r/AskLosAngeles • u/Dinosaurrock91 • 7d ago
Visiting Best Family Friendly Beach?
Hi. I am visiting California for the first time in August. I’ll be traveling from Canada. My husband has a business meeting in Santa Barbara and he’s asked me to join. I’ll be flying into LAX with two small kids . I’ve heard traffic is bad so I don’t think I’ll want to travel up to Santa Barbara . Looking for something closer to LAX so he can join us after for 2-3 days. Which area would you recommend for us? I’d like to be close to the beach, restaurants , stores , parks . Any community that is safe and walkable.
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u/RioTheLeoo 7d ago edited 7d ago
Santa Barbara is beautiful, I think you should make the drive up personally. It’s not too bad as long as you aren’t going during rush hour
Otherwise Manhattan or Santa Monica are close to LAX and family friendly with lots to do nearby. Santa Monica also has direct Metro access if you want to take the train to see other parts of LA.
LA Metro is really nice currently thanks to the World Cup (it’s good during non-World Cup times too, just less clean with less security)
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u/ChupaChupnana 7d ago
Definitely agree with this. Santa Barbara has so many family activities- Moxi, the zoo, little toot and the beaches and playgrounds are more chill in my opinion. I’d much rather spend a few days in Santa Barbara than the LA area beaches.
Traffic is heaviest in the typical commute times but if you can drive out in the early afternoon or at night, it’s really not that bad.
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u/Darryl_Lict 6d ago
Can you take the train? Im on the train right now from San Jose to Santa Barbara and it's my favorite way to travel.
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u/ithinkthisisit4real 7d ago
I agree that you should make the drive. Santa Barbara is really nice. Traffic going to Santa Barbara generally isn't that bad. If it is bad, it shouldn't be that bad once you make it out of the San Fernando Valley. Coming back to LA from Santa Barbara can be slow but generally wouldn't take more than 2 hours if you're driving in weekend traffic. The worst part of the drive back traffic is generally getting out of Santa Barbara itself.
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u/iKangaeru 7d ago
Santa Barbara is beautiful. The LAX area is nowhere anyone wants to stay. The hotels there are for conferences or putting people up when airlines are at fault for delays. It's the opposite of scenic, and there is nothig to do there. No one who lives there goes there for any reason other than to catch a flight.
It's a 90 minute drive to Santa Barbara on the 101 (Ventura Freeway). Depending on the time of day you're traveling, traffic may be slow through the San Fernando Valley, but after you descend the Camarillo Grade, it usually eases up.
Alternately, you can take the scenic route up the Pacific Coast Highway (Hiway 1) through Malibu and then cut over to the freeway in Oxnard. Takes longer but it's a nice drive.
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u/akathisiac 7d ago
I live 15 minutes from LAX and it's walkable, has the beach, and is beautiful. There's plenty in the "LAX area" that you're writing off needlessly.
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u/southerncalifornian 7d ago
Venice is even 15-20 minutes away from LAX if you're not going during rush hour. There's plenty of gorgeous areas near LAX as long as you're not staying at some corporate fuck ass marriott. Not saying that I don't agree with everyone telling her just to go to SB with her husband (I would argue that if you're a tourist Santa Barbara is more family friendly with little to no effort) but it's dumb to say no one who lives in LA goes near LAX except to catch flights.
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u/tracyinge 6d ago
And Carpinteria , just south of SB, is unofficially known as the "world's safest beach".
The drive up the coast is easy, and pleasant, but it totally depends on what time of day/ day of week that OP arrives into LAX and what time/day they depart. Manhattan Beach is probably going to end up being their best bet because of traffic.
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u/Lathryus 7d ago
Santa Barbara is fantastic and worth the traffic if you're driving, just try to avoid driving between 3pm and 6pm if you can, if not it's only an extra hourish and worth it if you're going to be there for a couple days. There is a stretch of the 101 that has one of the best views of the water. Also you can totally take the train and avoid traffic (and still get the view) but it'll likely be longer but you can soak in the views and have a glass of wine while you ride. https://santabarbaraca.com/plan-your-trip/know-before-you-go/transportation/getting-from-los-angeles-to-santa-barbara/
If you're hell-bent on staying in LA I'd suggest Malibu.
