With the Family in Tow

Already Spring has sprung and in a blink it will be Summer – prime time for family outings, family reunions, family vacations, family everything. Here comes the short list of favorite family experiences to be had in, around, and out of the city:

• Catalina Island. Just an hour or so from L.A. by ferry, this island feels like another world. No worries about traffic plowing down the youngsters, sandy beaches, lots of comfort food and casual accommodations (even condos with kitchen facilities for rent) and numerous water activities (who can resist a flying fish?).

• Griffith Park. The ultimate staycation with museums, the Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park Observatory, playing fields for all types of sports, golf courses, playgrounds, and miles and miles of open space for cycling, horse riding, or just kicking back with a book in a shady fern grove.

• Pasadena. Closer than ever, with the addition of the Gold Line subway from downtown L.A., Pasadena offers eclectic shopping areas, wonderful restaurants, the famous Rose Bowl, Craftsman-era architectural masterpieces, and such world-class cultural institutions as the Norton Simon Museum, Pacific-Asia Museum, and Pasadena Playhouse.The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens are just a short distance away.

• Beaches. Beaches are just one attraction that makes L.A. a wondrous place for all ages and all budgets. Hop in the car and head for Malibu, where you can play on the same sands as the celebrities, watch the parade of characters in Venice, laze on the wide sands at Santa Monica before sauntering over to Pacific Park and a spin on the views-to-forever Ferris wheel. Rent kayaks, take surfing lessons, play volleyball, toss Frisbees. And build a castle in the sand.

• Explore. Take off in the family car and make day trips to some of the lesser-traveled parts of the region. Some possibilities: Fullerton, Orange, Redlands, Chatsworth, Downtown L.A. Yes, downtown L.A.–full of life and surprises.

• Stay. How long has it been since the whole family has hung out in the house together? Invite the clan to spend a day of quality time. Share stories, have a faux camp-out and cook up some s’mores, read passages from favorite books, plunk down on the living room floor and work on a humongous jigsaw puzzle, have a 24-hour movie marathon with DVDs and a ton of home-popped corn, paint a mural on one wall of the house. Do it all! Or, come up with your own ideas. Just do something different!