Our favorite playground parks
- Douglas Park in S. Monica--includes a fly fishing area!
- Virginia Ave Park in S. Monica--has a great splash pad
- Aidan's Place in Westwood
- Coldwater Canyon Park in Beverly Hills--the fake creek is awesome
- Playa Vista Park--the park with the friendliest crowds around, plus lots of handicap accessible equipment, and an all-weather surface. Also, it's close to Ballona Wetlands, so you can pair them up for an outing if your kids are into birds.
- Travel Town in Griffith Park allows kids to crawl all over old train cars.
- Mile Square Park in OC offers lots of space, a pretty "Japanese" (sorta) pavillion with ducks and swans, pedal cars (for a fee), and more.
- OC Great Park in Irvine (See my blog post about this awesome outing!)
- Live Steamers miniature railroad in Torrance, CA, open on the first Sunday of each month from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.
- Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills--not a playground and no picnicking allowed, but a gorgeous place to stroll and admire a breathtaking view.
- Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach (just over the line from Torrance) offers cool breezes, shady trees, creeks, ponds, and wildlife--all accessible to even small children.
- Rancho Tapo Community Park in Simi Valley offers one of the best splash pads around, along with excellent picnic facilities (lots of tables under shade).
Parks for hiking
There's lots of gorgeous, accessible hiking in SoCal. Be careful off poison oak, poison ivy, rattlesnakes, and other hazards. Wear sunscreen, take water and snacks (and something to put your trash in so your kids aren't tempted to toss junk into the trail).
There's lots of gorgeous, accessible hiking in SoCal. Be careful off poison oak, poison ivy, rattlesnakes, and other hazards. Wear sunscreen, take water and snacks (and something to put your trash in so your kids aren't tempted to toss junk into the trail).
- Temescal Canyon - in wet season, there's a waterfall, but the views year-round are good. Not stroller-friendly.
- Solstice Canyon - the "ruins" at the top of the trail are great fun. Paved, wide trails make this a favorite for many with kids.
- Coldwater Canyon - Easy to access, relatively cool and shady. The hiking in the park is located in Franklin Canyon, around the reservoir.
- Will Rogers State Park - The trail to the ocean overlook is wide and I've taken it with a stroller. However, the parking is expensive.
- Charmlee Natural Area - I've never gone there, but it's a favorite fieldtrip site for schools introducing kids to hiking, and my kids have gone several times and enjoyed it.
- Kenneth Hahn - This park has many highlights, including a fishing pond, extensive playgrounds, and lots of hiking.
- Griffith Park - the Ferndell trail, low down by the southern park entrance, is cool and stroller-friendly. Stick to the hike from the bottom of the slope up to the Observatory and across the ridge to the Hollywood sign on cool days. Most of those trails are exposed to the sun and can get quite hot.
- Baldwin Hills - The stairs up to the Scenic Overlook are a great workout, but they're crisscrossed by a beautiful, stroller-friendly hiking path. Lots of lizards and flowers to look at. Terrible parking situation, though.
- If you want to hike on a hot day, there's gorgeous hiking in Palos Verdes, overlooking the Pacific. Lots of of options to check out, some paved, some not. Our favorites are the relatively flat, stroller friendly trails by the Point Vincente Lighthouse and Interpretive Center and the more challenging ones that lead from the Trump National Golf Course.
Big Park Hint
Before you run an errand, check if there's a park nearby (Google Maps can help). Double up business and fun.