Los Angeles may be a great, big freeway but when you mercifully descend from those ribbons of congested concrete there’s plenty to do – especially if you have kids in tow.
- Suspend disbelief (it’s not hard in SoCal) while the kids immerse themselves in Universal Studios Hollywood’s new thrill excursion, Transformers: The Ride 3D. The experience sets out to blur the line ‘twixt what’s real and what’s not, melding HD 3D and flight simulation technology. This ride’s not for everyone. Kids have to be at least 40” tall to come on board, and children 40” to 48” tall have to be accompanied by a supervision companion who’s at least 14 years old.
- From the almost surreal to quintessentially down-to-earth science. That’s the leap you make when you head from Universal to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Reigning over NHM and its 35,000 or so specimens is Thomas, a 65-million-year-old T-Rex. He’s the undisputed star of the show. You’ll find the museum in Exposition Park.
- Nearby NHM is the forever fascinating California Science Center. This place re-defines the word “interactive.” There’s scant that’s bland about it. Check out the recently-opened Ecosystems exhibit that plumbs the oceans’ deepest depths and takes you to the tops of some of the tallest trees on earth.
- Open up the universe (literally) to your children with a foray to the fabled Griffith Observatory. The high point of the trip is the heavens above, but a good way to grasp their immensity is the Samuel Oschin Planetarium on the Griffith grounds. Keep in mind that children under five are admitted only to the day’s first show: 12:45 pm. On weekdays and 10:45 a.m. weekends.
(Image: modernrockstar)
