Of those three places, IMO Disneyland is definitely the best. However-- it is super busy over spring break, and it is not a place you can do in just one day, if you want to see everything. They have some outstanding rides, but I think it requires some planning so you don't spend the whole day waiting in line and fighting crowds.

Your kids are at the ages they could ride the big roller coasters and scarier rides, if they enjoy that kind of thing.

If that's what you decide to do, let me know. I have been several times and could help you plan a bit.

Santa Monica and Venice Beach are both fun areas with lots to do. Hope you have a great time!

I grew up 20 minutes from Disneyland and Knotts and went often. I love both but If youve been to Disney World, I would probably do Knotts, even though it is way more commercialized now than when I was growing up. The Western theme gives it a bit of a different spin. You might also want to visit the Queen Mary in Long Beach...you, especially, might enjoy the authentic Art Deco furnishings and decor.

Joaniepoanie,
Believe it or not, my kids have been many places around the globe, but never to Disney anything. I know, child abuse! So knowing that would you opt for Disneyland? Repair my relationship with them now, before they tell their therapist? LOL

Thx for the Queen Mary idea!

Thanks so much JLC. The two oldest like scary rides. Youngest, I think, still hates them. But that could change anyday, KWIM? Do they have special passes so you don't have to wait in line? I know Universal did. Will Disneyland be open on weekdays?

I vote for Universal! There is something there for everyone. We enjoyed the live shows as well as the rides. Too bad they didn't like the studio tour. The Mummy, Transformers, and Shrek were good rides. Dispicable Me was cute. We got pretty soaked on Juraissic Park.

I highly recommend the "skip the line" pass. We went on 3 rides in the time we would have waited for one. Or, there are also some cool VIP guide-led tours your family might find interesting.

The FL location has all the Harry Potter stuff.

The Pier is fun, or else take a ride up to Malibu or Santa Barbara. We didn't make it to Venice Beach, so we'll do that the next time.

Here is a link that might be useful: Universal VIP

Yes, they will be open weekdays. I would try to go on a weekday intentionally, because the crowds are smaller.

They do have FastPasses for some of the most popular rides. The passes give you a specific time range to return in, and the FastPass lines are much shorter.

My DS is 9, and he passionately loves Disneyland. He has now started riding the scarier rides. It's where he wants to go every year for vacation, although I would much prefer to go elsewhere. I didn't think I would enjoy it at all, but it is actually kind of a special place if you have the right attitude and plan for what you like to do.

We are going at the end of February :-) I was able to get round-trip airfare for the three of us for $400, so we couldn't pass it up.

Weather in Cali permits the parks to be open year round. It may not be quite the season yet so weekday hours may be shorter than weekend hours, but of course fewer crowds during the week.

Why not let the kids decide which park? They can see pictures and read about both online.

I'm way out of date, but we did do Universal Studios tour and we stayed on the Queen Mary which is a hotel as well as museum to tour...while it's supposed to be haunted, we actually got the best sleep ever on board. I understand the Spruce Goose is there now too.

For Santa Monica: There are rides -- roller coaster, ferris wheel (solar-powered, of course), bumper cars, etc. -- on the Santa Monica pier, plus a fabulous carousel from the 1920s, Close by is a smallish aquarium. There are bike rentals if you would like to travel the bike path south to Venice and into the South Bay. The Venice boardwalk is one of the most visited sites in Los Angeles, which can be good or bad, depending on your tolerance for craziness.

If you want a peaceful break, visit the Ballona Wetlands at LIncoln and Jefferson, near the southern border of Marina del Rey. There's a nice walking path, and plenty of birds to see.

There are two Getty Museums; the Getty Villa off Pacific Coast Highway above Sunset Boulevard (the Roman villa one), and one off Sepulveda above Sunset in Brentwood (the Richard Meier one). Both have interesting gardens.

The Page Museum is next to the L.A. County Museum of Art and part of the park encompassing the La Brea Tar Pits, if sabre-tooth tigers and mastodons and fossils are of interest. Near USC are both the Natural History Museum (dinosaurs!) and the California Science Museum (where the space shuttle Endeavor now resides). Lots of hands-on kids' stuff at the Science Museum. There's a Butterfly Pavilion at the Natural History Museum that is open c. mid-April through August.

