Looking for things to do in L.A.? Ask us your questions<\/a> and our expert guides will share highly specific recommendations.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we suggest: <\/b><\/p>\n Cathy, I understand your pain. Driving 80 miles can feel like an odyssey, especially in SoCal. Thankfully, there are loads of fun places where your family can meet in the middle (or close to it). I\u2019ve rounded up some solid options. By the way, the driving times mentioned here are a rough estimate for a weekend day without traffic, but as you probably know, your actual time may vary. <\/p>\n Since you all enjoyed the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, how about switching it up and spending the day with a different set of animals at the Montebello Barnyard Zoo<\/a> for your next outing? That would be about a 40- to 50-minute drive for both of you. Open since 1968, the zoo is home to horses, goats, sheep and donkeys that you can pet (and feed them for an extra $3). If you\u2019re feeling adventurous, you can ride a pony or take a leisurely trip on a John Deere tractor train. \u201cIt\u2019s a great place for young ones to learn that animals outside the home need and deserve the same kind of care that we show our pets,\u201d Etan Rosenbloom writes in a Times guide to things to do with kids around L.A.<\/a> General admission is $11, and you can sometimes find deals on Groupon as well. Afterward, head to Blvd Mrkt<\/a>, a food hall in Downtown Montebello that sells a variety of food so everyone can get what they want. <\/p>\n Another great option is the South Coast Botanic Garden<\/a> on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, which might be about an hour drive for both of you. I learned about this spot from my dear late colleague, Jeanette Marantos, who was a gardening expert in her own right. The garden, which has more than 2,500 species of plants and five miles of trails, also features a kids area, which features \u201ca nursery rhyme theme with a large dollhouse, a charming bridge and plants matched to the stories,\u201d Marantos writes<\/a>. My editor Michelle Woo also loves this garden. \u201cYou can take a leisurely walk along the accessible loop trail or get really into the nooks and crannies of the place, discovering trees with giant roots that kids love to climb on and koi fish swimming in a shaded pond,\u201d she says, adding that she\u2019s excited for Thomas Dambo\u2019s trolls<\/a> exhibit that opens in March. If you get hungry, you can stop by Dottie\u2019s at the Koi Pond<\/a>, which sells food, beer, wine and specialty cocktails on Saturdays and Sundays. Carry-in food is permitted if pre-prepared.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re interested in space travel, then you should definitely visit the Columbia Memorial Space Center<\/a>, which is the ultimate cosmic playground. Located in Downey (known as \u201chome of the Apollo\u201d<\/a>) \u2014 about a 40-minute drive for you and a 50-minute drive for your son\u2019s family \u2014 the recently renovated<\/a> museum features a play area, robotics lab and interactive exhibits on space exploration including a shuttle landing simulator. Admission is $5 for adults and kids, $3 for seniors ages 65 and up and free for children ages 3 and under. <\/p>\n Speaking of aviation, another spot that is worth checking out is the Proud Bird<\/a> in El Segundo, about a 45- to 50-minute drive for both of you. Here, you can enjoy delicious bites as you watch planes take off from Los Angeles International Airport, which is just a couple of miles away. Woo calls it \u201cthe perfect spot for a multi-generation gathering.\u201d \u201cOur extended family once celebrated Christmas there when everyone was too tired to cook,\u201d she adds. \u201cYou can order solid barbecue from Bludso\u2019s, have a drink by a bonfire pit and let the kids play on the playground as planes fly by.\u201d She also suggests the Point<\/a> in El Segundo. It\u2019s an open-air shopping and dining center that has a large lawn where the kids can play and the grownups can grab a drink from Lil\u2019 Simmzy\u2019s. <\/p>\n I hope these recommendations are useful as you plan your next family outing (and that they also save you some gas money). Whatever you end up doing together, I\u2019m sure that your family, especially the little ones, will just be grateful to spend quality time with you. Have fun! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"My husband and I live in Mission Viejo. Our older son, his wife and two children (ages 5…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":610417,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[4749,1582,276,2385,133272,246,990,11660,120176,316,262077,262078,18996,2961,224,5337,28207,262076,25611,77490],"class_list":["post-610416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-animal","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-day","tag-el-segundo","tag-family","tag-food","tag-fun","tag-great-place","tag-home","tag-hour-drive","tag-jeanette-marantos","tag-kid","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-mile","tag-nice-spot","tag-old-son","tag-plant"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116119964915119794","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=610416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/610417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=610416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=610416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=610416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}