How to Have Educational Vacations in Los Angeles
It’s summer and that means that it is finally the time to take a little time off work while your kids are out of school for summer vacation. Now education may be the last thing that is on your mind this summer. You may instead be worrying how a two-year-old is going to survive a plane ride, or how you will survive with said two-year-old. However, educational vacations can be amazing for not only you but also your children. If you live or are vacationing in the greater Los Angeles area here are some amazing locations that you can take advantage of for your upcoming vacation.
1)Tide Pools
Tide pools are a great way to see sea creatures up close in their natural habitat instead of inside at an aquarium. (However, if an aquarium is more your speed check out Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach). There are several tide pools scattered throughout Los Angeles beaches. These are places where all your children can get up close and personal with the sea life. It could be a fun game to see who can find the most different types of creatures or to write down all the different creatures you see. Below is a list of some of the most popular tide pools in the Los Angeles area.
Leo Carrillo State Park (Malibu)
Abalone Cove Shoreline Park (Palos Verdes)
Golden Cove Beach (Palos Verdes)
White Point Beach (San Pedro)
Point Fermin, (San Pedro)
2)Au Fudge Camp
So it may seem like a children friendly restaurant that is also a place adults actually want to go only exists in a fairy tale. However, celebrity Jessica Biel has set out to do just that with Au Fudge. The restaurant itself is pretty cool boasting a kid-friendly atmosphere with a creativity space where children can play with Au Pairs while they are waiting for their food. It also boasts a kid but also a parent-friendly menu.
However, the real gem at Au Fudge this summer is the Au Fudge CAMP (Center for Art Music and Play). Located at a separate center than the restaurant this is a place for kids to be able to play and also take classes. They offer a line up of a bunch of different classes. Many of them are geared towards preschoolers to help them develop skills that all preschoolers are learning.
Their main class is Campers- a time for structured play with art projects, team building activities, games sports, dancing and more. Other classes include Toddler Dance and Yoga, Sensory Play, French Music, Mindful Music, Kinder Prep, Young Ninjas, Messy Art, and Summer Etiquette and Cooking. These classes overall will provide your students especially the littles with a great educational experience. To find the times of each of these classes visit (http://www.aufudge.com/camp/classes/)
The classes cost 32 dollars for individual classes (which is perfect if you are dropping in one day while on vacation) but they can be brought down as low as 25 dollars a class with their summer membership special (99 dollars a month for four classes each month). There is also free play which is 18 dollars. You can read more about pricing at the link above.
The Au Fudge restaurant also has some awesome events happening this month. Every Friday this month (except July 27th) they will be having a movie night. Popcorn is included and pajamas are encouraged it is free admission to the movie with the purchase of a kids meal.
They also have character lunches and dinners. This month the characters are Buzz Lightyear, Captain Jack Sparrow, Minnie Mouse, and Sleeping Beauty. On July 31st there is also cookie decorating with Willie Wonka (20 dollar cost per child). For dates and more information about these events visit (http://www.aufudge.com/calendar/).
If you want to take advantage of these awesome events and classes you need to make your reservations fast as reservations fill up. Make sure to mention the number of kids in your party when you make your reservations. Au Fudge can be found at 9010 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Au Fudge CAMP is at a different location than the restaurant. It can be found at 1106 N La Cienega Blvd suite 105 West Hollywood CA 9006.
3)Griffith Park
Griffith Park in itself is beautiful and amazing. There are so many different things that you can do there and it is perfect for bringing a picnic and sitting and eating on the grass while taking in the view of all of Los Angeles. The two best things about Griffith Park are Griffith Observatory and Travel Town.
First Griffith Observatory has been one of the top Los Angeles destination since it was built in the 1930s. Now it is open weekly every day except Monday. On Tuesday -Friday it hours are 12pm-10 pm. On Saturday and Sunday, it opens earlier at 10 am and closes at 10 pm. Admission is free and it boasts many different exhibits.
