If you’re alright with spending a bit, you can head to the zoo or the Autry Museum of the American West, or even rent a horse. Our family has been so spoiled to take trips every few years from chilly Minnesota all the way to warm, sunny California. 10 Days of Family Fun in Southern California Our family opted for a non-traditional Thanksgiving this year, trading turkey for sunny Southern California. Disneyland is a classic for a reason. The San Diego Zoo is home to around 4,000 animals, but let’s be real: most of us are excited about the pandas. There are tons of shops to stop in and places to eat so you could easily spend an entire day just hanging out and having fun.We have only made it there one time, but it’s definitely a place I’m hoping to go back to and spend more time at because I’m sure there are tons of things that I missed!No matter what you find to do for free family things to do in Southern California, remember that no matter where you go, fun is always free.Most of these places that I mentioned could easily empty your bank account if you let them. Now we make sure to plan ahead and save for our trip.One major thing I like to do is find the most cost-effective ways to travel. This historic park and museum provides a look at California’s days of yore.
SoCal offers a plethora of great, family-friendly campgrounds. The open-air exhibits make the history a bit more fun for kids to absorb, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that they have fantastic food. It’s on the site of California’s first permanent settlement, which dates to 1769. It’s fun to not only test out your hand and feet prints with celebrities but to see some of the movie memorabilia, wax statues and more. There are beaches, shops, restaurants, beautiful views, and boat watching.For our little ones, we started out near Centennial Park.
Getting to watch the sunset at I don’t know if we just get lucky or what but every time we have visited Mission Beach or Mission Bay, we have had almost the entire place to ourselves.To be honest, I don’t love walking around shopping centers or malls all that much these days. The Go San Diego card lets you choose your attractions and bundle them together so you are not paying each individual entrance fee! Here are some of our favorite places (When our family used to travel, we would put most of our costs on a credit card and then just make payments throughout the year. This Pasadena museum is like a kids’ movie come to life. Some of the outdoor science exhibits can get muddy, so you might want to bring an extra change of clothes! You can’t go more than a few minutes without spotting people surfing, fishing, or playing beach volleyball—it’s basically straight out of a Beach Boys album. (Spoiler alert: none of us are very good at it.
Southern California is an outdoor playground of sorts for families because the weather's almost always nice, and the region has some of the finest beaches in the country.
Manhattan Beach is a short drive from LAX, so it’s also an ideal neighborhood to squeeze in some beach time if you’re only in Southern California on a layover. And if you get the chance, don’t miss out on their world famous Guests can stay in the ship’s original first-class staterooms. You must admit, it’s pretty dang fun to put your hands and feet into the celebrities’ cement impressions and pretend you’re a star. I wanted to walk you through 4 of our favorite ones that our family has personally enjoyed.During our most recent trip to Southern California, we took a day to visit Coronado Island.I can’t believe we hadn’t visited here before because it has literally everything you could possibly imagine for free family things to do in Southern California. For us, we have always worked to find free or budget-friendly places for our family to spend a day and none of the kids have complained.
You don’t have to go to Venice (or Vegas…) for a good old-fashioned gondola ride! | All Rights Reserved. Camp Snoopy, the kid-friendly section of the park, is chock full of Peanuts characters, and you can’t go wrong with that! There were tons of adorable shops, places to eat and a perfect spot for all the younger kiddos to play at.They loved running up and down the docks, checking out the view of San Diego and even getting their feet wet.I was going to say “for older kids,” but who am I kidding, it was a perfect place for 1 to 92.We decided to soak up more beach time in Coronado by cruising over to the other side of the island. The hardest part about all of this is finding a place and time to destress. Located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert in Southern California, Palm Springs is known for its healing hot springs, luxury hotels, world-class golf courses, and pampering spas. The Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre are legendary. Even if the only thing you do in Griffith Park is drive up and then leave, you’ll already have accomplished a rare feat, because it’s one of the only places worth visiting in LA that offers free park.
Belmont Shore in Long Beach is often overlooked, but this small beach community has some of the best shops, restaurants and fun activities around and has a great overall vibe. The TCL Chinese Theater is a great option for free family things to do in Southern California especially because it is also right next to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Love it or hate it, Hollywood is a Southern California staple. We just weren’t sure where.We parked our car along the La Jolla shoreline and walked up to the hiking trails of Torrey Pines. That in itself makes the place a freaking miracle! When you’re thinking of free family things to do in Southern California, a lot of people tend to overlook the LA area and I think that’s a big mistake.There are so many things to do and see with kids.
When you visit, you can learn about life in California from the 1700s onward. Here there are wide open beaches, white sand, and seashells ripe for the pickingDuring our first trip to Southern California, we stopped at La Jolla Shores for a big event they were hosting. They’re also just a short drive …