Living History Events for LA and OC Kids

7/2/14 - By Audrey M

Kids sometimes find history boring. And, really, who doesn't find memorizing lists of dates and names to be a bit dull? Kids love learning by doing, so the way to learn history is to go back in time! At a living history event, actors are in period costume, crafts relate to the time period, music and dancing are time-specific, and kids and their adults can hear the noises and smell the smells of the era. Actors dressed as historic figures talk about themselves in character, and traditional food is often available.

Family-friendly living history events occur all over greater Los Angeles (not just at that annual Renaissance Faire), and many events offer special activities for young ones. Some are completely free; others have free admission but charge for parking or pay-as-you-go activities. All of them offer an opportunity for a time-traveling weekend.

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Heritage Square
3800 Homer Street
Los Angeles 90031
323.225.2700
Heritage Square hosts events throughout the year that feature interpreters in full period clothing as well as additional activities. See the calendar for a current schedule of upcoming events—note recommended age ranges, as not all are intended to be all-age events. Some special events include the Holiday Lamplight Tour (December, ages 6 and up), MOTA Day (May, all ages), and Halloween and Mourning Tours (October weekend, Sunday only is for ages 2 and up).

Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum
15415 East Don Julian Road
City of Industry 91745
626.968.8492
The Homestead Museum offers free guided tours Wednesday through Sunday, but festival days are the best days to visit—there are period crafts, booths, music, games, and all sorts of activities for children and adults. The Victorian Fair (April) and Ticket to the Twenties (September) look at different periods in Los Angeles' history. See the calendar for upcoming events; there are also specific programs just for young children as well as craft programs for adults and older kids.

Riley's Farm
12261 S. Oak Glen Road

Oak Glen 92399
909.797.7534
More than just an apple picking experience, Riley's Farm offers both daytime and nighttime living history events, as well as a summer camp. Weekday daytime events require 35 people and advance reservations—but if a group trip is already scheduled, individuals can join the group if there is space available. See the calendar for scheduled events and reserve your tickets online, or call to confirm. Daytime living history events might cover the gold rush, revolutionary war, civil war, or colonial farm life. Dinner events typically include a hayride (meet the locals!) and a stage production that then finishes the story. Other Oak Glen farms, including Riley's Apple Farm  and Los Rios Rancho, also offer living history event.

Fort MacArthur
Angel's Gate Park
enter from 32nd St
San Pedro 90731
310.241.0846
For MacArthur hosts Old Fort MacArthur Days for one weekend every July. This event is the West's largest multicultural celebration of world military history. Come and see Roman- to Vietnam-era re-enactors in their camps, demonstrating what life was like in their particular era. Battle and equipment demonstrations also entertain the crowds.

Blue & Gray Civil War Reenactment
Sponsored by Rotary Club of Moorpark
Held at Underwood Family Farms
3370 Sunset Valley Rd
Moorpark 93021
805.279.5253
For one weekend in November, the Rotary Club of Moorpark sponsors the largest Civil War battle reenactment West of the Mississippi. In addition to the reenactment itself, you can visit Union and Confederate encampments, the "general stores" of the Civil War, learn Civil War era dances, and eat at the large food court available. Dates and exact location are announced at the end of summer.

Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum
18127 S. Alameda St
Rancho Dominguez 90220
310.603.0088
Dominguez Rancho hosts several living history events each year. The Battle Reenactment (weekend in October) features a battle encampment and re-enactments of the 1846 Battle of Dominguez Hill. There is also a Victorian tea and dance, a period church service, live music, children's games, cannon firing, adobe brick making, gold panning, and many other activities. Other special kid-friendly living history events include Holiday Living History (December) and Adobe Day (May). See the calendar for all upcoming events.

Heritage Museum of Orange County
3101 W Harvard St
Santa Ana 92704
714.540.0404
Every summer, Heritage Museum of Orange County hosts Civil War Days—two days of living history. See daily routines reenacted, Civil War-era weapons and artillery, listen to a live band, and watch live demonstrations in the blacksmith shop and on the traveling forge.

Huntington Beach Civil War Days
Huntington Beach Historical Society
Huntington Beach Central Park
on Gothard between Slater and Talbert
Huntington Beach 92647
Free to the public and held for one weekend every August, Huntington Beach's Civil War Days is about more than the two battle reenactments held each day. There is also a historic town where you can learn about daily life in the 19th century; the soldiers' camps, where the prepare for battle and then rest; and don't miss Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address after each battle.

Renaissance Pleasure Faire
Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area
15501 Arrow Hwy
Irwindale 91706
626.969.4750
On weekends from April through mid-May, you can come and learn all about life in Europe during the Renaissance. With 13 stages, games, rides, craft booths, dancing, music, the kids' kingdom, and more—you will not run out of things to do! Come as you are, come in costume, or rent a costume on site. Be sure to come with an empty stomach, as food options abound! Advance reservations are required for tea with the queen.

Riverside Dickens Festival
in front of City Hall
3900 Main St
Riverside 92501
For one weekend each February, you can learn all about Charles Dickens' life and the times he lived in. You can see Bydand Forever, a company of Gordon Highlanders, demonstrating their weapons and drums and pipes. You can meet Queen Victoria, see Charles Dickens' 1867 Baltimore speech presented, play cards, attend (or observe) the Ball, and have high tea. Oliver's Alley offers special activities for the under-12 set. Some activities require advanced tickets, watch the website for updated information.

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