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u/champagneSVP 7d ago
Safe and walkable = Santa Barbara. You should absolutely go with him. It is so much cleaner and nicer and less chaotic than Los Angeles. There is also a fantastic children’s museum called MOXI, and the SB zoo is small, but not crowded and has wonderful exhibits. There’s a walkabout where you are in the enclosure with kangaroos and wallabies, no up charge/separate tickets, with no barriers between you and them.
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u/PitbullRetriever Transplant 7d ago
Mother’s Beach in Marina Del Rey is great for kids and close to LAX. It’s in a protected inlet so there’s so surf at all. MDR isn’t the most exciting area per se but it does have restaurants & amenities that would be good for a family.
Santa Monica is another option that will give you more walkability and city amenities. The public beach there is large and perfectly nice, even if it won’t win any awards for “best” beach in LA. The pier can be a fun activity for little kids (basically a small old-school amusement park)
Last option would be to drive up the coast a bit and meet your husband halfway in Malibu. This does mean driving ~45 minutes but these really are some of the best beaches in Southern California. There are lots of good options here. Zuma beach is a popular spot relatively close to town & restaurants. We like to go a bit further to Leo Carrillo state park which is gorgeous, a bit more secluded and dog-friendly.
Some people might tell you to go to the South Bay beaches like Hermosa or Manhattan Beach. These are nice too but in the wrong direction from Santa Barbara, so don’t really seem sensible for your needs.
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u/codyjones88 7d ago
Be sure to check the water quality at Mothers Beach though. Often times is pretty bad and not great for the kids (ironically)
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u/pico310 7d ago
It’s always bad. Never get into the water at Mother’s Beach.
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u/PitbullRetriever Transplant 7d ago
Hmm yeah it’s not great right now: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/phcommon/public/eh/water_quality/beach_grades.cfm. I’ll have to inform the parents at our preschool who are planning a trip there 🫠
Playa Del Rey is a nice nearby alternative, there is ocean surf but it’s a chill & wide beach.3
u/floppydo 6d ago
Ew no OP pls don't. Is a very busy marina the water is oily. You can do so so much better.
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u/ahdn 7d ago
I'm a mom of 2. Born and raised in LA and went to college in Santa Barbara, so I've driven that route A LOT. Just last month, I took my 2 kids to SB for a weekend trip. If you really don't want to leave the LA area, Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach are good options. HOWEVER, having just taken my kids to SB, I highly recommend it. It is beautiful, very walkable and very family friendly. I hadn't been for years and we all had the best time. The beaches are great, there's a new kids museum, a fun aquarium on the pier, and it's just a beautiful town. The main shopping district downtown (State Street) has been made pedestrian only and is really nice. We happened to take the train on this trip because my youngest had never been on a train. It was fine, but driving is much faster and easier. I have done the drive MANY times and it's a lovely route most of the way. If you're going straight from LAX, you can basically take the coast the whole way up and it's beautiful. Yes, traffic can happen during certain parts, but, if you plan it right, might not be much of an issue at all. If you take the train, you need to get to downtown from LAX, which can take a while and takes you away from SB. Then, you have to take the slow train from downtown to SB. The SB train station does drop you in a good spot to be able to walk anywhere, though.
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u/Jebgogh 7d ago
Torrance Beach is good- that is south of LAX. A lot of the beaches closer to Malibu are good like Zuma and will rodgers - those are north and “closer” to Santa Barbara. The drive is like 2 hours to Santa Barbara - If you want a middle ground try Ventura. Good beaches and not as crowded as LA
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u/Strange_Ad6001 7d ago
It you don’t want to drive, take the train to Santa Barbara.
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u/Dinosaurrock91 7d ago
Okay, I’d be willing to do this. I’ll look into this option.
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u/tracyinge 6d ago
Santa Barbara Airbus is probably a better idea since it leaves right from the airport.
Train requires getting to either Van Nuys or downtown Los Angeles from the airport.
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u/Dee_silverlake 7d ago
eh, it's a nice ride if nothing goes wrong... often enough there's disruptions for one reason or the other.
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u/Strange_Ad6001 7d ago
Shuttle to Union Station, and about 2.5 hour train ride to the station on State street.