If you feel like visiting the Hollywood area, please don't forget the Griffith Park Observatory and the L.A. Zoo.

Hi Nancy,

Thanks, I have actually been to LA many many times, even a few times to the same hotel we are staying at in Santa Monica, so I know the area. I have been to both Gettys, but the "new" one is the one I think they will like. What I don't know is amusement parks! And I confess I have never done LaBrea Tar Pits. They make me think of Johnny Carson when I was a kid! Didn't he joke about them? Endeavor is a cool idea. Griffith Park Observatory, fab, we have done already. I tend not to do zoos since we have access to such good ones here.

I had not thought of bike rentals but that is a super idea. I think the kids will get a kick out Venice Beach crazy!

Annie, We have our hotel, and believe it or not I'd need a patch to sleep on a docked ship! I just did that when we cruised and it works but makes me drowsy. The thing about Universal Studios is it references so much that means nothing to them, and we did do it 5 yrs ago.

JoaniePoanie, Good idea, I am sure the website will give them a feel.

$400? Is that from like, John Wayne to LAX? WOW. I will look into the Fastpasses. I am not sure which abhor more, waiting in line, or amusement parks. So waiting in line AT amusement parks, does not amuse me.

Gscience, I would not say they did not like the tour, but, if you never saw Jaws or Psycho, or Desperate Housewives, it's certainly not as neat. We did the VIP passes last time and I think they were too young for it; the "insiderness" was kind of lost on them, though it sure made logistics easy.
You will really think I am crazy when I tell you that we have seen, as a family, half of a Harry Potter movie, and read about three chapters. My girls thought it wasn't girly enough. My son thought magic was dumb. I know, we are sounding odder by the minute.

Wait a minute. Didn't you just go on some big trip and aren't we still waiting for a report from that?

Oh fiddle dee dee Miss SueB. You're one to talk!

Tell the truth. Do you start planning the next one on the flight home, or the flight back? Or do you have a few stacked up at all times?

Yes,$400! From Salt Lake City (closest big airport) to Long Beach.

Mtn, with all the amazing vacations you go on, I have to admit picturing you waiting in line at Disneyland is kind of comical :-)

My in-laws lived in LaCanada and then in Beverly Hills during the 90's. My favorite things we ever did in the LA area were going to watch the people put the floats together the night before the Rose Bowl parade (the flowers & fragrance were amazing), and the flea market at the Rose Bowl on the weekends.

JLC,

Salt Lake City! You should be skiing in Feb., lucky you!

You've given me another great idea --- i never have been to the Rose Bowl flea market and I love flea markets! Thanks

Why don't any of my inlaws live anywhere cool, dear though they are.

Whaddya mean you can't see me in line at Disney? You make me sound like MarieAntoinetteRedux. ; )

How long is your stopover? Disney or Knotts would be a full day even with fast passes. I was just at Disney a couple years ago when I went to see family down in LA, and we were literally there for 12 hours, in late June, and didn't get to see half the park, and we had fast passes, too! You absolutely can't 'do' Disney in a day. Plus we stayed across the street, so we didn't have to deal with the traffic.

You'll face pretty much the same thing at Universal-but the City Walk is fun to do, even if you don't go into Universal itself. Lots of things to see/do there.

La Brea Tar Pits is a good idea-I haven't been in a million years, but it's still a great place to go on a short visit.

So much is going to depend on how long you're there-and how exhausted you want to get before you start the real vacation.

If you are purely interested in finding out more about amusement parks, I'm surprised no one mentioned California Adventure, which is just across from the main entrance to Disney (as in, you walk from one entrance to the other).

It's been probably 5-6 years since we went to Disney/California Adventure. We are NOT Disney people but BIL works for a huge construction company in LA and was in charge of building many of the big rides at Disney. When we were visiting, they were constructing a Nemo ride IIRC. He had free passes, so we decided we'd take our kids, who at that point were maybe 4, 6, 8 and 10? Possibly even younger...my youngest was in a stroller so perhaps she was no more than 3? In any case, we did do Disneyland - figured we'd get any desire to go to Disney out of our system there rather than try to tackle Disneyworld. My girls were never "princess" people but they did have fun at the park on the rides. We went in early June on a school day, before the LA kids were out for the summer, and while we did have to wait for rides and often used Fast Passes, it wasn't too bad. The BEST thing we did, was leave the two younger ones home with BIL after a day at the park, and went back with the two older ones to see the fireworks show which was fantastic. It is set to music and was very enjoyable. We positioned ourselves such that we could easily get to Space Mountain and ride that immediately (we skipped during the day since the younger ones weren't going on it). We then made our way around to all the "older kids" rides and there were NO lines. We rode Splash Mountain three times b/c there was absolutely no line at all, though it was very late...maybe 10pm.

