Palm trees don’t change their colors and the sun is still shining. But coffee shops are offering their pumpkin lattes and you can visit apple orchards and pumpkin patches, take a drive to see fall leaves and explore the city when the temps aren’t too high. Here are 75 things your kids will adore doing in LA this fall!
1. Take your pumpkin to the patch to pick the perfect gourd. (And get some adorable photos, too!)
2. Are you ready for some football? We went from zero to 2 teams in a split second. You can see the original LA pigskin team, the LA Rams, or check out the Chargers in their intimate (temporary) stadium.
3. Go apple picking.
photo: Meghan Rose
4. Big Bear is best in the fall. Seriously! Go find out why.
5. Want the best views of the city? Downtown is growing up (and up and up), and whether you scope the views from the new tallest building, or slip down the highest (glass) slide in the city, you can see for miles and miles and miles…
6. Now that you won’t drip sweat into your nose as you pedal, get out for a family bike ride—Lake Hollywood is a beautiful and safe spot for new young and wobbly riders.
photo: Shahrzad Warkentin
7. Whew, the valley is a littler cooler, which makes it the perfect time to check out these two new awesome parks!
8. Head inside to an adventure you’ll have to figure out how to escape from…
9. Explore our local cities: you can head inland to Pasadena or beachside to Malibu. Both are fabulous local day trips where you can spend the whole day playing tourist at home.
10. In October you can learn all about the Notorious RBG at the Skirball’s newest exhibit.
11. They’re wild, endangered, loud, feisty, adorable, and walk on two feet. Not your kids – the apes at the Gibbon Conservation Center! Visit them for a primate duet.
12. Trek lightly on a TreePeople hike.
13. Temps are dropping which means we can head to one of our favorite spots that heats up in the summer: Ojai.
14. Fall is the perfect season for whale watching.
15. Eat ice cream, at one of the best new spots in LA for cool treats. Want to try a whole new chilly trend? Rolled ice cream has arrived!
16. These libraries have more than just books. So stock up to bring some pool side for those warm fall days, but on chillier mornings, hit the library for these activities.
17. Wanna play Katniss or Hawkeye? Your little Robin Hood can hit a bulls eye at this newly re-opened spot!
18. Have you been to the Broad lately? Now is a perfect time to go, and go early! Tickets are gone for the whole run of the Yayoi Kusama exhibit (Oct 21-Jan 1), but every day there are select additional tickets available.
photo: Crumbs & Whiskers
19. You can visit to get your fill on the cutest kitties (and you won’t have to bring one home…though you can!) at Crumbs & Whiskers.
20. If dogs are more your tot’s thing, you can hit the Dog Café, instead!
21. If you’ve got some extra energy to burn, why not hit one of our favorite rock climbing spots?
22. How well do you know Griffith Park? Explore our 10 favorite spots in this urban park that’s 5 times as big as Central Park.
23. The Doctor is IN! Check out the new Doc McStuffins exhibit at the Discovery Cube this fall.
24. Here are 10 things every kid in LA should do before they turn 10. Get crackin’—time flies!
25. If fall is all about harvest and the farm, take them for a weekend getaway at the goat farm.
26. Hike up a mountain to see stars, walk through primordial jungle and then stop for a superb snack. Ferndell Park has it all.
27. Spend a day at Disneyland for Mickey’s Halloween Party. The kids will go batty!
28. Or if you’re kiddo is more of a LEGO maniac, take then Brick-or–Treating at LEGOLAND.
29. Babe, toddler, tween? Doesn’t matter what age kids you’ve got; everyone can do yoga together at this new studio. It’s time to get a little ooooommmm in you life before the holidays hit!
30. You can have a wolf eating out of the palm of your hand. (Or your mouth, if you’re brave!)
31. Keep tabs on the Annenberg Beach House Pool. While it’s technically closed for the winter, when the temps rise, they open up for bonus pool days!
32. Check out the new IMAX movie, Amazon Adventure, opening October 11 at the California Science Center.
33. When fall is in the air, that means germs (and the gooey green noses that come with those fall flues) can’t be far behind. Banish the boogers with a playdate at the Salt Studio.
34. One of our favorite gardens is perfect for a fall wander (and if it happens to be a hot day, just bring a change of clothes and let kids run through the misters in the Children’s Garden).
