Meghan Rose
Meghan Rose
A mom of twins, Meghan and her family live in Los Angeles and love to explore the city, as well as the world at large together. As national editor, please send her ALL your correction requests and pitches on national parenting subjects and travel at meghan@mommypoppins.com.
Latest posts by Meghan
Are you ready to get out of town and see some new scenery? Covid cases are falling (yay!) but it’s probably still not the right time to book a flight to a favorite exotic resort or massive hotel. But a road trip to a vacation home rental somewhere in gorgeous, sunny California is just the ticket: meticulously cleaned before you arrive, no crowded spaces, and the chance to be someplace new, different, and fresh.
Since we’re not traveling to packed tourist destinations, we wanted to find the best places to visit where the actual vacation rental was part of the attraction—so here are treehouses, a-frames, cabooses, and space ships (seriously) that are on the beach, in the mountains, in the city, or on alpaca farms. Read on to discover where in California your next family vacation will be.
My family asks our Alexa device to play music a lot or what the weather is, but the Alexa skills put to use most often in my household are Alexa games for kids. Whether they are launching "Animal Workout," a round of trivia, or a family-friendly "Would You Rather," these Alexa games have kept my brood highly entertained during lockdown and even in the before times. It's part virtual gym class, part tutor, and requires nearly zero effort on my part, which is a win for any multitasking parent.
Check out these Alexa games, storytimes, and other kid-friendly Alexa skills the next time your family needs a distraction during dinner or a diversion from the screens on a rainy day. When all else fails, launch Alexa jokes for kids...or just the fart application. There: we just bought you 20 minutes of me time!
Everything is opening up again! It’s time to take a look at all our favorite parks, from Disneyland to Legoland to Universal Studios and more, to find out if, when, and how you can get your fix...
We’ll also look at why right now is the perfect time to take advantage of the lack of tourists and put your inside information to work. What inside information? Well, that’s exactly what we’re about to tell you...
If you want to eat at a restaurant with outdoor dining, Los Angeles is the place to live. We can find restaurants with outdoor seating pretty much year-round— and they're all comfortably furnished, give kids space to play, and have fabulous food for adults & kids alike.
Whether you crave Mexican, pizza, vegan meals, dim sum, or afternoon tea, we found it. If you want to eat on the beach, dine with peacocks, or on a fairy light-strewn patio, it’s on the list below. Bon appètit!
Check out our Restaurant Guide for Los Angeles and Orange County Families for more kid-friendly eating experiences in Los Angeles, including restaurants where kids can play while parents eat and mouth watering treats that dazzle kids of all ages.
Woo hoo! After 11 long months, playgrounds in Chicago have finally been given the go-ahead to reopen. Chicago Park District announced Tuesday that after closing in March of 2020, the city’s lakefront, playgrounds, and indoor aquatics centers are cleared to reopen. Which playgrounds? And when? Read on for all the details.
It was a bummer to watch as many favorite in-person activities had to move to a virtual format this year. Watching the Dodgers on TV was not nearly as fun as being in Dodger Stadium. Visiting favorite local museums online didn’t have the same thrill, no matter how fantastic the virtual programming. (Though getting to tour some of the greatest museums of the world without leaving the house was pretty cool).
But this move from IRL to virtual is very exciting: NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has created a new virtual and fully interactive tour. Now anyone, anywhere in the world, can get a peek inside the Pasadena laboratory—even seeing some of the places visitors aren’t allowed in-person. Get the scoop on the new JPL tour, how to take it, and exactly why this move online is so exciting.
Poor parks, they're always getting ignored in favor of playgrounds. While there are amazing playgrounds in LA, sometimes you just want a vast field of green where kids can run forever, roll down a hill, or have the space to learn to hit or kick a ball. For those of us who don’t have an expanse of rolling green in the backyard (raises hand), these parks are places where you can bring kids to play without the organized activity of a hike or bike ride— and avoid the crowds that flock to high-touch playgrounds.
So bring balls, frisbees, and kites—or just a blanket, snacks, and books—and head out into nature to rest, recharge, and play. From hidden gems to well-known spots, here are our favorite parks in town.
This has all the earmarks of a big Hollywood hit. Super secret location? No one knows where it will be yet, just somewhere in Downtown LA. Headlined by a huge (and temperamental) star? Doesn’t get much bigger than Vincent Van Gogh. Hard to get tickets? It sold out in Paris and Toronto, and it has been the hardest ticket to come by in Chicago and San Francisco, prompting months-long extensions. The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit comes to LA this May and pre-sale tickets are available now. Here’s everything we know about this hot new art pop-up, and why we can’t wait to Gogh.
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