Top Ten Things To Do With Kids in Los Angeles

Four years ago I came up with a "Top Ten" list of things our family enjoyed doing in Los Angeles. Now that my kids are older, I decided to update that list - asking them what they'd put on it.

Whether you've lived in L.A. all your life, or are just visiting for a few days, hopefully this list of things we've done as a family will give you some ideas as well. We tried to steer clear of things that cost a lot of money - most everything here is free, or fairly inexpensive. 

Each of these ten things is linked to a previous post to provide more information. I also tried to mention additional places close by. 

This is by no way an exaustive list: if we missed anything, feel free to leave a comment. 

10 - THE BEACH There's really no bad time to visit. Parking can be tricky if you show up after 12:00 noon on a summer weekend. Best beaches with kids are either Manhattan Beach (south of LAX) or - pictured above - Ocean Park beach, south of the Santa Monica Pier. 

9 - THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS The Santa Monicas are a large mountain range that literally cut through the heart of the city of Los Angeles, dividing the city from the San Fernando Valley. Good places to go with kids include Malibu Creek State Park, or Topanga State Park. Above are my kids playing along the creek in Santa Ynez Canyon, in Topanga State Park. 

8 - CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER The California Science Center, located next to USC, just south of downtown Los Angels is totally free. Above, my neice in the fantastic new eco systems section. Next door is the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. 

7 - THE GETTY CENTER The Getty actually has two locations: the larger Getty Center, located in Brentwood just off the 405, and the original Getty Villa, located about 10 miles beyond that in Pacific Palisades. Both are amazing, have special areas of kids, and worth a visit. 

6 - THE SANTA MONICA PIER While a visit to the pier is free, there small Pacific Park amusement zone does cost. But if you purchase an unlimited ride wrist band on-line, it's a good value. My daughter celebrated her 9th birthday with family and friends here - great time. 

5 - NOAH'S ARK AT THE SKIRBALL CENTER Reservations are highly recommended at the ever popular Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball Jewish Cultural Center, located just north of the Getty Center off the the 405. Every Thursday is free - which is great. This is a MUST SEE for anyone with kids 10 and under. 

4 - TIDE POOLS If the conditions are right, you can see a bit of God's handiwork normally hidden from sight. There are tidepools in San Pedro, Palos Verdes, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu. The saying, "take only photographs, leave only memories" is a good one. 

3 - THE AUTRY CENTER The Gene Autry Western Heritage Center is fantastic. Our kids and their cousins love it, especially Chinese restaurant kids section downstairs. The Autry Center is located across the street from the Los Angeles Zoo. Nearby you'll also find Travel Town, the Los Angeles Live Steamers, and the Griffith Observatory. 

2 - ICE SKATING DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES Our favorite time to go downtown is for the annual "Downtown on Ice" around Christmastime. During the rest of the year, we've taken our kids to the downtown library, in and around the Bonaventure Hotel (amazing elevators), Olvera Street, and Philippe's in Chinatown. 

1 - TOURNAMENT OF ROSES You'll have to wait until January 1st (or 2nd if it's a Sunday) but it's worth it. The Rose Parade is one of best things to see and so in Southern California. I've you've never been, by all means GO. And you don't need to get there at the crack of dawn. We found a great place to watch just north of the 210 Freeway underpass. 

© 2012 www.experiencingla.com

Not the Getty

High above the Pacific Coast Highway, sporting incredible ocean views, sits the Getty Villa. It's the former home of billionaire J. Paul Getty, and was the original Getty Museum. The much larger Getty Center in Brentwood now houses most of the artwork, but the Getty Villa Malibu (technically in Pacific Palisades) still features the Getty Greek and Roman Collection. You can easily spot the Getty Villa driving up or down the PCH. It's a recognizable landmark to both visitors and residents alike. There's just one problem.


It's not the Getty.

The building you're looking at is known as Villa de Leon. Built in 1926, it's a large private residence overlooking the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades. Ever since J. Paul Getty began opening up his estate to the public in the mid 1950's, people have assumed that the huge mansion perched on the hill is "the Getty." Even among people who live in the area, it's probably one of the most mis-identified buildings in Los Angeles.


Villa de Leon sits above the entrance to the Getty Villa, hence the confusion. The Getty Villa is actually not visible from the street and is located up a private road off PCH. Here's a link to the Getty Villa's website: http://www.getty.edu/visit/.


GETTY VILLA photo credit: http://www.skyscrapercity.com

The Getty Villa (topic for a future post) is in an incredible setting, with amazing Greek and Roman artifacts, and best of all - free admission.

Meanwhile, Villa de Leon sits overlooking the Pacific, continuing it's job as one of the most mis-identified landmarks in Los Angeles. According a local paper, it was listed for sale in 2005 for $15 million. A closer inspection reveals:

Major cracks in the foundation. Click on the image below, and you'll see what I'm talking about.


The problem ultimately isn't the house - it's the hillside it was built on, part of which has collapsed during a winter storm, taking an entire garden terrace with it. Ouch. Reminders of "building your house on the rock" (see the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:24-27) come to mind.

The home is located at 17948 Porto Marina Way, Pacific Palisades, 90272. Here's a view from the top showing the extent of the collapse of one of the hillsides.


www.zillow.com gave the home an estimate between $3-$5 million since 2001. It apparently sold for $10 million dollars in 2007. Zillow currently has it valued at around $6.6 million.


Looks like a lot of work is still being done on it. $6.6 million seems like a lot of money for a "fixer upper" - but obviously the owners of this property are in a completely different league than most of us.

Thanks to image.google.com (which I've used many times on this blog) mere mortals like us can have an idea what the interior looks like.

Click on this link http://www.intlistings.com/listing/10000062.html if you'd like to see more interior photos.

Apparently it's still for sale? Not sure. Maybe the owners are planning on "flipping" it.


Can't argue that the street it's on, Porto Marina Way, has a great view of the Pacific Ocean. This is looking south towards the PCH with Santa Monica in the distance.

Getting back to the original idea - calling 17948 Porto Marina Way "the Getty Villa" doesn't make it the Getty, even if a majority of people do so.

As a Christian, I'm reminded that Christianity isn't based on popular opinion, or what a majority of people think, but on historic fact. Almost two thousand years ago, St. Peter, an eyewitness to Jesus' life, ministry, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension wrote:

"We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (II Peter 1:16).

Christianity isn't true because we believe it, we believe it because it's true.

I just found yet another website incorrectly listing Villa de Leon as the Getty Villa: http://www.angelcityart.com/so-cal-ACA.html


And while on-line "stories" and (much more common) "word of mouth" continue to perpetuate that the big house on the hill is the Getty Villa, the facts reveal something else.

A trip to the actual Getty Villa is worth your time (visit the website ahead of time - you need a parking reservation). And be sure and give a shout out to Villa de Leon when you visit.

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