Los Angeles lies just over 120 miles North of San Diego and is bursting with things to do making it a perfect day trip for families. I think the hardest part is narrowing down what you want to do.

This is just one fun kid friendly day we spent in Los Angeles – we will definitely be back again.

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Los Angeles Day Trip

We got up early, turned on an audiobook, and left San Diego around 8:00 headed North towards LA. Traffic going there wasn’t bad and we arrived a little before 10:00am.

We started our day at the Griffith Observatory.

The Griffith Observatory is considered “the gateway to the cosmos” and offers spectacular views on LA on a clear day.

My kids weren’t overly impressed with the view, but they loved seeing the giant telescope and watching the WATER IS LIFE movie inside the planetarium.

I, on the other hand, loved the view. You could see all the way from downtown LA to the Hollywood sign.

Also Read: Getty Villa, Percy Jackson and Mythology for Kids

I love getting an up high view of a new place and this view definitely did not disappoint.

Griffith Observatory

• Admission is FREE to the observatory
• The Griffith Observatory is closed on Monday.
• Kids under 5 are only admitted to the earliest movie screening of the day.
• Parking fills up early. There is a shuttle to take you up the huge hill if you don’t want to walk.
• Bathrooms are available outside and inside.

After our visit to the Griffith Observatory it was time for lunch. We drove over to LACMA and parked for the day. From there we walked the the Original Farmers’ Market. You could definitely drive and park but we tire of moving our car and don’t mind a walk.

Read Also: 5+ Kid Friendly Day Trips from San Diego

There we found tons of different food options – even for our Dairy Free Allergy kiddo. Fresh fruit and the BBQ chicken with rice was his meal. The empanadas, while certainly not Dairy Free, were tasty and came in lots of inventive flavors.

Original Farmers’ Market:

• Open daily
• Crowded but large parking lot. You can get validation from some vendors.
• Plentiful outdoor, mostly covered seating.
• Credit Cards accepted at most stands.
• Ask patio staff for help getting a high chair.
• Restrooms are at the far ends of the market on both the West and East Patio ends.

We walked around the Grove for a little bit after lunch. It honestly wasn’t overly interesting, but we were curious. Our kids did like this old fashioned gas station pictured below.

The nice thing about the walk around the Grove was that we were ready for some ice cream afterwards.

We walked across the street (via Trader Joes for an emergency bathroom break) to Carmela which had amazing Dairy Free Ice Cream options. He loved the chocolate.

From there we walked back to LACMA. This pathway below was fascinating to all of us.

Right next to LACMA is the La Brea Tar Pits which was our next stop. This was recommended by Christine from Adventure, Baby and it was as interesting as she promised.

Outside you can view several still active Tar Pits. It is fascinating but also a little disturbing and smelly.

The history about the Tar Pits though and all of the animals that have been discovered in them is remarkable.

After wandering around for a bit, we headed inside the Museum. The museum is on the small side, but my kids enjoyed the interactive exhibits.

We learned just how hard it is to pull yourself out of a tar pit.

My kids love hands on exhibits like this.

There’s also a full skeleton of a Mastadon found in the tar pits and they watched a puppet show, labeled a Meet and Greet on the schedule of events, that they loved way more than I expected.

You can also watch paleontologists and volunteers at work in the Fossil Lab.

La Brea Tar Pits & Museum:

• Admission gets you into the Tar Pits outdoor area and the museum.
• There are bathrooms in the Museum
• Tar does not smell good. I wouldn’t let this stop you from going, but be prepared – especially if you have a kiddo that’s sensitive to smells like one of our twins.
• There are free tours of the tar pits included with admission.
• Active Duty and other various groups get FREE admission. Check here for details. 

Before heading back to San Diego, we went back over to LACMA of check out the famous Urban Light sculpture out front.

I wish there had been time to explore the art museum more, but this was a fun way to cap off our day.

From there we hopped back in the car, started a new audiobook, and headed back South towards San Diego.

We’ll be back though. There is still so much to explore in Los Angeles.

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