Travel Series: Southern California with Kids
If you’ve seen any of our California Sessions, you know that it holds a special place in our hearts. Our family LOVES going there! We are fortunate enough that my in-laws have an apartment in the beachside town of Rancho Palos Verdes. In the last few years we’ve found all of the fun ins and outs of the area so I thought I would share some with you all!
Around Rancho:
Terranea Resort - Great food at Catalina Kitchen and the views are amazing! You can also walk around the paths and down to their little beach. You can’t walk into the water but there’s sand and a gorgeous view to look at and sometimes dolphins swim around! Just beware of the cacti on the paths getting there!!!
Yellow Vase - We LOOOOVE Yellow Vase for breakfast! There’s one right down the road from their apartment and so delicious! I know there are a couple in the area so you’ll have to see which is closer to you. They have these adorable yellow awnings and super cute French bistro decor. Great quiches, pastries, COFFEE!!!! And crepes!
We love visiting the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium! It’s free (just donations at the door) and there are a ton of hands on things for the kids. They love the building with the small touch tanks and the other building with the fossils and microscopes. There’s also a path outside to the right that takes you around to tide pools! We usually pack a picnic lunch and eat on the beach afterwards.
Manhattan Beach - There’s a cute little aquarium on the pier here. I think free here too? It was under construction the last time we went so we didn’t get to see it but have heard it’s adorable!
Wayfarers Chapel - one of the most gorgeous chapels I’ve ever seen! All glass and the grounds are insane with a view of the ocean to match!
Abalone Cove - fun little trail to walk down to the beach, can be a bit steep but it’s not too bad.
And DUH! Go have an In-N-Out Burger, Animal Style with some fries the same way... YUM.
Handel’s Ice Cream - Theeee best you’ll ever have and they’re one of the top ice cream places in the world. We go multiple times during our trip and order a pint (or three) of our favorites just in case we get too tired or come from a different direction.
And of course, Disneyland is only about an hour with traffic away from the area so that’s always an optional day-trip idea!
Downtown Redondo:
**Make sure to have lots of change for parking around the area. Some parking is free, some you can pay with a card but some places require quarters, dimes and nickels.
Plenty of shops, food and the beautiful beach to explore! Try to park on side streets and you can walk around from there if you want to explore some of the shopping and close restaurants.
FOOD: We love Locale 90 pizza, Riviera Mexican Bar, Rockefeller, Sacks on the Beach (perfect sandwiches and wraps for a beach day!) and Turquoise (the grilled salmon salad is INSANE!!) but watch for the nuts, their hummus I believe is made with walnuts? We usually only go if we are kid-less.
The Lollipop store is a really cute kids boutique. A bit pricey but every once in a while we find a random “cali” shirt, hat or bathing suit souvenir.
Redondo Beach Pier:
The Yellow Submarine is SO MUCH FUN!! If you park in the garage try and go early in the morning, especially on the weekend as it’s a nightmare. You’ll have to park, pay for the ticket and then display in the window. You can also park around in the back of the pier by the marina where they put the boats in the water. I’ve heard this is much easier so we will be doing this next time too.
Whale/Dolphin Watching Tour - it’s 2.5 hours on the boat and you go around the water in the area. You won’t believe how much sea life lives RIGHT THERE! We saw 5 huge whales in that time and then an enormous pod of dolphin as we were coming in that were so close they sprayed the kids. Pretty sure you can bring snacks and drinks on board or else they had some to sell I think as well. (This is the best place to park where I said above instead of the main garage. BONUS!! If you do the whale tour parking is $2 for the DAY!
R10 is probably my favorite restaurant there. The brunch menu on the weekends is YUM (try the Bacon Sweet Potato Hash!) and they also have bottomless mimosas ;) ;)
There’s a cute arcade but our favorite is literally starting at one end (usually by R10) and just walking allllll the way around. It’s so cute and fun just soaking in the salty air and people watching! Look for seals too! There’s a fresh seafood market on the lower level by the boats where you can see the crabs and lobsters. Probably the kids’ favorite thing and lots of laughs!
Seaside Lagoon - Haven’t been ourselves yet but another place on our list! Park and mini “waterpark” for the kiddos.
Have you visited this area before? I’d love to hear about it!
Let me know if you have any other questions! I hope I didn’t forget anything but I’ll keep thinking! You guys will have so much fun! Just relax and enjoy, it’s such a different life out there and everyone is SO nice!
