Dinosaur Hall

As the mother of a four year old boy, I knew that a trip to see the new Dinosaur Hall exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County was a must.

Both my kids are excited to learn about dinosaurs (as most kids are) and this exhibit did not disappoint!  We started our day at the Dinosaur Encounter program, where a "live" T-Rex walks, roars, and even eats right in front of the audience.  The kids were amazed and truly believed that they were watching a dinosaur.  After the show we made our way to the main Dinosaur Hall.

The"hall" consists of two floors and several rooms full of dinosaur exhibits, many of them hands-on and interactive.  My kids loved seeing real dinosaur bones and learning about the different types of dinosaurs.  They even got to to touch a real dinosaur toe bone, which was amazing to them and to me!

The Natural History Museum is huge and has so many great exhibits that you would need to spend several days there to see it all.  We will be back in the future, but Dinosaur Hall is worth a day by itself.

Event:  Dinosaur Hall at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Dates:  Open 7 days a week from 9:30am to 5pm with the exception of New Years Day, July 4th,    
Thanksgiving, and Christmas

Cost:  Adults -$12, Students and Seniors -$9, Children ages 13 to 17- $8, Children ages 5 to 12 -$5, 
children age 4 and under -Free

Location:  900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Parking:  Parking in the NHM car park (Exposition Boulevard and Bill Robertson Lane) is $8 and is cash only. Patrolled lots near the Museum in Exposition Park are also available on Bill Robertson Lane, immediately to the west of the Museum ($10, cash only).

More Info: http://www.nhm.org/site/explore-exhibits/permanent-exhibits/dinosaur-hall

Blast from the Past

I have come to the unfortunate realization that no matter how hard I try, there is no way to fit every amazing event and activity into our yearly schedule.  I have found that I sometimes have to skip things that we've already done in the past in order to try some of the new activities.  However, that doesn't mean that they are not worthy of sharing!  You may find that my "old" events are new for you, or perfect for your family at this time.  With that in mind, I'd like to do some "Blast from the Past" posts where I will share information about events that we've enjoyed over the last couple of years, but just can't fit in the schedule this year.  Hopefully this will give you an even wider variety of events and activities to choose from when you make plans for your family outings.

Toy Story 3 On Ice

When it comes to an outing that the entire family can enjoy, you basically can't go wrong with Disney.  The kids and I had an opportunity to join some friends at Disney's Toy Story 3 On Ice, and we all had a blast!

Toy Story is a favorite with both my kids, and this performance did not disappoint.  It's amazing to see the ways that Disney took various scenes from the movie and performed them not only live, but on ice as well!  All the favorite Toy Story characters are included in the show, and I have to say that I enjoyed it almost as much as my kids. 

Event: Toy Story 3 On Ice

Dates: Toy Story 3 On Ice is a traveling show, so check the website to see when it is coming to your town!

Cost: Varies with location

Location: Varies

Parking: Varies with location

More Info: http://disney.go.com/disneyonice/

Alpacas at Windy Hill

One of the things that I love the most about where we live is that we are fairly close to several farms and ranches that are open to the public.  Nothing beats a family day out that is fun and also full of learning opportunities.  A couple of weeks ago we took the kids to an alpaca ranch, Alpacas at Windy Hill. 

Visitors are welcome to walk around the ranch and visit the 300 plus alpacas that are raised at Windy Hill, and the owners are very friendly and willing to talk and answer questions.   In fact, we had the opportunity to pet and even hold a baby alpaca on the day that we were there. 

Event: Open Ranch Day at Alpacas at Windy Hill alpaca ranch

 

Dates: The ranch is open to the public on the 2nd Saturday of each month between 10am and 3pm, or by appointment

Cost: FREE!

 

Location: 7660 Bradley Road, Somis, CA 93066

Parking: Free parking at the ranch

 

More Info: http://www.alpacalink.com/mainpage.html