LOS ANGELES COUNTY

• Downtown Los Angeles

·El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument 

Between Main Street, Sunset Boulevard, Macy Street, Alameda Street, and Arcadia Street. (213) 628-1274. Open daily. Free. Visitors Center located in the Sepulveda House, 622 North Main Street (front entrance) and W-12 Olvera Street (rear entrance). Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

In 1781, forty-four bedraggled men, women, and children arrived from northern Mexico after a difficult seven-month journey, to found the Pueblo of Los Angeles. The settlers-eleven families of predominantly black, Indian, and mixed heritages-built earth huts around a central plaza, and today the area and its original buildings are preserved as El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. It’s a lively, fun place- as well as a historic one-that includes the city’s first firehouse and its oldest street, recreated as a Mexican marketplace.

A good place to begin your tour is at the Visitors Center, located in the 1887 Sepulveda House. (You can enter from either Main or Olvera street; the Victorian façade faces Main Street.) constructed in the Eastlake Victorian style, the Sepulveda House was a commercial building with an upstairs rooming house. The Visitors Center , housed in a restored Victorian shop (it once sold fireplace mantles), shows a free eighteen minute film on the history of the pueblo. As you leave Sepulveda House toward Olvera Street, you can peer behind glass to see the restored bedroom of Senora Sepulveda, the building’s original owner.

You can also take a free guided walking tour of El Pueblo Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the hour. The tours begin at the Docent Center, 130 Paseo de la Plaza, located next to the firehouse on the south side of the Plaza. The tour docents are well informed, friendly, and accustomed to children. The tours last an hour and include the basements of the Garnier buildings, which you cannot see on your own. The Garnier buildings, built in 1890 for Chinese tenants, are connected by underground tunnels. The basements, which have a colorful past, now house historical exhibits.

· Olvera Street

North of the Plaza between North Main and Alameda streets. (213) 625-5045. Daily, from about 10 a.m. to around 8 p.m.

One of the oldest streets in Los Angeles, Olvera Street was transformed from a rundown dirt road into a brick-paved Mexican marketplace lined with shops and puestos (stalls) in 1930. bustling, full of tourists, and very commercial, Olvera Street still manages to convey a colorful sense of the past. Children can see candles being dipped, a glassblower shapping glass, and an authentic blacksmith at work. At the north end of the street they can see a water trough carved by mission Indians in 1820.

Marvelous piñatas and Mexican handicrafts ranging from inexpensive to expensive are sold in the marketplace. There are a number of places to eat, including La Luz Dia (southwest corner of Olvera Street), where, if you climb the stairs leading to the restrooms, you can get a good view of women making tortillas by hand. Usually musicians stroll around Olvera Street, too.

The Plaza, south of Olvera Street, is a good place to stop and rest. Once the center of pueblo life, the Plaza now hosts a number of celebrations including the Blessing of the Animals, Mardi Gras, and Cinco de Mayo. The iron-grilled kiosk in the middle of the plaza serves  as a center for concerts.

·Avila Adobe

 The Avila Adobe is the oldest existing residence in the city of Los Angeles. Built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, one-time mayor of the pueblo, the seven-room adobe was the pueblo’s most elegant dwelling. Saved from demolition in the 1920’s by some civic-minded citizens, the adobe was completely restored-using original building materials-after being damaged in the 1971 earthquake.

            The adobe has been furnished in the style of a typical well-to-do California family of the early 1840’s. You’ll see the father’s office, where he kept his ledgers and the cowhides used for barter, the indoor kitchen (most cooking was done outdoors) with its wooden bathtub, and the elegant parent’s bedroom. Kids, of course will be most interested in the children’s bedroom with its cowhide bed, wooden cradle, chamber pot, clothes, and dolls. Outside is a packed-earth patio with an outdoor kitchen and an old wagon. 845 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012   Map   Website

· Old Plaza Firehouse

       Built in 1884, this two-story red brick building was Los Angeles’s first official fire station. It has been authentically restored to the era of the 1880s and is now a museum of early fire-fighting memorabilia. One of the first fire engines used in the city is on display, along with an original pumper and a chemical wagon. There are a large number of photographs, a collection of fire hats, and some old fire alarms, which the fire fighters on duty will ring for you.

Open the the public

 134 Paseo de la Plaza,  Los Angeles, CA 90012
 (213) 625-3741    Map

·One-Day Train Rides
 

Union Station
800 N. Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012-2177

 Get Driving Directions  The number to Amtrak is 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

Is there a kid (big or small) who doesn’t love trains? The grand Union Station, with its marble floors, big leather chairs, and flower-filled patios, is a fitting starting point for a train adventure. You can travel either to San Diego or to Santa Barbara and back easily in a day.

 The Amtrak to Santa Barbara leaves Los Angeles every day at 8:10 a.m. (arriving in Santa Barbara at 10:45 a.m.) and 9:50 a.m. (arriving at 12:10 p.m.). Trains leave Santa Barbara at 3:25 p.m. (arriving in Los Angeles at 6 p.m.) and 5:05 p.m. (arriving at 7:40 p.m.).  After the train passes through the San Fernando Valley, it goes through two tunnels under the Santa Susana Pass to the Simi Valley. The train stops at Oxnard and then travels right along the Pacific. There us a full dining car for the treat of a moving lunch.

            Round-trip excursion fare is $30 for adults on weekends, $25 during the week. Children ages 2-15 are half fare.

            Heading south, trains leave every day for San Diego at 6:15 a.m., 7:45 a.m., 10:50 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 6:20 p.m., and 9:05 p.m. The trip takes two hours and forty-five minutes. The last two trains from San Diego leave for Los Angeles at 6:45 and 9:05 p.m. With younger children you might want to ride only as far as San Juan Capistrano or San Clemente. Round-trip excursion fare from Los Angeles to San Diego is $38 for adults on weekends, $31 during the week. Children 2-15 are half fare.

            Amtrak also offers special package tours to the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Tijuana, and the San Diego Harbor. For more information on the tours, call Amtrak and wait on the line for an Amtrak operator.

            Reservations are required for the Santa Barbara train and are a good idea for San Diego. 

Chinatown

Bounded by Sunset Boulevard, North Hill and North Spring streets, and the Pasadena Freeway. The main gate is located at 900 North Broadway near College Street. Open daily. Free.

            Chinatown is the cultural center of Los Angeles’s large Chinese-American community. The present Chinatown dates from the 1930’s, when the original Chinese settlement, located southeast of Olvera Street, had to relocate to make way for Union Station.

            North Broadway is the main street of Chinatown. Here are Chinese restaurants and groceries, fresh fish and live poultry markets, as well as new shopping plazas. Central Chinatown in the 900 block of North Broadway is the section geared to tourists. As you enter the plaza through the pagoda gates, point out the carved animals and fish along the rooflines to your children. The animals provide the buildings with good luck. Your children will probably also enjoy seeing the mural of the fiery dragon painted on the bank building on the corner of your right. The shops along Gin Ling Way, although catering to tourists, are fun for browsing-you’ll find lots of kites and inexpensive toys. At night, lantern-covered lights brighten the plaza.

            The area along North Spring Street serves the community rather than tourists. The herb shop at 701 North Spring Street is particularly interesting.

            Chinatown contains many good, moderately priced Chinese restaurants. Since Chinese families take their children out to eat with them, nearly every restaurant here is accustomed to children. If you would like some other kind of food, you can take your children to Little Joe’s at 900 North Broadway-an old-fashioned, moderately priced spaghetti and meatball kind of place- or to Philippe the Original at 1001 North Alameda Street (one block east of North Spring Street. Known for its French dip sandwiches, Philippe’s offers counter service, old booths, sawdust on the floor, and tradition.

Click here for more History on the transformation of old Chinatown to the Chinatown that exists today. HISTORY

Chinese American Museum - The mission of the Chinese American Museum is to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of America's diverse heritage by researching, preserving, and sharing the history, rich cultural legacy and continuing contributions of Chinese Americans. The 7,200 square foot museum site stands inside El Pueblo Monument, a 44-acre public park located at the City's "birthplace" in downtown Los Angeles. Visitors to El Pueblo Monument have the opportunity to see a more inclusive picture of America in this "birthplace" of Los Angeles. They will be able to see in El Pueblo's cluster of 24 historic buildings, not only a restored Chinese American presence, but also a more ethnically diverse and accurate Southern California heritage. The Museum's prime location among so many other historic buildings will allow children and families to learn about the Chinese American experience in the context of a larger multicultural mosaic of people who have contributed toward the development of Los Angeles and Southern California.  Location -

425 North Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012  To find us, just follow the hanging red lanterns overhead!  (in El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, across from Union Station)  
Hours -  TUE -SUN 10:00 am until 3:00 pm   Admission is a $3 donation and free for members
(213) 485-8567 or (213) 626-5240 www.camla.org

San Antonio Winery 

737 Lamar Street. (213) 223-1401. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.- 7p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-6p.m. Free.

            Commercial winemaking in California started on the site of what is now Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. Louis Vignes planted a vineyard there and established a wine-making business in the 1830s. the San Antonio Winery, founded in 1917 and still run by the original family, is the oldest winery in Los Angeles still in operation.  On a self-conducted tour you’ll see the original winery building , built from boxcar sidings, and some of the wine-making equipment, including the enormous aging vats. In addition to wine tasting for adults, there is a delicatessen and sandwich shops on the premises that serves wonderful food. You can eat inside among the barrels of aging wine or outside on the lovely patio. (The patio closes at 3 p.m. on Sundays.)

Los Angeles Children’s Museum

310 North Main Street, in the Los Angeles Mall at street level. (213) 687-8800. Summer: Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. School year: Wednesday and Thursday, 2-4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.. Phone for school holiday hours. Admission $5 per person; and under 2, free.

            The Children’s Museum aptly describes itself as a place “where kids can touch the world.” Children are encouraged to touch, handle, feel, wear, ride, probe, construct, design, and otherwise discover the museum’s many exhibits. In the “Ethnic L.A.” exhibit, children use dress-up, craft making, game-playing, and walk-in exhibits to experience the various athnic cultures that make up Los Angeles. (A different culture is featured each year.) In the “Workshop Place,” children use egg cartons, paper tubes, Styrofoam bits, colored papers, crayons, scissors, glue-you name it-to make, well, whatever. In the “City Streets” exhibit, children can crawl through a drainage pipe, see what is beneath the sidewalks, walk on a catwalk, wear a fire fighter’s uniform, and sit on a police motorcycle.

            Children can create their own cartoon characters in Zoetrope, an animator’s workshop designed by Walt Disney Productions. In the Health Education Learning Project, or “H.E.L.P.” exhibit, children learn about health by playing in equipped doctor’s and dentist’s offices and a hospital emergency room. One of the most popular exhibits is the “Sticky City,” where giant foam shapes with Velcro tapes offer all sorts of wild construction possibilities. “Softspace” is a softly sculptured play space for children under three and their parents. There is also a spectacular Lego construction area, a working television newsroom, a mini-recording studio, a computerized pianocorder, a children’s theatre, and much more. The Children’s Museum is a place where kids can be themselves and where they can learn by having fun.

            The museum also offers special workshops and events year around. A museum shop sells children’s books, educational games, and toys. Membership in the museum is also available for individual children and adults, families, and organizations.

Little Tokyo

Bounded by First and Third streets from Main to Alameda streets. Little Tokyo is the heart of Los Angeles’s large Japanese-American community. It is an active and cohesive district with scores of businesses and restaurants. If you ever come here in the morning, you’ll see the shopkeepers starting their day by washing their windows just as their counterparts in Japan do. As in Japan, the moderately priced restaurants here (including the pizza parlor) have plastic displays of their food dishes in the windows.

            A great deal of recent development is evident in the area. The Japanese Village Plaza Mall 9between First and Second streets, near Central Avenue) is a lovely shopping mall with stone paths and fountains. In addition to shops and restaurants, the mall contains a number of Japanese accented fast-food places where kids can try a good teriyaki burger or a bowl of ramen gyoza. Take a moment to watch the imagawayaki (sort a dessert pancake) being made in the window of the Mitsuru Café. The Japanese Village Plaza Mall can be easily recognized by the traditional fireman’s lookout towering over the First Street entrance.

            Weller Court (between Los Angeles and San Pedro streets at the corner of Weller and Second streets) is another attractive shopping mall that is fun to explore. The three-level court, overlooking a central fountain, includes a number of shops and eating places, as well as a glass-walled elevator to ride. In the center of the broad pedestrian walkway is a monument to the Challenger astronaut Ellison Onikuza.

            Yaohan Plaza, at the Third and Alameda streets (the entrance is on Alameda; there is underground parking), is the newest shopping center in Little Tokyo. The indoor, three-story center is a fascinating place to visit. On the ground floor is a Japanese supermarket with a dazzling variety of Japanese foods. Just browsing through the aisles can be an educational experience. Among the shops and stores, is a Japanese-style florist, a Hello Kitty store, and a large bookstore that includes Japanese children’s books and a nice selection of origami paper. On the second floor of the mall is a very unusual clock tower that your children will want to see. The story-high tower has a maze of coiled tracks with different colored balls rolling from the top. (A display explains how to tell the time by counting the balls.) Yaohan Plaza also includes a variety of restaurants and snack bars, and a top-floor bowling alley.

            At the corner of First and Los Angeles streets is the impressive New Otani Hotel. Take the elevator to the fifth level and stroll in a lovely, genuine Japanese rooftop garden with waterfalls. While adults will be soothed by the garden’s serenity, children will be fascinated by the odd perspective that comes from being high above the city streets while seeming to be at ground level.

            The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center at 244 South San Pedro Street (phone: 213 628-2725) has displays and information on cultural events, such as Children’s Day, which is held in May in Little Tokyo. The plaza in front of the center contains a huge, fascinating rock sculpture dedicated to the first generation of Japanese immigrants.

            The new Japanese American National Museum should be open by the time you read this. Occupying the former site of a Buddhist temple at First Street and Central Avenue, the museum will feature exhibits documenting the Japanese experience in the United States. A hands-on area for children is planned to be a part of the museum. For more information, phone the museum at (213) 625-0414.

The Temporary Contemporary
152 North Central Avenue. (213) 626-6222. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Thursday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Friday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Adults, $4; students and seniors, $2; under 12, free. Admission fee includes the Museum of Contemporary Art at California Plaza. Free to all, Thursday 5 – 8 p.m.

            In 1983, the Temporary Contemporary opened in Little Tokyo as an exhibit space for the Museum of Contemporary Art while the new museum building on Grand Avenue was being constructed. The temporary museum, located in a pair of converted warehouses, proved so popular that it became a more-or-less permanent auxiliary of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

            Older children will enjoy the colorful warehouse space and many of the changing exhibits. (Younger children may find some of the artwork frightening.) The museum is easily accessed by wheelchairs and strollers. It makes a very nice outing for parents with babies.

Los Angeles Times Tours

202 West First Street (between Broadway and Spring streets). Parking at 221 South Spring Street. (213) 237-5757. Monday – Friday (except holidays), at 11:15 a.m. and 3 p.m. Minimum age is 10. Free.

            No reservations are needed for this one hour tour of the Los Angeles Times, which takes you through the editorial area, wire room, composing room (where the news stories are assembled into page form), and the distribution area. You’ll also see the high-speed presses, which are usually running. You can arrange for group tours by calling (213) 237-5757.

Grand Central Market
 

Broadway and Hill streets between Third and Fourth streets. (213) 624-2378. Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The block-deep Grand Central Market is a far cry from the local supermarkets of shopping malls most kids know. More than fifty independently operated stalls sell everything from rare spices to octopus to pigs’ heads. It’s exciting to see all the produce piled high and the eggs spread out, seemingly by the acre, instead of in Styrofoam containers. Plastic wrap is practically unheard of; butchers put your meat in waxed paper, and vendors place your produce in paper bags. The majority of customers are Spanish speaking and most stalls have bilingual signs and staff. A big health-food stand in the center of the market sells carrot shakes to tired shoppers.

Los Angeles Philharmonic Symphonies for Youth/Open House at the Bowl

Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Education Department, The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue, No. 405, Los Angeles, 90012. (213) 972-0703. June – August: (213) 850-2077.

 Each year the Los Angeles Philharmonic performs concerts especially for children ages six to twelve. The hour-long concerts have special children’s themes and are geared for their attention spans. Each piece of music is introduced with informative remarks by the conductor, and there are appearances by outstanding guest artists. Storytellers, narrators, puppets, and young soloists are also featured parts of the program, which are designed to instill an appreciation of music in children. The concerts are held in the elegant Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at 10:15 a.m. on five Saturdays during the school year. Seats are $5 to $7.50.

            Special half-hour concerts for younger children are offered in a program called Open House at the Music Center. The concerts for children ages three to six are held from 11:30 a.m. to noon on three Saturdays during the school year.

            The Philharmonic Association also offers an outstanding summer arts festival at the Hollywood Bowl. Called Open House at the Bowl, the festival offers six weeks of performances and workshops for children on weekday mornings. The lively programs include performances by dance, instrumental, theatrical, and puppet ensembles. A different program is featured each week. Performances are held Monday through Friday at 10:00 and 11:15 a.m. on the Open House Stage, located in the Box Office Circle area.

            Workshops for children ages three to twelve follow the performances at 11:00 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. The workshops, which are divided into age groups, relate to the performances and might include making puppets or instruments, learning magic, or participating in music or drama. The festival also exposes children to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, which rehearses at the Bowl most weekday mornings.

            Open House at the Hollywood Bowl is very popular and space in the workshops is limited, so make your reservations early. Also, it can get very hot at the Bowl, so dress children accordingly. You might want to apply sunscreen to fair children – everything happens outside. Many of the performances are signed, and children in wheelchairs are easily accommodated with advance notice. Performances are $3 for adults and children ages three and older. There is a separate $1 fee for workshops for children only. For more information, phone (213) 850-2000.

