Pasadena native here -- if spring break is 1 week, there's more than enough to do in LA. So many different options for hiking, museums, restaurants and varied neighborhoods to explore in the city and also within an easy drive in SoCal. If you have 10 days or so, I'd vote for doing an overnight to Joshua Tree. That is an amazing landscape.

Disneyland is so fun. Stay one night at the Grand Californian.

Anonymous wrote:LA+ Palm Springs / Joshua Tree

This^^^

There are great hiking spots around Malibu and Runyon canyon. The Getty Villa just reopened and is fun. Go to Universal Studios for a day. To echo the previous poster, Santa Barbara is a short drive and absolutely beautiful. Lots of good hikes, flat beach biking trails and delicious food.

Anonymous wrote:Isn't 1 still close south of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park?

They are expecting it to fully reopen in March.

LA+ Palm Springs / Joshua Tree

Isn't 1 still close south of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park?

You could drive up the coast. It’s a shockingly beautiful drive. We live in the Bay Area and love that drive. We usually stay overnight in Santa Barbara. SLO, Pismo or Morro Bay are other overnight options. You also can drive a little further north and stay near Big Sur.

I’d do Disneyland but I’m trashy

Anonymous wrote:LA is pretty gross.

You went to the wrong parts of L.A.

Here’s mine from a few years ago, the one where we stayed in marina Del ray. Lots to do in LA, we found it fun.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1009167.page#21104080

LA is pretty gross.

Maybe Joshua tree? Check the temps for your schedule. Otherwise maybe go up to Ventura/Ojai/Channel islands?

We visited L.A. for spring break last year. Our teens loved it. We did a little bit of everything.

-hike around Hollywood Hills and see L.A. lights from Griffith Observatory
-Dodgers Game
-visited Santa Monica. Not a ton to do, but nice walk at sunset on bike paths by pier, saw the Pacific Ocean
-visited Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Hollywood is an absolute dump, but felt like we had to go there. I think we lasted fifteen minutes before l acing. Beverly Hills isn’t my scene, but kids wanted to check it out
-visited Koreatown and Little Tokyo. Both were interesting. Really good food in K-Town
-Drive on Mullholland Drive. Nice city views, amazing houses in the canyons.
-ate at In-N-Out

We didn’t do everything that we wanted to do in L.A., but fun city to visit. I had been there a couple times prior. It was kids first visit.

With teens. Thinking of visiting LA and maybe something else? We've done San Diego. We do like a mix of nature and city and figured LA might be fun with teens. any recommendations?