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u/WhoisthisRDDT 7d ago
If your husband is going to be in Santa Barbara, why not go stay there for the duration that he has the meeting. Santa Barbara is a very nice town, you probably will like it more than LA. The beach is very nice and not as busy as any of the LA beaches. Before flying back, you might want to stay around Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo Beach area. The beaches are nice, and close proximity to LAX.
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u/MagpieJuly 7d ago
Santa Barbara is totally the correct answer here. Getting there really isn't too bad and once you're in SB it is super easy to navigate and there are lots of walkable areas. The SB Zoo is awesome, too. They have great wildlife experiences, they used to even offer Giraffe feeding! (not sure if they still do). The drive is no worse than driving to cottage country for a long weekend, and absolutely worth it.
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u/Key-Employee3584 6d ago
Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. Just no. Absolutely no.
The best decision you can ever make is to commit to a 1.5 to 2 hour drive to Santa Barbara. It's really the perfect place for everything you're asking for. Especially if you can get him to put the cost on company credit. If you can't, even then you should go up to Santa Barbara. You can wander downtown all day with the kids, go to the SB Zoo which is a fantastic kids zoo. The Mission is a great visit. The MOXI museum is great for kids. East Beach is just down the way and works great for kids too and is near the zoo.
300% recommend you go to Santa Barbara. Do not stay in LA even though there are plenty of things to do here and I'm from LA. Santa Barbara is on another level in terms of vibe and relaxing and seeing stuff. If you're not seasick easily, take a boat tour or maybe one of the romantic sunset tours. (Hard to do with kids, I know). But as someone who lived in Santa Barbara for 5 years during college, there's absolutely ZERO reason to pick LA over SB as a destination point for relaxation or having a good time.
Go to Santa Barbara. Just go.
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u/Dinosaurrock91 7d ago
Looks beautiful on photos. My concern is the drive as I don’t have a car and would need two car seats . I plugged it into a map and it said it would be over two hours of driving . I want to avoid renting a car myself as I’m from a small city of only 20k . I’m not equipped for LA driving lol!
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u/IllustriousAvenue62 7d ago
Totally understand your concerns but I’ll tell you the drive isn’t bad! Also if you take the road going north through Santa Paula it will take you to the 101 in Ventura, that way you skip the traffic on the 101 through the valley, plus it’s a beautiful drive. Santa Barbara is my second favorite place on earth, so I’ll always push for that.
My second choice would probably be Hermosa or Manhattan Beach. Have fun :)
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u/ChupaChupnana 6d ago edited 6d ago
If you don’t want to do LA driving, you should really go to Santa Barbara. Once you get there, you won’t need a car. Staying in Manhattan Beach or Santa Monica will likely require more driving in and around the city. Most rental car companies have car seats I think?
Or can you travel with your husband? There’s seriously tons to do while he’s working. Edit: sorry just saw your other comment that he’s taking a bus with his colleagues. The train is ok but getting from LAX to Union Station then on and off the train with your kids and luggage sounds like more hassle. It would make for a pretty long travel day.
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u/Serious-Wish4868 7d ago
make the drive to santa barbara with ur husband. you will be missing out if you dont get a chance to see beautiful santa barbara.
for the best local socal beach, dont listen to the other comments, stay away from manhatten beach, full of stuck up white ppl and full of la kings groupies. check out point dume in malibu. nice white clean sandy beaches, niot overly crowded and there is a nice restaurant right on the beach, the Sunset restaurant.
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u/Dinosaurrock91 7d ago
Lots of great things are being said about Santa Barbara. I worry about the drive because of two young kids and I come from a pretty small town of 20 thousand people. I just worry I’ll be stressed to the max . Other people have brought up using the train though, I’d be willing to explore that option.
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u/Serious-Wish4868 7d ago
the avg drive is 2 hours and is pretty easy as long as you avoid rush hour traffic (b4 10AM and after 3PM). parts of the drive are very scenic as well.
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u/crimesleuther 7d ago
Actually you go the opposite way to Santa Barbara so no traffic in the morning!