Museum of Contemporary Art

250 South Grand Avenue. (213) 626-6222. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Friday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Adults, $4; students and seniors, $2; under 12, free. Admission fee also covers the Temporary Contemporary. (A free shuttle bus runs between the museums.) Free to all, Thursday, 5 – 8 p.m.

            The artwork at the Museum of Contemporary Art begins with the museum building, a stunning red sandstone structure with pyramid-shaped skylights designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. Inside the bright galleries are displays from the museum’s permanent collection – international paintings, sculpture, photography, and environmental works from the 1940s on – and changing exhibits. (A free guide introducing families to the contemporary art of MOCA’s permanent collection is available form the information center.)

            Although almost everyone will appreciate seeing the outside of the museum building and the lovely courtyard fountains, a visit inside is probably best made with older children. The museum’s acoustics are such that one small child can make a great deal of noise. More important, young children may find some of the artwork frightening.

Wells Fargo History Museum
 

333 South Grand Avenue, on the northwest corner of the Wells Fargo Bank Center; entrance is on the corner of Third and Hope streets; up the stairway. (213) 253-7166. Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free.

Stagecoaches are the highlight of this shiny public-relations museum devoted to Wells Fargo history. Children can see (but not touch) a restored nineteenth-century Concord stagecoach resting on a replica of a “corduroy road”: logs placed crosswise over muddy trails so that vehicles could pass. A partially build coach, along with original coach maker's tools, gives children an idea of how stagecoaches where built. There is also a stagecoach cabin that children can climb into; inside they will hear a tape that describes an 1859 stage journey from Saint Louis to San Francisco.

            Other displays that would interest children include the Winchester rifles, gold nuggets, nineteenth-century reward posters, a turn-of-the-century safe, Pony Express saddles, and a replica of an 1850s Wells Fargo office complete with gold scales and a telegraph machine. There is also a small theater that plays free movies relating to Wells Fargo history and the era of the West.

Los Angeles Bonaventure Hotel

404 South Figueroa. (213) 624-1000

Children interested in what the buildings of the future may look like will enjoy a trip to the Bonaventure Hotel. (In fact, the hotel has been used as a set in science-fiction space films.) You cannot miss the hotel, with its skyscraping mirrored cylinders and its glass elevators gliding outside. Designed by architect John Portman, the hotel is quite something on the inside, too. You can enter the hotel lobby, located in the square base of the building, from either Flower or Figueroa streets. The space-age lobby, circled by reflecting pools, is several stories high, with overhead balconies. Don’t miss taking a ride on the glass-walled elevators; it’s quite a thrill for kids to see the view as the zoom thirty-five floors up the exterior of the building.

            There are several inexpensive places to eat or snack in the hotel’s shopping gallery, or you might want to explore Bunker Hill a bit and head over to the rather elegant McDonald’s in the Court at Wells Fargo Center. To get to the Court, take the skywalk from the fifth floor of the Bonaventure, which leads east over Flower Street. On the other side of the skywalk, you’ll find the new Stuart M. Ketchum downtown YMCA. (Take a peek inside to watch swimmers through the glass in the lobby.) Then continue along Fourth Street to the Court at Wells Fargo Center (350 South Hope Street) with its lovely sky-lit atrium and indoor garden. The McDonald’s inside the court is decorated in mauve and gray, with a terrace that offers a great view of downtown.

Clifton Cafeterias

Clifton’s Silver Spoon, 515 West Seventh Street at Olive. (213) 485-1726. Monday – Saturday, 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Clifton’s Brookdale, 648 South Broadway at Seventh Street. (213) 627-1673. Monday – Thursday, 6 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.; until 8 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Other Clifton’s Cafeterias are located in West Covina (818) 960-4741, Lakewood (213) 636-8747, and Laguna Hills (714) 855-6661.

            Clifton’s is not your ordinary cafeteria chain. The original cafeteria, established in 1931, let its customers pay whatever the wanted for a meal and no one was turned away hungry. Of course those days are long gone, but the Brookdale cafeteria still remains the flavor of the original with the same redwood-forest atmosphere complete with waterfall and brook. The Silver Spoon cafeteria has three dining rooms with different menus. There is a buffet upstairs in a Victorian setting, a conventional cafeteria, and a basement soup kitchen.

            The food at these cafeterias is inexpensive and reasonably good. Children under twelve get a special Treasure Tray for $2.69. After eating they can choose a free gift from the Treasure Chest. Decorated cakes are available for birthday parties if you can call three days in advance.

The Flower Market

700 Wall Street, Los Angeles.

            The 700 block of Wall Street is lined with wholesale flower markets that open in the middle of the night to sell flowers and plants to the city’s floral trade. The public is welcome after 9 a.m. weekdays and on Saturday. By 11 a.m. the stock is pretty much depleted. Even if you don’t buy any flowers, the flower district is a lot of fun to see. Before or after seeing the market, you might want to have breakfast out with your children. Gorky’s (536 East Eighth Street; phone 213 627-4060) just south of the flower market, is a Russian-themed cafeteria, popular with students and artists, that makes great pancakes. Vickman’s (1228 East Eighth Street; phone 213 622-3852) about nine blocks east of Central Avenue has been serving breakfast to the workers at the nearby Wholesale Produce Market since the 1930s. The cafeteria-style restaurant looks as if it hasn’t changed since it opened, and the breakfast are delicious.

Pacific Stock Exchange

233 South Beaudry. (213) 977-4700. Weekdays, 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Free.

            The trading floor of the Pacific Stock Exchange is second in size only to New York’s. You can get a firsthand look at the action from a viewing gallery on the twelfth floor. Tours can also be arranged.

• East Los Angeles

Lincoln Park/Plaza de la Raza

3501 Valley Boulevard. Park entrance is a block east of the intersection of Valley Boulevard and Mission Road. Plaza de la Raza (213) 223-2475. Free.

            This Park is the home of the Plaza de la Raza (Place of the People), a community-supported Mexican American cultural center. Cultural instruction with Hispanic emphasis is a given in classes that include dance, music, arts and crafts, piano, guitar, drama, and other subjects. There is a small fee for the classes, which are open to all. Plaza de la Raza also sponsors presentations of Mexican American music, dance, drama, and other cultural events.

            Scattered throughout the park’s forty-four acres are picnic tables, barbecues, a gymnasium, ball fields, and a swimming pool. The park has a lake with ducks to feed, and there is a fishing program for youngsters. There is also a children’s playground with an Aztec motif.

El Mercado

3425 East First Street. (213) 268-3451. Daily, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

            You can give your children a taste of Mexico without going further than East First Street on a visit to El Mercado, a bustling three-floor indoor Mexican market. On the main floor is a large supermarket surrounded on the outside by stalls selling everything from piñatas to fresh shrimp. Most interesting of all is the tortilleria, where you can watch conveyor belts carrying fresh hot tortillas. Upstairs is a series of restaurants and snack bars where you can sit at a table and watch the action on the mezzanine below while you eat. Mariachi bands are usually strolling around, too.

• South Central Los Angeles

California Museum of Science and Industry

700 State Drive, Exposition Park. (213) 744-7400. Daily, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free.

            Always a fascinating museum for children, the California Museum of Science and Industry recently underwent a $43 million renovation. Tripled in size, the museum complex is now the country’s second-largest science museum, ranking after the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

            Children can not only touch any of the exhibits in the museum, they can activate them, manipulate them, go inside them, and even converse with them. In the Energy Experience exhibit, children can learn about energy through question-and-answer video games; in the Bicycle Company exhibit, children can design their own bicycles on a computer and then become managers of a bicycle factory; in the Creative Computer exhibit, children can create their own computer art.

            Mathematical principles are demonstrated in ten exciting displays, complete with ringing bells and flashing lights. The transportation exhibit features computerized model electric trains. An agricultural exhibit features live chicks hatching in an incubator (chicken farmers bring the eggs to the museum every other day and take the newly hatched chicks back to the farm), honey-producing bees, and genetically cloned plants.

            Some of the most fascinating exhibits are housed in the new seven-story Aerospace Building. Included among the displays are the Gemini 11 space capsule, the Apollo 12 lunar descent engine, and Interstate III communications satellite, a T-38 Air Force trainer, and a replica of the Space Shuttle. On the ground floor, children can design their own airplanes; tap into a weather satellite, or call up a satellite image of another part of the world.

            Also outstanding is the octagonal Mitsubishi IMAX Theater, which offers viewers a five-story motion-picture screen and a six-channel stereo sound. Film topics include space, animals, athletes, and other subjects of general interest. The theater is open daily. Phone (213) 744-2015 for show information. Admission is $5.50 for adults and $4 for students and children. Outside the theater is the outdoor Air and Space Garden, which includes a United Airlines DC-8.

            In the renovated Hall of Health, the focus is on choices people can make to enhance their own health. At the Health for Life exhibit visitors insert personalized “credit” cards to check their breathing, pulse, heart rate, balance, stress level, and other vital signs. Another exciting part of the museum complex is the California Museum of Afro-American History and Culture. This 44,000-square-foot structure highlights the contributions of Black Americans to science, education, politics, religion, and sports. The Mark Taper Hall of Economics and Finance is still another new structure in the museum complex. The nation’s only separate museum facility devoted to the United States’ economy, the Hall of Economics and Finance uses dozens of one-of-a-kind exhibits to make economics interesting and entertaining.

            In addition to its regular exhibits, the Museum of Science and Industry has a number of temporary exhibits that change frequently. The museum also offers a superb program of Saturday Science Workshops for children ages 4 3/4 through eighth graders. Each workshop is geared to a specific grade level. Kindergartners and first graders can learn how animals adapt to their environments or about ocean surprises. Older children can build their own rockets, design their own places, or take a trip aboard a marine research boat. Summer workshops are also held. Phone the museum for a schedule and an application

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

900 Exposition Boulevard on the west side of the Rose Garden in Exposition Park. (213) 744-3414 or 744-3466 (tape). Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Adults, $5; senior citizens and students, $2.50; ages 5 –12, $1; under 5, free. Free first Tuesday of every month.

            One of the largest and most prominent museums of its kind in the country, the always popular Natural History Museum has recently undergone a major expansion. The highlight for kids is the new Discovery Center (open 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Tuesday – Sunday), a hands-on exploratory center designed for children of all ages. Located on the main level, near the original rotunda area, the Discovery Center gives kids the opportunity to handle all sorts of artifacts and scientific specimens. They can walk through a North American forest habitat, take fossil rubbings from a realistic-looking rock wall, study water drops under a microscope, try on costumes from around the world, and check out discovery boxes filled with special activities and things to examine.

            The Natural History Museum is too big to see it all in a single visit. Among the other highlights for children are the habitat halls showing North American, African, and exotic mammals in their natural environments, the new hall of birds featuring electronically animated bird habitats, the mega mouth shark display, and of course the dinosaurs. Kids will also enjoy the multimedia chaparral exhibit, which surrounds visitors in the sights and even smells of a chaparral ecology.

            Children will also be interested in the American and California history exhibits, which include a replica of a colonial kitchen and an 1889 streetcar, and the antique cars collection on the lower level.

            The museum offers Saturday workshops for parents and children, summer natural science workshops for kindergartners through eighth graders, and twice-monthly special family events in the Discovery Center. For more information about classes phone (213) 744-3342; for information about summer workshops phone (213) 744-3534.

Exposition Park Rose Garden

900 Exposition Boulevard, Daily, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free.

            Adjacent to the Natural History Museum is one of the largest rose gardens in the nation. The sunken garden contains more than sixteen thousand rosebushes and is a lovely spot for a stroll.

Watts Towers/Watts Towers Art Center

1765 East 107^th Street, Watts. (213) 569-8181. Watts Towers hours; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Adults, $2; children, $1.50. Art Center hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free.

            Sabatino Rodia, an Italian tile setter, devoted thirty-three years of his life to the construction of these soaring towers. Single-handedly, he wired steel reinforcing rods together into a lacy structure, stuccoes them with cement, pebbles, cup handles, old dishes, and other cast-off items. By the time he died in 1965, his towers were recognized as remarkable works of art. The towers grounds are open to the public on weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Phone the Art Center to inquire about school tours.) The Watts Towers Art Center (up the block at 1727 East 107^th Street) displays the work of local artists and has special exhibitions.

            An interesting and easy way to reach the Towers is by taking the Blue Line of the Los Angeles Metro System. You can take the light rail line from stations in downtown Los Angeles located at Seventh and Figueroa streets and Seventh and Flower streets. The towers are a short walk from the 103^rd Street Station. (You can’t miss them.) The fare on the Blue Line is $1.10 each way. Trains run every eight to fifteen minutes. For more information on the Blue Line, phone (213) 620-7245.

Dominguez Adobe/Rancho San Pedro

18127 South Alameda Street, Compton. (310) 631 5981. Tuesday and Wednesday, 1 – 4 p.m.; second and third Sunday of every month, 1 – 4 p.m. Free.

            Juan Jose Dominguez was a soldier with Father Serra’s original expedition from Mexico to found the California missions. He was rewarded for this long service with a seventy-five-thousand-acre Spanish land grant that covered the area south of the Pueblo de Los Angeles to the water. The land grant passed to Juan Jose’s nephew Manuel, who build a ranch house on it in 1862. the land is now covered by more than half-dozen different cities, but you can still see the ranch house, which has been restored as a museum.

• North Central Los Angeles

Elysian Park

Near the intersection of Pasadena and Golden State freeways. The main street through the park is Stadium Way. (From the Pasadena Freeway, take Stadium Way off ramp.) Park entrances are on Sunset Boulevard, Stadium Way, Scott Avenue, Academy Road, Morton Place, Riverside Drive – Golden State Freeway and North Broadway. (213) 225-2044. Daily, 5:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Free.

            Just North of downtown Los Angeles is a 585-acre park, much of which is in a wilderness state. The park includes picnic areas, miles of hiking trails, a ten-acre rare-tree grove (in which the trees are labeled), a small lake, tennis courts, and baseball diamonds. A play area for small children is located in the arboretum in the area bounded by Elysian Park Road, Stadium Way, and Academy Road. The park also has a new playground, the Pepsi Play park, which has been designed so that physically challenged children can easily join in the play. Adaptations include equipment placed at special heights, transfer bars, and rubber ground cover. The center of the park, along Stadium Way, is landscaped and is a good place for family picnics. The park is most enjoyable on weekdays, when it is quiet. Weekends, the park is extremely crowded.

Heritage Square

Exit Pasadena Freeway on Avenue 43, go east on Homer Street (just on the other side of the freeway), then south to the end of the street. (818) 449-0193. The grounds are open Wednesday – Sunday and most holidays, 12 – 4 p.m. The historic structures are open only on weekends and holidays.  Weekdays: Adults, $3; senior citizens and ages 12 –17, $1.50; 12 and under, free. Weekends and holidays: Adults, $4.50; senior citizens and ages 12 – 17, $3; 12 and under, free.

            Heritage Square is a haven for some of the city’s endangered Victorian buildings. Eight significant structures, which would otherwise have been demolished, have been brought together in this ten-acre park. The buildings, including an 1897 church and the Palms Railroad Station, have been arranged in a village setting of lawns, shade streets, and period lamp posts. The restoration work, supported by public contribution and carried out largely by volunteer craftsmen, is going slowly. So far the 1887 Hale House, originally at Avenue 45 and Figueroa, has been completely restored and furnished with railroad memorabilia. Some of the buildings that are in the process of restoration are also open. You are welcome to picnic on the green.

            The best time to visit the park with children is during one of the park’s special events. Among the events are old-fashioned 4^th of July and Labor Day picnics, Christmas-seasoned festivities, vintage car displays, brass band concerts, and more.

Southwest Museum

234 Museum Drive, Highland Park. From central Los Angeles, take the Pasadena Freeway north to Avenue 43, go left on Avenue 43 to Figueroa, right on Figueroa, left on Avenue 45, right on Marmion Way, and left on Museum Drive. (213) 221-2163. Tuesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Adults, $5; senior citizens and students, $3; ages 7 – 18, $2; under 7, free.

            Perched on a hill overlooking Highland Park, the Southwest Museum looks like a monastery. The museum is devoted to the history and culture of the American Indians, particularly the Indians of California and the Southwest. The best way to enter the museum is through the long tunnel on Museum Drive, which is lined with dioramas depicting southwestern Indian life. (Children have to be about four feet tall to see the dioramas without being lifted. Preschool children might find the somewhat dark tunnel frightening, and children should probably be at least eight to enjoy the museum in general.) At the end of the tunnel is an elevator that takes you up 108 feet to the museum.

            Inside the museum, some of the high points for the children are a large totem pole, Indian headdresses and clothing, a replica of Chumash Indian rock art site, some fascinating Indian masks, a collection of Hopi kachina dolls, and a full-size southern Cheyenne tipi.

            The museum also sponsors film series, some of which may be of interest to children; workshops for children; and family programs that include stories and songs.

Lummis Home

200 East Avenue 43, Highland Park. (From the Pasadena Freeway, take the Avenue 43 exit.) (213) 222-0546. Thursday – Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m. Free.

            Near the Southwest Museum is the home of its founder, Charles Lummis. A noted writer, editor, archeologist, historian, and western enthusiast, Lummis built his home by hand using local stones, hand-hewn timber, and telegraph poles from the Santa Fe Railroad. A curator from the Historical Society of Southern California will be pleased to give a personal tour of this remarkable home, and point out Lummis’s Early California memorabilia and his photos of southwestern Indians. Children should be at least eight or nine to appreciate the home. Outside is a lovely garden of native California plants.

• Los Feliz and Hollywood

Griffith Park

Main entrances on Los Feliz Boulevard at Vermont Avenue, Western Avenue, and Riverside Drive. Griffith Park lies just west of the Golden State Freeway (I-5), roughly between Los Feliz Boulevard on the south and the Ventura (134) on the north. Freeway off ramps leading to the park from I-5 are Los Feliz Boulevard, Griffith Park (direct entry), and Zoo Drive. Approaching the park on Freeway 134 east bound, take either the Forest Lawn Drive at Victory Boulevard off ramp. From Freeway 134 west bound, take Zoo Drive or Forest Lawn Drive. After leaving the freeways, follow signs into the park. (213) 665-5188. Daily 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. Bridle and hiking trails and mountain roads close at sunset. Free.

