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Things To Do in LA this Weekend with Kids: Knott's Fall-o-Ween, Haunted Hayride, American Girl, & Fireworks

Photo courtesy of Tanaka Farms
Photo courtesy of Tanaka Farms
9/23/20 - By Roberta B

Check your calendars, folks, because apparently it's Halloween season in these here parts. As of now, Angelenos can pick their pumpkins, eat sweet 'n' spooky treats, and have the bejeebies scared out of them.

Little by little our favorite venues are finding ways to come back to us (hello LA Zoo and Sea Life Aquarium!). New favorites are popping up, taking advantage of our twin loves of cars and movies. In the coming days you can see Goosebumps, Men in Black, The Incredibles, and Grease just to name a few.

Of course, many of our favorite events are too social to accomplish much distancing, but this week we can wiggle waggle walk our way through virtual editions of the Marine Mammal Care Center's Sealpalooza, LA Library's annual Los Angeles Libros Festival, the Aquarium of the Pacific's Baja Splash Cultural Festival, and the Hollywood Bowl's Fireworks Finale. (Not to mention the Monterey Jazz Festival, Farm Aid and Bonnaroo!)

And our Back-to-School Fair is still going; catch the last few free demo classes this week, including Atlantic Acting and Coucou French.

Keep on reading to find some of our top picks for September.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Wiggle Waggle Walk Your Block, photo courtesy of Pasadena Humane
Wiggle Waggle Walk Your Block, photo courtesy of Pasadena Humane

Things To Do in Los Angeles this Week

American Girl: Meet Courtney Moore

September 25 - 27
Meet Courtney Moore, the best gamer at the arcade. The newest American Girl historical character is celebrated at her big reveal. Kids can learn more about Courtney’s story, pick up a totally awesome ’80s craft to make, and take home a fabric-covered hair elastic like Courtney wears. READ MORE

Yosemite Facelift: Act Local

September 20 - 27
Yosemite Facelift is an annual event dedicated to stewardship of Yosemite National Park. This year, Facelift: Act Local calls on participants to apply their love for Yosemite to the outdoor spaces around them, picking up trash at a local park, or even their own backyard. READ MORE

Knott's Taste of Fall-O-Ween

Starts September 25
Forget the eye of newt: I want the pumpkin spice churros! Knott's Berry Farm's newest dining experience offers a cornucopia of Harvest and Halloween specialties, costumed characters, and trick-or-treating. READ MORE

Wiggle Waggle Walk Your Block

September 27
Did someone say w-a-l-k?  In 2020, the Wiggle Waggle Walk Your Block is happening wherever you are. Participants join in virtually, walking in their own neighborhoods. READ MORE

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride: Live Drive-Up Experience

September 25 - October 31
Spooky! For 2020, the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride has been reincarnated as a live, drive-up experience. READ MORE

Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch 2020

Through October31
Tanaka Farms, one of the only farms in Orange County with a real pumpkin patch, offers two options for pumpkin picking this year.  Monday through Friday guests can enjoy Wagon Rides with U-Pick pumpkins.  On the weekends, a drive-thru Pumpkin Patch experience is offered. READ MORE

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

September 28
On select days throughout the year, all national parks are open to the public with no admission fee. Veterans Day marks the last freebie for 2024.  READ MORE

Butterfly Pavilion at the NHM

September 18 - October 4
It's time to emerge from our chrysalis! The Natural History Museum welcomes butterfly lovers back to the Butterfly Pavilion and Nature Gardens. Get up close to beautiful butterflies at this seasonal exhibit. READ MORE

Open: Sealife Aquarium at Legoland

Daily
And they're back! An underwater voyage awaits as Sea Life Aquarium at Legoland California Resort reopens to visitors. READ MORE

Weekend Scenic Train Ride

Saturdays
All aboard for one last ride on the Fillmore & Western Railway! READ MORE

Gibbon Conservation Center Tour

Saturdays and Sundays in September
The Gibbon Conservation Center, the only facility in the world dedicated exclusively to gibbons, offers a group tour to visit the rarest group of apes in the western hemisphere. Attendees get to see demonstrations of the gibbons' acrobatic swinging skill and hear them sing their spectacular territorial call. READ MORE

A Gentle Drive-Thru at The Gentle Barn

Sundays in September
Gentle Barn offers a COVID-safe experience at its California location, with its Gentle Drive-Thru. The drive-thru experience goes behind the scenes to areas not normally open to the public. READ MORE