Now, if you want to skip Disney b/c your kids are older but they like roller coasters, etc. then I would suggest California Adventure. We went there the next day. Some great roller coasters, a really fun water ride, California Soarin' which is one of those 3D rides where you sit in a theater and the seats move so that it makes you feel as if you are really flying. I think at your kids' ages, they might enjoy that better than Disney. Unfortunately, b/c it was a while ago, the information is not fresh in my memory but if you google it, perhaps you can see if it's something your kids would enjoy. I LOVE roller coasters and really liked that park. One ride, California Screaming I think it's called, i was dying to go on but my older two kids didn't want to and they were all too young for dh and I to leave while we rode together. I ended up, as a single rider, being able to skip right to the front of the line! Dh and the kids watched me go down the first big drop - dh, who didn't initially care if he rode it, decided right then to go on after me, especially since it meant no wait in line. Anyway, a really fun roller coaster.

We did not do anything else in L.A. - we were staying in Orange County with BIL and were only there a few days b/f we drove up with our nieces to San Francisco to visit the rest of dh's family (he's from San Fran originally). Thus, I can't offer any other advice on what to do. Only other times I've been to L.A. were in my teens and early 20s.

Too funny. We booked out next trip to disney the month BEFORE we went this year. :) It is really better to book 11 months out so you are sure to get the place you want (for DVC anyway) We went for Christmas this year and are planning for during Halloween month next year.

I never in a million years would have imagined i would be going to disneyworld. Funny how things change. My Boys (including DH LOVE it) I love that they love it. And that for some reason if you say you are going to Disney no one bothers you from work. It is like a miracle place. :)

Haven't been out of the country in years though, that does disappoint me. I am hoping I can convince DH when the kids are a bit older.

Nobody has mentioned Six Flags Magic Mountain. Is that hopelessly unsafe these days?

I never had any interest in Disney. I was talked into going a year ago and was pleasantly surprised. In addition to fast passes I was given a big "First Time Visitor" button. The button in many areas gave you an immediate side door entrance.

Eandhl,
Why am I guessing the "First Time Visitor!" button will not be quite as discreet and tasteful, as say, the "M" you clip on at the "Met". Ohhh, the things we do for our children. : )

Fun, Good question. Peanut gallery?

Boop, I am so out of it. What is the "DVC"? "I love that they love it", sums it up!

Four, Yes, the gist of my post is really only to ask about amusement parks. I have been to LA enough to know where I want to take them, but I haven't been to any amusement parks. The adventure park sounds great, we will look into that for sure ... if it has a lot of waterpark elements tho, maybe its not open mid March?

Pesky, I scheduled 3 full days in LA. We will devote one to an amusement park, and whatever we can do in that day, that'll be it. It isn't quite like we are going to the Louvre but skipping over the Mona Lisa while we're there, IYKWIM!

As far as being tired out, no worries. This vacation is the vacation from our vacation. For us it is a very very leisurely schedule; we will be in Hawaii 10 days.

California Adventure is more or less part of Disneyland. Their entrances face each other along the main promenade that continues down to Downtown Disney (shopping & restaurants). It's another Disney property, with more rides, and you can get a nice adult beverage in the restaurants, yay! There is only one raft ride where you may get wet.

I'll attach a link to the interactive maps- just click to zoom in on what you want to see.

You can't see and do everything in one day, but you could hit the things you're most interested in. If you decide to do it, let me know, I could try to make a list of what I think you'd like best.

Oops, here's the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: interactive maps

JLC, That is so very nice of you, thanks. I think I need to start to send my kids to these sites and get their impressions.

I would pick Disneyland the Getty Center and Santa Barbara....of course I am biased living in Santa Barbara and we have beaches bikes and fresh air

With just three days and making it kid-centric, we are keeping it to the Getty, a TBD amusement park, and the flea market. (yay!)

