Family Things to Do in Los Angeles: Nine Picks by Age

Family days in Los Angeles work best when you pick one big stop and fill the rest with free ones. The city is spread out, so a day with young children is easier by car or with a short Metro hop. If you also want a ride between the sights, a Los Angeles bus tour is one option, but every place below works without one.

Should you book a tour or do it on your own? Do it on your own if you have a car, your children are young and you want a loose day. Every place below sells its own ticket, and the entries show those official prices in dollars. A GetYourGuide listing is worth it when you want a fixed date, a skip-the-line entry or a guide on a studio lot. Its price is in euros, so compare it with the official ticket in each entry before you pay.

Key Takeaway Children under 3 enter the Aquarium of the Pacific free, and children 2 and under enter the Natural History Museum free. For a toddler, those two are the cheapest big stops in the city.

1. Aquarium of the Pacific: best for ages 2 to 8

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is the easiest big stop for toddlers and young children. Adult tickets cost $49.95 and child tickets for ages 3 to 11 cost $34.95. Children under 3 are free. Reservations are required on weekends and holidays, and guests who pay in person make a free reservation.

Parking in the city garage is $8 a day with validation. Without a car, the A Line takes about an hour from Downtown to Long Beach. From the Transit Mall, it is a 10-minute downhill walk or a ride on the free Passport bus.

The Aquarium of the Pacific skip-the-line ticket is from €44.47 per person. The Aquarium of the Pacific runs it, and it has a 4.5 rating from 800 reviews. The listing shows animals such as penguins, sharks and lorikeets. It meets at the aquarium, 100 Aquarium Way in Long Beach. The listing gives no length or group size, and it names no age as not suitable. Parking is not included. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance showed on its listing on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

2. Natural History Museum: best for ages 3 to 12

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is the best low-cost stop for children who love dinosaurs. Adults pay $18, children 3 to 12 pay $7, and children 2 and under are free. The museum is open daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm and is closed on the first Tuesday of each month.

Parking is $20. The Expo/USC and Expo/Vermont Metro stations are close by. Special exhibits and the Butterfly and Spider Pavilion need an add-on ticket. LA County residents get free entry on weekdays from 3 to 5 pm.

The Natural History Museum entry ticket is from €16.02 per person. The ticket covers the Dinosaur Hall, the Gem and Mineral Hall and the Nature Gardens. Special exhibits are not included. The museum is at 900 W Exposition Blvd, and the listing gives no length or group size and names no age as not suitable. The listing has a 4.6 rating from 538 reviews. Its listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

Pro Tip Skip the add-ons on a first visit. The dinosaurs and the main halls fill a morning for most children.

3. Griffith Observatory: free, best for ages 5 and up

Griffith Observatory is free to enter, and it suits any age that can enjoy a view and a few exhibits. The observatory is open noon to 10 pm Tuesday to Friday and 10 am to 10 pm on weekends. It is closed on Monday.

The planetarium shows cost extra: $8 for children 5 to 12 and $12 for adults. Parking next to the building is paid, and free parking is farther downhill. Without a car, the DASH bus runs from the Vermont/Sunset Metro station for 50 cents. It runs every 20 to 25 minutes.

Teens can add the Hollywood Sign views and an easy trail from here. Our guide to free things to do in Los Angeles has the details.

4. Los Angeles Zoo: best for ages 2 to 10

The Los Angeles Zoo sits in Griffith Park and is a full morning for young children. It is open 10 am to 5 pm every day except Thanksgiving and December 25. Last entry is at 3:45 pm, and the animals start going in for the night at 4 pm.

Babies under 2 are free, but they still need a ticket: pick "Infant (0-23 months)" when you buy. Strollers are rented at the zoo for $15, or $20 for a double, on a first come, first served basis. The zoo's FAQ says parking is free until further notice, and food is sold inside. Tickets cannot be refunded, but they stay good for one year.

The FAQ page does not list the single-ticket price for a family. It gives only a group rate of $21 for children 2 to 12 and $24 for adults, for groups of 15 or more, bought at the box office. Check the zoo's ticket page for the day you go. One cheap route is the Discover & Go pass from the Los Angeles Public Library. It gives free entry for up to four people, with one pass per City Council district each day.

5. Santa Monica Pier: best for ages 3 to 14

Santa Monica Pier is free to walk onto, and it is the classic beach day for families. The pier is open daily from 6 am to 10 pm. The historic merry-go-round is closed on some weekdays, so check the days first.

Rides at the amusement park on the pier cost extra. We could not read Pacific Park's prices or height limits, so look at its own site. A small aquarium sits at beach level under the pier, with short hours.

