drop off) to get to the top. It’s impressive!

 

[Jaykw]

I’d stay in Orange County if you are planning on renting a car. You can visit Laguna Beach, Corona Del Mar, or any of the other local beaches in less than 30 mins. LA is an hour away. San Diego is a little over an hour away.