DH and I love Santa Barbara; stayed at the San Ysidro ranch when we were first dating (don't tell Mom).

Well, no one seems to be chiming in on Six Flags Magic Mountain so I took a look at the Google and Yelp reviews. They seem to be reasonably positive with the biggest complaints being the cost and quality of the park food and the long lines for rides. A Flash Pass is strongly suggested for rides and another suggestion was to bring in an empty water bottle (personal food is prohibited) so that you can at least avoid paying $4 for a bottle of water.

There appears to be a ticket sale of some kind going on right now that you might want to check out.

Maybe it is because there is a six flags in NJ and I don't think it has the best reputation. Or at least there used to be.

With regard to Seven Flags Magic Mountain, I lived full time in LA for 52 years and never went. I don't remember why not.

On the other hand, I was at Disneyland in 1955 very soon after it opened and too many times to count since and to this day I still think it's the happiest place on earth :-)

Mtn, I admit to being a very lazy trip planner, so I would ask Shutters' concierge to arrange a private VIP tour. You can then spend as much or little time as you'd like and see whatever may be of interest. It's going to be extremely crowded at Disneyland when you are going.

I never went to Magic Mountain, but I think it is a fairly generic type of park whereas Disney or Knotts will offer more in terms of a more unique atmosphere.

Magic Mountain isn't a 'magical' as Disneyland. It's also in the north part of 'the valley' so it doesn't have as much glamour as Anaheim-and it's not close for those flying in.

As teens we'd somewhat outgrown Disneyland so we went to MM a lot more. But Disneyland has evolved with the times and has some great 'big kid' rides and then there are the old classics for every age-and the ones I go to every single time I visit-Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Carribean. I still love Splash Mountain, the Big Timber Mountain roller coaster, and the Indiana Jones ride too. And lets not forget that Disneyland isn't just about the rides-it's the whole experience,and the attention to detail. It's truly for all ages.

Knotts used to be more rustic, but then then changed to try to keep up with MM and Disney by offering more adventure park type rides, and it's ok, but like MM, nothing to write home about. If there is limited time in So Cal for an amusement park-I'd pick Disneyland over them all, then California Adventure next. Third would be Universal, followed by MM then Knotts. But YMMV.

I'm jealous of the Getty visit-our last trip back there didn't give us enough time to get there, instead we went to the Grammy Museum and then spent time on Melrose. It was a rock music based trip that time-which included a rock concert. Next trip down I'm hitting the Getty in Malibu for sure!

My DS (he's 11) likes Knott's the best. He is ONLY into the rides and has never cared for Disney characters at all. He likes a couple of the rides at Disney and California Adventure though. I was surprised he liked Knott's best! Each place has a really good ride, so it's hard to pick just one.

We always stay in Laguna and drive in. So, much of our time is at the beach, but, of course, you will have just left the beach LOL

Fun Boop, Joanie, Pesky, OlliesMom,
I am pretty sure we will do Disneyland, having looked at all the sites now. If only because they have never been to anything Disney, so we may as well. The two eldest were at Disney when they were 2 and 6mo.s, but of course that does not count.

Marlene,
I don't think I said Shutters; am I that easy to peg? : )
I always do my own leg work first and then double check with the Concierge. I think we have a pretty good game plan now.

Next, I should probably plan some of the Hawaii (BI, Maui then Oahu) excursions since spring break can be zoo-ey! So far crater snorkelling in Maui, Haleakala sunrise bike ride, Big Island volcano helicopter tour, surf lessons ... and the boys will have to go to Pearl Harbor (again) while we shop.

mtn..OMG...I would have sworn you mentioned Shutters?? I promise I am not stalking you :-) Maybe when I read Santa Monica hotel my mind just went to Shutters.

LOL, Marlene! Maybe I did some other time. I'm always blathering on here about something. ; )

Hope you have a great time, sounds like an awesome vacation. Are you going to get a taxi/towncar to and from Disneyland, so you don't have to deal with parking? That will save you a lot of time and aggravation.

JLC,
Great point.
I haven't decided that yet. On one hand, id rather not mess with a car, OTOH sometimes you can't find a taxi for 5, and also there are some areas where is it fun to drive around. Maybe we will do a car one day but not the Disney day ...

