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!

Valley Village Park

Breaking the cabin fever we dashed out of the house yesterday to venture to a park never graced by our presence, the Valley Village Park. This is a cute (yes, I said cute, I live with 3 females, give me a break) little park is nestled in a cute (there it is again!) neighborhood. You would never know it was there unless you searched for it.

Great playground with what appears to be semi new equiptment

Beautiful trees and open fields

Some shade over the playground

Port-o-potties for the out of commission bathrooms

A running/walking/biking trail

Pros and Cons

Pros

Not very crowded

Nice semi new playground equipment

Lots of trees for shade

Close Bathrooms (hopefully the real bathrooms become operational soon)

Cons

Next to a freeway so freeway noise is always present

From a Parent's Perspective this a great little park. It's safe, convenient and provides opportunities for kids to be kids. There is plenty of space for them to explore on the playground equipment as well as explore nature.

From a Kid's perspective what's not to love? Minus the "Yucky" port o potties this park is perfect. Trees to climb, new things to do on the playground that we haven't seen before and not too many kids so it feels like the park is all ours!

Address: 200 Westpark Dr, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Los Angeles Museum of Natural History

Today we ventured out of the house to Downtown LA and visited the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History! We went today because, a.) it was free, b.) our friend gave us the heads up, c.) we had nothing else planned for the afternoon!

We're super glad we went, we had a good time even if we got a little hangry* in the middle of the trip. 

Dad's favorite part - the DINOSAURS!  

It's always fun explaining things to the girls. I explained how this gold is melted down and made into mommy's necklaces!

We wanted to bring a spider home for mom, but they wouldn't let us take any home.

Kid's activity area. 

A little wading pool for the kids, only an inch or so of water so just enough to cool us off, but not enough to get us drenched. No need to bring a towel!

This cool little outdoor space had a wooden hut, compost to play in and trees for shade.

Indie loved the butterflies.

Pros and Cons:

Pros:
Free at least once a month!
Lots of activities (drawing, microscopes, gardens, water play) for the kids. Kids were NEVER bored.
Air conditioned.
Family Bathrooms.
Butterfly Exhibit (open April-September) the kids loved!
Stroller friendly.

Cons:
$10 parking (closest we could find)
Expensive snack bar
Crowded (especially on a free day I assume)

From a kids perspective I think this place is awesome. There is so much to look at, touch, and experience that you can stay all day and never be bored. Plus the Butterfly Exhibit is especially exciting for kids - what kid doesn't love butterflies?

From a parents perspective I loved it for it's ease of accessibility, educational opportunities for the kiddos and the wow factor for adults.

We tried to venture to Exposition Park but ran out of time. We'll hit that up later this summer!

*hangry = hungry and angry

Thanks for taking this adventure with us! More to come this summer!

-marc, zoë & indie


The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is the largest natural and historical museum in the western United States, and its collections include nearly 35 million specimens and artifacts and cover 4.5 billion years of history. Wikipedia

Address: 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Hours:
Monday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm

Phone: (213) 763-3466

2.