Franklin Canyon Park

Today we took the Grandparents on a fun adventure to Franklin Canyon Park (Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area)! We had a great time exploring nature, walking around the lake, going into the Sooky Goldman Nature Center and having a picnic on one of the many picnic tables.

A cool indigenous bamboo hut! 

The amphitheater with the Nature Center in the background.

Zoe took a selfie!

Ducks 

We were a little weary of this outhouse...

Until we saw that it was actually nice inside!

Super clean bathrooms

Great air conditioned space with awesome activities for kids!

Pros and Cons

Pros

Nature! 

Air conditioned educational activity area

Snacks for sale in Nature Center

Clean bathrooms

Hiking

Animals

Picnic Tables

Lots of free parking

Cons

There are a lot of "sting bugs" around the picnic area

Bathrooms can be far if you're out hiking

Animals (we were warned to beware of unfriendly animals!)

Kids don't want to leave

From a Parent's Perspective this is an awesome place to take your kids. It's educational, it's full on nature-esque and a great place to skip out on the heat during the middle of the day. There are plenty of places to take your kid to the potty or if it's an emergency there are plenty of trees! (We're potty training ... can you tell?)

From a Kid's Perspective it's awesome. Being from LA any chance to escape into the woods is exciting. I like to let my kids "lead the way" and explore any and every crevice of the place. There are ducks, bullfrogs, lizards and a ton of other fun things to touch and experience.

Address: 2600 Franklin Canyon Drive, Beverly Hills

Phone: (310) 858-7272

We HIGHLY recommend this place!

Encino Park

Last week the family and I picked up some dinner and headed over to Encino Park! I was let on to this park by a good friend of mine, Shauna! And it is a really cool park! Right off Ventura Blvd this grassy, shady picnic spot is perfect to unwind after a long day of work and just let the kids run around!

Great (looks like newly updated) playground

Pros and Cons

Pros

Public Bathrooms

Gated Playground (No escaping children!)

Lots of Picnic Tables

BBQ 

Clean

Cons

Metered Street Parking Only

From a Parent's perspective this is a great, safe place to park. Just make sure you pay the meter and keep a timer because like all of LA, the meter nazis are on this place. The gated playground is awesome knowing you can just sit back and watch your kids play without fear of them running into a street or wandering off too far.

From a Kid's perspective, what's not to love? I mean, your parents make you sit down and eat dinner while watching all the other kids have fun on the playground, but once you've finished your vegetables you're free to go! The playground is fun, the open grassy field is great for playing tag and kids don't care if there's only an old tire to play with, being outside with mom and dad is where it's at!

Address: Encino, CA 91316 (Across the street from the Stand)

Hours:
5:00 am - 10:00 pm