Cayton Creators Community Program

Wednesdays and Saturdays
Playtime is back, as the museum heads outdoors! Activities are designed around social distancing and feature simple art activities that teach kids about self-expression, understanding the perspectives of others, and their role in making the world a better place. READ MORE

Open: Bowers Museum

Ongoing
The Bowers Museum has reopened to visitors. The special exhibit Inside the Walt Disney Archives: 50 Years of Preserving the Magic has been extended, and now runs through February 28, 2021. READ MORE

Drive-In at the Park

September 26: Sister Act
The free drive-in movies in LA County Parks come with complimentary sliders, candy, and popcorn. All events are curated in an infrastructure of socially distanced culture to keep moviegoers and the community safe and healthy. READ MORE

Drive-In Concerts (OC Fairgrounds)

Sept 25: Which One's Pink?; Sept 26: Queen Nation; Sept 27: Dead Man's Party
Don't you want some concerts to love?  Upcoming drive-in concerts at the OC Fairgrounds include Jefferson Starship. READ MORE

Carpool Movie Nights (Encino)

Sept 25: Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Carpool Cinema at the Encino Farmer Market offer a unique carpool cinema experience while raising funds to support senior services and COVID relief efforts. READ MORE

Drive-in at the Park - Beach Edition (Castaic Lake Park)

Sept 25-26 - Men In Black
Drive-in at the Park  is going to the beach! Now that the world is opening back up, moviegoers at Castaic Lake Park can get out of their cars and and go onto the beach. READ MORE

Newport Dunes Movies on the Beach

September 25: Goosebumps, September 26: Addams Family (Animated)
Movies on the Beach is back! Families can watch family-friendly films on the sand at Newport Dunes Resort. The opening weekend selections are Shrek and The Parent Trap. READ MORE

Drive -In Movie Nights at Mel's

September 27: Grease
Mel's Drive-In lives up to its name with a new movie screening series. Folks can drive in to the Hollywood restaurant and watch a movie from their cars. Plus: free popcorn and candy with every ticket! READ MORE
Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Libros Festival
Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Libros Festival

Top Virtual Events this Week

Dino Fest at Home

September 22- 25
The Natural History Museum brings home the dinosaurs, with a virtual version of its annual festival celebrating dinosaurs, their prehistoric past, and the science that brings their world back to life.  READ MORE

Atlantic Acting School Demo Class

September 25
Young creatives can get a sample of what Atlantic Acting School has to offer at a free virtual acting class with Andy Schneeflock. Atlantic Acting School's after-school and weekend programs are dedicated to nurturing the talents of kids and teens aged 4-18 . READ MORE

Carry it On - Theatricum Botanicum

September 26: Storytime with Dragon and Friends
Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum is celebrated with a month of virtual community events.  READ MORE

In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl

September 23 - 25: Fireworks!
It's the next best thing to being there: Gustavo Dudamel hosts a new six-episode series highlighting unforgettable performances from the past 10 years at the Hollywood Bowl. READ MORE

Orange County Children's Book Festival

September 14 -26
The Orange County Children's Book Festival is held in person once again in 2022. READ MORE

Virtual Monterey Jazz Festival

September 25-27
The Virtual 63rd Monterey Jazz Festival features exclusive new and previously unreleased archival performances.  The lineup includes jazz greats such as Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall, a tribute to Quincy Jones, Dianne Reeves, Jamie Cullum, and many, many others. READ MORE

Coucou French Classes Demo Class & Info Session

September 25
It’s never too early to start learning a foreign language - in fact, the earlier, the better! This fall, Coucou French Classes is launching "Le Petit Coucou", an online program for children of all ages. Join in on our demo classes and participate in the Q&A. READ MORE

Virtual Class: Finding Your Voice with Common

September 23
Artist and actor Common has made an illustrious career with his voice—a voice he has used to advocate for equality and social justice. In his Varsity Tutors Social Conscience class, Common teaches how to develop a unique voice, and how to serve as a voice for change. READ MORE

The Shows Must Go On: The Greats on Tour

September 25 - 27: Fame, The Musical
The Shows Must Go On returns, with livestreams of theatrical tour productions.   Broadway may be dark, but as theater fans know: The shows must go on. Favorite musicals are made available to watch online for free. READ MORE

