SoCal Nature Kids Guide to LA County

Los Angeles is more than just traffic and buildings

There's so much outdoor fun available in LA! It's easy to view Los Angeles County as simply a crowded, traffic-filled area full of buildings and freeways... but it's so much more, with the beach, parks, nature areas, mountains, hikes, zoos, and more available year-round!

Los Angeles holds a special place in my own heart because I grew up near the LA Harbor in San Pedro. Although I loved seeing nearly daily views of Catalina Island and exploring places like the tide pools, Mt. Baldy, and the California Science Center, it wasn't until adulthood that I realized how much nature abounds in LA County. You could spend your entire life here and not see it all.

As a mom, we spent two years living in Pasadena, and I loved being able to take my four little ones to explore the Huntington Gardens down the street, or into downtown LA to explore the LA Central Library and Olvera Street on family adventures.

My favorite resource for exploring nature in LA

If you live in LA County (or even if you don’t), I highly recommend the book Wild LA: Explore the Amazing Nature In and Around Los Angeles for any family exploring the Los Angeles area. There’s loads of info about nature, local animals, and then 25 “field trip” guides for LA County locations with tips, photos, and more about those places. (I've heard from families who make it a goal to visit all 25!)

Places to Go with Your Kids in LA County

LOS ANGELES COUNTY PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS

  • Reese’s Retreat at Brookside Park aka The Pirate Park 360 North Arroyo Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91103

  • Bogdanavich Park 1920 Cumbre Dr, San Pedro, CA 90732

  • Polliwog Park (ships/pirates) 1601 Manhattan Beach Blvd. Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

  • Rocket’s Universe at Weddington Park (10844 Acama Dr North Hollywood, CA 91602) - elaborate outer space theme

  • Shane’s Inspiration Playground at Griffith Park (4800 Crystal Springs Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027) - space

  • Garvey Ranch Park (781 S. Orange Ave, Monterey Park, CA) - space

  • Heritage Park (12100 Mora Drive, Santa Fe Springs, California 90670). no playground here, but fun to explore!

  • Ballona Discovery Park in Marina Del Rey (13110 Bluff Creek Dr, Los Angeles, CA). - no playground here, but fun to explore!

  • Lacy Park (1485 Virginia Rd, San Marino, CA 91108)

  • Averill Park (1300 S Dodson Ave, San Pedro, CA 90732) - no playground here, but fun to explore!

  • Almansor Park 800 S Almansor St, Alhambra, CA 91801

  • Heritage Park Play Island in Cerritos

LOS ANGELES COUNTY GARDENS AND FARMS

  • Huntington Library + Gardens (1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108)

  • LA Arboretum (301 N Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007)

  • California Botanic Garden (1500 N College Ave, Claremont, CA 91711)

  • South Coast Botanic Garden (26300 Crenshaw Blvd, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274)

  • Descanso Gardens (1418 Descanso Dr, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011)

  • Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden (1237 N Peck Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266)

  • Arlington Gardens (275 Arlington Dr, Pasadena, CA 91105) see Wild LA Trip 12 p. 260

  • Wrigley Botanic Gardens on Catalina Island (1400 Avalon Canyon Rd. Avalon, CA 90704)

  • Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden (Earl Warren Dr, Long Beach, CA 90840)

  • Cal State Northridge Botanic Garden (18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge, CA)

  • UCLA Mathias Botanic Gardens (707 Tiverton Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90095)

  • AVRCD Plant Nursey & Conservation Garden (10148 West Avenue I, Lancaster, CA 93536)

  • Rancho Los Cerritos (4600 N Virginia Rd Long Beach, CA 90807)

  • Getty Center (1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049)

  • Getty Villa (17985 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272)

  • Exposition Park Rose Garden (701 State Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037)

  • Natural History Museum of LA (900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007)

  • The Los Angeles River Center and Gardens (570 W. Avenue 26 Los Angeles, CA 90065)

  • Kenneth Hahn Hummingbird Garden - inside Hahn SRA (4509 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90008)

  • Theodore Payne Foundation nursery (10459 Tuxford St, Shadow Hills, CA 91352)

  • Children's Garden/Petting Farm at AGRIscapes at Cal Poly Pomona (4102 South University Drive, Pomona, CA)

  • Tapia Bros Farm (5251 Hayvenhurst Ave, Encino, CA 91436)

  • Gilchrist Farm (30116 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91390)

LOS ANGELES COUNTY WATER PLAY

  • Annenberg Beach House 415 Pacific Coast Hwy, Santa Monica, CA 90402

  • Raging Waters Water Park 111 Raging Waters Drive San Dimas, CA 91773

  • Drytown Water Park 3850-B E Ave S, Palmdale, CA 93550

  • Six Flags Hurricane Harbor 26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy, Valencia, CA 91355

  • Splash! at La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center 13806 La Mirada Blvd, La Mirada, CA 90638

  • Seaside Lagoon 200 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

LOS ANGELES COUNTY CAMPING SPOTS

  • Leo Carrillo State Beach (35000 West Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265)

  • Malibu Creek State Park (1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, CA 91302)

  • Point Mugu State Park (9000 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265)

  • Table Mountain (Table Mountain Rd, Llano, CA 93544 - near Wrightwood)

  • Camp Williams (24210 E Fork Rd, Azusa, CA 91702)

  • Hermit Gulch on Catalina Island (1201 Avalon Cyn Rd, Avalon, CA 90704)

LOS ANGELES COUNTY BEACHES AND TIDE POOLS

  • Colorado Lagoon 5059 E Colorado St, Long Beach, CA 90814

  • Mother’s Beach 5839 E Appian Way. Long Beach, CA 90802 4101 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

