Got some bored kids who are out of school? Oh, dear, what to do to keep them entertained and tired without destroying your house? Or your wallet? Here are my suggestions for free and cheap things to do with the little darlings:
1. Go to the California Science Center in Exposition Park, Los Angeles: This museum is free and you can see the retired space shuttle Endeavor, a truly spectacular sight. The space shuttle exhibit is also free most of the time, but during busy periods such as the holidays, you need to reserve advance tickets for $2 each online, or $3 each on the phone at 213-744-2019. Also, expect to pay $12 for parking at Exposition Park unless you ride the Metro Expo Line to get there, which could be fun for the kids, too. Note: If you’re ordering tickets online, scroll past all the packages to the bottom of the page, if you only want to get a reservation and not buy other things like IMAX. Go to CaliforniaScienceCenter.org or call 323-SCIENCE to learn more.
2. See a cow milking, baby chicks and more at Centennial Farm at the Orange County Fairgrounds: This three-acre working farm is open all year long, except during the Orange County Fair. There’s a new pair of purebred American Milking Devon cattle that recently traveled more than 1,000 miles from Three Eagles Ranch in Larkspur, Colo. Centennial Farm is open free to the public generally 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Over the holidays, it’s open 9-4 most days (Closed Jan. 1-2). Call 714-708-1619 for current hours or check ocfair.com/centennialfarm. Location: 88 Fair Dr. Costa Mesa
3. Visit Lake Balboa, Van Nuys: Got some bored kids? Get ’em tired. Head to Lake Balboa in the 80-acre Anthony C. Beilenson Park (formerly Balboa Park), Van Nuys, which includes a 27-acre lake, a big, universally accessible play area, a Japanese garden, bird preserve, picnic tables, jogging,walking and biking paths and more. Kids under 16 can fish free without a license. Bring duck food for the ducks (bread’s not good for them!) Wheel Fun Rentals also has a bike rental location here, and pedal boats in the summer. The website has a map of a self-guided bike tour. Location: 6300 Balboa Blvd., Van Nuys. 818-756-8187.
4. Go to Western Science Center First Saturday, Hemet: On the plaza outside the center, kids can interact with real scientists and teachers as they learn about science. 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 7. This month: Learn about colors and the science behind them, activities such as color mixing, chromatography, prisms and more. There’s an additional fee to enter the museum, Tuesday through Sunday, $8 adults, $6 kids. Location: 2345 Searl Parkway, Hemet. Learn more: 951-791-0033 or westerncentermuseum.org.
5. Visit the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, Laguna Beach: You will definitely say “Aww” when you see the enclosures filled with recovering seals and sea lions who’ve been rescued from area beaches. Volunteers work daily to help them get well and be released back into the wild. Come in any day between 10-4 for a self-guided tour. Warning, though: You won’t be able to stop yourself from donating to buy fish for their dinner. 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Learn more: pacificmmc.org
6. See the Hindu Temple, Malibu Canyon: Interested in cultural experiences? Bring your kids to see the beautiful temple complex. I love this place. It’s open every day. All are welcome to visit, including educational and religious groups. Built on traditional Hindu architectural lines, this is a working temple so be respectful and remove your shoes at the entrance. Students can talk to the priest if they wish during working hours. Sometimes, there’s a vegetarian kitchen open where you can buy yummy food. In winter, the temple is open 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends. Location: 1600 Las Virgenes Canyon Road, Calabasas. Learn more: 818-880-5552 or malibuhindutemple.org
7. Go to IKEA in Burbank, Carson, Covina and Costa Mesa: When you’ve had enough of the little darlings, note that every day, you can leave your potty-trained kids between the heights of 37 and 54 inches in the free Småland play area at IKEA for an hour or so, where they’ll be supervised while you shop. They’ll give you a pager in case they need to call you; otherwise the kids will have a blast. And, if you join the free IKEA Family loyalty program, they’ll give you an extra half-hour of babysitting in the Smaland, free coffee or tea in the restaurant, as well as special deals. That’s right, dump the kids and head upstairs for a restful cuppa joe. And they have daily specials in the restaurant, too.
8. Visit the Childspace Children’s Museum, Pasadena: Want some free fun? The first Tuesday of every month, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Kidspace Children’s Museum is free for all families. (Regular admission Tuesday-Sunday is $11). This month (Jan. 3) is “Fruitcake Toss Day!” Bring your own fruitcake to toss, and also see a Rene’s Marionettes show at 6 p.m. Get there early and expect to stand in line, this event is popular. Location: 480 N. Arroyo Blvd. Pasadena. Learn more: 626-449-9144 or kidspacemuseum.org/events/free-family-nights.
9. Check out Shark Lagoon Nights at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach: This Friday night (and other upcoming Fridays) everyone can come to the outdoor shark exhibit and touch bamboo sharks and see other types from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The entire aquarium isn’t free, just the shark exhibit. Sometimes, there’s free entertainment too. Note the aquarium is also offering discounted Late Nights from 5 to 8 p.m. through Jan. 7 (except New Year’s Eve), when admission is only $14.95. The Lorikeet exhibit is closed at night. Rain cancels. Learn more: AquariumofPacific.org or 562-590-3100.
10. Go to the Getty Center, Los Angeles: The richest museum in the world sits up on a hill overlooking west L.A. Admission is free, parking is $15. Kids like riding the tram to the top, which also makes it wheelchair-accessible. My kids liked the special Family Room with clever kid activities, and you can also get “Art Detective Cards” there. The gardens are beautiful, too. You can bring your own picnic and also borrow strollers for free. No kid-hauling backpacks allowed in the galleries. Closed Jan. 1. Location: Intersection of North Sepulveda Boulevard and Getty Center Drive. Learn more: getty.edu
11. Stroll the Fullerton Arboretum: Kids love to watch the birds and turtles in the pond here, as you stroll 26 acres of gardens at the Fullerton Arboretum, which is something of a hidden gem behind Cal State Fullerton, by the baseball field. Admission and parking are free, you can make a suggested donation if you like. Open daily 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Location: 1900 Associated Rd. Fullerton (off Yorba Linda Blvd. by the CSUF baseball field). Call 657- 278-3407 to learn more.