            Children in Los Angeles have the largest city park in the United States for a playground. Covering more than four thousand acres, Griffith Park offers picnic areas, children’s playgrounds, hiking and bridle trails, a famous zoo, a fascinating new museum, a miniature railroad, pony and stagecoach rides, an observatory and planetarium, an old-fashioned merry-go-round, and plenty of other kids to play with. A free map of the park, including hiking trails, is available at the Ranger Headquarters and Visitors Center, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive.

Griffith Observatory and Planetarium

2800 East Observatory Road, located at the north end of Vermont Avenue, on the south side of the park. (213) 664-1191. The Hall of Science is open daily in summer from 12:30 – 10 p.m. (Saturdays, 11:30 – 10 p.m.) Winter hours: Tuesday – Friday, 2 – 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 12:30 – 10 p.m. Free. Planetarium shows in summer: Monday – Friday, 1:30, 3, and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1:30, 3, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m. Winter: Tuesday – Friday, 3 and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1:30, 3, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m. Ages 16 and older, $3.50; seniors, $2.50; ages 5 – 15, $2.

            The Griffith Observatory houses one of the largest public telescopes in California. It is open for free viewing every clear evening, except Monday, from 7 to 9:45 p.m. (In the summer it is open daily from dark until 10 p.m.) For a recorded message on the current planet positions and sky events, phone (213) 663-8171.

            The Hall of Science in the Observatory has exhibits in astronomy and the physical sciences. Highlights include a pendulum showing the rotation of the earth, a six-foot-three-inch-diameter globe of the earth, a seismograph that reacts to the vibrations of feet stomped on the floor, and a submarine periscope.

            A huge projector fills the seventy-five-foot dome of the adjacent planetarium with realistic views of the skies as they appear at any time from any point on earth. The hour-long presentations change regularly. Shows are selected for their dramatic appeal as well as their astronomical interest. Children under five are not admitted to the planetarium shows – they might find them frightening – except for the special children’s presentations at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (daily during the summer).

            Older children and teenagers will enjoy the Laserium show at the Observatory. It’s a laser-beam concert with high fidelity rock or other music and impressive special effects. Shows are generally scheduled Tuesday through Thursday at 6 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 6, 8:45, and 9:45 p.m.; and Sunday at 6 and 8:45 p.m. Summers add Monday shows. Tickets are $6.50 for adults and $5.50 for ages five through twelve. Children under five are not permitted. Tickets are available through TicketMaster and other outlets, or at the Observatory. If you plan to get your tickets at the Observatory, arrive forty-five minutes to one hour before show time. For Laserium information phone (818) 997-3624.

Travel Town

On Zoo Drive near Griffith Park Drive, Griffith Park. (213) 662-5874. Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closes one hour later during the summer. Free.

            The largest collection of steam locomotives west of the Mississippi River is located in this delightful outdoor museum. In addition to the locomotives are boxcars, cabooses, dining cars, and even yellow streetcars from the old days in Los Angeles. Children can climb aboard most of the trains, including the locomotive cabs, and let their imaginations go.

            Travel Town is undergoing major restoration. Volunteer groups are working to restore the railroad cars, and the new acquisition, an operating diesel switch locomotive, is helping to move cars. An indoor area of the museum houses a newly reorganized exhibit of fire-fighting equipment to tell the story of the Los Angeles Fire Department from 1869 to 1940.

            There are plenty of benches for adults to sit on while the kids are climbing on trains, and you can picnic on the lawn. A miniature train leaving from Travel Town’s restored Southern Pacific Depot offers children rides for $1.25 (adults, $1.75). You can also arrange to have your children’s birthday party in the Travel Town Birthday Car, which is decorated just for kids. (The car comes equipped with air-conditioning and a refrigerator/freezer.)

            On Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Los Angeles Live Steamers Club members operate their own miniature steam engines on a layout track east of Travel Town. The tiny trains are authentic in every detail, and the children are welcome to ride them for free.

Pony, Stagecoach, and Miniature Train Rides

Crystal Springs Drive near Los Feliz Boulevard, Griffith Park. Pony/Stagecoach: (213) 664-3266. Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Train: (213) 664-6788. Winter: Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; weekends, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Summer: Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; weekends, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

            Children as young as a year old can ride the ponies here. A track of slowly walking ponies lets the kids take their first rides with Mom or Dad walking next to them. A separate oval course has a medium track for children three and up and a fast track for children seven and older. Stagecoach rides are also offered. Stagecoach and pony rides are $1.25.

            Nearby is another miniature train that provides rides for children and adults. The fare for people fourteen years and up is $1.50; those younger ride for $1.25.

Merry-Go-Round

Located just off Griffith Park Drive near the main concession stand in Griffith Park. (213) 665-3051. Winter hours: Weekends and holidays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Summer hours: Daily, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

            Crafted in 1926, this lovely old (but well-preserved) four-abreast carousel offers rides for children and adults for 75 cents.

Los Angeles Zoo

5333 Zoo Drive, in Griffith Park near the intersection of the Ventura and Golden State freeways. (213) 666-4090. Open every day except Christmas, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Open until 6 p.m. during summer. Adults, $6; senior citizens, $5; ages 2 – 12, $2.75; under 2, free.

            More than two thousand animals from all over the world live here on some eighty acres of landscaped hilly terrain. The animals are grouped by area of origin – Africa, Eurasia, North America, South America, and Australia – residing in moat-enclosed environments designed to simulate their native habitats. In addition to all the regular kinds of zoo animals, the Los Angeles Zoo also has mountain tapirs, emperor tamarins, red-flanked duikers, and several other species available for viewing nowhere else in the United States. The zoo also contains a delightful koala bear exhibit, an aquatics section, an aviary, a reptile house, and a new children’s zoo called Adventure Island. Animal shows are scheduled daily.

            The zoo has an attractive new entry with shops and snack bars. There are also snack bars inside the zoo, picnic areas, and playgrounds. Strollers and wheelchairs are available for rent. A family zoo membership, which includes unlimited free admission for all household members are free admission to more than eighty reciprocal zoos nationwide, is available for $40 a year. Week-long summer camps running from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. are also offered for children six to eleven.

Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum

4700 Zoo Drive, in Griffith Park, across from the zoo parking lot. (213) 667-2000. Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Adults, $6.00; students and seniors, $4.50; ages 2 – 12, $2.50.

            The Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum is an exciting and major new museum devoted to the history of the American West. Seven permanent galleries designed by Walt Disney Imagineering Depict the history of the West from the early explorations of the Spanish Conquistadors to the present day. Exhibits range from traditional displays to artifacts to elaborate and creative multimedia presentations.

            The focus of much of the museum is on the real everyday lives and occupations of the people who helped settle the West. For example, the tools and personal belongings carried on a journey west are featured in an exhibit with sounds and voices from the past. As counterpoint to the “real” West, the museum depicts the West of romance created in films, novels, advertising, and art. Some of the exhibits, including a western “screen test,” offers children an opportunity to participate.

            The museum is housed in an attractive tri-level building that looks like a modern southwestern mission. The building includes a 250-seat theater, an education center, a research library, a café, and a museum store. All museum areas are wheelchair and stroller accessible.

Happily Ever After

2640 Griffith Park Boulevard (near Hyperion Avenue), Los Angeles, (213) 668-1996. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.  ; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

            This children’s bookstore is located in a cozy yellow house. Babies and toddlers have their own book area, which includes an inviting basket of toys in the center if the floor. Another room contains a blue couch and a fine selection of books for preschool children through young adults. Picture books are arranged by subject-such as school concerns, siblings and sleep problems- as well as conventionally by author. Books for parents are shelved in a separate room that includes a large chair. The store also sells some educational toys, wooden stamps, and book-related cassettes and videotapes.

            A story hour for toddlers is held on the first and third Wednesday of each month from 10:30 to 11 am. With their parents, children hear stories, learn hand games, and sing songs. (No pre-registration is necessary, although you should call before coming.) The store also holds a Halloween party featuring ghost stories told around a campfire behind the store. Happily Ever After will also special order books for you and provide free gift wrapping.

Barnsdall Park

4800 Hollywood Boulevard. (213) 662-7272. Daily 9a.m.- 10 p.m. Free. 

            Located on the hilltop surrounded by olive trees above the bustle of East Hollywood, Barnsdall Park has become a major cultural center in the city of Los Angeles. The park land once belonged to oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, who commissioned architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design their home, called Hollyhock House, on the crown of the hill. In addition to picnic facilities and children’s play areas , the 13.5-acre park includes a municipal art gallery ; an arts and crafts center ; a junior arts center: and Hollyhock House, which is open for tours to the public.

Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery

Barnsdall Park. (213) 485-4581. Tuesday-Sunday, 12:30-5 p.m. Adults $1;  13 and under free.

            The Los Angeles Municipal Gallery displays the works of contemporary Southern California artists in regularly changing exhibitions. The gallery is a good place for kids to get acquainted with the artwork of others, Exhibitions frequently deal with some aspect of the creative process- for example, how artists perceive such ordinary objects such as the telephone. Folk art, conceptual art, and works that children and others can participate in are included in the exhibitions. Most displays include statements by the artists, which help explain what their work is all about.

            Visitors are allowed on days when exhibitions are being installed, which can be very interesting for children. The docents at the gallery are understanding and enjoy answering their questions. The annual Magical Mystery Tour, held at Christmas, is an exhibition of fantasy and fun artwork designed for children.

Junior Arts Center

Barnsdall Park. (213) 485-4474. Gallery hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 12:30 – 5 p.m.

            The Junior Arts Center offers an excellent program of arts workshops for children and young people ages three through seventeen. The classes – which include painting, drawing, clay, photography, movement, theater, film and video workshops, as well as other arts and crafts workshops – are taught by experienced artists and craftspersons. Workshop sessions are generally divided into seven – to eight – week fall, winter, spring, and summer quarters and a shorter December arts program. Classes meet once a week and contain about twelve students.

            The gallery in the arts center has changing shows designed for children. Other programs include Sunday Open Sunday, a series of free art workshops for the whole family on Sundays from 2 – 4 p.m., and special events such as story-telling and art festivals. A visual arts program for physically challenged children is offered, and accommodations  for physically challenged children in other programs are readily made.

Hollyhock House

Barnsdall Park. (213) 485-4581. Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 12, 1, 2, and 3 p.m. Adults, $1.50; seniors, $1; 12 and under, free with an adult. Tickets are sold at the Municipal Art Gallery next to the house.

            Aline Barnsdall’s home was the first residence in Los Angeles designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and is the on Wright house open to the public on a regular basis. Wright decorated the main house with stylized designs of Barnsdall’s favorite flower, the hollyhock. This remarkable house was restored in 1970 and refurbished with many of the original fixtures and furniture. The tour is best appreciated by older children and teenagers.

The Hollywood Studio Museum

2100 North Highland Avenue, Hollywood, on the opposite side of the street and slightly to the south of the Hollywood Bowl. (213) 874-2276. Summers: Thursday and Friday, 12 – 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The rest of the year: Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Adults, $3.50; seniors and students, $2.50; ages 6 – 12, $1.50.

In 1913, Cecil B. DeMille established Hollywood’s first major film studio in a barn on the corner of Selma and Vine streets. Today the restored (and relocated) barn serves as a museum dedicated to the silent film era in Hollywood.

            A twenty-minute video presentation on the museum and the history of Hollywood is shown in a small screening room. (If your children are young, ask to skip the film. It would not interest them.) Exhibits that would interest children include early motion-picture cameras, projectors, and stud lights; costumes, including Roman shields; models of the Spanish galleons used in early pirate movies; and the chariot from Ben Hur.

            You might want to combine this museum with a visit to the nearby Hollywood Bowl Museum.

Hollywood Bowl Museum

2301 North Highland Avenue, Hollywood. On the Hollywood Bowl grounds, next to the Patio Restaurant. (213) 850-2058. September 14 – June 29; Tuesday – Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. June 30 – September 13: Daily 9:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. on concert days, until 4:30 p.m. on other days. Free.

            The Hollywood Bowl Museum offers changing exhibits on the performing arts and the Hollywood Bowl. Exhibits change yearly, usually around November. There are two small listening rooms where you can hear music tapes pertaining to the exhibit. Just up from the museum is a picnic area.

• Mid-Wilshire

Bob Baker Marionette Theater

1345 West First Street. (213) 250-9995. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the Box Office any day between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Performances: Tuesday – Friday, 10:30 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m.; extra performances may be scheduled. $8 per person. Admission includes performance, workshop tour, and refreshments.

            One of the oldest continuing theaters in Los Angeles is a puppet/marionette theater for kids. Children sit on the floor close to the stage and watch Bob Baker marionettes perform in wonderful fast-paced productions. After the show, kids are given a tour of the puppet studio to see how marionettes are made and then are served ice cream, cookies, and punch. (There’s coffee for grownups.) The whole experience takes about two hours and even very young children can appreciate it. The Bob Baker people are not only serious about the art of puppetry, they also genuinely enjoy kids. (Their holiday productions are a particular delight.) Group and birthday arrangements can also be made.

Grier-Musser Museum

403 South Bonnie Brae Avenue (two blocks east of Alvarado Street, just north of Third Street). (213) 413-1814. Wednesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Adults, $3; ages 5 – 15, $1.50; under 5, free.

            A restored Victorian home serves as a reminder of a slower, earlier time in this urban neighborhood. The house is furnished in the period, with nineteenth-century personal household items, including toys. A little girl’s room contains old-fashioned dolls. On Saturdays, antique postcards are displayed.

La Brea Tar Pits/ George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries

5801 Wilshire Boulevard, Hancock Park. (213) 857-6311 or 936-2330 (tape). Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Adults, $5; seniors and students, $2.50; ages 5-10, $1; under 5, free. Free the second Tuesday of the month.

            For thousands of years, prehistoric animals were trapped in these tar pits when they mistook the shiny black pools for water and got stuck in the ooze. The heavy asphalt, however, was a superb preservative. Since 1905 when archeologists began exploring the tar pits, more than 500,000 specimens of plants, reptiles, insects, birds, and mammals have been recovered. Today, life-sized fiberglass reproductions of some of the ancient animals – most notably, the imperial mammoths with their 12 1/2-foot-long tusks – recreate a bit of the scene from thirty to forty thousand years ago at the tar pits.

            The skeletons of the creatures uncovered at the tar pits are on display in the beautiful George C. Page Museum on the park grounds. In a nicely laid out exhibition space, you’ll see the reconstructed skeletons of saber-tooth cats, giant ground sloths, dire wolves, mastodons, a twelve-foot-high imperial mammoth, and extinct varieties of camels and birds. (Dinosaurs, kids may be disappointed to learn, disappeared sixty-five million years before the La Brea tar pits were ever formed.) An open-view paleontological laboratory gives children the opportunity to watch technicians as the clean, repair, and sort the many fossils still being prepared for research.

            Children will especially enjoy the museum’s Asphalt is Sticky exhibit, where they can actually experiment with the La Brea ooze. Murals and three-dimensional dioramas of prehistoric beasts serve as a lively backdrop for the exhibits. Twin theaters show a continuous fifteen-minute documentary outlining the story of the tar pits. The museum also boasts a lovely interior garden. Kids will enjoy climbing the stairs to the museum rooftop for an overhead view.

Craft and Folk Art Museum

Temporary: 6067 Wilshire Boulevard, in the May Company, on the fourth floor. Permanent (under construction): 5800 Wilshire Boulevard. (213) 937-5544. Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free, donations appreciated.

            This fine museum of ethnic and folk art often has exhibits that interest children. Recent exhibits have included papier-mache mariachi figures and vintage eyeglasses made of everything from metal to coconut husks.

            The museum also offers Sunday Family Night programs for children and their parents. The programs, which are for ages four and up, include a lively storytelling session followed by a craft workshop. Check with the museum for the schedule and cost; reservations are required.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

5905 Wilshire Boulevard. (213) 857-6000. Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Adults, $5.00; students and senior citizens, $3.50; ages 6 –17, $1; under 6 free. Free the second Tuesday of the month.

            The collections in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art range from ancient treasures to the very latest in modern art. The museum, the largest in the western United States, is composed of four main buildings: the Ahmanson Gallery on the west, the Hammer Building on the north, the Bing Center on the east, and the 1986 Robert O. Anderson Building in the front. There is also a new pavilion for Japanese art. The buildings are united by a court and a stunning new museum entrance.

            Children will probably find the ancient artifacts displayed in the Ahmanson Gallery the most interesting. Many of the pieces are at their eye level. The ethnic art and the pre-Columbian galleries are located on the plaza level; the Egyptian, ancient west Asian, ancient Iran, and Greek and Roman galleries are on the second level. Children will probably also enjoy  seeing the costumes displayed on the third level and the impressionist art hanging on the second level of the Hammer Building. Baby carriages and strollers are permitted in all galleries except for crowded special exhibitions.

            The Bing Theater in the Bing Center offers excellent film series, including many family films. Call the museum for the schedule. The Bing Center also has a pleasant café. You can eat inside or out.

            The museum offers art classes year round for children and adults. Children ages 3 1/2 to five participate with their parents in a variety of gallery experiences that include storytelling, sketching from artworks in the galleries, and other art activities. Fourth through sixth graders study works of art in the galleries and do a variety of art activities. Classes generally meet once a week for five weeks. For more information, phone the art class registrar at (213) 857-6139.

            Special school tours are also available for the fourth through twelfth grades. For more information, call the Docent Office at (213) 857-6108.

Farmer’s Market

6333 West Third Street (at Fairfax). (213) 933-9211. Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (until 7 p.m. in summer); Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (until 6 p.m. in summer). Closed holidays.

