Eye on L.A. finds great spots for the kids
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- L.A. might be a big city, but it's actually filled with stuff for the little ones in our lives! So whether you're looking to have a memorable day with your kids or you're just a big kid yourself, we found some fun adventures in and around the L.A. area for everyone in the family to enjoy!
PRETEND CITY
The delight you will find at Pretend City in Irvine, must be seen to be believed! This incredible children's museum has taken an entire city and shrunk it down to give kids a fun taste of what it's like to be an adult! From driving cars to farming, becoming a star onstage at the mini amphitheater to checking out at the grocery store, the free play here is simply adorable. They also offer parents valuable resources to make sure kids are developing properly and special museum days for newborns and kids on the spectrum.
TRAVELING PARTIES
Taking kids' parties to a whole new creative level, Alice's Traveling Tea Party and Blackbeard's Traveling Pirate Party will make you wish you were a kid again! With elaborate set pieces that look like they've come right out of a movie, parents can have Alice and the Mad Hatter entertain kids with a delightful afternoon outing of croquette, story time, musical chairs and delicious treats. Or have a yo-ho-ho-ing good time with Blackbeard and Smitty at one of the most awesome pirate parties ever, complete with a giant pirate ship! Kids get a pirate makeover, shoot off canons, walk the plank and more! The best part is that the party comes to you. Choose to have your party in a large back yard or nearby park and it'll all be set up.
www.alicestravelingteaparty.com
ROLLING ROBOTS
Inspired by the magic that happens when kids and robots get together, Rolling Robots in Glendale sneaks in some learning while taking technology to a fun new level! Watching your kids discover their inner-scientist as they brainstorm, build and battle their Bots! Offering workshops and camps, as well as competitions, and not to mention one of the coolest places for a Minecraft party! Take your kids here and you'll be the parent of the year!
PALI ADVENTURES
Now we're not saying you should ever bribe your kids, however if you tell them that if they get good grades and do a lot of extra chores you might send them to Pali Adventures, you may see some interesting results! About an hour and a half outside of L.A., you'll find the Pali Mountains, home to one of the greatest summer camps in the world! Pali Adventures is a fantasy camp where kids get to live out their dreams with a choice of 21 different specialty camps. With choices like Spy Camp, Extreme Action Adventure, even Stuntman or DJ Academy, kids can have a summer experience like no other!
ROYCE'S ARCADE WAREHOUSE
For all our old school, arcade game playing moms and dads out there, we found a place that will turn you into a kid again! Royce's Arcade Warehouse is a hidden gem in Chatsworth filled with about 400 games from our childhood! Ms. Pacman, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Dig Dug, Galaga...the list is endless, and the best part is, you can now have these authentic arcade games in your own home at an affordable price! The Arcade Warehouse is designed to be the "Netflix" of arcade games. For $100 per month, with a three month minimum, they will deliver the game of your choice to your home and pick it up a month later! Bored with your Dungeons and Dragons choice? No problem! Swap it for Centipede! But wait, there's more! Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Royce opens his warehouse to the public for FREE PLAY all day!
SOCAL HELPFUL HONDA DEALERS
We're here to tell you that the Helpful Honda random acts of helpfulness is no myth! Those guys are real, and they love to help out around the community. The SoCal Helpful Honda dealers have a lot of fun lined up and you can easily get involved! We found them giving away free ice cream, and now you can request to have their free ice cream truck show up at your event, birthday party or school! Just check out their Facebook @SoCalHondaDealers or their twitter @HelpfulHonda to let them know where you want them to go using the hashtags #HelpfulHonda and #FreeIceCream.
To request a specific act of helpfulness for someone you know visit:
www.socalhondadealers.com/help-me-honda
KID FRIENDLY DINING
Let's face it, when it comes to dining, it's hard to find a place where kids can be kids, while the adults can enjoy their time as well. Luckily we found a couple of spots that everybody's gonna love! Over in Santa Monica, we can't get enough of Back on the Beach cafe. Located just behind the Annenberg Community Beach House, this awesome cafe has tables on the sand, an adjoining playground and some of the best Nutella French toast you'll ever experience! Up the coast in Malibu, we found the Malibu cafe at Calamigos Ranch. Outdoor brunch with the kids has never been more fun! With paddle boats, games of corn hole, ping pong and more, we promise the kids and the adults won't want to leave!
SUSHI ROKU PASADENA
What happens when you're craving sushi, but your kid thinks it's gross? Head over to Sushi Roku Pasadena and everyone can be happy! Their Okosama Kids Menu consists of either beef, chicken or, for the more adventurous little eaters, sushi, in cute bento boxes with yummy sides like tempura veggies, edamame, rice and applesauce. They also provide "Busy Bentos," a more worldly version of a happy meal toy to play with during dinner. The family-friendly restaurant even encourages kids to play with their chopsticks.
www.innovativedining.com/restaurants/sushiroku
CLAREMONT CHEF'S ACADEMY
Do you have a picky eater on your hands? Well the Claremont Chef's Academy may not only turn your kid into a foodie, but you might just find yourself with your own little personal chef! The culinary school offers cooking classes for kids as young as 3. Hands-on classes allow students to learn proper culinary trades such as knife skills, food safety and etiquette, as well as science, social, and math skills in a fun and safe environment. Students get to enjoy what they make at the end of class as well as take the recipes home.
www.claremontchefsacademy.com/
THE LOS ANGELES POLICE MUSEUM
Part history, part fun, the Los Angeles Police Museum in Highland Park takes up three floors of a beautiful old police station built in 1925. The perfect spot for the whole family to play cops and robbers as you explore a real jail cell, check out the uniforms, and climb aboard retired police cars, helicopters and tanks!
JEDI ACADEMY AT SWORDPLAY
For more than 30 years, Tim Weske has taught the art of sword fighting and fencing to Hollywood's biggest stars like Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, Russell Crowe and Natalie Portman, and today at his Burbank school called Swordplay he teaches it to anyone who wants to feel awesome! For the younger ones, they even offer their very popular, and totally adorable, Jedi Academy.
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