12. Take in the heavens at the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles: Free. This landmark is worth seeing for so many reasons. If you go on a clear day, the views are stunning, and you can even hike higher from the parking lot on a fire road, to the top of the hill. Check out the statue of James Dean, who filmed the climax of “Rebel Without A Cause” here. The observatory and its exhibits are free, parking’s free too. It’s worth spending $7 adults, $3 kids on the numerous, interesting planetarium shows. Note: Closed Jan. 2. Open Jan. 1. 2800 E. Observatory Road. Learn more: 213-473-0800 or griffithobservatory.org
13. See Latin American art in Long Beach: Every Sunday is free for all – and kids 12 and under and parking are are always free – at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. I wouldn’t bring little kids here, trust my personal experience on that one, but older ones will enjoy it. (Closed on Jan. 1) Learn more at Molaa.org. Location: 628 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach, Phone 562-437-1689. The fourth Friday of every month is also free from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
14. Visit the Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center, Riverside: Kids enjoy the tortoises and turtles on nine acres of botanical gardens, including dinosaur sculptures. The museum includes fossils, minerals, rocks, petrified wood and dinosaur eggs. Closed Jan. 1. Open Tuesday-Sunday. Location: 7621 Granite Hill Drive, Jurupa Valley. Learn more: 951-685-5818 or at jmdc.org.
14. Enjoy the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, free for kids and teens: All kids under 18 are always free. Plan to spend a few hours. Kids will be particularly interested in the Egyptian antiquities. There’s a membership program called NexGen that gives free admission to kids 17 and under, with one adult also admitted free. Even babies and out-of-towners can join. (Not good for specially ticketed exhibitions.) Ask for a membership card at the ticket window when you get there or call 323-857-6512. It’s open extended holiday hours Dec. 26-Jan. 8 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Regular adult admission is $25. Note that Los Angeles County residents get in free after 3 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and Friday. There’s an adjacent park where you can have a picnic lunch, and also look for free at the La Brea Tar Pits and any excavations going on. (Extra fee to enter the museum there.) 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. Learn more: lacma.org
15. Look for whales at Dana Point: Bring binoculars, if you’ve got them, as you enjoy an ocean-view stroll along three miles of trails at the Dana Point Headlands conservation area. If you’re patient, you may see gray whales heading south to Baja to mate and give birth. It’s at 34558 Scenic Drivein Dana Point. Kids will enjoy the small nature center here, too. Learn more: danapoint.org
16. Stroll the Cal State Long Beach Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden: These small but lovely gardens on 1.3 acres include a koi pond, zen garden, Japanese teahouse and bonzai trees. Paved paths are suitable for strollers and wheelchairs. Sunny and shady spots are available for chatting or contemplation. Accessible restrooms. Visitors must buy $5 parking pass, or park on the street or at nearby Whaley Park. Open 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tuesday-Fridays, Noon-4 p.m. Sundays; closed Mondays and Saturdays. Location: 1250 N Bellflower Blvd Long Beach. 562-985-8889 csulb.edu/jgarden
17. Play at the Prehistoric Playground Dinosaur Park, Laguna Hills: Prehistoric Playground Dinosaur Park. This wheelchair-accessible park includes a re-creation of a fossil reef, with imprints of actual fossils more than 15 million years old. There are also turtle sculptures, a rose garden, flowering trees, play structures and more. There’s shade and accessible picnic tables. Corner of Alicia Parkway and Paseo De Valencia, behind the Laguna Hills Community Center. 25555 Alicia Parkway. Call 949-707-2680 for more information.
18. Look for whales at Point Vicente on the Palos Verdes Peninsula: You may see photographers lined up with their tripods here, waiting to catch passing gray whales alongside this bluff park, which has gorgeous views along three sides and may be the best place in Southern California to whale watch from shore. There’s also picnic tables, a paved walkway, an historic lighthouse and cool, free interpretive center that kids would enjoy. You enter the center through a replica sea cave, after which you see a fossil of a huge mako shark–ancestor of the Great White Shark. There’s a small exhibit on Marineland, the marine park that closed nearby in 1987. It’s a great place to see the sunset. The lighthouse can be toured free on most second Saturdays of the month.
19. Visit Courtney’s Sandcastle Universally Accessible Playground in San Clemente: There’s a castle-themed gateway of flags, stone walls and a mock sand sculpture that all kids can enjoy. The rubber play surface is overlaid with a “pirate ship” for preschoolers, with a ship’s wheel, talking tubes, slides, interactive panels and more, a “castle” for older kids with ramps leading up to slides, interactive panels and more, a sea serpent climbing feature in the sandy area, an accessible sand and water play table, a swing set with strap seats and harnesses, benches designed like boulders and more. 987 Avenida Vista Hermosa. Learn more: san-clemente.org or call 949-361-8219.
20. Tour the California Citrus State Historic Park, Riverside: Free admission, parking is $5. Learn about the history of citrus cultivation in California, which spread between the 1800s and 1900s across a huge swath of Southern California, including Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. This 250-acre park is open daily, the visitor center is generally open Friday-Sunday. Free guided tours are usually offered Fridays through Sundays and sample fruit right off the tree. There are also hiking and biking trails. Location: 9400 Dufferin Ave. Riverside. Learn more: 951-780-6222 or parks.ca.gov.
Contact the writer: mfisher@scng.com or 714-796-7994