Paid parking is posted at the lots. The Metro E Line ends at Downtown Santa Monica, and the pier is a short walk west along Colorado Avenue. The beach itself costs nothing. Our Santa Monica and Venice Beach page covers the rest of the coast.

6. Universal Studios Hollywood: best for ages 7 and up

Universal Studios Hollywood is the big theme-park day, and it suits school-age children and teens. The park says the Studio Tour is included with admission and runs about 60 minutes.

Parking costs $40 before 5 pm and $10 after 5 pm on non-event days. A pedestrian bridge links the Universal City Metro station to the park. We could not read the ticket store, so we give no ticket price, height rule or refund rule. Universal publishes those on its own site, and you should check them for each child.

The Universal Studios Hollywood general admission ticket is from €88.97 per person. GetYourGuide Tours & Tickets GmbH sells it, and it has a 4.6 rating from 9,993 reviews. The ticket includes the Studio Tour and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. You enter at the park, 100 Universal City Plaza in Universal City. The listing gives no length or group size, and it names no age as not suitable. Food, drinks, transport and parking are not included. Its free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance showed on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

Halloween Horror Nights is a separate ticket and is meant for older teens. The listing for it names children under 13 as not suitable. For the park itself, see Universal Studios Hollywood.

7. Whale and dolphin cruise: best for ages 3 to 12

A whale and dolphin cruise from Long Beach is a good half day for children who can sit through 2.5 hours. The operator lists a winter gray whale trip and a summer blue whale trip, both with dolphins, and runs daily all year. Babies under 3 ride free on the operator's own price list. The dock is at 100 Aquarium Way, next to the aquarium in entry 1.

The Long Beach whale and dolphin cruise is from €42.73 per person. It is run by Harbor Breeze, lasts 2.5 hours and has a 4.5 rating from 1,049 reviews. The listing says the meeting point may vary with the option you pick, and it gives no group size. It names no age as not suitable. Food, drinks, tips and parking are not included. The listing shows free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

Sea life is never certain. If your child gets seasick, pick a calm day and sit near the middle of the boat.

8. Warner Bros. Studio Tour: best for teens

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is a good teen pick for anyone who likes film and TV. The tour listing is from €70.33 per person. It is run by Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, lasts 3 hours and has a 4.6 rating from 8,833 reviews. The group has up to 14 people. It covers Stage 48: Script to Screen, a guided part, a self-guided part and the Friends boutique.

The listing names children under 5 as not suitable. The tour meets in Burbank, at 3400 Warner Blvd. Tips and transport are not included. The listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book. We could not read Warner Bros.' own ticket rules, so check them before you go.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

9. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures: free for ages 17 and under

The Academy Museum is free for visitors 17 and under, which makes it a cheap pick for teens. It is open Wednesday to Monday from 10 am to 6 pm and is closed on Tuesday. Adults pay $25.

Reservations are encouraged but not required. Allow about two hours. Bags larger than 16 by 16 inches are checked at the coat check. Film screenings and the Oscars Experience are separate tickets. It sits on Wilshire Boulevard, close to LACMA.

Family fun that costs little

A free family day in Los Angeles is easy if you mix the free stops above with one paid stop. The free ones are Griffith Observatory, the pier, the beach, and the Academy Museum for anyone 17 and under. The Metro helps too: children under age 6 ride free with a paying adult.

Things to Do in Los Angeles' count of GetYourGuide listings on 22 October 2026 found 24 of the 121 listings it checked in full that name a minimum age for children, from under 2 to under 16. Check the age line on every listing before you book.

For more free stops, read our guide to free things to do in Los Angeles. For evenings, see Los Angeles at night.

A good family day has one big stop and plenty of slack.

Staying safe with children

We found no official list of areas to avoid in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board says to "walk in well-traveled and well-lit places, especially at night." It also says to lock your car and keep every item out of sight.

For Downtown, safety officers in purple or green shirts can help. In an emergency, call 911. For where to sleep, see where to stay and getting around Los Angeles.

Not every family pick is open. The La Brea Tar Pits museum is closed for construction, though many outdoor areas of Hancock Park remain open. This guide is also the wrong plan for a family that wants a quiet day. Los Angeles needs a car or a lot of patience on the train.

How to choose family things to do in Los Angeles

Choose by the age of your youngest child and by how much driving you want. The table shows each pick, the ages it fits and what it costs.

For a first trip with young children, start with the aquarium and the pier. For teens, start with a studio tour or the Academy Museum. For a theme-park day, look at the park's own page on Universal Studios Hollywood.

Pro Tip Tap the same card or phone on every Metro ride. The $5 daily cap only works when you tap, and children under 6 ride free with you.