A luxury family vacation in Los Angeles involves the best attractions and child friendly activities. A trip to one of the great amusement parks in LA is fun for all.
A vacation in Los Angeles can take on many forms, but for a luxury family vacation, the children are going to want to spend at least one day in an amusement park. The best idea for any family vacation, of course, is compromise. A day at the Getty Museum or Disney Concert Hall will seem a lot more tolerable for kids, with the promise of a later trip to an amusement park filled with rides and thrills. Luxury Travel has spent many hours at the best amusement parks in LA, and is certain that a day of family fun at one of these will help complete a perfect luxuryfamily vacationin Los Angeles.
Disneyland Amusement Park - Disneyland is, perhaps, unavoidable. But it can be really unpleasant. Consider that when your children are off from school, so are most of the rest of the kids in the country. And where do all those children want to go? Disneyland is a hugely popular attraction for family vacations, and it's expensive enough to qualify as a luxury trip. This popularity means huge lines - lines that snake around and have signs that say "90 minutes" or more. A luxury vacation in Southern California should never involve spending most of one's day on interminably long lines. Ugh. One great idea to please both the twitchy children and the weary adults is getting Fast Passes. A Fast Pass allow a family to skip ahead of the line, but only at a predetermined time - so it takes a bit of organization. Shortening waiting time can reduce the stress and boredom of watching the day tick away while standing on line. Reducing stress from a luxury family vacation is worth it. It's also a great idea to arrive just as Disneyland opens; no matter how jet lagged or cranky a family may be, the lines only get longer as the day goes by.
Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park - The lines are quite a bit shorter at Universal Studios, but of course, it's no Disneyland, either. The rides are fun enough, and there are plentiful opportunities to get wet and cool down here (Universal Studios is in The Valley - both children and adults alike can get overheated here). A popular favorite is the Water World show; sitting in the "Soak Zone" is a guaranteed way to get completely wet! Be warned, however: It's a great idea to take the age restriction on the Haunted House seriously. The surprises witnessed inside were enough to frighten at least one intrepid eight-year old. Universal CityWalk, which is just adjacent to the Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park, is a lively, fun place to grab a quick (usually fried) meal and do some tourist-trap shopping. The studio tour can be boring for children - and adults - who have merely a passing interest in the way movies and television shows are made.
The Santa Monica Pier - The smallest and least classy of the three, the Pacific Park Family Amusement Park on the Santa Monica Pier has in fact gotten a lot better in the past several years. What used to be a grungy hangout for shifty-looking teens (not exactly family friendly), has been cleaned up, spruced up, and basically gentrified. All-day passes for children are only ten dollars, making the Santa Monica Pier the most affordable of these amusement parks - and while it cannot compete with Disneyland or Universal Studios, the rides are permanent, safe, and fun. The Coney Island, old-timey feel of the Pier is most evident at night, when the older kids and teenagers take over. However, even in the bright sunshine of the day, the Santa Monica Pier offers the typical 3-for-a-dollar booths, cotton candy, funnel cakes, and all the old standards of an amusement park. It's right on the ocean, and the 3rd Street Promenade three blocks away makes for a fun outdoor shopping and eating area.
Other popular family activity attractions with rides in the LA area include Legoland, Travel Town, and the Griffith Park Pony & Wagon Rides. However, all of these skew to the much younger child. Luxury Travel recommends these only for toddlers and preschoolers up to age 5.
The copyright of the article Best LA Amusement Parks for Kids in Luxury Vacations is owned by Jennifer W. Miner. Permission to republish Best LA Amusement Parks for Kids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
