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Who says kids don’t like culture? The following are a few museums geared towards kids (keep in mind; most ‘adult’ museums also accept kids):
- California Science Center, 700 State Drive, 323-SCI-ENCE, www.casciencectr.org
- Kidspace Museum, 480 North Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena, 626-449-9144, www.kidspacemuseum.org; participatory museum with exhibits scaled for kids 12 and under.
- LA Children’s Museum, Administrative Offices, 205 South Broadway, Ste. 608, 213-687-8800, www.childrensmuseumla.org; the downtown museum closed in 2000 and is moving to the Hansen Dam Recreation Area, where a new facility is being built. When this 60,000 square foot building opens some time in 2007, it will include indoor and outdoor exhibit space, a café, playground, and a performing arts theater. Visit its web site for updates.
- Museum of Flying 310-392-8822, www.museumofflying.com; offers tours, model making classes, and an interactive children’s area. Hours of operation are limited and fall mostly on weekends, call or check the museum web site for specifics.
- Zimmer Children’s Museum, 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 100, 323-761-8989, www.zimmermuseum.org; a 10,000 square foot museum located in The Goldsmith Jewish Federation Center. Open to the public.
Play/Discovery Facilities:
- AdventurePlex, Manhattan Beach, 310-546-7708, www.AdventurePlex.org; a health and fitness center designed especially for kids, with an outdoor climbing wall, gymnasium and fitness center, challenging mazes, tunnels, and slides.
- Bright Child Children’s Activity Center, Santa Monica, 310-393-4844, www.brightchild.com; described as the granddaddy of indoor playgrounds for its innovative play space. An enormous main play structure features slides, a wind tunnel, and zip lines. Babysitting services and classes also offered.
- Creative Leap, Northridge, 818-366-3036; in addition to the expected play structures, there are yoga classes, a video game arcade, and dinosaur room equipped with a fossilized climbing wall in a prehistoric setting.
- Creative Kids, West LA, 310-473-6090; offers classes in cooking, dancing, music, an dart to keep kids 14 and under busy year round. Free trial classes offered. Also hosts birthday and slumber parties.
- Gymboree Play and Music Center, www.gymboree.com, 310-470-7780; Sherman Oaks, 818-905-6225; padded, colorful playgrounds for younger kids, and music classes for kids 4 and younger. Sessions run 10 weeks.
- Joey’s Gym for Children, Beverly Hills, 310-855-0146, is popular for birthday bookings; in addition to its fantastic play space, it will provide balloons, banners, streamers, tables, benches, and music for parties.
- Kid Concepts, USA, Torrance, 310-465-0075, www.kidconceptsusa.com; giant play structures, arts and crafts classes, toddler area, rock climbing, and a restaurant. Memberships available.
Outdoor:
- Cirque du Soleil, 800-678-5440, www.cirquedusoleil.com; this funky Montreal circus-like-no-other pitches its colorful tents at the Staples Center parking lot when in town.
- The Farm, 8101 Tampa Ave., Reseda, 818-224-8504, 4235 Monterey Rd., Ernest Debs Park; take a guided tour of a farm filled with hundreds of farm animals, Open October through June. Admission is $9.
- Griffith Park offers pony and wagon rides, a miniature train and old-fashioned carousel, enough to take up a full day.
- Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, Shoreline Drive and Aquarium Way, Long Beach, 562-590-3100, www.aquariumofthepacific.org; situated across from the Queen Mary, the aquarium shows off over 10,000 fish in 17 habitat tanks. Admission is $18.95 for adults, $10.95 for children 3-11, and $14.95 for seniors.
- LA Zoo, Griffith Park, 323-644-4200, www.lazoo.org, is a modest sized zoo with a petting area that recently received a bond for expansion. Admission is $9 for adults, $6 for seniors, $4 for kids 2-12.
- Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus, www.ringling.com; the famous traveling circus makes the rounds from the LA Sport Arena to the Great Western Forum during select weekends in the summer. Visit its web site for specific dates.
- San Diego Wild Animal Park, 15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd., Escondido, 760-747-8702, www.sandiegozoo.org, is a little like going on a safari, over 400 species roam together on 1,800
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