            The Farmer’s Market originated during the Depression when a group of farmers set up stalls on a large vacant field to sell their produce. The market has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Today it is a sprawling tourist attraction with some 160 shops, stores, stalls, and outdoor restaurants.

            The market is very crowded and touristy, so I would not plan a long visit with children. On a brief visit, however, kids will enjoy watching the candy makers and bakers at work behind glass, and seeing peanut butter being made in a large machine. There is also a pet store that is fun to visit.

            You can have a wonderful meal at the market. There are twenty-six different kitchens selling all sorts of American and international food. Many of the eating places are close together, so it is possible to sample items from more than one restaurant and enjoy them at an outdoor table.

• Beverly Hills and West Los Angeles

Beverly Hills Public Library Story Hour

444 North Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills. (310) 288-2200 or 288-2211 (children’s librarian). Free.

            The Beverly Hills Public Library holds a forty-five-minute story hour for children ages three through five on Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. The children hear stories, sing songs, and play games. (Parents are not allowed in the room.) A story hour for kindergartners and above is held on Saturdays at 4 p.m.

            Children must be registered to attend the story hour. To register, bring proof that the child is at least three years old and fill out the registration card at the library. You need not be a Beverly Hills resident to attend.

Beverly Hills Recreation and Parks Department

9268 West Third Street, Beverly Hills. (310) 285-2537.

            The Beverly Hills Recreation and Parks Department has a fine recreation program for children from infants up. Babies as young as three months can participate with their parents in classes designed to stimulate their senses, coordination, and flexibility. A tiny-tots series provides two-to-three-year-olds with an opportunity to socialize with others and participate in art and music. Children from 2 3/4 to five can enroll in a preschool program of art, drama, music, exercise, and socialization. Available to older children are a number of after-school and Saturday workshops, including instruction in gymnastics, art, puppetry, and dance. Family field trips are scheduled throughout the year. The Recreation and Parks Department also offers a daycare for children from five to thirteen years old. Non Beverly Hills residents may apply for the programs.

William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom

Franklin Canyon Ranch. Just north of Beverly Hills. The nature center overlooks the north end of Franklin Canyon Lake. Franklin Canyon Ranch, open to the public from dawn to dusk, is located in the lower canyon. From the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Beverly Drive, go north on Beverly Drive. Follow the sign to Coldwater Canyon Drive. At traffic light, go left on North Beverly Drive. (There is a fire station on the right.) Go one mile to Franklin Canyon Drive. Turn right into the hills for 1 1/2 miles to the white house on your right. Go past the house 300 feet north to the lower gate. Go through the gate and around the right side of the lake to the nature center parking lot. Or, turn right at the white house and go one mile south on Lake Drive to the Franklin Canyon Ranch. (310) 858-3834. Free.

            Located in Franklin Canyon, a pocket of wilderness north of Beverly Hills, the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom is a nonprofit environmental education organization serving the people of Los Angeles. The organization offers a number of programs for children and their parents, including family nature hikes, young children’s hikes, and hikes for singles parents and their kids. There is a nature center, open weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., that, among other exhibits, houses a king snake called Chaka. The center has brochures for self-guided nature trail and you can picnic in the park.

            One gem of a program sponsored by the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom is Babes in the Woods., decent-led nature hikes for children aged two months to three years and their parents. Babies may ride in strollers, Snuglis, or backpacks, or toddle along. The paths are easy, the pace is slow, and there are rest stops for feeding and diapering during the two-hour walks. Tykes-on-Hikes is a similar program for children ages four to six. Reservations are required, usually weeks in advance, for both programs.

TreePeople Tours

12601 Mulholland Drive (at Coldwater Canyon Road). (818) 753-4600. Sunday, 11 a.m. Free, but you must make a reservation a week in advance.

            TreePeople is a nonprofit organization dedicated to planting smog-resistant trees in areas damaged by air pollution. You can take a free guided tour of the headquarters in Coldwater Canyon Park on Sundays at 11 a.m. Phone (818) 753-4627 a week in advance to make a reservation. You’ll learn some things you probably didn’t know about trees as a guide leads you along trails through the park. You’ll also see the organization’s tree nursery, gardens, and beehives.

Junior Programs of California

1230 Comstock Avenue. (310) 271-6402.

            Junior Programs of California is a nonprofit organization that provides children’s plays, musicals, and cultural events at various locations throughout the country, including West Los Angeles (at UCLA), Lakewood, San Gabriel, and La Mirada. Three to six events are given in each area from October to May. The programs, which take place on weekends, last an hour and are geared to elementary-school-age children. The prices vary from $4 to $5 for children and from $4 to $6 for adults. The newspaper may announce the programs, but it is best to call the organization and ask to be put on the mailing list.

Nursery Nature Walks

12021 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 250. (213) 964-3955. $5 donations per family.

            Nursery Nature Walks offers families with young children an opportunity to enjoy gentle, docent-led nature walks in a variety of locations. The volunteer, non-profit organization specializes in walks for families with young children from infants to kindergartners – although older children may come along. Babies can ride in Snuglis, backpacks, or strollers and older children can join on foot. The pace is slow and the emphasis is on helping children to discover nature. A wonderful feature of the program is that walks take place in parks and mountain areas across much of Los Angeles County. To find out about walks in Orange County, phone (714) 859-3496. In addition to a variety of locations in West Los Angeles and Santa Monica/Malibu, walks take place throughout the San Fernando Valley, and in Calabasas, Thousand Oaks, Newhall, and Long Beach. Some sites are wheelchair-accessible. There are special walks for grandparents and grandchildren. Nursery Nature Walks also has a training program for parents who wish to become docents.

• Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Malibu

Museum of Flying

2772 Donald Douglas Loop North, Santa Monica. Take either the Bundy South or Centinela South Exit from the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10). Go two blocks south to Ocean Park Boulevard; turn right to 28^th Street, then left to the end of the street. Follow signs to the museum. (310) 392-8822. Wednesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Adults, $4; seniors, $3; students, $2; children 3 –12, $1.

            The shiny, new Museum of Flying is located (appropriately enough) at the Santa Monica Airport. Occupying the site where Douglas Aircraft was originally founded, the three-level museum features some two dozen historic aircraft, all in flying condition. Among the aircraft suspended from the ceiling and parked on the floor are the 1924 Douglas World Cruiser New Orleans – the first aircraft to circle the globe, a World War I era Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, and a World War II Spitfire. Kiosks showing videos of the exhibited aircraft in action are located next to most of the planes. The museum also has a theater that shows films about flying.

            The museum’s hangar doors are usually open, allowing you to see planes taking off and landing. You can also watch planes from Clover Park, just a short walk from the museum; or you can head for the lawn-covered observation area on top of the airport’s Clover Field Terminal.

Santa Monica College Planetarium

1900 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica. (310) 452-9223. Shows on Friday at 7 and 8 p.m. $4 per person. $6 for both programs.

            The Santa Monica College Planetarium offers two shows a week to the public on Friday evenings at 7 and 8 o’clock. The first show is generally an introduction to the current sky, and the second is a changing program. There is no minimum age limit for the shows, although they will be best enjoyed by school-age children and above. On clear nights after the shows, children can go up to the observatory telescope to view the sky. The planetarium is housed on the second floor of the Technology Building on the campus.

Children’s Book and Music Center

2500 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica. From Los Angeles, take the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) west to the Cloverfield-Twenty-sixth Street off ramp. Take Cloverfield north to Santa Monica Boulevard and turn right. (310) 829-0215. Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

            This excellent store has an outstanding collection of books and records for children. Bookshelves are arranged by age group and by subject matter. There are shelves devoted to fairy tales, Dr. Seuss, easy readers, children’s reference books, animal stories, bedtime stories, transportation, science, feelings and emotions, and many other topics, including death, divorce, birth, and sex. The record selection is equally broad, and there are record players with headphones so you can listen before buying. The store also boasts a fine selection of books and records relating to Black, Hispanic, Jewish, and other ethnic cultures. Videotapes and a broad range of children’s musical instruments are also sold. The large staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. A story time is held at 10 a.m. on Saturdays. Other special events include Saturday morning sing-alongs and frequent autograph parties. A mail-order catalog is also available.

Douglas Park

1155 Chelsea Avenue, Santa Monica. One block west of Twenty-sixth Street, between California and Wilshire. (310) 828-9912.

            Families with young children will particularly enjoy this lovely small park. The landscaping is very pretty, with green rolling lawns, streams, and a little duck pond. On the California Avenue side of the park is a busy playground, with a separate and fair-sized toddler play area. (There are even a couple of swinging benches for parents.) The playground is separated from the rest of the park by a large oval recessed track (once a wading pool) that is perfect for bike riding. There are public phones and restrooms in the park.

Santa Monica Playhouse

1211 Fourth Street, Santa Monica. (310) 394-9779. Performances: Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. All seats $6. Call for workshop schedule and costs.

            The Santa Monica Playhouse presents children’s plays or musicals every Saturday and Sunday afternoon. The programs, which change every three to four months, are recommended for ages three to ninety. Birthday party arrangements can be made. The playhouse also offers a summer theater workshop for children four to fifteen. The workshop introduces children to improvisation, scene study, make-up, costumes, music, diction, and live performance.

Angel’s Attic

516 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica. (310) 394-8331. Thursday – Sunday, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. Adults $4; senior citizens, $3; under 14, $2.

            The oldest house in Santa Monica, an 1875 Queen Anne Victorian, has been restored to serve to serve as Angel’s Attic, a museum of antique dollhouses, dolls, and toys benefiting autistic children. The house, with its gingerbread trimming and wicker-furniture porch, seems like a giant dollhouse itself. Inside are the real things. Among the most interesting dollhouses are an exact replica of Ann Hathaway’s cottage and a 1923 dollhouse from Puebla, Mexico, in the style of the well-to-do Mexican home of that era. Antique toys and miniatures are displayed on a track just below the ceiling. Old-fashioned dolls are displayed upstairs. There is also a small boutique selling dollhouse-related items.

            If you phone ahead for reservations, after seeing the museum, adults can have tea, and children can enjoy lemonade and cookies, at one of the wicker tables on the front porch on in the Victorian-style garden in the back. The museum, which is very much a “no touch” experience, would best be enjoyed by school-age children.

Santa Monica Pier

At the foot of Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica. (310) 458-8900.

            The highlight of the Santa Monica Pier is its 1922 Philadelphia Tobogan Company carousel. The carousel and the pavilion housing have been painstakingly and lovingly restored to their original splendor. Each of the forty-six hand-carved horses is different from the others, and all ride to the merry strains of one of the oldest Wurlitzer organs in the country.

            The pier, which has been severely damaged by storms, is undergoing restoration. A new extension to the south of the carousel has added a fun zone with children’s rides.

Westside Arts Center

1602 The Promenade (adjacent to the Santa Monica Pier), Santa Monica. (310) 395-1443.

            The Westside Arts Center is a private, non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing creative arts experiences for children of all incomes, cultures, and abilities. The Center’s studio arts program offers a variety of classes for children ages two through twelve. Two-to four-year olds and their parents can participate in classes in music and art. Four – to five-year olds may take classes in music, art, drama, ceramics, and Native American folk art. Among the classes for older children are bookmaking, cartooning, and video, as well as other art, drama, and music classes. The classes, which are taught by professional artists experienced in working with children, average about $90 for an eight-week (once-a-week) session. Scholarships are available.

            The center also offers family workshops, special event workshops, field trips, parent education seminars, a summer arts camp, and a birthday party program. There is also an outreach program, which goes to schools, and an annual Arts Fair.

Santa Monica Heritage Square Museum

2612 Main Street, Santa Monica. (310) 392-8537. Thursday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Sunday, 12 – 4 p.m. Closed holidays. Free, but donations appreciated.

            The city of Santa Monica worked for years to preserve, relocate, and restore the elegant nineteenth-century home that now serves as the Santa Monica Heritage Square Museum. The downstairs rooms of the house have been decorated to look as they would have in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The room that will interest children most is the kitchen with its old-fashioned stove and hot-water heater. Off the kitchen is a pantry with a 1920s beehive motor refrigerator that is still working.

            Upstairs are changing exhibits that relate to the history of Santa Monica. Past exhibits have included sports, the beach, and even boats. Perhaps the best time to visit with children is the holiday season, when the exhibits are often playful and the house is decorated for Christmas with a ten-foot tree hung with handmade old-style ornaments.

Burton Chace Park

End of Mindanao Way past Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey. (310) 305-9596.

            Located at the tip of the Mindanao jetty in the Chace Harbor at Marina del Rey, this park is a good place to watch boats, see airplanes (LAX is nearby), fly a kite (there is almost always a breeze), or just play. (The park is very crowded on Sundays, however.) There are picnic tables for barbecues. Free public concerts and other activities frequently take place in the park. Check with the park or the Marina Chamber of Commerce (phone:310-821-0555 for the current schedule).

Marina Beach

            Along Admiralty and Via Marina ways, between Palawan and Panay ways, Marina del Ray.

            This is an excellent beach for children because there are no big ocean waves. In addition to a sheltered surface, the inland beach has a shallow bottom.

Fisherman’s Village

13755 Fiji Way (off Admiralty Way), Marina del Rey. (310) 823-5411. Daily, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. (open until 10 p.m. in the summer).

            A replica of a Cape Cod fishing town, Fisherman’s Village is a shopping and restaurant complex along the waterfront in Marina del Rey. In the main square is an Orange Julius snack bar in a replica of a lighthouse. Nearby is an old-fashioned red wagon selling popcorn. One shop here that children may enjoy is Let’s Fly a Kite, which sells every imaginable type of kite.

            Two Mississippi riverboat replicas give regularly scheduled 45 minute narrated cruises of the harbor; tours leave the village boathouse at 13727 Fiji Way. Phone (310) 301-6000 for information on the cruises.

Will Rogers State Historical Park

14253 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades. (310) 454-8212. Park open daily, 8 a.m. – 5 pm. (until 7 p.m. during daylight savings time). House open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily, if staffing is available. (Phone ahead to be sure the house is open the day you visit.) Parking, $5.

            Will Rogers lived on this 187 acre rustic estate from the 1920s until his death in a plane crash in 1935. everything in this ranch house is maintained as it was when he lived there. (In the living room, the clock is stopped at 8:17, the time registered on his pilot’s watch when his plane crashed.) Kids will appreciate that the famous humorist was also a former cowboy, and the house looks like a cowboy lived there. Even as stuffed calf that Rogers used to lasso is in the living room. Next to the house is a little museum that shows a continuous free movie about Rogers.

            You can picnic on the large lawn area surrounding the house. Hiking trails wind through the hills above the house, some leading to excellent views of the city, mountains, and the ocean.

            Rogers was also an avid polo player who installed his own polo field on the estate. Games are still played on the field on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. (weather permitting; call the park to make sure the games are being played). The games are great fun to watch.

Rustic Canyon Recreation Center

601 Latimer Road. From Sunset Boulevard just south of Will Rogers Park, take Brooktree Road east to park. (310) 454-5734.

            The Rustic Canyon Recreation Center offers children classes in ballet, drama, creative movement, ceramics, art, and other subjects. Classes generally meet once a week and fees average $30 per eight week session. Student artwork is often exhibited at the center, which is located in a lovely glade.

J. Paul Getty Museum

17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. (Take the Sunset Freeway west; it merges with Pacific Coast Highway.) (310) 458-2003. Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free; however you must write or call the museum at least one week in advance for parking reservation, which serves as your entrance to the museum.

            Sitting on a high cliff overlooking the Pacific, the Getty museum building is an authentic re-creation of a first-century B.C. Roman seaside villa. All the colors and architectural details are like those used in ancient Rome. The gardens even contain the same type of trees, shrubs, and flowers that grew two thousand years ago in southern Italy. The museum’s collections consist of Greek and Roman antiques, western European paintings, and drawings from the thirteenth through the twentieth centuries, eighteenth-century French decorative art pieces, illuminated manuscripts, and classic photographs. Children will probably be most interested in the ground-floor Greek and Roman antiques which include many sculptures of animals.

Malibu Lagoon Museum/Adamson House

23200 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. The entrance is 300 yards west of the Malibu Pier. Parking is in a county lot on the ocean side of Pacific Coast Highway opposite Serra Road. From the parking lot, walk on the sidewalk on Pacific Coast Highway 80 yards east to the entrance. (310) 456-8432. Wednesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Last house tour is at 2 p.m.) House tour: Adults $2; ages 6 – 17, $1; under 6, free. Museum; free.

            In the early part of the century, all the land that is now Malibu was owned by one family. The daughter of that family built their house on the beach adjacent to the Malibu Lagoon. Her house, the Adamson House, is now operated by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and is open to the public. The Moorish-Spanish house is quite grand, featuring magnificent tile work. (There is even a colorfully tiled dog shower outside.) The docent-led house tour, which takes 30 –35 minutes will only be appreciated by older children. However everyone should enjoy seeing the Malibu Lagoon Museum, located in the former garage. Highlights of the museum for children include: Chumash Indian artifacts and displays depicting the history of surfing in Malibu. The grounds include shaded picnic tables with ocean views.

            Malibu Lagoon State Beach, adjacent to the house on the west side, is a rich tidal estuary providing haven for two hundred species of migratory birds and marine life. You explore the wetlands by walking along the boardwalk so as not to disturb the wildlife. Signs along the trail help you to identify the birds you are seeing. The Malibu Pier, to the east of Adamson, was first built as a landing point for visitors and supplies to Rancho Malibu. Today the state-owned pier is a good place to fish (the bait-tackle shop runs supplies) and to watch the local surfers in action.

Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area

Visitor information center Agoura road, Ste. 100, Agoura Hills, 91301. (818) 597-9192. Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Free.