  • Zuma Beach 30000 Pacific Coast Highway Malibu, CA 90265

  • Leo Carrillo State Beach 35000 West Pacific Coast Highway Malibu, CA 90265

  • Playa del Rey Beach Culver Boulevard & Pacific Avenue Playa Del Rey, CA 90293

  • Abalone Cove Shoreline Park 5970 Palos Verdes Dr S, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 (tide pools)

  • Royal Palms/White Point 1799 Paseo del Mar San Pedro, CA 90732 (tide pools)

  • Leo Carrillo State Park 35000 W Pacific Coast Hwy. Malibu, CA 90265 (tide pools)

  • El Matador  32215 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265 (tide pools)

  • Point Dume Cliffside Dr &, Birdview Ave, Malibu, CA 90265 (tide pools)

LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUMS

  • KidSpace Children's Museum (480 N Arroyo Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91103)

  • Natural History Museum of Los Angeles (see Wild LA Trip 7 p. 235)

  • California Science Center (700 Exposition Park Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037)

  • Getty Center (1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049)

  • Autry Museum of the American West (in Griffith Park across from the LA Zoo - 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027).

  • Rancho Los Cerritos (4600 Virginia Rd, Long Beach, CA 90807)

  • Rancho Los Alamitos (6400 E Bixby Hill Rd, Long Beach, CA 90815)

  • LA Maritime Museum - 84 Foot of 6th St Berthing, San Pedro, CA 90731

  • Battleship USS Iowa Museum - 250 S Harbor Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90731

  • California Science Center (700 Exposition Park Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037)

  • Columbia Space Memorial Center (12400 Columbia Way, Downey, CA 90242).

  • LA Brea Tar Pits (5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036)

  • Southern California Children’s Museum (459 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101)

  • Discovery Cube LA (11800 Foothill Blvd, Sylmar, CA 91342)

  • Griffith Observatory (2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027)

LOS ANGELES COUNTY HIKING TRAILS AND NATURE AREAS

  • Placerita Canyon State Park (19152 Placerita Canyon Rd, Newhall, CA 91321)

  • Madrona Marsh Preserve and Nature Center 3201 Plaza del Amo, Torrance, CA 90503

  • Fern Dell Trail, Griffith Park

  • El Dorado Nature Center (7550 E Spring St, Long Beach, CA) see Wild LA p. 298

  • Malibu Creek State Park (1925 Las Virgenes Road, Cornell 91301), Wild LA Trip #1

  • Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve (5600 Woodley Avenue, Van Nuys 91411) - See Wild LA Trip 3

  • Mt. Baldy (6778 Mount Baldy Road, Mt. Baldy, CA 91759) see Wild LA trip 17 p. 281 - up in the mountains, good for snow

  • Charlton Flats (Forest Service 3N16, Falling Springs, CA) see Wild LA trip 16 p.  276 - up in the mountains

  • Debs Regional Park and Audubon Center (Monterey Road, Los Angeles 922032) - see Wild LA Trip 11

  • Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park 905 E. El Segundo Blvd, Willowbrook, CA 90059 see Wild LA trip 24

  • Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve 1202 W 170th St, Gardena, CA 90247

  • Wilson Park 2200 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance, CA 90501

  • Franklin Canyon Park - 2600 Franklin Canyon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 - see Wild LA Trip 8

  • Whittier Narrows Recreation Area 1000 Durfee Road, South El Monte, CA 91733 - see Wild LA Trip 19

LOS ANGELES COUNTY REGIONAL PARKS

  • Bonelli Regional Park (120 E Via Verde Dr, San Dimas, CA 91773)

  • Castaic Lake SRA (Castaic Lake Dr, Castaic, CA 91310)

  • Kenneth Hahn SRA (4100 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90056)

  • Marshall Canyon Regional Park (6550 Stephens Ranch Rd, La Verne, CA 91750)

  • Peck Road Water Conversation Park (5401 Peck Rd, Arcadia, CA 91006)

  • Schabarum Regional Park (17250 Colima Rd, Rowland Heights, CA 91748)

  • Santa Catalina Island Regional Park (1202 Avalon Cyn Rd, Avalon, CA 90704)

  • Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area (15501 E. Arrow Highway, Baldwin Park, CA 91706)

  • Tesoro Adobe Historic Park (29350 Avenida Rancho Tesoro, Valencia, CA 91354)

  • Walnut Creek Community Regional Park (1100 S Valley Center Ave, West San Dimas, CA 91773)

  • Whittier Narrows Recreation Area (750 S Santa Anita Ave, South El Monte, CA 91733)

  • William S Hart Regional Park (24151 Newhall Ave, Santa Clarita, CA 91321)

LOS ANGELES COUNTY ZOOS AND ANIMAL AREAS

  • LA Zoo (5333 Zoo Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027)

  • Aquarium of the Pacific (100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802)

  • Marine Mammal Care Center 3601 S Gaffey St #8, San Pedro, CA 90731

  • Cabrillo Marine Aquarium 3720 Stephen M White Dr, San Pedro, CA 90731

  • Heal the Bay Aquarium 1600 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, CA 90401

  • Roundhouse Aquarium  Manhattan Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

  • Wildlife Learning Center (16027 Yarnell Street, Sylmar, CA 91342)

  • Star EcoStation (10101 Jefferson Boulevard Culver City, CA 90232)

  • Animal Tracks (10234 Escondido Canyon Rd, Agua Dulce, CA 91390)

  • Farm Sanctuary -- focus on farm animals  (5200 Escondido Canyon Road Acton, CA 93510)

  • The Gentle Barn (15825 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita, CA 91390)

  • Marine Mammal Care Center (3601 S. Gaffey, Suite #8, San Pedro, CA 90731)

  • San Dimas Canyon Nature Center (1628 Sycamore Canyon Rd, San Dimas, CA 91773)