35. On those rare chilly days, you want to stay inside. These are our favorite indoor playgrounds.
36. On the other hand, most days you want to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather. So, visit one of these spectacular outdoor playgrounds.
37. Blast off to the stars at the Griffith Observatory.
38. Back here on earth, get Zen.
39. Fall can be the best time for camping in LA. It’s easier to get reservations at the most popular spots and the temps are a bit cooler; perfect for campfires and s’mores.
40. Head to your favorite park on a windy fall day and go kite flying.
41. Get some fresh air with a mommy and me workout.
42. Or head inside someplace where it’s still summer: at the Great Wolf Lodge it’s water park weather year round.
43. Who doesn’t love free? These museums all have free days at least once a month, and that’s the perfect time to check them out!
photo: Meghan Rose
44. And free or not, we scoured the city and put all the museums in it to the test and these rated tops with kids. Check out our favorite kid-tastic museums in Los Angeles.
45. Time to shear those summer locks. These cutters will have kids chortling, not complaining and leave them looking hip and feeling cool.
46. Nothing says fall like Oktoberfest. Sundays are family days at our favorite local festival of all things German (and beer!).
47. Go under the sea at any of these cool aquariums.
photo: Jolie Loeb
48. Road trip up the coast to check out one of the coolest kids museums to open in California in the last decade!
49. Belt it out, babe. Get your little idol, and do some Karaoke, kid-style.
50. Head indoors for a little retro family fun, roller girl style!
51. Let’s get real… sort of! Since fall means a return to school and routines, escape with this Virtual Reality center that offers VR experiences for all ages.
52. Discover the plants, animals, and wildlife that call Los Angeles home at these nature centers.
photo: Don Graham via Flickr
53. Check out that fall foliage at one of these spectacular spots.
54. BIFF! BOOM! POW! Get your super-kid reading a super comic book – these comic book stores all have great kid sections.
55. Sew, sew, sew your clothes…when you need in indoor activity you can enjoy together, look no further than sewing. Check out a class at one of these cool spots.
56. Explore someplace out of this world: the SCV! Vasquez Rocks looks like something from another planet, and the temps are dropping enough in the fall to make it a welcoming spot.
57. See where your favorite childhood TV shows were filmed (then YouTube some “Little House on the Prairie” with your kids).
58. Take a trip to Cuba, without leaving LA. The Annenberg Space for Photography has a series of photos about modern life in Cuba, and they’ve even turned part of the museum into a Cuban Cafe, featuring Portos Bakery treats and a VR experience.
photo: Meghan Rose
59. Hello ducks! Meet our feathered friends at the coolest duck ponds in town.
60. Get crafty with it! The ReDiscover Center has tons of ways to upcycle and play.
61. Get tickets for the spectacular Enchanted: Forest of Light, returning to the Descanso Gardens on November 19.
62. Counting down the days to Halloween means it’s time to find a costume. We’ve shops that cater to kids with specific ideas for costumes…
63. Speaking of Halloween and all things creepy crawly, the spiders are back at the Natural History Museum.
64. Want a restaurant that will take you back to your own childhood, while pleasing your grow up palate and thrilling your kids? Try this new space at the Grand Central Market.
65. Practice your swing all season long at some of L.A.’s coolest mini golf spots.
66. Want to visit somewhere that will leave you thinking “Only in LA”? We’ve got 10!
67. Feed your kid’s need for speed at the racetrack.
photo: Meghan Rose
68. Before the weather is too cold and the waters too choppy, hop on a boat to visit the island where you can meet the cutest little dwarf foxes ever. (And as of this year, they’re not endangered anymore!)
69. Thor is back! You can see his new movie at the EL Capitan in Hollywood, and then cross the street and check out the Marvel Superheros at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.
70. Nothing says fall like a yummy after school warm and gooey cookie. Here are our favorite spots for kids around town.
71. Go on safari (hint: it’s nearby, and there’s wine and animals!).
72. Quit horsing around and get out there with your My Little Pony princess and baby buckaroo to ride the real deal.
photo: Mike Danenberg/Universal Studios Hollywood
73. The summer crowds are gone, the holiday ones not yet arrived. Practice disapparating and get to Harry Potter’s Wizarding World, ASAP.
74. Ella Enchanted, The Musical is coming to town. (After you see the musical, the book makes a great family read aloud!)
75. Need more ideas? Here are 100 things every Angeleno kid should experience before they hit high school.
