Art + Play at OCMA
Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) - 10:00 AM
Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) - 10:00 AM
The Escape Game LA
The Escape Game LA - various times
The Escape Game LA - various times
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium Hollywood
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood - various times
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood - various times
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures - various times
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures - various times
California Science Center
California Science Center - various times
California Science Center - various times
Little Lido Kids Club: Music Class with Magic Steps
Lido Marina Village - 10:30 AM
Lido Marina Village - 10:30 AM
The Escape Game LA
The Escape Game LA - various times
The Escape Game LA - various times
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium Hollywood
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood - various times
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood - various times
LA County Parks Black History Month
LA County Parks - Multiple Locations - various times
LA County Parks - Multiple Locations - various times
Pokémon GO Tour - Unova (Rose Bowl)
Rose Bowl Stadium - 9:00 AM
Rose Bowl Stadium - 9:00 AM
Camellia Festival
Temple City Park - various times
Temple City Park - various times
From the Ground Up
Armory Center for the Arts - various times
Armory Center for the Arts - various times
The Escape Game LA
The Escape Game LA - various times
The Escape Game LA - various times
Pixar Putt at Pixar Place Hotel
Pixar Place Hotel - various times
Pixar Place Hotel - various times
American Cinematheque Free Family Matinees
American Cinematheque Theatres, including: The Aero Theatre - 11:00 AM Pick
American Cinematheque Theatres, including: The Aero Theatre - 11:00 AM Pick
African-American Festival
Aquarium of the Pacific - 9:00 AM
Aquarium of the Pacific - 9:00 AM
Pokémon GO Tour - Unova (Rose Bowl)
Rose Bowl Stadium - 9:00 AM
Rose Bowl Stadium - 9:00 AM
Free Mini-Concert with Teacher Davis
Children's Book World - 10:30 AM
Children's Book World - 10:30 AM
CicLAvia - West Adams Meets University Park
Multiple Hubs along Jefferson and Vermont, including - 9:00 AM Pick
Multiple Hubs along Jefferson and Vermont, including - 9:00 AM Pick
American Cinematheque Free Family Matinees
American Cinematheque Theatres, including: The Aero Theatre - 11:00 AM Pick
American Cinematheque Theatres, including: The Aero Theatre - 11:00 AM Pick
African-American Festival
Aquarium of the Pacific - 9:00 AM
Aquarium of the Pacific - 9:00 AM
Pokémon GO Tour - Unova (Rose Bowl)
Rose Bowl Stadium - 9:00 AM
Rose Bowl Stadium - 9:00 AM
Smorgasburg Los Angeles
Row DTLA - 10:00 AM
Row DTLA - 10:00 AM
The Escape Game LA
The Escape Game LA - various times
The Escape Game LA - various times
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium Hollywood
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood - various times
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood - various times
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures - various times
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures - various times
California Science Center
California Science Center - various times
California Science Center - various times
Aquarium of the Pacific
Aquarium of the Pacific - various times
Aquarium of the Pacific - various times
Bring Your Own Baby Tour + Tea at OCMA
Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) - 11:00 AM
Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) - 11:00 AM
The Escape Game LA
The Escape Game LA - various times
The Escape Game LA - various times
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium Hollywood
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood - various times
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood - various times
California Science Center
California Science Center - various times
California Science Center - various times
Los Angeles Guides
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25 Things To Do in Venice Beach with Kids
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Open up your costume closet for Venice Mardi Gras
Venice, California is about as unlike Venice, Italy as two cities could be, but the Bohemian beachside community has nonetheless acquired nearly as much fame as its namesake. Both Venices can boast canals, beach, and some larger-than-life parties, but LA's famous seaside tourist attraction replaces old world charm with funkadelic grunge, opera with karaoke, and gondoliers with bodybuilders.
Sandwiched between Santa Monica and Marina del Rey, Venice may be small but has its own distinct personality. And the 25 kid-pleasing activites below are good for a few days' worth of fun in the sun, Venice style.
OUR LATEST VIDEOS
- Start with the obvious: sunbathe and bodysurf!
- Go for a walk along the canals.
- Bike or blade on the beach path, stopping to join any dancing skaters you pass along the way.
The beach path is world famous. Photo by Caccamo/CC BY 2.0
- People-watch while munching pizza-by-the-slice on the Boardwalk.
- Put lights on your bikes and join the Sunday Electric Light Parade.
- Play paddle tennis on the free public courts (racquets and balls available at the Ocean Front Walk Parks & Rec office).
- Play a game of basketball on the iconic courts (you've seen them in movies for sure).
- Watch the flashy bodybuilders flex their stuff at Muscle Beach Gym.
- Participate in a drum circle (there's always one going on).
- Go sandsledding!
Sand sledding is classic Venice. Photo via Bigstock
- Wander the irresistible shops, cafes, and ice cream parlours of Abbot Kinney Boulevard.
- Bring a board to skate the Venice Skate Park.
- Rent kayaks or paddleboards—for either the ocean or the canals.
- Create your own graffiti on the famous Venice Art Walls.
- Enjoy the farmers market with a beach breeze, Friday mornings at the corner of Venice Blvd. & Venice Way.
Photo courtesy of Moo Moo Musica
- Snap a photo under the iconic Venice sign.
- Let the good times roll at the annual Venice Beach Mardi Gras Parade.
- Meet other coffee-drinking parents at the the free morning sing-alongs at the Cow's End.
- See a family-friendly show at the Electric Lodge theater.
- Boogie in a room full of dancing babies with Moo Moo Musica.
- Have a family night of food trucks and free entertainment at Abbot Kinney's First Fridays.
First Friday food trucks meet for a monthly party on Abbot Kinney Blvd. Photo by Marissa Vitale
- Eat piles of pasta and garlic knots while Mom and Dad pour themselves glasses of Chianti on C & O Trattoria's famous honor system.
- Frolic at one of the two beach playgrounds on Ocean Front Walk.
- Go to a storytime or other family activity at the Venice Abbot Kinney branch library.
- Photograph the sunset on the restored Venice Beach Pier.
Top photo by CJ Gronner/Blogtown