3-4 Days in LA - what do we NEED to see?!

[VicStar]

Hi there, first time over on this side of the Dibb! We've just booked flights to LA for February half term, so we can go and visit DH's family who live there. We're only there Fri-Fri and need to see a LOT of relatives, but I'm hoping we'll be able to squeeze 3-4 days where we can go and sightsee a little. We'll be staying with relatives at Thousand Oaks I think.

So what would you recommend we go and visit please?

At least one day at Disney is a guaranteed must-do, but we're not that bothered about the walk of fame, chinese theatre or even much movie stuff

Just to complicate things, we have 3 kids who will be 5, 9 and 11 when we travel, and the eldest has Aspergers and doesn't tolerate long drives particularly well (max 2 hours really each way)

Thank you!

[daytonababe]

Thousand Oaks is about 70 miles from Disney so a good 2 hours in traffic so you'll need a early start for that . I'd probably book a night there and do both parks .

Universal is nearer and we enjoyed it there , Warner bros is my favourite but has a age restriction of no under 8s
Malibu / Santa Monica etc aren't too far either but it might not be beach weather in early Feb .

California Science Center / Space Shuttle endeavour is good , we did that a few years ago .

[VicStar]

Oo the Science Centre sounds good! And I think 2 days at Disney is a FAB idea

Sounds like the beach is going to be best left until we're there and can see the weather/how much time we have left. Hopefully we can squeeze it in.

We hope to go back again when the kids are older and do a mini road-trip, but DH hasn't been back to see his family since we got married, so when we found direct flights for £300 return we decided to do a flying visit!

Thank you for your help!

[daytonababe]

Any time
You might be lucky with the weather .

In 2015 we went at the end of Feb and it wasn't beach weather it was rainy and warm enough to not need a coat but not sit on the beach weather.

Last year it was the opposite really hot , I went to long beach and it was really busy . This year we went mid march and it was so windy on Santa Monica pier . People were on the beach but braver than me 😂

1 would do a day in each Disney park , Carsland is fab I'm sure your kids will love it

[rusty30]

The Griffith Park observatory is a fantastic place to visit. Amazing views from up there and the observatory itself is fascinating. Griffith park is also home to Los Angeles Zoo (although it's not near the observatory) I've never done the Zoo but it might be something your kids will enjoy if they aren't into the movie side of attractions.

Sky Space LA is also fun - there is a glass slide and great views!

I'm usually there in December and I've never been that cold. It can get blowy on the beach, especially as the sun goes down but Day times are usually quite pleasant.

[Enchanted-nadi]

I would def try and do one of the studio tours , we loved the warner bros one and the Sony one was wonderful , we got to see the RV from breaking bad , which made my teen son very happy , and they were filming the goldbergs while we were there . Was fascinating

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by Enchanted-nadi

I would def try and do one of the studio tours , we loved the warner bros one and the Sony one was wonderful , we got to see the RV from breaking bad , which made my teen son very happy , and they were filming the goldbergs while we were there . Was fascinating

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Warner bros has a age restriction of no under 8s . And the OPs youngest is younger than that .

Not sure on the other studios though .

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by rusty30

The Griffith Park observatory is a fantastic place to visit. Amazing views from up there and the observatory itself is fascinating. Griffith park is also home to Los Angeles Zoo (although it's not near the observatory) I've never done the Zoo but it might be something your kids will enjoy if they aren't into the movie side of attractions.

Sky Space LA is also fun - there is a glass slide and great views!

I'm usually there in December and I've never been that cold. It can get blowy on the beach, especially as the sun goes down but Day times are usually quite pleasant.

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It wasnt beach weather this year specially in Santa Monica , it was jeans and jumper weather and that was in the sun . At some points it was bitterly cold in the wind z

We also went to Huntingdon & Mahanattan only the hour or so at Manhattan was beach weather sadly .

[duchy]

My ASD son loved the Movie Stars Homes tour. We saw most of the Hollywood landmarks along the way and as it was open top he didn't get fed up the way he did in a car. We parked near the Chinese Theatre and bought tickets on the day.

[VicStar]

Now the Observatory, the Science Centre, maybe the zoo and the beach all sound very much our kind of things, thanks! I don't imagine we'd stay long at the beach as we're very much in love with the quiet non-commercialised beaches of Indian Shores and AMI, but we'd certainly give it a go.

The movie TV/film stars side of things just doesn't appeal I'm in a quandary about whether to try and fit in the walk of fame and the hollywood sign etc? If we're going all the way to LA, maybe we should do the 'LA stuff'? Maybe it'd be more fun than I think?