            The Santa Monica Mountains stretch almost 50 miles across Los Angeles from Griffith Park to Point Mugu. In 1978, 15 years of effort to protect this resource culminated in the creation of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a new part of the national park system. The area encompasses a variety of mountain parks, as well as the public beaches between Point Mugu and Santa Monica.

            The Santa Monica Recreation Area offers a wide range of outdoor programs for families. Families can take easy Ranger-led hikes through trails in a number of the parks in the area. Special programs for children have included an early evening hike to learn about nocturnal animals, a look at the special qualities of birds, an introduction to the Indians that once lived in the Santa Monica Mountains, and hikes through the woodlands to study the animals living there. The visitor information center will supply with the current schedule of activities.        

• South Bay and Beach Cities

Sand Dune Park

30-Third Street at Bell Avenue, Manhattan Beach. (310) 545-5621. (Manhattan Beach Parks Recreation Department). Daily, dawn to 11 p.m. Free.

            A steep sand dune that kids can climb and slide on is the outstanding feature of this park. The top of the sand dune can be reached by climbing the dune or by taking a winding path of steps (most kids will get worn out and slide down before they make it to the top.) If your children want to, they can bring a large piece of cardboard to slide on. Park has an enclosed young children’s playground and a play area for older kids. There is a tree shaded picnic area, picnic tables, barbecues, sinks, and restrooms. The only drawback is that parking is limited to crowded street spaces.

Lomita Railroad Museum

2135-37 250^th Street, Lomita. Go south on Harbor Freeway to Pacific Coast Highway exit. Go west on PCH to Narbonne Avenue, then turn right to 250^th Street. (310) 326-6255. Wednesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Adults, $1; children, 50 cents.

            The large train mural at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Narbonne Avenue in Lomita will signal kids that they are near the Lomita Railroad Museum. Its still a great surprise, though, to turn the corner on 250^th Street in this ordinary residential neighborhood and see a replica of a nineteenth-century Wakefield, Massachusetts, train depot with a shiny 1902 Southern Pacific locomotive looming beside it. Kids can climb aboard the locomotive (all the valves and handles in the engine’s cab are labeled with explanations of their purpose, but they cannot be touched), as well as a 1910 wooden caboose. Also on the tracks outside are Southern Pacific tender used for hauling water and fuel oil and a velocipede hand car and a three-wheeled, one man car used by track inspectors.

            Inside the depot are an old style ticket office, telegraph equipment, a hand lantern collection, a calliope, train models, a button collection from trainmen’s uniforms and much more. The whole museum is meticulously well kept. Across the street is a grassy annex with a fountain and a large red boxcar where you can have a picnic lunch.

Point Vincent Interpretive Center

31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes. (310) 377-5370. Daily, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Adults $1; children 50 cents.

            Whales are the focus of this small museum overlooking the ocean on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Outside is a beautiful site for whale watching, picnicking, or just plain ocean gazing. Inside the center are exhibits on geology, natural history, and marine life. There are some touch exhibits for children, including an assortment of seashells to handle. You can also view a 20 minute film on whale watching.

South Coast Botanic Gardens

26300 Crenshaw Boulevard, Palos Verdes Peninsula. Take the Harbor Freeway to Pacific Coast Highway. Go west on PCH to Crenshaw Boulevard, south on Crenshaw. (310) 544-6815. Daily, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Adults $3; senior citizens and students, $1.50; ages 5 –12, 75 cents. Free third Tuesday of the month.

            Kids who are learning about recycling will be specially impressed with the South Coast Botanic Gardens. These lovely gardens were recycled from a trash dump. The 87-acre site includes a man-made lake inhabited by ducks; a winding stream; and acres of flowers, plants, and trees. There are picnic tables on the lawn outside the garden.

• Los Angeles Harbor Area, Catalina and Long Beach

Cabrillo Marine Museum

3720 Stephen White Drive, San Pedro. Take the Harbor Freeway, south until ends. Turn left on Gaffey, then turn left on Twenty-second Street. Go to blocks and turn right on Pacific, the left on Thirty-sixth Street, which becomes Stephen White Drive. Bear left past the large black anchors. (310) 548-7546. Tuesday – Friday, noon – 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free. Parking, $5.50.

            The Cabrillo Marine Musuem, on the beach in San Pedro, has long been a favorite of kids. Devoted to the sea life and marine environment of Southern California, the museum includes more than thirty aquariums where children can watch the interaction of sea creatures. Perhaps the most fascinating aquarium is the fourteen-foot-long shark tank containing a variety of small sharks. (The biggest is just two feet long.)

            Museum displays cover local habitat settings such as the Los Angeles Harbor, the open ocean, offshore kelp beds, sandy beaches, and mud flats. A colorful tide pool “touch tank” (open at posted or announced times) gives kids the opportunity to feel sea hares, sea cucumbers, urchins, and other sea life under the supervision of a marine expert.

            Outside are tide pools that can be explored. There is also a grassy picnic area and playground adjacent to the museum.

            The museum sponsors whale-watching boat trips and other marine-related activities. Call the museum for their program schedule. School (and preschool) tours of the museum are scheduled throughout the year.

Point Fermin Park

805 Paseo del Mar at Gaffey Street, San Pedro. (310) 548-7756.

            Point Fermin Park, a short distance from the Cabrillo Marine Museum, rests on thirty-seven landscaped acres overlooking the Pacific. The park, which offers an unobstructed view of Catalina, is a great place to watch for whales, ships, and hang gliders. A whale-watching station offers information on the migration of the gray whale. An 1874 wooden lighthouse is located on the point, although you cannot tour inside it.

Ports O’Call Village/Whaler’s Wharf

Berth 77, San Pedro. Take the Harbor Freeway south to the Harbor Boulevard exit, turn right for half a mile, follow the signs to the village entrance. (310) 831-0287. Daily, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Free admission and parking.

            Ninenteenth-century California and New England seaport villages are simulated in this restaurant and shopping complex at the Port of Los Angeles. Ports O’Call Village, complete with cobblestone streets and gas lamps, aims to give the impression of an Early California seaport. Whaler’s Wharf is a replica of a New England town with its fishmarkets and steepled courthouse.

            Harbor tours are also available from Ports O’Call The Village Boathouse (phone:310 831-0996) offers one-hour fully narrated cruises afternoons daily ($7 for adults and 3 for kids). Bucaneer/Mardi Gras Cruises (phone: 310 547-2833) has one-hour cruises on the weekends on Buccaneer Queen, a replica of an old fashioned pirate ship. Cruise prices are $8 for adults and $4 for children. Check with the companies for times.

Korean Friendship Bell/Angel’s Gate Park

Gaffey Street between Thirty-second and Shepard Streets, San Pedro. Daily, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Free.

            The largest bell in the United States hangs in a pagoda in Angel’s Gate Park. The ninenteen-ton Korean Friendship Bell was given to the United States by the Republic of Korea in 1976 to commemorate our nation’s bicentennial. It sounds only three times a year: on New Year’s Day, July Fourth, and Korean Liberation Day (August 15). The surrounding park offers a magnificent view and a good place to watch hang gliders sailing through the air.

Los Angeles Maritime Museum

Berth 84, San Pedro. Take the Harbor Freeway south to the Harbor Boulevard exit, turn right on Harbor Boulevard and Sixth Street. (310) 548-7618. Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Adults, $1; children, free.

            The Maritime Museum is dedicated to ships and seafaring. Completed in 1978, the museum is housed in a remodeled ferry building in Los Angeles Harbor. Among the exhibits are navigation instruments, the bridge deck from the cruiser Los Angeles, wooden ships’ wheels from World War I and II, early navy diving helmets, ships’ bells, and scale models of historical ships such as the U.S.S. Chesapeake. The museum is bright and cheery, and the deck offers a good view of the harbor.

Catalina Island

Catalina Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau, Box 217, Avalon, 90704. (310) 510-1520. Catalina Cruises (boat service from Long Beach) phone: (310) 436-5006 or 253-9800 (tape). Catalina Express (boat service from San Pedro and Long Beach, and seasonal services from Redondo Beach) phone: (310) 519-1212. Catalina Passenger Services (boat service from Newport Beach) (714) 673-5245. Catalina Pacifica (boat service from San Diego) (619) 224-7561. Helitrans (four passenger jet helicopter service from Long Beach) phone: (310) 548-1316. Island Express (six passenger jet helicopter service from San Pedro and Long Beach) phone:(310) 491-5550.

            Once a hideout from smugglers and pirates, Catalina Island still has natural areas where wild boar, wild goats, cattle, and buffalo roam. (The buffalo are the descendants of a small herd imported to the island for the filming of a 1924 movie). On a day trip to Catalina, your visit will probably be confined to Avalon, the island’s only city. Strict legislation limiting the number and size of cars in the city makes it a pleasure just to walk there.

            Catalina offers a variety of family activities for families. One of the most interesting is the glass-bottomed boat cruise. Through the windows in the boat’s bottom you see all sorts of fish, including giant saltwater goldfish, as well as waving kelp and sea ferns. Another boat cruise takes you to the eastern tip of Catalina, where you can often see seals frolicking; or it may explore the cove-dotted coastline to White’s Landing. If you are there in the evening from May to September, take the flying-fish boat trip; the boat’s searchlights spot the fish flying up to seventy-five yards through the air. The Fish may even land on the boat.

            On an overnight or longer stay on Catalina, you might want to take a tour of inland Catalina. Inland Motor Tour is a 3 3/4 hour trip through the island’s beautiful, mountainous interior. (You may even see buffalo, deer, goats or boar wandering free.) The tour includes a stop at El Rancho Escondido to see a performance of the Arabian horses raised there. Shorter motor tours and other boat tours are also available. You might also want to take a tram from Avalon to see the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Garden filled with native trees, cacti, succulents, and flowering trees.

            Catalina also offers hiking, camping, picnicking, skindiving, fishing, and horseback riding; swimming in clear surf-free waters; and boat and bicycle rentals. On the Pleasure Pier, the Chamber of Commerce has brochures, maps, and information on the island’s activities. The Visitor’s Information Center, a very short walk from the Chamber of Commerce, handles sight-seeing tour tickets. For camping information (permits are required), phone the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (310) 510-0688.

            Ships to Catalina depart from Long Beach and San Pedro year round. Catalina Cruise offers cruises about a triple-deck, 700 passenger vessels. The trip takes less that two hours each way, and round trip tickets are $28 for adults, $18 for children ages two to eleven. Catalina Express offers service from San Pedro and Long Beach (and Redondo Beach during the summer) aboard 60 – and 145 –passenger boats with airplane-type reclining seats. The trip takes ninety minutes each way, and round trip tickets are $29.20 for adults and $21.70 for children. The company also offers a seventy-minute crossing on a new 300-passenger catamaran from San Pedro. Service from Newport Beach is offered by Catalina Passenger Service on a 500-passenger catamaran weekends from January to April daily and daily from April through October. Catalina Pacific and Sea Jet Cruises (1/800/622-CJET) provide service from San Diego. Several companies, including Helitrans and Island Express, offer jet helicopter service to Catalina. (The round-trip fare averages about $100 per person.) Reservations are required by all the companies.

Harbor Regional Park

25820 Vermont Avenue, Harbor City. Free.

            This lovely 231-acre park contains a large lake for fishing, sailing, or duck feeding. Attractive, modern children’s play areas are built in a sort of marina style and include nets for climbing. There are picnic facilities.

Banning Residence Museum and Park

401 East M Street, Wilmington. Take Harbor freeway south from Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway exit. Turn left and go 1 mile east. Turn right on Avalon Boulevard for two blocks. Turn left on M Street for two blocks to the park. (310) 548-7777. The park is open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Free. Conducted tours through the house: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, at 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30; Saturday and Sunday at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 p.m. Adults, $2 donation; children, free.

            General Phineas Banning, the founder of Wilmington, built this showcase mansion 1864 and landscaped the grounds with lovely gardens. Constructed during the Civil War, adjacent to the headquarters of the United States Army of the Southwest, the home was a center for rallies and meeting supporting the cause of the Union. You can take a conducted tour of the twenty-four room mansion Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons; the park surrounding the house, however, is open daily. The park has children’s playgrounds; picnic facilities; and lovely eucalyptus, giant bamboo, and jacaranda trees.

The Queen Mary and Spruce Goose

Pier J, Long Beach Harbor. Take the Long Beach freeway (710) south to the Queen Mary exit. The Spruce Goose is next to the Queen Mary. (310) 435-3511. Daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Adults, $17.50; ages 5-11, $9.50; under 5, free. Parking $4.

The famed ocean liner the Queen Mary and Howard Hughes’s enormous “flying boat” are now side by side in the same entertainment complex port of Long Beach. One ticket admits you to both attractions.

The first site of the dramatically showcased, 400,000-pound Spruce Goose  is breathtaking. The world’s largest aircraft, with a wingspan larger than a football field, the wooden Spruce Goose looks like no other plane. A viewing platform adjacent to the plane allows visitors to see the flight deck and cockpit. You can actually enter the cargo hold, where the aircraft’s interior is exposed from nose to tail.

      After seeing the Spruce Goose, you’ll board the Queen Mary  for a self-guided tour that can take up most of the day. You’ll see areas of the ship that her former passengers never got to see, such as the engine room- complete with boilers and 40,000 horsepower turbines-and the emergency steering station. Children will also be impressed by the propeller chamber, a specially created chamber outside the ship’s hull that enables visitors to see one of the ship’s giant propellers in the water.

      On the upper decks, you’ll see replicas of the original staterooms, crew’s quarters, children’s playroom, and the wheelhouse and radio room. Children should especially enjoy seeing the lifeboat demonstration and exhibits that depict the Queen Mary’s role as a troop carrier during World War 2.

      The Queen Mary  also provides visitors with entertainment, including shows, special tours, and strolling performers themed to the ship’s glamorous past.

      A day aboard the Queen Mary  involves considerable walking and therefore may be too tiring for preschool children. For older children, however, there is plenty of room to be active. Kids seem to particularly like climbing on the World War 2 anti aircraft gun on the middle deck. There are a number of restaurants and snack bars aboard the ship, and a lot of places to rest.

Shorline Village

Off Shorline Drive at the foot of Pine Street, just south of the Convention Center. Take the Long Beach Freeway to Shorline Drive. (310) 590-8427. Daily, 10 a.m.-9p.m. (Open until 10 p.m. during the summer.) Free.

            Shorline Village is a shopping, dining and entertainment complex in the fanciful style of a turn-of-the-century beachside village. The top attraction here for children is the beautiful 1906 Charles Loos carousel with sixty-two hand-carved horses-and camels, giraffes, and rams. The carousel operates daily. Dixieland bands and other entertainers frequently perform weekends on an outdoor stage called the Off-Boardwalk Theatre. Shoreline Village is adjacent to a marina; it’s fun to walk along the wooden boardwalk and look at the boats. Snack food, as well as more substantial fare, is sold in a variety of eating establishments, and there are plenty of places to sit outside. The village is surrounded by grassy park areas where you can picnic.

Long Beach Children’s Museum

445 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach, at Fourth Street in the Long beach Plaza. There is no mall entrance; the entrance is on the street. (310) 495-1163. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, 12-4 p.m. $3.95 per person.

Children as young as infants can have a wonderful time at this hands-on museum for kids. An infant-toddler area, partitioned with soft blocks, gives babies a variety of floor coverings to crawl across, low mirrors to watch themselves in, and a basket full of playthings to experience.

            Of course, older children will find all sorts of exciting exhibits for themselves. “Gone fishing’ gives kids a chance to climb into a boat and catch fish using a fishing pole and Velcro bait. In “Granny’s Attic”  children have the opportunity to sort through clothes and dress themselves as fire fighters, police officers, society women, or whatever they imagine. An art center called the Creative Café provides kids with what they need to make their own art creations. In other exhibits, children can explore a hospital room, sit behind the wheel of a racing car, build a city of Legos, and fit themselves for glasses. Children are assisted, when they need it, by an excellent staff of museum interpreters.

            Birthday parties are available for museum members. (Membership costs $35 a year and includes free admission and other benefits.) School field trips can be arranged by appointment.

Independent Press-Telegram Tour

601 Pine Avenue, downtown Long Beach. (310) 435-1161. Tours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. during the school year. Reservations required one month in advance. Children need to be in at least third grade.

All aspects of newspaper production-from the editorial to the advertising departments, from the wire room to the presses-are shown on this hour-long tour. A minimum of ten people are needed to take the tour.

Long Beach Firefighters Museum

1445 Peterson Avenue, Long Beach. (310) 597-0351. Parking inside gates. Second Saturday of each month, 10 a.m.-3p.m. Free.

            The old Long Beach Station No. 10 serves as the home for a number of fire-fighting vehicles, including to horse-drawn steamers. You can see the equipment and watch pumping demonstrations on the second Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Rancho Los Cerritos

4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach. Take the San Diego Freeway to Long Beach Boulevard. Go north on Long Beach Boulevard to San Antonio Drive, turn left, then go right one block on Virginia Road. (310)424-9423. Self-guided tours: Wednesday-Friday, 1-5 p.m. guided tours; Saturday and Sunday, 1,2,3 and 4 p.m. Free.

Maybe it’s because rancho Los Cerritos is slightly off the beaten track, but this beautifully restored Spanish hacienda provides a real sense of the past. Built in 1844 around a central patio, the two-story  hacienda is made of adobe brick with three-foot-thick walls and redwood beam ceilings.

            The house has been meticulously furnished in the style of the period: Antique hairbrushes are arranged on a heavy wood bureau in a bedroom, and an old foot-treadle sewing machine is in the sewing room. Youngsters will appreciate the children’s room, where antique toys and dolls are casually placed. You can take a self-guided tour of the rancho Wednesday through Friday. On weekends you can only see the rancho on a forty-five minute guided tour.

Rancho Los Alamitos

6400 Bixby Hill road, Long Beach. From the San Diego freeway, take the Palo Verde Avenue exit south to the security gate of the walled residential community of Bixby Hill. The security guard will direct you to the rancho. (310) 431-3541. Wednesday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m. (Tours are every half hour. The last tour is at 4 p.m.) Free.

