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Best Summer Horse Riding Camps around Los Angeles and Orange County

Submitted by Martha Hall on Wed, 04/03/2019 - 6:00am

It's hard to believe that only a few decades ago many LA kids could pat and even ride horses in their own neighborhoods. My friend who hails from Brentwood remembers feeding carrots to front yard horses just blocks from the now bustling and trendy San Vicente Blvd. Wouldn't that be nice? If you have a little rider-wanna-be but no riding ring next door, don't despair: there are many horseback riding summer camps with lessons for kids right around the corner.

Along with our recommendations for the LA area's best art camps, classic outdoor summer camps, and science camps, we offer our picks for LA and Orange County's best summer horse riding camps. Be sure to check our camp guide for more camp ideas!

Where Kids Eat Free: 21 LA Restaurants that Offer Free Meals for Families with Children

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 09/24/2018 - 12:47am

Ah, those three little words: kids eat free. Even if we suspect that a box of mac and cheese and a couple of chicken fingers have lured us into buying a $10 margarita, we don't regret the margarita for a moment if the kids ate free.

We’ve put together a list of restaurants throughout the Los Angeles area that offer free kids' meals at least one night a week (and up to four!). The restaurants vary from local joints to national chains, from the Valleys to the beaches, from Italian to Hawaiian, and from seafood to steakhouses—enough to satisfy picky and non-picky eaters.

Also check out our lists of birthday freebies with free meals for kids (and adults!), and, of course, kid-friendly happy hours on the Westside, in Silver Lake and Los Feliz, and in Orange County.

LA's Best Gyms and Tumbling Classes for Kids Who Love To Bounce

Submitted by Audrey M on Sun, 08/12/2018 - 1:04pm

Every kid loves to jump around. While some kids channel that energy into competitive gymnastics programs at LA's gymnastics schools, others (toddlers particularly) really just want a place to bounce, tumble, climb, and swing. If you are looking for tumbling classes that are completely child-centered, fully non-competitive, and possibly closer to home (not to mention great options for birthday parties and summer camp), one of these kids' gyms may be just your speed.

Great Summer Horse Riding Camps near Los Angeles

Submitted by Martha Hall on Sat, 03/11/2017 - 7:59pm

Along with our recommendations for the LA area's best art camps, classic outdoor summer camps, science camps, and cooking camps, we offer our picks for LA and Orange County's best summer horse riding camps. (Be sure to check our camp guide periodically for more camp categories being added all the time!)

Historic Cemeteries and Spooky Graveyards in LA: The Final Forever

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Tue, 10/21/2014 - 8:50am

Cemeteries can be beautiful, historic, and filled with interesting people. On Halloween night or under a full moon they might be just a little bit spooky or awfully sinister, depending upon your tolerance. Regardless, my family loves them. For my daughter who relishes the macabre, there is always the hope and possibility of encountering a graveyard ghost. My husband and son are scholars of the past, and there is nothing quite so historic as a bunch of dead people. Me, I like the trees and the grass and the inscriptions.

A good boneyard has something for everybody (including some great Day of the Dead celebrations). While Los Angeles is a town where people come seeking eternal youth (or at least a botoxed rendition), nothing lasts forever. Nevertheless, our sundrenched landscape is not a bad place to spend eternity, and you may even find yourself alongside somebody quite famous in one of these LA final resting places.

Gated Playgrounds: Valley Parks with Fences for LA Kids

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Wed, 09/10/2014 - 1:58pm

The idea of a gated playground is quite appealing. Sometimes we need the boundaries we set to be literal. Containment, especially when you’re dealing with toddlers, is the name of the game. That said, my daughter was a runner and no park fence would have been enough to keep her nearby if there was something on the horizon that caught her attention. Nevertheless, for some families a closed gate is all it takes to make a park visit work; and for the rest of us it is occasionally nice to have at least the illusion of security that an enclosed playground provides. Here are a few nice ones in the Valley (to add to our popular list of Westside gated playgrounds):

Flying Under the Big Top: Circus Classes for LA Kids

Submitted by Jacqueline Stansbury on Tue, 05/27/2014 - 3:00pm

Acrobatic Angelenos no longer have to run away to join the circus. Classes offering big fun under the big top are available for all ages and abilities in many neighborhoods in and around town. The lithe and limber and even the physically challenged have multiple options for learning and practicing the circus arts. Classes in clowning, contortion, tight rope walking, high wire flying, and Wushu, can be found in multiple locations.