I've no doubt your kids will love Disney. No one leaves Disney saying they didn't like it. I also have so much fun meeting people every time I go there.

Then going to Hawaii-oh...need someone to watch the kids in the evening? I'll be happy to nanny!

LOL, Pesky,

Robo, btw, I am all-in on your suggestions.

You got me thinking about AirBnB. I have looked at using it a few times, mostly for girls' weekends in NYC. Saved a few but not booked any. But most of the travel we do is family, and international. The problem is, when you are a family of five and something goes wrong, it is really a PITA. You are not terribly portable or flexible as a bedraggled troop of 5; in many countries you can't even pile into one taxi. Especially in high season in an exotic spot, you could really find yourself stuck and your vacation ruined if you pick the wrong place to stay.

BUT... I got to thinking. A 3 day layover in LA... What is the worst that can happen if we didn't like the place? There are so many places to stay in LA, I am sure we could find an alternative easily.

SO.. I went looking on AirBnB. I found a place for the same cost as the rooms we reserved at Shutters, and it's a house all to ourselves. It is very cool, great views, great location, great reviews. We booked it.

And we booked a night via eat with; a cooking class that we will do at our place.

We are all very excited by our adventure. Thanks for the inspiration!

Well, you certainly can't go wrong with Disneyland that's for sure. I think all of you will have a great day there.

Wow, big change! Great reviews mean a lot as far as I am concerned. I hope you all love it :) Either way it will be something out of the ordinary.

This post was edited by robotropolis on Mon, Jan 12, 15 at 6:20

Mtn, the LA part of your vacation sounds like so much fun. I've been reading along and you really impress me putting so much effort into making each stop an experience to remember. The cooking class with eatwith is something I'll put on my list for sure!

I don't know why I didn't think of this before, and maybe it's not on your radar, but I can remember this from a trip to LA when I was around 12 or so. My Dad was adventurous about taking us to the 'sights' on any vacation. So we went to Grauman's Chinese and saw the stars' footprints/handprints. Now this was back in the late 50's/early 60's and it was a big deal back then, maybe not so much now and your kids might not even be impressed at all. Or today it may not even be in a safe area, I don't know. He also drove us by the original Brown Derby restaurant. To us kids that was pretty cool. And to see the 'Hollywood' sign.

I think someone already mentioned the Queen Mary tour, which I enjoyed as an adult. The Spruce Goose had been moved when I was there, but if it's back I'd go see it too.

Have you heard of the measles cases at Disney?

I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, especially if your kids are vaccinated. And I know it's irrational, but I think I would have a little bit of the heebie-jeebies.

Magdalena, I did see that headline, did not read the story. They have 2 months to get their act together, or I get to go to the spa instead! : )

Thanks, Outside.
Travel is a hobby of mine, and I really enjoying researching everything. Sometimes by the time I get somewhere I feel I've already been there! Mostly the legwork does help us have a smooth trip, and see and do a lot.

I have to ask my kids if they ever heard of or care at all about Grauman's. I think MY Dad took us there where we were kids, on my first trip to LA. I think ; it is possible, we even ate Chinese food somewhere nearby? Or I imagined that. I do understand it is pretty darn seedy and touristy now. They may get their fill of seediness in Venice Beach.

I prefer Disney to Knotts. We usually get the Park Hopper passes so that we can go to both Disneyland and California Adventure (which is just across from Disneyland).

It is also whale watching season until the end of May in LA. They are seeing record sightings of humpbacks, fins and migrating gray whales this year in the South Bay of LA -- anywhere from 25-40 per day. There have also been quite a few pods of orcas. The hub of all the whale watching is the Pt. Vicente lighthouse in Palos Verdes, where you can watch the whales amongst the observers who are there from dawn to dusk counting the whales and observing their behavior. Or, you can charter a sailboat out of Redondo Beach for some up close action. The whales don't usually make it up toward Santa Monica -- too far into the SM bay.

Just a few days ago, there were a group of humpback whales breeching and fluking at Redondo Beach while surfers and beachgoers gawked.

If you are looking for a place to stay down there, I like Terranea -- it's on the water near the whale watching action and they have a nice spa and excellent French restaurant, Mar'sel.

Here is a link that might be useful: Whales in the south bay

This post was edited by pipdog on Fri, Jan 23, 15 at 0:46