In 1896, Juan Jose Nieto built an adobe ranch house on this hill. His ranch was part of a vast Spanish land grant-stretching from San Gabriel to the sea-which had been given to his father, a soldier in the Portola expedition exploring California. Today all the remains of that vast rancho is 7 1/2 acres, including five acres of gardens, the original ranch house, and six farm buildings.

            On a sixty- to ninety-minute guided tour of the rancho, which was a working ranch from 1784 into the 1950s, you see the ranch house furnished with family possessions (including a vintage Edison Graphophone) that span many generations, the blacksmith shop, and the barns, which contain some restored farm equipment. The grounds are lovely and peaceful, but because of the length of the guided tour, a visit here is best made with older children.

El Dorado Park and Nature Center

7550 East Spring Street, Long Beach. Take I-605 south to Spring Street / Cerritos exit and go went on Spring Street. El Dorado Park East and Nature Center phone: (3100 425-8569. El Dorado Park West phone: (310) 425-4712. West Park hours: Daily 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Free. East Park hours: Daily, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Nature Center trails: Tuesday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Parking at El Dorado Park East: $2 weekdays; $3 weekends; $5 holidays.

            El Dorado Park is an eight-hundred acre recreation area that includes two parks and eighty-acre semiwilderness nature reserve. El Dorado West City Park (south of Spring Street and west of the San Gabriel River) includes a duck pond, a children’s playground, roller-skate rentals, and a number of game courts and ball diamonds. El Dorado East Regional Park (north of Spring Street and east of the San Gabriel River) includes several lakes where fishing is permitted, a large lake with paddleboats rentals, open meadows, and bicycle and roller-skating paths.

            El Dorado Nature Center, located in the east park, is an eighty-acre forested nature sanctuary. There are two lakes, marshes, meadows, a stream, and miles of soft-bark hiking trails. The area is inhabited by raccoons, weasels, foxes, and other small animals. The Nature Center building, on island in one of the lakes, has maps for self-guided tours and a museum that houses living and stuffed specimens of the area’s animal inhabitants.

• The San Fernando Valley

Universal Studios Tour

Universal City,  located just off the Hollywood Freeway at either the Universal Center or Lankershim Boulevard exits. (818) 508-9600. Open daily, except Christmas and Thanksgiving. Summer and holidays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (During peak summer season, mid-June to Labor Day, the hours are 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m.) The rest of the year: weekdays, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; weekends, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Adults (12 years old and older), $24.50; ages 60 and older, $19; ages 3-11, $19; under 3, free. Parking, $4.

            A tour of Universal Studios gives you the amusement attractions and a behind-the-scenes look at a busy movie studio. The Universal Studios tour/ entertainment complex has recently undergone a major expansion, and the emphasis now is definitely on the amusement attractions. The guided tram portion of the tour (once taking two hours) has been revamped into a fast-paced forty-five-minute tramride punctuated by such adventure as Earthquake-a simulated 8.3 major tremblor-and an encounter with a thirty-foot king Kong. (Most small children will find these encounters terrifying, and there is plenty here to do without taking the tramride.)

            Top among the new attractions is the spectacular E.T. Adventure, in which guests climg aboard starbound bicycles and (through the magic of stunning special effects) fly across the universe with the lovable alien E.T. (Children need to be at least two years old, and able to sit in a seat and hold onto handlebars to take the ride.) An attraction geared specifically to children is the half-acre An American Tail playland with outsize props that double as imaginative play equipment. Kids who watch “I Love Lucy” reruns may also enjoy seeing the walk-through tribute to Lucy.

            There are numerous opportunities for children and their parents to see how movies are made and how special effects are done-and kids can participate in many of the demonstrations. A “starway” people-mover allows visitors to see a portion of the studio that was previously inaccessible to the public. Guests can also view actual live filming of productions through the specially designed soundproof viewing area. An area called Streets of the World offers visitors sets they can walk though, including a fifties American set and the Baker Street of Sherlock Holmes. There are also a number of live, action-packed shows presented-some including daring stunts. (The shows last fifteen to twenty minutes; kids will enjoy any or all of them.)

McGroarty Arts Center

7570 McGroarty Terrace, Tujunga. (818) 352-5285.

            A former private home now serves the public as an art center for children and adults. Children three years old and older can select from classes that may include-depending on their age-ballet, ceramics, music, drawing, painting, arts and crafts, guitar, and other subjects. The ten-week sessions of once-a-week classes cost about $15. A small park with a children’s play area adjoins the arts center. The center is accessible to physically challenged children.

Van Nuys Airport Tour

6950 Hayvenhurst Avenue, Van Nuys. (818) 785-8838. School year: Monday-Friday, 9:30 and 11 a.m., plus one Saturday a month. Summer: Monday-Friday at 10 a.m. Reservations must be made at least a month in advance. Minimum age is 6. Free.

            Van Nuys Airport, one of the busiest general-aviation centers in the nation, offers free tours of its facilities and of some of the aircraft stationed there. To take the tour, however, you must get together a group of at least ten people and all children must be in the first grade or above. (If you can’t get together your own group, ask if you can be hooked up with a school group.) Your group boards an airport ranging from Air National guard C-130 cargo carriers to Fire Department and Highway Patrol helicopters. You’ll also be able to board one of the aircraft.

Los Encinos State Historic Park

16756 Moorpark Street, Encino. The park is one block north of Ventura Boulevard, just east of Balboa Boulevard. The entrance is on the south side of the street a few yards from the corner of Moorpark and La Maida streets. (818) 784-4849. Grounds: Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. House tours: Wednesday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Adults, $2; ages 6-16, $1; under 6, free.

            A short distance from the bustle of Ventura Boulevard is a serene and lovely five-acre park containing the San Fernando Valley’s first rancho. Gaspar de Portola’s Spanish exploration party camped here in 1769 after finding water on the site. In 1845 Governor pio Pico gave the site and 4,460 surrounding acres to Vincente de la Osa, who built the nine-room ranch house that is still standing here.

            You can take a guided tour of the ranch house, but the tour’s appeal for children depends on the docent giving it. Some of the docents give the tour by rote and are not able to accommodate the interests or questions of children. Others are more understanding. Children would enjoy seeing some of the things on the tour, such as several antique saddles and a huge stagecoach lunch box. Outside are a pond with ducks, some old farm equipment, and a blacksmith’s shop. There are three lovely shaded areas for picnicking.

            On the park’s Living History Days, docents dress in 1870s-style clothes, and there are special activities for visitors. Check with the park for the schedule.

Pages Books for Children and Young Adults

18399 Ventura Boulevard (in Tarzana Square), Tarzana. (818) 342-6657. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

            Books for children from infancy through high school are carried in this children’s bookstore. Pages also has a good selection of books on parenting, books in Spanish, and book-related toys and tapes. The staff all have backgrounds in teaching and are very knowledgeable about helping parents select appropriate books. If they cannot help you find the book you want, they will special order it for you.

            Pages has a story hour for children ages three through eight on Saturdays at 11 a.m. the story hours, which last forty0five minutes, generally include crafts or dramatic activities relating to the books that have been read. No reservations are needed. A story hour for two- and three-year-olds is held during the week. (Check with the store for the schedule.) The store also publishes a newsletter four times a year with articles on book-related topics, reviews of new books, announcements of author appearances, and a calendar for the story hours.

The Enchanted Forest

20929 Ventura Boulevard, Woodland Hills. (818) 716-7202.

            The Enchanted Forest combines creative art classes for children with a toy store and a ninety-seat puppet theatre where puppet, magic, and other children’s shows take place. (Phone ahead for the performance schedule and prices.) The classes include reading programs, drama, musical theatre, and music. (Classes are offered for children as young as 18 months though junior-high-school age.) Quality toys, puzzles, puppets, and books are sold in the toy shop. The Enchanted forest also offers birthday party packages that include puppet shows, or help for children who want to put on their own play.

Reseda Park

18411 Victory Boulevard (at Reseda Boulevard), reseda. (818) 881-3882. Open daily. Free.  

            The highlight of this thirty-six acre park is a lake with an assortment of sociable ducks to feed. The park includes picnic areas, children’s playgrounds, and huge shade trees.

The Farm/Rent-a-Pony

8101 Tampa Avenue (at roscoe Boulevard), Reseda. (818) 341-6805. Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (May open extra days during summer and school vacations.) Admission, $2.25 per person age one year and up. Pony rides, $2.50.

            It wasn’t all that long ago that part of the San Fernando Valley was out in the country. Kids can get a taste of those days at this combination small farm and pony corral. There is a weather-beaten 1915 red barn with a horse inside. Turkeys, chickens, and kid goats wander around the farmyard. Other animals-including sheep, goats, a cow, and even a llama-are in pens, and there are cages of smaller animals, such as bunnies. Bales of hay are stacked at one end of the yard, old farm equipment is lying around to be examined, and there are tractors to climb. Feed is available for the animals, and there are also some picnic tables.

            The pony corral has tracks for slow- and faster-paced riders. The young people who work in the corral are very good with small children, and anyone old enough to sit up can find a pony to suit his or her pace. The Farm is a marvelously low-key place to visit.

Chatsworth Park South

22360 Devonshire Street, Chatsworth. Go west on Devonshire Street past Topanga Canyon Boulevard to park. (818) 341-6595. Gates close at 10 p.m. Free.

            Chatsworth Park South has a spectacular setting, with acres of green lawn spreading against the rugged red Simi hills. In the right as you enter there is a small shady playground with nearby picnic tables. Straight ahead is a vast expanse of lawn, perfect for Frisbee throwing. You can bring bikes or hike in the rocky hills.

Orcutt Ranch Horticulture Center

23600 roscoe Boulevard, Canoga Park. (818) 883-6641. Daily (except holidays), 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Free.

            Once a part of a large private estate, Orcutt Ranch offers a lovely site for picnicking and strolling. The ranch is surrounded by citrus groves, and kids can see picking equipment displayed next to the big red barn in the parking area. A nature trail leads from the rose garden in front of the ranch house through lush foliage down to a small picnic grove beside a stream.

            Orcutt Ranch is quiet and uncrowded. On weekdays it is possible to be the only family there.

Leonis Adobe

23537 Calabasas Road, Calabasas. Take Ventura Freeway to Mulholland Drive/Valley Circle Boulevard exit and go towards Mulholland Drive. Just south of freeway, turn right on Calabasas Road. (818) 712-0734. Wednesday – Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m. Free, but donation requested.

            Once the home of Miguel Leonis, a successful nineteenth-century rancher, this two story house has been restored to look the way it did in the late 1800s. You can take a self guided tour of the house, which is furnished with period items, Children will be the most interested in the grounds where they can see ranch animals such as horses, sheep, goats, and turkeys, and examine old farm equipment. There is also a barn and blacksmith shop. The Plummer House, which was the first house built in Hollywood, has been relocated on the grounds and serves as a museum displaying period photographs, clothing, and other items.

Paramount Ranch

Cornell Road, Agoura Hills. Take the Ventura Freeway (Highway 101) to the Kanan Road Exit. Go south on Kanan Road 3/4 mile, then turn left at the Cornell Road sign and keep to the right. Go south 2 1/2 miles; the entrance is on the right. (818) 597-9192. Daily, sunrise to sunset. Free.

            At one time, Paramount Pictures filmed its Westerns here. Later, another owner built a Western town on the site, which became a popular filming location for television Westerns. Today the entire three-hundred-acre site is operated – like the nearby Peter Strauss Ranch – by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. You can see the Western town on a ranger-led hike or you can walk through it on your own. (Don’t enter the buildings through; they’re unsafe.) Several picnic tables are scattered under the shade trees in a large grassy meadow adjacent to the Western town. A bulletin board poster at the foot of the bridge leading to the Western town gives information on the ranch’s hiking trails. Family nature programs are scheduled throughout the year, and during the summer silent movies are shown under the stars at the ranch. Telephone for the schedule.

Peter Strauss Ranch

30,000 Mulholland Highway, Agoura Hills. Take the Ventura Freeway (Highway 101) to the Kanana Road exit. Travel south on Kanan Road 2.8 miles to Troutdale Road. Go left on Troutdale Road to Mulholland Highway. Turn left on Mullholland, then right under the arch to the parking lot. Walk back across the bridge to Mullholland and enter the gate into the Ranch. (818) 597-9192. Daily, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free.

            This sixty-five-acre ranch was originally developed as a lakeside resort with a star-shaped dance floor and an outside amphitheater. Later the property was owned by actor Peter Strauss; today the site is operated by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. You can picnic on the tree-shaded lawn or on the side patio of the charming ranch house. A pleasant 1.6 mile hiking trail loops through oak, eucalyptus, and sycamore trees. Art shows are sometimes held in the ranch house, and there are occasional ranger-led hikes. A family-oriented concert program of folk, bluegrass, and international music is held during the summer. The concerts, which take place in the outdoor amphitheater, are usually held from 2 to 4 p.m. on the first or second Sunday of the month. Every October, the Theater Arts Festival for Youth (TAFFY) takes place at the ranch with performances, craft workshops, and games for kids. (For more information on TAFFY, telephone 818-998-2339.)

Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana

15151 San Fernando Mission Boulevard, Mission Hills. Take the Golden State Freeway (I-5) north to San Fernando Mission Boulevard west. (818) 361-0186. Daily, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Adults, $3; ages 7 – 15, $1.50; under 7, free.

            Founded in 1719, this mission  once served as a Butterfield Stagecoach stop. A self-guided tour takes you through the church (reconstructed in 1974 following damage sustained in the 1971 Sylmar earthquake), the workshops, residence quarters, wine vats, and lovely gardens. Across the street from the mission is Brand Park, which features a statue of Father Serra and special plants from the missions.

Andres Pico Adobe

10940 Sepulveda Boulevard, Mission Hills. (818) 365-7810. Wednesday – Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m. Weekdays by appointment. Free.

            One of the oldest homes in the Los Angeles area, the Andres Pico Adobe was built by Mission San Fernando  Indians around 1834. In 1853 the adobe (and half of San Fernando Valley) was purchased by Andres Pico, brother of Governor Pio Pico. The adobe, completely restored and furnished in the style of the era, is surrounded b a landscaped twenty-acre park.

Wildlife Waystation

14831 Little Tujunga Canyon Road, Angeles National Forest. From I-210 westbound, exit Osborne Street in Lake View Terrace. Turn right off the ramp. At the first light turn left. Follow the road five miles up to the canyon. You’ll see signs. (818) 899-5201. Tours are the first and third Sunday of the month, 2 – 5:45 p.m. Adults, $2; children 12 and under, $1.

            The Wildlife Waystation is a working facility caring for injured wild animals. More than 3,000 animals are treated yearly, including lions, tigers, leopards, bears, wolves, and birds of prey. Whenever possible, the California wildlife are returned to the wild. Permanent residents of the waystation include a number of great cats that have been in animal exhibits or kept as pets. The Wildlife Waystation offers tours on the first and third Sunday of the month from 2 to 5:45 p.m. The walking tour takes about forty to forty-five minutes, and there are animal presentations while you are waiting for the tour.

• Newhall/Valencia Area and Lancaster

William S. Hart Park

24151 Newhall Avenue, Newhall. Take I-405 or I-5 north to the Lyons Avenue off ramp at Newhall. Take Lyons Avenue east to Newhall Avenue and turn right. (805) 259-0855. Park is open daily 9:30 a.m. to one hour before dusk. Tours of the house: Wednesday – Sunday 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Free. Saugus Train Station, (805) 254-1275, is open Sunday 1 – 4 p.m. Free.

            On a trip to Newhall, children can visit a real cowboy ranch: the former house of silent-movie western star William S. Hart. Hart willed his 259-acre Horseshoe Ranch to the County of Los Angeles when he died. An old ranch building is filled with saddles and Hart’s western gear. Farm animals such as pigs, cows, goats, chickens, and ponies are kept at the ranch, and old horses graze in the corral. From a hiking trail, you can even see a herd of buffalo, donated by Walt Disney. Hart’s Spanish-style home is now a museum housing his original furniture and displays of Western art, weapons, and Indian artifacts. The tour through the home is guided, but most kids will find it interesting – after all. Hart was a man who designed his bedroom to share with his dogs. The park has barbecues, picnic tables, and wonderful old shade trees.

            If your visit to the Hart Ranch is on Sunday afternoon, you can also see the former Saugus Train Station, now a museum, which is next door. Outside are wide benches where passengers used to wait for the trains. Inside, the former station agent’s office is furnished as it was in the early part of the century with a safe, kerosene lamps, and a telegraph key. In another room of the station are displays of historical items, including pop bottles from the long-ago 1950s.

Placerita Canyon State and County Park and Nature Center

19152 West Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall. Take I-405 or I-5 north to State Highway 14 (Antelope Valley Freeway) to the Placerita Canyon Road exit. Follow that road about 1 1/2 miles east to the park. (805) 259-7721. Daily, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free.

            Gold in California was first discovered on the site of this park. A shepherd fell asleep under an oak tree here and dreamed of finding gold – or so the story goes – and when he awoke, he found gold flakes clinging to the roots of a wild onion that he dug up to eat. The park is a good place to hike. Eight miles of flat and hilly trails is wander through the park through oak woods and brush and along a stream. One of the trails is paved for wheelchair and stroller access. A free pamphlet describes what’s alongside the park’s half-mile ecology trail. Signs lead the way to the Oak of the Golden Dream, the picturesquely weathered coast live oak under which the sheepherder had his prophetic dream. The park’s handsome nature center houses a museum with exhibits on ecology and park wildlife and often offers special activities for children and families. There is a large picnic area.

Vasquez Rocks County Park

10700 West Escondido Canyon Road, Saugus. From Los Angeles, travel north and east via I-5 and Highway 14, left on Agua Dulce Road, and east on Escondido Canyon Road. (805) 268-0840. Daily, 8 a.m. – sunset. Free.