Some of the best exhibits, in my opinion, are the camera obscura, the Tesla coil, and the planets exhibit. The camera obscura allows you to see a rotating view of the outside of Griffith Observatory through the use of mirrors, pinhole, and a rotating turret. This is fascinating for kids and parents alike.
The Tesla Coil was the brainchild of Nikola Tesla. He wanted to create a system where electricity could be freely given to all people by creating an energy field with his coil. Although his plan didn’t come to fruition his work lead to the energy grids that we all enjoy today. This Tesla coil is on display and they have demonstrations throughout the day, which are amazing to see.
The planets exhibit is downstairs and has to scale versions of all the planets. Patrons can also see what they would weigh on every planet. There is also a seismograph (earthquake detector). One side of it is hooked up to the ground and if you jump you can get it to move. This is fun for kids and parents alike and the more people who jump the farther it moves. There are also shows throughout the day at the Samuel Oschin Planetarium ticket prices for these shows range from $3-$7 and they are well worth it. For more information check out http://www.griffithobservatory.org/
Travel Town is at the northwest corner of Griffith Park. Travel town is a transportation museum. Families can enjoy learning some of the history of the different types of transportation from a locomotive to a one-horse wagon. Families can also ride on a train. Train rides start at 10 am every morning and run throughout the day till 3:15 on weekdays, and 4:45 on weekends during the summer. They close from 12:15-1:00 PM on the weekdays for lunch. The cost for rides is $2.75 a piece. The museum is open from 10am-5pm every day and admission is free. For more information visit. https://www.traveltown.org/index.shtml
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4) Huntington Library
The Huntington Library which is tucked away in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley boasts an impressive art collection as well as 16 gardens. Children will especially enjoy the children’s garden. The children’s garden has several interactive sculptures that connect them to all of earth’s elements. Students can play in water, make music with pebbles, and dance under rainbows. This teaches them about the life all around them and how the elements interact with each other. However, for them it is just fun. Children and adults will also enjoy many of the other gardens including, the Japanese garden, the rose garden, the jungle garden, and many more.
This summer on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-4pm there will be special family drop-in events where families can make art together based on the botanical gardens from around the property.
If it’s too hot to be outside there are also many exhibits inside. There are 650 paintings and 440 works of sculpture at the Huntington focusing specifically on European and American art. There is something to see anywhere you go on the campus and you may have to go several times to take it all in.
The Huntington is open 10am-5pm every day except Tuesdays. The admission is a little expensive but it is worth it for how much this museum offers. The prices are 25 dollars for adults and 13 dollars for youth. Tickets must be purchased beforehand. For more information and to purchase tickets visit. (http://www.huntington.org/)
5) California Science Center
The California Science Center is an awesome hands-on museum that all ages will find enjoyable. The normal exhibits are free, but they have a couple special exhibits which cost a small fee. I remember the first time that I went to the California Science Museum, I was in the 7th grade and they had the Body Worlds Special Exhibit with a bunch of cadavers. It seems a little morbid but for a 7th grader who was learning life science, it was really cool. I remember how I thought it was a little weird seeing the tattoos on the bodies and the cadaver of a horse but at the same time, it was also really cool.
Now they don’t have the body worlds exhibit currently but they have something that is possibly even better for this summer and that is the King Tut exhibit. Students will be able to see different treasures from the King Tut tomb and how they were preserved over all this time. Other special exhibits include the science of fear and the space shuttle Endeavor. Special exhibits range in price. To see prices and to buy tickets visit. https://californiasciencecenter.org/visit/admission
The California Science Center is also in the middle of Exposition Park. There are beautiful outside spaces where you can eat lunch in the beautiful California summer. You can even have lunch under the amazing sculpture pictured above. If you want to take in another museum there are two others within walking distance: The Natural History Museum, and the California African American Museum.
Fun on vacation and education can work together. I hope that you all will be able to visit the places above. Comment below with other educational vacation destinations that your family loves.
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