If ever there was a time that needed an exit off the 110 freeway that leads straight to the Mediterranean, now is that time. Like so many SoCal families, my son and I have been desperate for a local getaway—something that feels a whole lot farther away than it is—and I was thrilled to discover that an exit off the Harbor Freeway could drop me straight into what feels like the South of Spain. Our destination was Terranea, a family-friendly resort on the Palos Verdes peninsula. It's a stone's throw from Long Beach and San Pedro, right here in Los Angeles County, and yet seemingly a continent away.

Our socially-distanced one-night vacation allowed us to escape 2020 reality and enjoy rocky beaches with critter-filled tide pools, a sandy cove with a rock-climbing-friendly sea cave, lush green cliffs hopping with bunnies, ocean breezes over moonlit water, and rolling waves lulling us to sleep through our open balcony. Anyone else need that?

Of course, we found plenty of kid-pleasing activities as well, without leaving the grounds of Terranea; read on for all the details of the relaxing, entertaining, socially distanced getaway that can be reached in less time than a typical Los Angeles morning commute.

"While the new school year will begin in August, it will not start with students at school facilities," announced Superintendent Austin Buetner today, allowing the families of 735,00 students to stop speculating. "There is a public health imperative to keep schools from becoming a petrie dish."

Citing the recommendations of the WHO and health experts from around the globe, the rising rates of COVID cases in the Los Angeles area, and funding challenges that have yet to be addressed, Buetner said that to avoid compromising the health and safety of the school community and all those connected to it, on-campus learning will simply not be possible in August. San Diego Unified School District made a similar announcement today; whether other regional school districts follow suit remains to be seen.

Buetner's broad strokes for how LAUSD plans to make off-campus learning successful, and for how students could return to LAUSD campuses in the near future, follow.

Summer 2020 may not be what most LA families had planned, but once we make our peace with staying close to home, it can be a different kind of fun. It can be staycation, love where we live, totally Southern California kind of fun. It can be old-fashioned, making popsicles and sipping homemade cocktails while the kids play backyard water games kind of fun. And we can take a break from stressing about what school will look like in the fall by picking a few of the wonderful things to do that we can still indulge in this summer around Los Angeles. The photos from summer vacation 2020 may all have masks in them, but we can be making wonderful childhood memories all the same! Here are 50 places open now to get you started.