            The strange slanted rock formations in this 754-acre park make ideal climbing for children. Even very small children can find a rock to climb at their level. The park is named for Spanish-California bandit Tibucio Vasquez, who is said to have hidden from the law here. The area is often used as a set for cowboy westerns.

 Magic Mountain

Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia. From Los Angeles, take I-5 northwest and exit at Magic Mountain Parkway. (805) 255-4103 or 255-4111 (tape), or (818) 992-0884 or 367-5965 (tape). Open daily from late May through early September; the rest of the year, open weekends and school holidays. Always open at 10 a.m., but closing hours vary. Admission covers all rides, attractions, and shows. Adults, $24; seniors, $16; children under 48 inches tall, $14; 2 and under, free. Parking, $5.

            Magic Mountain is one of Southern California’s “big attractions.” Its much-publicized thrill rides appeal to most teenagers. However, the park also offers less -publicized attractions aimed at younger visitors. Bugs Bunny World is a six-acre children’s park that includes a play area with imaginative equipment and a ride area with gentle, scaled-down versions of the park’s rides. There is also a dolphin and sea lion show, an animal show, and an animal farm where kids can pet and feed such animals as sheep, goats, and llamas. A restored 1912 carousel offers rides near the entrance to the park.

Pyramid Lake Recreation Area

About 35 miles north of San Fernando. Take I-5 north to Hungry Valley Road and follow the signs to the park. (805) 257-2790. Open daily, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Open longer hours during the summer.) Parking, $4.

            Pyramid Lake is an easy drive from Los Angeles. The 1,300-acre lake is both rural and beautiful. The park offers excellent fishing and boating, and a swimming beach. There are roadside picnic tables and barbecues. Outboard motorboats are available for rent.

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

Located 15 miles west of Lancaster on Lancaster Road (Avenue 1). Take the Avenue 1 exit from the Antelope Valley Freeway (14) and go west about 15 miles. Avenue 1 becomes Lancaster Road. (805) 724-1180. Mid-March to mid-May: Daily, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Open only during the spring blooming season.) $5 per car.

            The state flower, the California poppy, puts on a spectacular show here during its brief blooming season, usually late March through April. Easy trails lead from the picnic area and parking lot through the fields. The reserve’s visitor center, which is burrowed into a hill to conserve energy, has trail maps and exhibits on the flowers and on energy conservation. Be sure to call the reserve before heading out, because much depends on the weather conditions.

Antelope Valley Indian Museum

15701 East Avenue M, Lancaster. Exit the Antelope Valley Freeway (14) northbound at 20^th Street; go north to Avenue J. Travel east on Avenue J about 17 miles to 150^th Street, turn right to Avenue M, then left to the museum. (805) 942-0662. Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Closed July – September. Adults, $2; ages 6-17, $1; under 6, free.

            Built into and around the rocks of Piute Butte in the Mojave Desert, the stone and frame chalet-style structure housing the Antelope Valley Indian Museum is quite remarkable. Boulders and natural elements are incorporated into the building, and there are seven roof elevations, as well as two gabled turrets. Originally built as a private house, the building was later purchased and operated for many years as a private museum of Native American culture before being bought by the state of California.

            The former living room has Kachina dolls painted on the ceiling. Called the Kachina Hall, the room also contains a collection of Kachina dolls, as well as Native American textiles, baskets, and pottery. A natural passage through the rocks leads to the upper level California Hall where arrowheads, jewelry, stone tools, and other artifacts of early California Indians are displayed. (Because the museum was put together in the 1940s, you may find some of the exhibits and explanatory material dated.) Joshua Cottage on the museum grounds has a table of Indian artifacts and other displays that kids can touch. There is no picnicking on the museum grounds; you might want to combine your visit here with a trip to Saddleback Butte State Park about three miles away.

Saddleback Butte State Park

17102 Avenue J East, Lancaster. (805) 942-0662. At Avenue J and 170^th Street about three miles northeast of the Antelope Valley Indian Museum. From the northbound Antelope Valley Freeway (14), exit at 20^th Street; go north on Avenue J and east about 19 miles to the park. (805) 942-0662. Open daily. $5 per vehicle.

            One of the few places in the Antelope Valley that looks the way it did a hundred or more years ago is Saddleback Butte State Park with its nearly 3,000 acres of pristine desert. The park was created to protect Saddleback Butte, the granite mountain top rising a thousand feet above the valley, and the desert life around it – including forests of Joshua trees. There is a picnic area near the park headquarters, with tables, stoves, and restrooms, and a self-guided nature trail nearby. You can also hike a clearly marked two-mile trail to the top of Saddleback Butte, where you will have some spectacular views. The best time to visit the park is in springtime from February through May when the wildflowers are in bloom and the weather is at its best. Summers are hot here and winters cold.

• Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, and the San Gabriel Valley and Mountains

Gordon R. Howard Museum

1015 West Olive Avenue (the main entry is around the corner on North Lomita Street), Burbank. (818) 841-6333. Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m. Phone to arrange for group tours. Free, but donations appreciated.

            Devoted to the history of Burbank, the Gordon R. Howard Museum is a surprisingly interesting little museum. The main part of the museum on Lomita Street has historical displays. A series of sets furnished with historical items and costumed dummies depict an early dentist’s office, a country store, a 1920s hotel lobby, an old winery, and the filming of the 1927 “Jazz Singer” movie. Each set has an old-fashioned telephone receiver through which kids can hear information about the displays. An exhibit on the history of Lockheed Aircraft includes models of hanging aircraft and World War I and II military uniforms. Among the other exhibits are antique dolls and a display on Walt Disney. An adjacent complex houses antique vehicles, including a 1904 Franklin electric car.

            Also on the museum grounds is an authentically furnished 1887 house that you can tour. The docents throughout the museum are informative and friendly to children. Next door to the museum is the George Izay Park, a small park with a metal maze play structure that is accessible to physically challenged children.

Brand Park/Brand Library and Art Center

1601 West Mountain Street, Glendale. From I-5, take Western Avenue north through Glendale. Park: (818) 548-2000. Daily, 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. Free. Library phone: (818) 548-2051. Art Center phone: (818) 548-3782. Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30 – 9 p.m.; Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 12:30 – 6 p.m.; Closed Sunday and Monday. Free.

            When you first catch sight of Brand Library perched high above the street, you may think you have chanced upon the palace of an Indian rajah or Moorish prince – certainly not a public library and park. The mansion was built by Leslie C. Brand in 1904. Called El Miradero, it was inspired by the East Indian Pavilion at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, visited by Brand. The Brands later willed the property to the city to be used as a public park and library.

            The library, housed in the mansion, is devoted to art and music. There are no children’s books. The interior of the library, although very beautiful is a no-touch affair. Adjoining the library is a new addition, which houses an art gallery that exhibits local artists in a beautiful environment. Although the library and art center are more for adults, children will love the huge grassy park overlooked by a palace. A children’s playground is on the east side of the park.

Family Film Festival/Glendale Young People’s Library

Glendale Central Library, 222 East Harvard Street, Glendale. (818) 548-2035. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Free.

            A free film program  for children is offered year round by the Young People’s Library  of Glendale. The films screen on Saturdays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Central Library. During the summer, films are also shown on Fridays. Story hours for toddlers and preschool children and family story times are also scheduled throughout the year at the Glendale Central and branch libraries.

Verdugo Park

1621 Canada Boulevard (near Verdugo Road), Glendale. (818) 548-2000. Open daily. Free.

            Behind a stony-fence border is the pleasant and shady Verdugo Park. The park has a very nice play area for toddlers, including miniature slide and horse swings. A playground for older children is next to the toddler yard. Another playground, with a space ship motif, is on the north side of the park. The park’s thirty-five acres include some good trees for climbing and lots of pleasant picnic space.

Descanso Gardens

1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada. Take the Glendale Freeway (2) north to Verdugo Boulevard, go right on Descanso Drive, and turn right again. (818) 952-4400. Daily, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Adults, $3; senior citizens and students, $1.50; ages 5 –12, 75 cents. Free on the third Tuesday of the month.

            It’s hard to believe, but this flower-filled 165-acre area was formerly a private residence. The owners, a Los Angeles newspaper publisher and his wife, began planting the gardens shortly after they purchased the place in 1937. Today, visitors to Descanso Gardens can enjoy the world’s largest camellia gardens, year round blooming flowers, a section of native California plants, and a native California Oak forest.

            Although descanso means “rest” in Spanish, there are plenty of ways for children to be active here. There are nature trails, open grassy areas to play in, picnic facilities, and squirrels and ducks that children can feed. A Japanese teahouse serves refreshments from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, in a Japanese garden setting that features ponds and a flowing stream. Tram tours of the gardens are available. Tuesday through Friday at 1, 2, and 3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m., 1, 2, and 3 p.m. ($1.50 per person).

Pacific Asia Museum

46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena. From Los Angeles, take the Pasadena Freeway north until it ends in Arroyo Parkway; continue north on Arroyo Parkway to Colorado Boulevard; turn right on Colorado Boulevard and continue east; turn left on Los Robles Avenue. The museum is on the right. (818) 449-2742. Wednesday – Sunday, noon – 5 p.m. Adults, $3; senior citizens and students, $1.50; under 12, free.

            In the middle of downtown Pasadena is an elegant and authentic Chinese imperial palace courtyard-style building complete with green roof tiles from China and bronze dragons. The building houses the Pacific Asia Museum, which is devoted to the arts and cultures of the Pacific and Asia. The shows, which feature special effects such as music and fragrant aromas, may include such items of interest to children as costumes, headdresses, saddles, and swords. A special children’s gallery includes items such as puppets, toys, dolls, and costumes that relate to the main exhibit.

            Younger children who would not get anything out of the exhibits might enjoy seeing the museum building and the magnificent central courtyard featuring a goldfish pond and Oriental figures and landscaping. For children five to ten, the museum offers summer workshops in the arts of Asian and Pacific cultures, such as Indonesian theater masks or Japanese Clay.

Kidspace

390 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena. From Los Angeles, take the Pasadena Freeway (110) to its end. Go straight on Arroyo Parkway to California Street and turn right. Go three blocks to El Molino and turn left. (818) 449-9143. School year: Wednesday 2 – 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 12:30 – 5 p.m. Summer: Tuesday – Friday, 1 – 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 12:30 – 5 p.m. $4 per person; seniors, $3.50; ages 1 – 2, $2.50; under 1, free.

            Kidspace invites children to be whatever they would like to be. Indeed, the participatory exhibits at this private, not-for-profit children’s museum are all designed to stimulate a child’s imagination, as well as to spark learning. In the “Grown-up Tools” exhibit, for example, children can learn about adult professions by trying on the uniform of a firefighter and climbing on the back of a fire truck. Or, they can put on a Grand Prix racecar driver’s helmet, climb into a real racing car, and zoom off in the imaginations.

            Children can learn about the insects by observing a real ant colony, then they can pretend to be an ant by crawling through a large, carpeted structure that is built like an anthill. Kids can learn about human anatomy in the museum’s “Outside/In” exhibit, which includes the opportunity to examine X-rays and to handle the bones pictured. Other exhibits include a working kid-size television newsroom and a radio broadcasting station.

            Kidspace also offers a continuing program of workshops and special events including puppet shows, storytelling, and film festivals. Most workshops and events are free with admission. You can also arrange to have your child’s birthday party at the museum. Kidspace is housed in a former junior high school auditorium, and everything in the museum is touchable.

The Armory Center for the Arts

145 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena. (818) 792-5101.

            The Armory Center for the Arts offers instruction in the arts for children ages three through sixteen. Recent classes have included dinosaur art, dollhouse construction, toy-making, clowning, film animation, African-inspired masks, improvisational theater, play production, and much more. In addition to spacious art studios, the center includes a gallery that offers regular exhibits of contemporary art. Student art work is also exhibited. Tuition for art classes is about $55 per seven-week session. Some scholarships are available, and the classes are accessible to physically challenged children. The center also sponsors free art programs in parks and community centers throughout Pasadena.

Rose City Diner

45 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena. Exit the 134 Freeway at Orange Grove/Colorado Boulevard. Go east on Colorado Boulevard; turn right on Fair Oaks Avenue. There is a parking lot next to the restaurant. (818) 793-8282. Daily, 6:30 a.m. – 2 a.m.

            The Rose City Diner is a fifties-style diner that pays tribute to the home of the rose parade. The color scheme is pink, and the walls are lined with photos or rose queens past. You can sit in a booth with a table-top jukebox or on a stool at the soda fountain. Fifties-style products and equipment are displayed behind the fountain. The food is typical diner fare. There are the usual hamburgers, sandwiches, and homestyle specials; although there is no children’s menu. After eating, kids can blow their fringed toothpicks through straws to decorate the acoustic ceiling.

Norton Simon Museum of Art

411 West Colorado Boulevard at Orange Grove Boulevard, at the junction of the 210 and 134 freeways, Pasadena. (818) 449-6840. Thursday – Sunday, noon – 6 p.m. Adults, $4; students and senior citizens, $2; under 12, free.

            The Norton Simon Museum houses one of the finest art collections in the country. The collection includes European paintings from the fourteenth through twentieth centuries, on of the finest collections of Indian and Southeast Asian sculptures outside of Asia, an extensive collection of Picasso graphics, and an impressive array of nineteenth and twentieth century sculpture. Children may enjoy the Degas gallery downstairs with its paintings and sculptures of ballet dancers and paintings of horses at the races. They should also enjoy the sculpture garden with its fountain, reflection pool, and monumental sculpture.

Eaton Canyon County Park and Nature Center

1750 North Altadena Drive, Pasadena. Take the Altadena Drive exit north from eastbound I-210. (818) 398-5420. Nature Center hours: Monday – Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 – 5 p.m. Free.

            Almost all of this 184-acre park at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains has been left in its natural state. You will see a wide variety of plants and animals here, and the park is a good place for bird-watching. There are three self-guided nature trails, including one designed primarily for pre-schoolers. Some of the wildlife you’ll observe along the trails are wood rats nesting in the laurel sumac, California legless lizards, yucca moths and yucca flowers, white sage, and California sagebrush. Warblers and flycatchers are some of the birds that may be seen along the park’s running stream.

            The Nature Center houses ecological exhibits on the park’s wildlife. There is someone on duty to answer questions, and trail maps are available in the office. Shaded picnic tables and cooking facilities are near the Nature Center.

Huntington Library, Art Gallery, and Botanical Gardens

1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. From the Pasadena Freeway: Continue north from the end of the freeway on Arroyo Parkway to California Boulevard. Turn right and drive 2 miles to Allen Avenue, then right to Huntington Gardens. From the 210 Freeway west: Take Hills Street exit south, then turn right on California and continue as above. From 210 Freeway east: Take the Allen off ramp. (818) 405-2100. Tuesday – Friday, 1 – 4:30 P.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Suggested donation, $5 per adult.

            Millionaire art collector Henry E. Huntington willed this estate – including his art collection, a priceless library, and the two-hundred-acre garden – to the public. On display in the library are a Gutenberg bible, a first printing of Shakespeare’s plays, and George Washington’s genealogy in his own handwriting. The Huntington Gallery was originally the Huntington residence, and many of the works of art are displayed in furnished rooms. Probably the most famous paintings here are Gainsborough’s Blue Boy and Lawrence’s Pinkie. The Virginia Steele Scott Gallery for American art, which opened in 1984, displays American paintings from the 1730s to the 1930s. The library and art galleries will probably interest only older children and adults.

            If your kids are younger, they’ll enjoy a visit to the Botanical Gardens. Each of the twelve gardens has a separate identity. The most interesting one for children is the Japanese garden, a quarter-mile west of the main entrance. This is a lovely landscaped canyon of five acres with Japanese plants, stone ornaments, an old temple bell, koi ponds, a drum bridge, and a furnished Japanese home.

            A cafeteria open from 1 – 4 p.m. daily serves lunch and snacks. For a special treat, your family can enjoy an English tea served Wednesday through Sunday in a lovely tea room. (Reservations are required. Phone 818-584-9337 to make them.)

Lacy Park

3300 Monterey Road, San Marino. Park entrance is on Virginia Road. (818) 304-9648 or 300-0700. Daily, 6:30 a.m. to sunset. Free on weekdays. On weekends there is a fee of $3 per person to use the park. (Children under four years old are free.)

            Lacy Park is one of the most beautiful city parks imaginable. Surrounded by trees and encompassing acres of immaculate rolling lawns, you feel as if you are on a private estate. A pleasant playground in the center of the park includes an old red fire truck to climb aboard. Opposite the playground are a number of picnic tables shaded by sycamore trees. (No barbecuing is permitted.) You can take your kids on a stroll to the rose garden, and there are broad cement paths for bike riding.

            The big drawback of Lacy Park is that non-San Marino residents must pay to use the park on weekends ($3 per person ages four and older, which can make a simple family outing to the park rather expensive).

San Gabriel Mountains

For information and details contact Angeles National Forest, 701 North Santa Anita Avenue, Arcadia, CA 91006. (818) 574-5200. Office open weekdays, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

            The San Gabriel Mountains, a part of the Angeles National Forest, sit at the back door of Los Angeles. Just a short distance from the city are opportunities for hiking, riding, camping, and picnicking in scenic wilderness areas. There are hundreds of miles of rivers, eight lakes, and more that five hundred miles of hiking and riding trails. The quiet trails are seldom crowded, and the terrain changes are dramatic: One moment you may be walking in a fern dell or looking at a waterfall, and a few minutes later you find yourself in a dry chaparral landscape. Although the nicest areas of wilderness must be reached by foot, you can still tour the mountains by car.

Mount Wilson

East end of Mount Wilson Road, Angeles National Forest. Take the Glendale Freeway (2) north to Foothill Boulevard and east to Angeles Crest Highway. Or take I-210 to Angeles Crest Highway (State Route 2) and go north to Mount Wilson Road. (818) 449-4163. Open daily, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (weather permitting). Free.

