Los Angeles with Kids: Family Playground with a Big Heart

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County showcases a collection of more than 35 million artifacts and natural history specimens, detailing more than 4.5 billion years of Earth's history.

Collections are maintained in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, mammalogy, paleontology, ornithology, entomology, and herpetology, with noted holdings in the areas of mineralogy and Pleistocene-era paleontology due to its association with the nearby La Brea Tar Pits. Three floors of permanent exhibits showcase the museum's collections, including a dinosaur hall, an insect zoo, and an interactive nature lab.

900 W Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007, Phone: 213-763-3466

The Aquarium of the Pacific was originally opened to the public as the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific in 1998. Today, it is operated as a nonprofit organization and is an accredited Association of Zoos and Aquariums facility, welcoming more than 1.5 million annual visitors. It is home to more than 11,000 marine animals across 500 species, displayed in three permanent gallery habitats. The Southern California and Baja Gallery is home to native SoCal species such as the California scorpionfish, the Cortez rainbow wrasse, and the Mexican lookdown. Northern Pacific and Tropical Pacific Galleries showcase the marine plant and animal life of the broader Pacific Ocean, while a ray touch pool allows visitors to get up close and personal with stingrays. Other exhibits include a shark lagoon, a shorebird sanctuary, a penguin habitat, and a 3,200-square-foot aviary housing rainbow lorikeets. The aquarium hosts a variety of annual special events, including a Pacific Islander Festival and an African Heritage Festival.

100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802, Phone: 562-590-3100

The Bob Baker Marionette Theatre has been a staple of the Los Angeles children's theater scene since its founding in 1963 by its namesake, American puppeteer Bob Baker. Baker began manufacturing marionettes in high school and became an animation advisor for top animation companies in the mid-2oth century, including The Walt Disney Company. His work was featured in top films and television shows, including Star Trek, Bewitched, and Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Since 2009, the theater has been a Los Angeles cultural landmark and is reported to be the oldest continuously-operating puppet theater in the United States. More than 200 performances are showcased at the theater each year, including comedic puppet skits, story time events, and special tributes to children's television and animation legends. The theater may also be rented for private special events such as birthday parties and school events, with custom-designed shows available for performance during events.

4949 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042, Phone: 213-250-9995

California Science Center is the largest hands-on science museum on the West Coast, originally opened to the public in 1951 as the California Museum of Science and Industry, though its origins trace as far back as the opening of the California State Exhibition building in 1912. Following significant renovations, the museum was rebranded as the California Science Center in 1998. Today, the museum is a partner facility of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the American Alliance of Museums and is overseen in a public-private partnership with the State of California. Permanent exhibits include a 45,000-square-foot zoo and aquarium habitat, a hands-on innovation and invention center, and a large number of aerospace and aviation-related exhibits, including the preserved Space Shuttle Endeavour, which is on display in the museum's Samuel Oschin Pavilion.

700 Exposition Park Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037, Phone: 323-724-3623

Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is a 127-acre botanical garden and arboretum facility located in Arcadia, across the street from famed horse racetrack Santa Anita Park. The arboretum is located on the former land of historic Rancho Santa Anita, which housed the Oakwood Hotel and other attractions throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, and was opened to the public in 1956 after more than a decade of garden development. Plantings of native and exotic flora are showcased throughout the arboretum's gardens, including Mediterranean, Asian, Australian, South African, and South American plants. The gardens are open seven days a week, with the exception of Christmas Day, and host a variety of special events throughout the year, including Pasadena POPS summer concerts.

301 N Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007, Phone: 626-821-3222

Descanso Gardens is a 150-acre botanical garden located on a plot of land that was originally deeded to Corporal Jose Maria Verdugo in 1784. During the property's ownership by Los Angeles Illustrated Daily News owner E. Manchester Boddy, extensive rose, camellia, and lilac gardens were constructed on the estate's grounds. In 1953, the property was transferred to the care of Los Angeles County under the management of the Descanso Gardens Guild, which transformed it into a public botanical garden facility. Today, the garden contains cultivated collections of native and exotic trees, shrubs, and flowers, including a Japanese-style garden and an oak forest and woodland area. Art exhibits are showcased within the historic Boddy House estate, which is preserved as a living history museum.

1418 Descanso Dr, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, Phone: 818-949-4200

Disneyland was originally opened in Anaheim, California in 1955, the first theme park constructed by the Walt Disney Company and the only directly designed and overseen by company founder Walt Disney. The park complex has been expanded significantly since its 1955 opening, encompassing two full theme parks and a number of upscale and family shopping, dining, and hotel options.

Disneyland is one of the top 5 things LA is known for. As the most visitor theme park in the world, the park has welcomed more than 708 million visitors since its opening. Eight themed lands across its original theme park are home to a variety of internationally-known rides and attractions, including the Space Mountain roller coaster, the Splash Mountain log ride, and the Pirates of the Caribbean themed dark ride. A number of rides themed after Pixar films are offered at the Disney California Adventure park, including one of the few eccentric wheel-style Ferris wheels in the world, modeled after Coney Island's famed Wonder Wheel.

1313 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802, Phone: 714-781-4636

TCL Chinese Theatre, formerly and commonly known as Grauman's Chinese Theatre or Mann's Chinese Theatre, was originally opened to the public in 1927 with the premiere showing of Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings. Throughout the 20th century, it served as the premiere site for a number of notable classic films, including the 1977 premiere of Star Wars. Since its 2013 takeover by electronics company TCL Corporation, the theater has been home to one of the largest IMAX screens in America, showing major release first-run films. 3o-minute walking tours of the theater and its surrounding exterior attractions are offered seven days a week for visitors of all ages, elaborating on the theater's history and significance in American popular culture.

6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028, Phone: 323-461-3331

Griffith Park is a 4,310-acre park located within Los Angeles' Los Feliz neighborhood. As one of the largest urban public parks in the United States, the park has been frequently compared to New York City's Central Park. It was originally developed as an ostrich farm facility by mining entrepreneur Griffith J. Griffith in 1882, though over 3,000 acres of it was soon donated to the city after the region's property rush waned. Though Griffith's working relationship with the city was severely damaged following a 1903 arrest, he continued to develop attractions on the remainder of the property throughout the early part of the 20th century, including the Griffith Park Aerodome, which was located at the current site of the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, and the Autry Museum of the American West. The park is home to a large number of family-friendly attractions, including the Griffith Observatory, Bronson Canyon, the Travel Town Museum, and the aforementioned zoo.

4730 Crystal Springs Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027, Phone: 323-913-4688, Video