Spend the day in LA?

[WeaverRN10]

We arrive at LAX at 10:30am. We are a party of 8 (4 adults/4 children age 8-11). We will check into our Disneyland hotel the day we arrive. We did however want to explore some parts of the city. Hollywood, Veince Beach or Santa Monica. Considered renting a car at the airport and returning that evening in Anaheim. Is it feasilbe to land and expore those parts of the city? Also one person has a specific request for In and Out.
Any advice would be helpful!

 

[LKing]

There are many In-N-Out restaurants throughout Southern California. Two are very close to the airport. One is just north of the airport at 9149 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Another is south of the airport at 600 N Sepulveda Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245. There is also an In-N-Out three miles from Disneyland.

You won't be able to do it all in just a few hours. By the time you get 8 people off the plane, pick up luggage and get a rental car, it will be at least noon. Where will you be travelling from? What time zone will your bodies be on?

What is the purpose of seeing Venice Beach and Santa Monica? If you want to see the beaches, I would head south on Sepulveda, go to In-N-Out in El Segundo and check out Manhattan Beach. Once you get your beach fix, you can head inland to see other sights. My concern would be traffic. If you have your car by noon, go to In-N-Out and to the beach, it will be at least 2 pm (if not later). Trying to get to Hollywood on a weekday afternoon would take quite a while.

 

[Psymonds]

It is feasible:
There are a lot of in and outs in the LA area, including one right by LAX.
I'd do some research to figure out what you're wanting to visit. Not sure if you're just going to explore or if you have specific sights you want to see.

Some "sights"
Angels Flight funicular - DTLA
Getty Museum - Westwood area
California Science Museum - at USC

you could also just drive to the neighborhoods you've described and walk around and explore.

Keep in mind that afternoon traffic will be substantial between these areas and Anaheim, maybe 2 hours.

 

[irlandaise]

We arrive at LAX at 10:30am. We are a party of 8 (4 adults/4 children age 8-11). We will check into our Disneyland hotel the day we arrive. We did however want to explore some parts of the city. Hollywood, Veince Beach or Santa Monica. Considered renting a car at the airport and returning that evening in Anaheim. Is it feasilbe to land and expore those parts of the city? Also one person has a specific request for In and Out.
Any advice would be helpful!

LOL, I like the person who wants to visit In-N-Out! Here are their locations:

https://www.in-n-out.com/locations

If you do online check-in so the Disneyland folks know you're on your way, you won't have to worry about getting to the hotel mid-afternoon.

How tired will your family be? Personally, I'd recommend driving by the beaches on your way to Anaheim and keeping Hollywood for a separate day when you aren't so tired and rushed. Be sure to consider a visit to Disney's El Capitan Theatre, which is right in the thick of things in Hollywood:

https://elcapitantheatre.com/

 

[LKing]

My concern would be that, while the adults might like to see Hollywood, Venice and Santa Monica, the 8-11 year old kids might be bored. Not to mention the fact that Hollywood Blvd and Venice Beach can get pretty sketchy.

Right now, at noon on a Friday, Google Maps is showing 56 minutes from LAX to Hollywood and 1 hr, 20 min from Hollywood to Disneyland. That's a lot of drive time to try to keep everyone happy.

 

[Vmariad]

We arrive at LAX at 10:30am. We are a party of 8 (4 adults/4 children age 8-11). We will check into our Disneyland hotel the day we arrive. We did however want to explore some parts of the city. Hollywood, Veince Beach or Santa Monica. Considered renting a car at the airport and returning that evening in Anaheim. Is it feasilbe to land and expore those parts of the city? Also one person has a specific request for In and Out.
Any advice would be helpful!

We rented a car on two separate occasions during our last trip. Pick up and return in Anaheim was about $60 and return at the airport was $100. Totally worth it. We loved going to in and out (twice)- it’ll likely be the cheapest meal you have all week ! Santa Monica is wonderful. The beach is beautiful and the pier is iconic. My kids loved it

 

[mdmost]

I agree with others that you don't want to try to do too much on that first day. I would figure out which is more important to your Santa Monica/Venice or Hollywood? Do you have any other beach days added into your trip? Of the two options, Santa Monica/Venice is a lot closer. Regardless, you're looking a long car trip to Anaheim in LA traffic. We baked in a day of Hollywood, Griffith Observatory, and Santa Monica in our first trip out to DLR with the kids. Broke up the trip nicely and the kids loved the time at the beach. We later went to Huntington State Beach since it was one of the closest options to Anaheim.

As far as In-N-Out, keep the Anaheim location in your backpocket as an option. It's not too far from Disneyland. And get a double-double animal style. Also, if you get a shake, get it Neapolitan style so you get all 3 flavors.