2020 National Book Festival

September 25 - 27
The 20th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival is being held online for 2020, with more than 100 best-selling authors, novelists, historians, poets, and children's writers participating. READ MORE

Sealpalooza

September 26
The Marine Mammal Care Center announces Sealpalooza, a  live-streamed virtual sealebration with live music by the B's and the Honey, animal feedings, an online auction, and contests. READ MORE

International Observe the Moon Night

September 26
NASA Planetary Missions Program celebrates International Observe the Moon Night with a live planetarium show with interviews with Planetary Scientists. READ MORE

Los Angeles Libros Festival (Virtual)

September 26
The 3rd Annual Los Angeles Libros Festival is a free bilingual book festival for the whole family. In 2021 it is once again presented virtually. The festival offers a full program of entertainment for families, featuring Spanish-language and bilingual storytelling, performances, workshops, and award-winning authors.  READ MORE

Virtual Baja Splash Cultural Festival

September 26
The Aquarium of the Pacific celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with the 19th Annual Baja Splash Festival. This Aquarium weekend festival celebrates the beauty and diversity of Latino cultures through song, dance, art, and cultural displays. READ MORE
Stranger Things Drive-Into Experience
Stranger Things Drive-Into Experience

Plan Ahead for these Halloween Haunts

The Haunted Barnyard: Land of Nightmares

The animals' haven by day becomes a land of terror at night: The Gentle Barn delivers a terrifying fright at its “Haunted Barnyard: Land of Nightmares” nighttime Halloween drive-thru experience. READ MORE

Freeform’s Halloween Road

October 2 - 4
Freeform kicks off Halloween with Freeform Halloween Road, an outdoor immersive event. Families can walk through the worlds of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Ghostbusters, and The Addams Family. READ MORE

Urban Legends of Southern California

October 1 - November 1
Guests remain in their cars for scary story-telling at the Urban Legends immersive drive-thru Halloween haunt. There are live performances throughout, plus interactive show zones and a show of lights, sound, special effects, and monsters that come alive. READ MORE

Haunt O' Ween LA

October 9 - 31
Haunt O'Ween LA is a kid-friendly, interactive, and immersive Halloween experience. Highlights include thousands of pumpkins, including immersive Halloween-themed tunnels of pumpkins.  Guests can go trick-or-treating in the town of Haunt O'Ween, jump in multiple bounce houses, and enjoy rides and games. READ MORE

Stranger Things Drive-Into Experience

Event opens October 28
A drive-into experience based on the hit Netflix series? Stranger Things have happened! Stranger Things fans can travel back in time to 1985 in Hawkins and drive to the Starcourt Mall for an immersive adventure in the thrilling world of Stranger Things. READ MORE

Nights of The Jack Drive-Thru

October
In 2021, Nights of the Jack is once again presented as a walk thru experience The family-friendly Nights Of The Jack Halloween-themed experience is being reimagined as a drive-thru event for 2020. The new extended driving trail features thousands of hand-carved and illuminated Jack O’ Lanterns. READ MORE

Halloween at Descanso

October
Descanso Gardens is getting dressed up for Halloween! Throughout the month of October, the Gardens are filled with pumpkin displays, a twisting hay maze, a house made of pumpkins, a pumpkin arch, a pumpkin mandala, and more. READ MORE
Photo by Jamie Pham courtesy of LA Zoo
Photo by Jamie Pham courtesy of LA Zoo

More Things To Do in LA in September

Apple Picking near Los Angeles: Best Orchards for Apple Picking with Kids

Because picking your own apples is as American as apple pie. READ MORE

Zipline Courses and Treetop Adventures for SoCal Kids

If your kids love a good adrenaline rush, it's time for a family outing in the tree tops. READ MORE

Fishing Lakes and Spots Where Kids Learn To Fish near Los Angeles

Time to show the kids how to hang out a sign that says, "Gone Fishing." READ MORE

Best LA Bike Rides, Trails, and Paths for Biking with Kids

As long as there are kids and bicycles, a family bike ride will always be a hit. READ MORE

Open: LA Zoo

Get ready you crazy animals: the LA Zoo is now open! READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

American Girl Store at the Grove
Your local neighborhood
National Parks - Multiple Locations
Sea Life Aquarium at Legoland
Various LA Parks, including Magic Johnson Park
virtual
Riley's at Los Rio Rancho