Many family farms near Los Angeles allow city kids to test life on the farm. Visits to local farms are things you can do multiple times a year while kids are still little, such as pumpkin patches, corn maze wanderings, strawberry picking, and animal visits. 

Read on to discover our favorite farms near Los Angeles, where kids can learn about how things grow, taste homegrown (and homemade) goodies, take part in seasonal festivals, meet animals, and play in the dirt. These farms range from giant farms with loads of animals, pick-your-own fields, bounce houses, and tractor rides to smaller spots where city kids can learn about planting and get their hands in the dirt.

Visit the best pumpkin patches in Los Angeles, see the top farms for strawberry picking, and find more farm fun in our guide to the Best Berry Picking and Animal Farms in Los Angeles. 

Ahhh, Universal Studios Hollywood. Everyone knows that when you drive down the 101, you see LA’s beloved one-eyed Minion peeping at you from across the road. You notice Hogwarts, rising into the sky on a hill, and you may have asked yourself (probably countless times) “Should we take the kids there? Is it worth it?” As a local mom of four, I’m here to tell you, yes, Universal Studios Hollywood is absolutely worth a trip. 

We took our boys and a buddy, ages 5, 7, and 8, for a birthday celebration and had the most memorable day. We want to make your day memorable too, so read on for a local’s tips and tricks to maximize your day at Universal Studios Hollywood. 

 Be prepared to visit any LA-area theme park with this guide to all the best Los Angeles theme parks!

TeenTix LA is the best arts access program you’ve never heard of. Tickets to plays, Broadway musicals, comedy shows, museums, and more… all for only five dollars a ticket for kids ages 13 to 19.

No longer will your teens lounge around the house playing Xbox; instead, they’ll be laughing their pants off in the front row of a theater or feeling connected to a deeply personal show. If you relish watching shows with your kids, you’ll be thrilled to know that every TeenTix LA arts partner has to designate one day a week that is a 2-for-$10 deal, so you can go, too. Because nothing says “I’m a cool teen” like a night out on the town with your mom!

For more stuff for your teens in LA, from our list of the 20 Coolest Things To Do in Los Angeles for Teens to a roundup of the Best Teen Birthday Party Ideas in LA, check out our Los Angeles Guide for Teens & Tweens.

Looking for some fun along with your food? From knights and horses to pirates to magicians, there are plenty of themed restaurants in Los Angeles that offer interactive dinner shows for the entire family—after all, this is the entertainment capital of the world! You might land in the middle of a recreated land or find yourself with dinner shows served on the side—every single one of these spots will make your next family meal a bit more magical.

Check out our restaurant guide for more kid-friendly eating experiences in Los Angeles, including restaurants where kids can play while parents eat, gorgeous restaurants with outdoor dining, and even mouth-watering treats that dazzle kids of all ages.

Our fabulous weather means you can go camping near Los Angeles any time of year! These campgrounds offer something extra, making it even more enticing to head into nature with your amusement-addicted kids.

Camping near Los Angeles is a smorgasbord of sights and sounds and offers plenty of opportunities to explore the great outdoors. Hiking, biking, singing campfire songs at night, and unplugging from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives is good for the soul; but let’s face it, even with the whole of Mother Nature at their fingertips, kids sometimes get bored.

It’s time to up the ante on family camping. Southern California is home to family campgrounds that offer kids exciting activities and entertainment when they tire of forest tag. Zip lining, anyone? Fishing? Rock climbing? Water parks? Movies? Even ghost tours? All these and more are offered at these campgrounds near Los Angeles. We dare your kids to get bored.

Los Angeles babies get places like Hollywood, Santa Monica, Long Beach, and Beverly Hills as their playgrounds from the moment the little starlet is born. On the topic of firsts', a baby's first year is a collection of memories waiting to happen—for Mom and Dad, anyway!  

Los Angeles is the best place on earth to raise kids, and it’s filled with magical moments and places you can enjoy with children. World-class museums, restaurants, and entertainment will make your kiddo quite the cultured connoisseur from a very young age. Plus, living in LA means (almost) never being trapped indoors with a fussy baby. Here are our favorite ways to introduce your little Angeleno to the joys of SoCal living. Pack a diaper bag, sling a stroller in the back of the car, keep this checklist handy, and explore LA, baby-style.

From baby classes to baby stores, we've got baby's whole first year covered and then some in our Los Angeles baby guide.