            Located on a crest of the San Gabriel Mountains above Pasadena, Mount Wilson provides spectacular views of Los Angeles. It is also the site of the renowned Mount Wilson Observatory. Although the Observatory itself is not open to the public, the grounds are open, and there is a museum with photographs of the heavens and models of the planets on display.

            Mount Wilson Skyline Park, nearby, offers picnicking and three hiking trails leading down the southern slope of the mountain to the valley below. There is also a concession stand where you can buy food.

Chilao Visitors Center

Angeles National Forest. State Highway 2, located about 27 miles north of the Angeles Crest Highway off ramp from I-210. (818) 796-5541. Daily, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday during the winter. Free.

            The Chilao Visitors Center, located about thirteen miles north of Mount Wilson, offers a variety of indoor exhibits on the forest, and self-guided nature walks on easy trails. Picnic areas and campgrounds are nearby. The Upper Chilao Picnic Area, adjacent to the visitor’s center, has tables and barbecues. Within the picnic area is a designated snow play area with moderate, brush-free slopes that allow for safe sledding. During the summer, evening campfire programs, ranger-led nature walks, and special children’s activities are scheduled. Day visitors to Chilao can purchase food and drink at the Newcomb’s Ranch Café (818-440-1001) just up the road from the center.

            Charlton Flats, three miles south of the visitor’s center on the Angeles Crest Highway, is another good picnic area. There are a large number of tables and barbecues spread out under the tall trees. Charlton Flats also has a self-guided nature trail and an easy hiking trail that is good for families.

Mission San Gabriel Archangel

537 West Mission Drive, San Gabriel. Exit I-10 at Del Mar Avenue and go north to Mission Drive. Turn left on Mission Drive, then right on Junipero Serra Drive to entrance. (818) 282-5191. Grounds open daily, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Adults, $1; children, 50 cents.

            Founded in 1771, Mission San Gabriel was the fourth of the California missions. Its location at the crossroads of several well-traveled roads (the mission’s original entrance opened onto El Camino Real) made it a busy, early California way station. Although the Moorish-influenced mission church and the adjacent museum have been closed since the October 1987 earthquake, you can still tour the mission grounds. In the mission patio is the anchor of an 1830 schooner (the first ship built in California of native materials), an original cannon used by soldiers to protect the mission, a star-shaped Moorish fountain with a lion’s head, as well as a horse trough. Off the patio is a replica of the kitchen used in early mission days (note the low doorway). You can see the early mission’s soap and tallow vats in the garden. The mission court contains clay models of the twenty-one California missions.

San Gabriel Municipal Park

Take the San Bernardino Freeway to the Del Mar Avenue exit and go north to Wells Avenue. Turn west and proceed two blocks to the park. (818) 308-2875. Daily, 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Free.

            This is an ideal park for families with small children. A Kiddie Korral solely for children six and under has pony swings, animal and car-shaped jungle gyms, a little boat, and other playground equipment scaled for preschoolers. In another area, a playground for bigger kids features a rocket ship slide and traditional swings, slides, and jungle gyms.

            The best part of the park (located behind the baseball diamond) is a colorful zoo of concrete animals to climb on and slide down. Children can climb up the arms of a big purple octopus and slide out the mouth of a blue whale. There are dragons to bump down, porpoises to ride, and a half-sunken pirate ship to play on. Nearby, a sea serpent stares at a ten-foot-high snail that doubles as a slide.

            There are benches for the old folks and covered tables for birthday parties. The park also has a number of barbecues and picnic tables.

Los Angeles State and County Arboretum

310 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia. Take the Baldwin Avenue off ramp from the 210 Freeway and go south about a quarter of a mile on Baldwin. (818) 821-3222. Daily, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Adults, $3; seniors, $1.50; students age 13 and over, $1.50; ages 5 – 12, 75 cents; under 5, free.

            It’s easy to spend a whole day enjoying the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum. Once the estate of millionaire E.J. “Lucky” Baldwin, it is now 127 acres of beautifully landscaped public gardens where peacocks wander freely. The area kids will enjoy the most is to the left as you enter the park. Palm trees over a hundred feet tall surround a huge lagoon that was used as a set for many Tarzan films. Children can play Tarzan in the thick jungle path around the lagoon. (Wear old clothes and tennis shoes for your visit.) Ducks and geese will run up for a handout at the sound of coins being dropped into the poultry-feed dispensers on the shore of the lagoon.

            By following the curve of the lagoon you come to a restored adobe, originally built in 1839. You can look through the windows to see the rooms furnished in original manner. Beside the adobe is a reconstruction of an Indian village. The reed huts are open and children can play in them.

            Nearby is the Queen Anne Cottage, built in 1881 by Lucky Baldwin. Through the windows of the cottage you can see life-sized mannequins in rooms furnished in the style of the era. Each room has a bouquet of fresh flowers and lovely stained-glass windows. The Coach Barn offers interesting displays of old tools and coaches. Tram rides through the park are available for $1.50, from 12:15 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. weekends. The trams start at the train station near the entrance.

Santa Anita Workouts

Santa Anita Park, 285 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia. Take the Santa Anita Avenue exit south from I-210, or north from I-10, to Huntington Drive. Or take the Baldwin Avenue exit south from I-210, or north from I-10. (818) 574-7223. Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. during racing season (about December 26 to April 22). Free.

            You can stand at the rail during morning workouts at Santa Anita Park and watch the thoroughbred horses go through their paces any racing day (weather permitting). At the peak of the exercise period, several dozen horses will be on track at the same time. The practicing horses drill counterclockwise; those finished working out walk clockwise, along the outer rail, back to the barns. A public-address commentary gives the name of the horses and their workout times.

            During the workout time on Saturday and Sunday, the track offers free tram rides around the track facilities and stable area. A knowledgeable guide points out the famous horses and explains about their care. The tram often stops to let you see the stable’s pet goats and chickens. Each tour lasts fifteen minutes.

            You may want to take your children to see an actual race. Children under seventeen are admitted free with an adult; adults pay $3. You may picnic in the infield during the race, where a fully supervised children’s playground, called Anita Chiquita, is also located.

Whittier Narrows Nature Center

1000 North Durfee Avenue, South El Monte. Take the Pomona Freeway to the Rosemead exit. (818) 444-1872. Daily, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free.

Along the San Gabriel River is a 277-acre wildlife sanctuary protecting more than 150 species of plants and animals. Four lakes, totaling twenty-six acres, attract hundreds of migratory birds each year. There are several miles of self-guiding nature trails where you can sometimes spot rabbits and raccoons.

            The wildlife sanctuary is part of the 1,092-acre Whittier Narrows Dam Recreation Area, which features a large lake for boating and fishing, hiking and equestrian trails, sports field, children’s play areas, and picnic facilities.

Heritage Park

1918 North Rosemead Boulevard, El Monte. Take the Rosemead exit north from Pomona Freeway (60). Go north on Rosemead about 1 ¼ miles to the museum. (818) 442-1776. Weekends, noon – 4:30 p.m. Adults; $2; ages 10 – 16, $1; ages 5 – 9, 50 cents; under 5, free.

            Located on 7 ½  acres within the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, Heritage Park displays more than eighty military vehicles, including American and foreign jeeps, trucks, and tanks. Other displays in this museum of military equipment include ship propellers, radar screens, and cannons.

El Monte Historical Museum

3150 North Tyler Avenue, El Monte. Exit I-10 at Santa Anita; go south two blocks to Mildred Street and turn left to North Tyler Avenue. The museum is on the corner. (818) 580-2232. Wednesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Free, but donations appreciated.

            A plaque outside the El Monte Historical Museum tells you that El Monte was once the end of the Santa Fe Trail; the town was settled by farmers who came west in wagon trains. Inside the adobe-style building, which was a former WPA library, are historical displays dating from the days of the first pioneers. Many of the exhibits are organized as room settings, such as a Victorian-era parlor complete with mannequins in period costume, and a turn-of-the-century schoolroom. Kids can walk into the settings and even sit among the mannequin children at a schoolroom desk. A special children’s section at the museum has old toys that they can play with. Outside in a courtyard are wagons like ones used by the early settlers.

Pio Pico State Historical Park

6003 South Pioneer Boulevard, Whittier. (213) 695-1217. Wednesday – Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free.

            Although the home of the last Mexican governor of California, Pio Pico, has been closed due to damage suffered in the October 1987 earthquake, you can still picnic here on the grounds. (Check when you are there; you may be able to see some of the restoration work.)

Whittier Museum

6755 Newlin Avenue, Whittier. Take the Whittier Boulevard exit east from the 605 Freeway. Travel on Whittier Boulevard to Philadelphia Street. Go east one block past Pickering Avenue to Newlin Avenue. (213) 945-3871. Saturday and Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m. Adults, $2; seniors, $1; under 16, 50 cents.

            A turn-of-the-century  Main Street has been recreated inside this historical museum housed in a former telephone company building. There is a Queen Anne-style cottage you can actually enter, a barn filled with farm implements, a newspaper office, and various shop windows filled with old-fashioned items. A docent leads you through the museum; and since this is a looking experience, kids should probably be at least eight to appreciate it. Upstairs in the museum are changing exhibits. School group tours are scheduled for weekdays, when the museum is closed to the public.

Heritage Park

12100 Mora Drive, Santa Fe Springs. Exit the I-605 Freeway at Telegraph Road. Travel east to Heritage Park Drive; turn right to the park. (213) 946-6476. The park is open daily, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. The Carriage Barn Museum is open: Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, noon – 4 p.m. Free.

            Heritage Park is a six-acre re-creation of the nineteenth-century citrus farm that once occupied this site. Among the reconstructed buildings are a carriage barn, a conservatory, and a windmill/tank house. You can also see  the basement and fireplace ruins of the original ranch house. The carriage barn serves as a museum of local history giving kids an idea of what turn-of-the-century Santa Fe Springs was like. The museum includes a hands-on area for children. The conservatory is stocked with greenery and seasonal flowering plants. There is also an English-style garden with planters and fountains, and an aviary with doves, finches, and other birds. You can picnic at the park, and a lunchroom serves hot dogs, sandwiches, and salads on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The park holds a Children’s Day each year in August or September with old-fashioned games and activities. Heritage Park is a lovely oasis of green in the midst of a highly industrial area.

Hacienda Heights Youth Science Center

Located at the Wedgeworth Elementary School, 16949 Wedgeworth Drive, Room 8, Hacienda Heights. From the Pomona Freeway (60), exit Azusa Avenue south to Pepper Brook Way. Turn right to Wedgeworth Drive. (818) 965-1494. Telephone for schedule. Free.

            The Youth Science Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to science education; it operates two museums (the other is in Fullerton). Both museums offer children fascinating science exhibits and hands-on experiments. The Youth Science Center also sponsors a variety of classes and field trips. Science classes at Hacienda Heights have included model rocketry for ages ten and up; “talking rocks,” a geology class for kindergarten through third grade; and star-gazing for the entire family. Field trips have included excursions to hospitals, manufacturing sites, and science laboratories, as well as nature outings.

• Claremont, Pomona and Vicinity

Raging Waters

111 Raging Waters Drive (Via Verde), San Dimas. (714) 592-8181 or 592-6453. Located in Frank G. Bonnelli County Regional Park, near intersection of Freeways 210, 10, 71, and 57. Exit I-210 at Raging Waters Drive (Via Verde) and drive east to park. Open weekends May to mid-June and mid-September to mid-October. Open daily mid-June to mid September. Hours vary, but open at least 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Adults (over 48 inches), $16.95; seniors, $8.95; children (42 – 48 inches), $8.95; children under 42 inches, free. There are reduced weekday rates for adult nonparticipants with paying children and discounts after 5 p.m.

            Covering forty-four acres in Frank G. Bonnelli Regional Park, Raging Waters is a combination swimming lagoon, water-slide adventure, and aquatic playground. The park is designed for the whole family. For the daring there are several steep slides, as well as hundreds of feet of twisting, curving, water slides. A special attraction, called Raging Rivers, offers a quarter-mile of inner tube rapids, with four separate channels ranging from mild for younger children to wild for the foolhardy. A large family swimming lagoon, called Wavecove, features man-made waves and activity islands where kids can climb across rope nets, swing on tires, and perform lots of other feats. The lagoon is surrounded by sunbathing beaches. Small children have their own imaginatively designed play pool. There are picnic facilities, as well as a variety of snack bars. Dressing rooms and lockers are available. Bring your own beach towels and chairs, and don’t forget sunscreen.

            Raging Waters has more than a hundred lifeguards; however, you should still keep close watch on your children. For safety, the park maintains a maximum-admission limit. Therefore, if you are coming on a busy weekend, plan to arrive early or after 5 p.m.

Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop

1030 Bonita Avenue, La Verne. (714) 559-4558. Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

            This large (six-thousand square feet), well stocked children’s book and toy shop features about twenty thousand book titles ranging from board books for babies to young adult titles. There is also a large selection of books on topics for parents. A story hour is held at 11 a.m. on Saturdays throughout the year. (No pre-registration needed.) The store also offers an “Eager Reader” program for children in the first through eighth grade with special discounts on books. Other store-sponsored activities include workshops, author signings, and concerts. If you can’t find the book you want, they will special order it. The staff is knowledgeable about children’s books and everyone working in the store is a parent. Mrs. Nelson’s also publishes a book-review newsletter five times a year.

            The store also offers a good selection of high-quality toys, and toys are out where children can examine them. Children’s videotapes, musical instruments, and science materials are also sold. The store provides free gift wrapping.

Kellogg’s Arabian Horse Center

Kellogg Campus, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Go east on I-10, take the Cal Poly off ramp near Pomona, and follow the signs. (714) 869-2224. Center open daily, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Horse shows: First Sunday of the month, October – June at 2 p.m. Adults, $2; seniors, $1.50; children, $1.  

            A splendid herd of Arabian horses lives on this campus. The Arabians are used by students studying horse husbandry and training. On various Sundays during the year, the horses demonstrate their intelligence for the public in an hour-long show. They rock baby carriages, do arithmetic, and even open a cash register and put money into it.

            Although the horse show is a lot of fun for everyone, you don’t have to attend it to see the horses. You can visit the horses any day, without charge, and even go right up to them and pet them. In the spring, the mares will have their newborn colts by their sides.

Adobe De Palomares

491 East Arrow Highway, Pomona. Take the Garey Avenue – Orange Grove exit from I-10. Go north on Orange Grove to Palomares Adobe. (714) 620-2300. Sunday, 2 – 5 p.m. Free.

            Built in 1854, the thirteen-room Adobe De Palomares has been restored to look the way it did a hundred years ago, with authentic furniture, cooking utensils, tools, clothing, and toys of that era. Picnic facilities are available in Palomares Park directly behind the adobe.

Griswold’s Smorgasbord

555 West Foothill Boulevard, Claremont, at the intersection of Indian Hill and Foothill boulevards. (714) 621-9360. Daily, 6:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. (until 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday).

            The Griswold’s complex includes a hotel, several restaurants, and a number of shops, many of which are housed in the former Claremont High School. Griswold’s Smorgasbord is a fine family restaurant serving a wide selection of hot and cold smorgasbord items for all three meals. In addition to the fun of selecting from a smorgasbord, kids can enjoy watching the cakes being decorated through the restaurant’s large bakery window. On weekends from about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., a colorful crafts fair takes place with as many as 150 craftspeople participating.

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

1500 North College Avenue, Claremont. From Los Angeles, take I-10 east to Indian Hill Boulevard, then turn north on Indian Hill. (714) 625-8767. Daily, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free.

            The main blooming period of this eighty-three-acre garden is from late February to the middle of June. Then the manzanitas, California lilacs, and tree poppies are especially striking. Most of the plants are grouped according to natural association, such as the chaparral community. The garden isn’t for all kids, as it is a walking and observing experience.

Raymond M. Alf Museum

1175 West Base Line Road, Claremont. (714) 626-3587. Monday – Thursday, 1 – 4 p.m.; the second Sunday of every month, 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Closed in summer. Ages 6 and up, $1; under 6, free.

            Located at the Webb School of Claremont (a college preparatory school for boys), this museum houses the findings of Dr. Alf and his students from their paleontological digs. The findings include thousands of bones, fossil footprints, a fifteen-million-year-old peccary skull, and fossils showing the history of mammals. There are related exhibits of Indian relics and ancient Egyptian artifacts, which even preschool children can enjoy.

Mount Baldy

In the San Gabriel Mountains about 12 miles north of Upland. Exit the I-10 north of Euclid Avenue (Highway 83) in Upland. Continue north after Euclid Avenue becomes Mountain Avenue to Mount Baldy. Continue climbing to Mount Baldy Village. Mount Baldy Information Station Phone: (714) 982-2829.

            Less than an hour’s drive from Los Angeles, Mount Baldy offers families a year-round mountain retreat. During the winter, particularly on weekends, Mount Baldy is crowded with skiers. Manker Flats Campground, situated in a beautiful open pine forest (three miles northeast of Mount Baldy Village on Mount Baldy Road), offers families a good spot for snow play – although parking is limited. The Mount Baldy Information Station in central Mount Baldy Village can suggest other areas for snow play. They also have maps on hiking trails, and you can call them for weather conditions. The Information station is open Friday through Monday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

            During the warmer months, Mount Baldy is much quieter, offering picnicking, uncrowded hiking, clean air, and beautiful scenery. Developed picnic sites with barbecues, tables, vault toilets, and piped water are available at Glacier Picnic Area, 2 ½  miles north of Mount Baldy Village. Or you can picnic along a stream, or anywhere you like on National Forest Land, as long as you pack-out. On weekends, sightseeing chairlift rides are available at the Mount Baldy Ski area. Trout fishing is offered at various private facilities.

            Mount Baldy Village, the mountain’s lovely little resort village, has restaurants and a motel. Gasoline and car services are not available.

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