Howdy, Ags. The family and I (wife and two daughters, 5 and 3) along with the in-laws are going to California for vacation in June and I am need of some recommendations of things to do along the way. We usually do Disney World during spring break but decided to go elsewhere this year.

Schedule:
6/1-6/4 we will be in San Diego (flying in from IAH) - thanks to prior TexAgs threads we're all set with itinerary here
6/4-6/9 we will be in the Anaheim area to start (Disneyland for two days) and then Burbank area for two days visiting my wife's family. Here is where I need some more suggestions that are kid friendly for that Burbank/North Hollywood area.
6/9-6/12 we will be wrapping up in Pismo Beach (flying out of San Luis Obispo) - wife and MIL wanted to take a trip down memory lane. I hear I need to stop in Carpinteria on my way in for some cafe but that is all I have.

Let me know what yall recommend for Burbank and Pismo. Thanks in advance

In reply to GT_Aggie2015 Skip pismo go to Avila instead, especially if you're there on the weekend, pismo is a **** show unless you're staying in town.
Only thing I'd venture into pismo would be for 4 wheelers or dune buggies on the sand dunes.

In reply to Jock 07 I wasn't a fan of Pismo being the last stop. I was pushing farther north but I lost that battle with wife and MIL.

La Brea tar pits were pretty cool for two hours or so. Right in the middle of Hollywood.

In reply to GT_Aggie2015 3 & 5 aren't going to get much out of Hollywood and sure as heck keep them out of NoHo unless you like homeless, trash and smelling weed.

A few places you can go are

• Americana on Brand / Glendale Galleria
• Jerome Daniel Scenic overlook on Mulholland
• Laurel Canyon Dog Park
• Verdugo Park in Burbank also has a swimming pool
• Robert Gross Park has a better playground
• Public library at the corner of Buena Vista and Verdugo has a great kids section and there's a nice playground outside
• For breakfast, outdoor dining on the sidewalk at Paty's in Toluca Lake
• If you're there on a Friday after 5pm, don't miss the car show at Bob's Big Boy on Riverside
• The entertainment area around the AMC 16 in Burbank is great for catching a movie

I know you have an itinerary already but if it was me I'd skip LA all together and spend the majority of time in San Diego with just a few days on the central coast.

Also, if you want to score points with your wife stop in at Solvang, women love it there. There's a horse drawn trolley that kids would enjoy.

Also the ostrich feeding in Buellton is always packed and families with kids seem to really enjoy it. I never really understood the draw personally. My kids enjoyed feeding the animals at the Avila barn when we lived there.

There's some good wineries in the Santa ynez valley with open areas where kids can run around a little bit, and Firestone barrelworks in Buellton is always worth a stop in for some good barrel aged beers.

In reply to GT_Aggie2015

GT_Aggie2015 said:

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6/4-6/9 we will be in the Anaheim area to start (Disneyland for two days)

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FYI if you're staying within walking distance of Disneyland.

A couple of years ago, we spent two days at Disneyland at a hotel within walking distance. That first day we walked, and we were hassled by homeless people both in the morning and in the evening.

The next day we took an Uber. There are drivers who make that loop from the hotels to the park all day. Much better.

Thanks all

In reply to GT_Aggie2015

GT_Aggie2015 said:

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Thanks all

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Another one in Burbank that's fun is to go to the Disney Studio Lot gate on Alameda and take pictures with the 7 Dwarves at the top of the building in the background.

Also in Burbank, by the Disney Studio entrance on Riverside, there's a giant magic hat on the Feature Animation building that the kids would probably enjoy seeing.

And since the wife's parents are there, if you want to slip out one night to a locals bar, I recommend Hotel Amarano for classy characters and expensive drinks (on Thursday nights, ask for Harvey the Bartender), or Mrs. Robinson's in Toluca Lake (formerly Timmy Nolan's) for regular local alcoholics and interesting characters.

I hope you enjoy your time in my old hometown. I left 9 months ago and miss it in a way but I don't miss the lunatics of the Covid era, I do miss the Rock and Roll fun times back in the mid-2000s (but unfortunately that's all dead now).

If you want to do me a favor in Burbank, go shop at Pavilions on Alameda and tell my what percentage of the customers are still wearing masks. It was still about 20% when I left in August 2023.

One other pismo add, your kids would probably enjoy: the monarch butterfly colony, or whatever it's called, right next to the trailer park there in pismo. Do the research but I'm pretty sure they're active and there in Jun.

Thanks again this is helpful

In reply to HollywoodBQ

HollywoodBQ said:

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3 & 5 aren't going to get much out of Hollywood and sure as heck keep them out of NoHo unless you like homeless, trash and smelling weed.

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This. Hell, I want nothing to do with LA or San Fran these days.

I'm not going to lie. I tried to come up with alternatives, but flying out of San Luis Obispo is really going to make this difficult.

My suggestion is see if you can change your flights to somewhere else and take advantage of better things to do / see than inner city touristy stuff. I'd suggest John Wayne instead. I wouldn't mess with flying out that far north unless you're spending a week north of LA at Carmel or going up to Sequoia / Kings Canyon.


Here's some other alternatives to things south / east of LA.

• Palm springs / Joshua Tree
• Big Bear

But my suggestion is to max out doing as much as you can around San Diego and Disney Land while mixing in a beach day for the kids. The Hotel Del and Mission Bay Resort might be great options for a pool / beach day for the kids in the middle of a week of non-stop doing.

• Legoland
• Coronado / Hotel Del for beach day
• Safari Park
• Sea World
• San Diego Zoo
• Balboa Park and the museums on El Prado
• Cabrillo National Monument / Point Loma
• Scripps Aquarium
• Torrey Pines / La Jolla shopping / Cove for Sea Lions

If you're in Pismo, Paso 4Obles is super close by if yall wanna do a winery thing

Thanks for the recommendations