Nearly Free SoCal Fun: California Science Center!

I had heard from several people that the California Science Center was just about the best thing for kids to do in L.A, free or not! The free part is what pushed me from "Yeah, maybe" to "Let's go!"

A couple of friends and I hit the road midmorning. Immediately upon arrival, we hit our greatest expenditure of the day - the $8 parking fee. I won't complain though, as parking in the local neighborhoods seems like a far less intellegent choice. (Well, if you want to have a car when you're done at the museum, anyway...)

As the kids piled out of the car, they found something scientific to mess with right away, although something tells me all they saw was a tug-o-war with a Toyota. They took turns pulling the ropes and raising the truck off the ground, which reminded me an awful lot of the A*Team van at Universal Studios from when I was a kid, which made me feel like I could conquer the world! At that point, I think the kids felt the same way, or they felt like Mr. T, but I doubt they know who he is.

Inside, the kids made a verical zigzag beeline to the highwire bicycle. For a mere $2, you and/or your brave children can ride a bicycle dozens of feet above the ground on an inchwide cable. My son jumped on the opportunity immediately - my daughter, not so much. After much trepidation, she strapped herself in and bravely creeped out over the empty space... Well, the safety net, anyway. Several museum-goers gathered around to watch them, and for a minute or so, they felt like circus performers.

We made our way through a transportation exhibit and then an area called Lost Egypt. My kids were pretty impressed with this area - there were real mummies in there - a teenaged girl, a cat, and an ibis! (There is a larger mummy exhibit at the center now, however, it wasn't open yet when we visited.) We learned about mummification of humans and animals, heiroglyphics, the search for pottery shards, and pyramid construction. Finally, we watched an show about the human body, complete with a giant, well, giant that showed us the different parts of the body and how they worked.

At this point, we couldn't control the grumbling and rumbling from our tummies, so we headed outside to the Exposition Park rose garden. Although there are fast food paces to buy food inside the Center (McDonald's and Taco Bell), each family brought a picnic. The kids enjoyed having lunch with their siblings and amigos, and then had even more fun running around in the garden. There was an ice cream vendor walking through, and we couldn't resist. Someone must have given my friend Pedro their best puppydog, "Please, Daddy?" eyes, because he splurged for the the entire group. They sat by the fountain and chowed down on their frozen treats, then proceeded to run around the gardens even more.

We headed BACK into the Center, which frankly, I was pretty surprised about. How much more museum could there be?! Answer: A LOT! We went into an ecosystem area that had aquariums, touch tanks, a desert with tortoises, an Arctic area, wave machines... They wandered, explored, and maybe even... Gasp... learned something! They were most intrigued with all of the sea life. They could have stayed in that area the entire day, I think. The kids were searching for sharks in the big aquarium, catching flying ping pong balls to simulate how anenomes catch food, and simply having fun.

My feet were starting to hurt at this point. Luckily, the kids were full of energy. This Science Center would NOT defeat them! There was still an exhibit left, all about the Los Angeles ecosystem. The kids learned about energy-efficient lighting and reducing waste. They got to play "newscaster" too, and report on local environmental concerns. They were pretty darn thrilled about being on TV! Well, at least they could see themselves on TV, anyway.

We actually closed the place down! The kids might have stayed another two hours had a docent not come and encouraged us to skedaddle. (Thank you, oh glorious docent!) ;)

On the way home, we visited the L.A. must-try eatery, Tito's Tacos. We got 2 tacos, chips and salsa, and a soda for under $6. Usually there's a lengthy line around the block for this place, but we got lucky - merely a 5 minute wait!

So, for the day: Parking $8 + 2 bicycle rides $4 + picnic lunch $0 + Tito's Tacos $6 = $18! For a family of 3, that's an absolute BARGAIN! Bonus, all of the kids had a great time, even my 14 year old son. Verdict: The California Science Center is a MUST-DO in L.A.!