 

[Porsche4]

On our last trip we spent 8 days a t DL and then had 5 days around LA itself and another 2 days at Universal. The biggest problem with LA is that unlike other cities around the world it doesn't have a central area where a lot of tourist attractions are all located and can be seen together. This was the biggest probIem I had when planning our trip. We ended up spending a couple of days in Santa Monica so we could visit the Pier, the Getty Museum and the Getty Villa which were all doable from the one location but then we moved to the Hyatt at Universal for our couple of days there and from there we did Hollywood to see Graumans Theatre and walk along the street to see the stars imprints in the footpath. We spent a lot of time in Ubers commuting as the traffic was horrendous so my advice would be to pick one thing, perhaps a visit to a beach and do that on your way to DL and not try to cram too much in if you really feel the need to do something on that arrival day. Personally myself I would just head to my hotel and check in and then spend some time in Downtown Disney. You and your family (particularly the kids) will be excited and the flight and all the organising that goes along with that will be tiring so a nice leisurely first day I think is always good and then you can hit the parks the next day refreshed and ready to go.

 

[Psymonds]

I agree with others that you don't want to try to do too much on that first day. I would figure out which is more important to your Santa Monica/Venice or Hollywood? Do you have any other beach days added into your trip? Of the two options, Santa Monica/Venice is a lot closer. Regardless, you're looking a long car trip to Anaheim in LA traffic. We baked in a day of Hollywood, Griffith Observatory, and Santa Monica in our first trip out to DLR with the kids. Broke up the trip nicely and the kids loved the time at the beach. We later went to Huntington State Beach since it was one of the closest options to Anaheim.

As far as In-N-Out, keep the Anaheim location in your backpocket as an option. It's not too far from Disneyland. And get a double-double animal style. Also, if you get a shake, get it Neapolitan style so you get all 3 flavors.

Animal fries are a fun treat but... Highly Caloric....

 

[irlandaise]

Weaver, if you're wondering what those weird In-N-Out menu items are that people are recommending, some of them are listed here on the Not So Secret Menu page:

https://www.in-n-out.com/menu/not-so-secret-menu

Others, such as Animal Style Fries, you'll have to google. They're part of the Secret Menu.

 

[BrianL]

Just hit In-N-Out on the way. I have had a cab take me directly from LAX to In-N-Out, once even jsut going through the drive through on my way to Long Beach. It's a cant miss, and don't skip those grilled onions!

 

[starlite_]

As a once 12yo that was taken to Hollywood, I agree with the previous poster about it being boring for kids. The best part of that trip was eating fast food at a fancy mall.

 

[Pluto468]

Not to mention the fact that Hollywood Blvd and Venice Beach can get pretty sketchy.

Agreed. If I was choosing one beach in that area to take kids to, I'd go with Santa Monica because you can see the pier. Hollywood Blvd isn't very pleasant. (IMHO)

Also...what will you do with your luggage while you're checking out the city? Lots of areas in LA I wouldn't want to leave luggage visible in a car parked on the street.


Good idea going to In-N-Out

 

[LKing]

Also...what will you do with your luggage while you're checking out the city? Lots of areas in LA I wouldn't want to leave luggage visible in a car parked on the street.

Really good point!

 

[OlliePop27]

There are lots of great options in LA and I think your group should pick the top 1-2 things to try. A few suggestions I might offer are:

1) WB Studio Tour in Burbank - very impressive. This would probably be the only thing you want to try doing, then head straight to the DL Hotel. Try to leave Burbank before 3 if on a weekday to avoid the worst of the traffic. It will be a tough slog between 3-7 to get to Anaheim, but being able to use the carpool lane will help in some spots.
2) Huntington Beach in Orange County - head there straight from the airport, enjoy the day, then take the short drive to DL (so long as it's not rush hour on a weekday). Very beautiful and relaxing spot. Restaurants and shops in walking distance. Nice pier.
3) Griffith Observatory and/or hiking tour - beautiful views and history. Near Burbank, so same traffic red flags as the WB Tour.

 

[wabbott]

We've done the LA area several times in the past 3 years. We're not native, and like you we wanted to see some of the sights to tie in with our Disneyland visit.

You won't be able to do it all in just a few hours. By the time you get 8 people off the plane, pick up luggage and get a rental car, it will be at least noon.

This is accurate. If time allows, the drive around Rancho Palos Verdes is great. You can see Santa Catalina Island clearly. We try to do it every time we can.

Further south along the coast is Huntington Beach. Great views, surfers, pier, and plenty of places for a snack or drink. From there to Disneyland is less than an hour.

 

[WeaverRN10]

Thank you for the replies. My husband is not interested in Hollywood and the comment about unsafe to leave our luggage really sealed the deal for him to pass. My friend who has family from that area also mentioned Hunnington Beach. Perhaps we will just pass through and stop at In N Out along the way. Rest and enjoy Disneyland. We go to WDW annually and are very excited for Disneyland.

 

[Barefoot On A Plane]

Never had In N Out...I'm from Texas. How is it compared to Whataburger

 

[LKing]

Never had In N Out...I'm from Texas. How is it compared to Whataburger

There are some In-N-Out locations in Texas

https://www.in-n-out.com/locations/texas

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

If you go to In-n-Out order your burger and fries Animal Style. It makes it better than plain, otherwise to me it is just a regular burger and fries (and then Culver's is better).