Parks & Beaches
Bailey Canyon Park
451 W. Carter Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 91024
Hollywood’s popular Runyon Canyon offers us panoramas, celebrity sightings, and stargazing, but Bailey Canyon Park in Sierra Madre has our pooches scampering across rivulets…
Website: http://www.sierramadrenews.net/bailey.htm
Neighborhood: Los Angeles, Sierra Madre
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Family Fun, Parks & Beaches, Sports & Recreation
Ballona Freshwater Marsh
Jefferson Blvd. at Lincoln Blvd, Playa del Rey, CA, 90293
310-306-5994
Bring an early-morning repast and binoculars, grab a bench facing the Ballona Freshwater Marsh, and voilà: avian TV
Website: http://www.ballonafriends.org
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2015: Do, Best of LA: 2015, Best of LA: Do, Parks & Beaches
Briarwood Park
461 Almaden Ct., Los Angeles, CA, 90077
310-840-2186
The general rule for play dates in the 310 and the 818 is that someone has to schlepp from one side of the hill to the other. If people only knew about Briarwood Park…
Website: http://www.laparks.org/dos/parks/facility/briarwoodPk.htm
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Family Fun, Parks & Beaches, Sports & Recreation
Burton W. Chace Park
Various locations, Los Angeles, CA, 90292
After being eliminated last year due to budget cuts, Fourth of July fireworks in the Marina have returned…
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Local Attractions, Parks & Beaches
Descanso Gardens
1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge, CA, 91011
818-949-4200
Descanso Gardens allows tykes to safely explore the natural world—lily ponds, acres of roses, and lush camellia groves—and learn something about it, too
Website: https://www.descansogardens.org
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2015: Do, Best of LA: 2015, Best of LA: Do, Parks & Beaches
Dockweiler State Beach
12000 Vista del Mar, Los Angeles, CA, 90239
As one of only two L.A. County beaches that allow bonfires—the other is San Pedro’s Cabrillo Beach…
Neighborhood: El Segundo, Los Angeles
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Parks & Beaches
Douglas Park
2439 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90403
310-458-8974
At the colorful playground at Douglas Park is a shallow rink that shoots jets of water in the summer and is prime turf for tot cycling the rest of the year…
Website: http://www01.smgov.net/parks/douglas.htm
Neighborhood: Los Angeles, Santa Monica
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Family Fun, Parks & Beaches, Sports & Recreation
Echo Park Lake Pedal Boats
751 N. Echo Park Ave., Echo Park, CA, 90026
213-481-8577
Rented pedal boats have been gliding across Echo Park Lake since at least the 1980s
Website: http://fastkayak.com/echo.html
Neighborhood: Echo Park
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2014: Do, Best of LA: 2014, Best of LA: Do, Community, Parks & Beaches
Greystone Park
905 Loma Vista Dr., Los Angeles, CA, 90210
The 1920s former mansion of the oil-rich Doheny family oozes opulence, as do the grounds.
Website: http://www.beverlyhills.org/greystone
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Best of LA, Best of LA 2013: Do, Best of LA: 2013, Best of LA: Do, Parks & Beaches
Huntington Dog Beach
100 Goldenwest Street, Huntington Beach, CA, 92648
714-841-8644
One of the few public places to get your dog paddling is Huntington Dog Beach, a mile-long stretch where Spot has the freedom to frolic and swim off-leash…
Website: http://dogbeach.org/
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Family Fun, Parks & Beaches, Sports & Recreation
Lacy Park
1485 Virginia Rd., Los Angeles, CA, 91108
A good picnic must have certain basics: a wicker basket, cute edibles in mason jars, and booze disguised as an innocuous libation. Lacy Park in San Marino has all this in spades.
Website: http://ci.san-marino.ca.us/lacy.htm
Neighborhood: San Marino
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Best of LA, Best of LA 2013: Do, Best of LA: 2013, Best of LA: Do, Parks & Beaches
Pacific Park
380 Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles, CA, 90401
310-260-8744
Perched above the waves since 1916, Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier provides for almost any breakup reaction.
Website: http://www.pacpark.com
Category: Amusement Parks, Arts & Entertainment, Local Attractions, Parks & Beaches
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
1500 N. College Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 92706
909-625-8767
Even though—or is it because?—we live in an urban desert, we seek out places where we can indulge a passion for plants…
Website: http://rsabg.org/
Neighborhood: Claremont, Los Angeles
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Parks & Beaches
Rosie’s Dog Beach
Ocean Blvd. between Roycroft and Argonne Aves, Los Angeles, CA, 90803
If canine heaven does exist, it might look like Rosie’s Dog Beach
Website: http://www.rosiesdogbeach.com
Neighborhood: Long Beach
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Best of LA, Best of LA 2013: Do, Best of LA 2013: Pets, Best of LA: 2013, Best of LA: Do, Best of LA: Pets, Parks & Beaches
San Vicente Mountain Park
17500 Mulholland Dr., Los Angeles, CA, 90049
, accessible only by foot on an unpaved road, is a vantage point at San Vicente Mountain Parkwith 360-degree views…
Website: http://www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=54
Neighborhood: Encino, Los Angeles
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Family Fun, Parks & Beaches, Sports & Recreation
Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park
17550 Victory Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 91316
Though it’s not the most picturesque canine play area, Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park is the most user friendly.
Website: http://www.laparks.org
Neighborhood: Encino
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Best of LA, Best of LA 2013: Do, Best of LA 2013: Pets, Best of LA: 2013, Best of LA: Do, Best of LA: Pets, Parks & Beaches
Solstice Canyon Trail
3455 Solstice Canyon Dr., Los Angeles, CA, 90265
Sometimes we just want to pull a Thoreau and slip away for an hour. Our favorite escape is Malibu’s Solstice Canyon Trail…
Website: http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/solsticecanyon.htm
Neighborhood: Los Angeles, Malibu
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Family Fun, Parks & Beaches, Sports & Recreation
The Japanese Garden: Suiho En
6100 Woodley Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 91406
818-756-8166
Think of this place as a striptease. “It reveals itself gradually,” says docent Dori Kyle, “so everything is a surprise.” …
Website: http://thejapanesegarden.com/
Neighborhood: Los Angeles, Van Nuys
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Parks & Beaches
