Less expensive fun for kids in LA (Los Angeles, San Francisco: amusement park, cost)

[Jose Clua]

Hi,

I am going to stay 3 or 4 days in LA with my wife and 2 daughters around the last week of July.
We are coming from Brazil and after that we will head to San Francisco where I will work for 3 months.

We would like to go to Disneyland, Universal, Magic Mountain, Legoland, etc.. But there is no way we can spend 300 to 500 dollars in a single day just to have fun. We also don't like extremely crowded places. Besides I believe it is possible to have fun without necessarily spending a lot of money.

We enjoy going to the beach, riding bikes, playgrounds and parks. Our kids are not picky about parks, as long as there is a slide and a swing they will be happy.

I did some research and these are the places I am considering so far:

- Santa Monica Pier / Pacific Park - The upsides are that the beach and the amusement park for the girls. The downside is that it can get really crowded.

- Redondo Beach / Veterans park

- Ventura Beach - As we are heading to SF we will be in the right direction.

- Hollywood sign / Griffith Park

- Kidspace Children's Museum in Pasadena

And that's it.

We would really appreciate opinions and some ideas of places to have fun. Maybe small, inexpensive parks with rides, playgrounds, attractions for kids, etc...

Many thanks

[CA4Now]

Have fun. (And you probably don't need to drive all the way to Magic Mountain, unless your kids happen to love roller coasters.)

50 Free things to do with kids in Los Angeles:
https://www.mommynearest.com/edition...in-los-angeles

[Jose Clua]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

Have fun. (And you probably don't need to drive all the way to Magic Mountain, unless your kids happen to love roller coasters.)

50 Free things to do with kids in Los Angeles:
https://www.mommynearest.com/edition...in-los-angeles

Fantastic! thank you

[EA]

Check out white point park. There's tide pools full of sea life. I saw dolphins there as well.

[(901)]

Anything that cost (besides parking) is not worth doing in this city

The Space Museum and Pacific park (Santa Monica pier) are both great choices. Try to avoid visiting the pier on Friday (night), Saturday (all day) and Sunday during the day (nights are slower). If it has been raining don't get into the ocean around Santa Monica or you'll be swimming in sewage

All kinds of good hikes in the area ��

[looker009]

If you want your kids to actually have fun then yes you need to spend money. $500 for kids to have fun is not that much. Parks are everywhere but that is not like anything they haven't seen before. Disneyland for kids is magic.

[looker009]

Originally Posted by (901)

Anything that cost (besides parking) is not worth doing in this city

The Space Museum and Pacific park (Santa Monica pier) are both great choices. Try to avoid visiting the pier on Friday (night), Saturday (all day) and Sunday during the day (nights are slower). If it has been raining don't get into the ocean around Santa Monica or you'll be swimming in sewage

All kinds of good hikes in the area ��

So you think Disneyland, Seaworld, Universal Studio etc is not great for kids and not worth the money?

[EA]

Originally Posted by looker009

So you think Disneyland, Seaworld, Universal Studio etc is not great for kids and not worth the money?

Yes. They're basically the line ride.

[looker009]

Originally Posted by EA

Yes. They're basically the line ride.

No it's way more than that. There is a reason why millions of people visit those places each year.

[EA]

Originally Posted by looker009

No it's way more than that. There is a reason why millions of people visit those places each year.

Most people lose all their money in vegas, overpay for everything, and it still get millions of people here every year. Appeal to popularity isn't proof of anything.