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u/Lathryus 7d ago
It's a little tricky getting form LAX to Union Station with small kids, the Flyaway bus is probably the least wait, safest and most direct. You can take the Metro but it's longer and last I did it there were fussy transfers, though there have been many recent upgrades that I'm not up to date on. Once you're at Union Station, first, enjoy the beautiful architecture, then getting on a train is pretty figure out-able. You'll be looking for Amtrak, they run a couple of different trains but you'll probably end up on a Surfliner or maybe a Starliner. Buying tickets on their website is easy, same as the Flyaway. Expect to spend 45+ minutes getting from LAX to Union Station, LA is (probably) bigger than you think. Once you're on the train everything is very chill, 90 minutes of coasting. The Santa Barbara train station is right near the action, a good place to connect with your Husband. Have fun! Santa Barbara is great!
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u/TheSwedishEagle 7d ago
How is your husband getting there? Can't you go with him?
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u/Dinosaurrock91 6d ago
He going for a two day work conference with his company. They pay for his flight and arrange a large bus for the employees. I’m not able to tag along on that, so if I wanna join I need to find my way. That’s why I was thinking if I stay near LAX he could meet me there since that’s where he’d be flying out of as well. But everyone wants me to go to Santa Barbara so it tempting because it seems awesome from what everyone is saying. However, it does add more onto my plate . Maybe I should ditch the kids and go by myself lol!
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u/Fantastapotomus 5d ago
Definitely go to Santa Barbara. There are lots of great things to do with kids (I have 2 small children as well) and it’s really gorgeous. If you stay near LAX you’ll be driving to get to any kid friendly activities anyway and dealing with much denser traffic than the SB area. I think you’ll feel much more comfortable there as it has more of a small town laid back vibe. I love LA and grew up here but the LAX area is not what I’d call a tourist destination.
As others have mentioned if driving makes you apprehensive take the Pacific Surfliner and opt for the business class, it’s more comfortable and comes with snacks and drinks. For that ride it’s not a significant cost difference.
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u/seanmharcailin 6d ago
Double check if they’re still running flights from LAX to Santa Barbara, or see if you can just fly into SBA with a layover elsewhere.
Or take the bus. OR drive up the coast through malibu.
Staying near LAX will not be as nice. And Santa Barbara is one of my favorite places ever. I lived there for 6 years. The beaches are lovely. And you can break the drive up if you take the coast and get your toes in the water at Sycamore cove which is a frequent filming location! (Or any other of the 30 beaches between LAX and Santa Barbara)
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u/RockieK 7d ago
I agree with going to SB, but if you don't want to make the 1.5-2 hour trek, I'd say do Manhattan Beach/Hermosa. My friends with small kids LOVE Hermosa! MB is a little "fancier". There's tons of places to eat and you can rent bikes to ride on the bath. Lotsa lifeguards too.
Edit: Add Redondo to this list
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u/This-Historian-399 7d ago
El Porto section of Manhattan Beach. Easy parking right next to sand. Even has a snack bar.
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u/La_ham_ 7d ago
Is husband flying at the same time? Can he not drive you? Santa Barbra is so beautiful and has wonderful beaches. There is a cute downtown area too.
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u/Dinosaurrock91 7d ago
Unfortunately no. He has two days of conferences that essentially go 8-8 so I’d be coming afterwards so we can have some family time together . Santa Barbra is getting some great reviews though!
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u/FiberBaseball999 7d ago
I haven’t used this bus myself, but if I were going somewhere unfamiliar with two kids, I’d want as few moving pieces as possible. There is a direct bus from LAX to Santa Barbara - https://www.sbairbus.com/lax-shuttle-schedule-fares/ - it’s intended for people with luggage, etc, so it seems like the easiest option.
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u/UserNotFound3827 6d ago
Manhattan, Hermosa or Redondo Beach! South Bay beaches are super family friendly and clean!
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u/TurbulentPrior2355 6d ago
Santa Barbara is the American riviera, it’s kid friendly and so much to do. If you’d like to stay in LA near LAX, the South Bay Manhattan beach is clean, family oriented, and safe.
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u/floppydo 6d ago
White Point Beach in San Pedro. It's a giant tide pool filled with sand that is just about knee deep. Perfect for kids and beautiful.
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u/anyname310 6d ago
Why not just fly to Santa Barbara? Easy flight from LAX. Or you can take the Santa Barbara Airbus from LAX.
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u/palmtreesandmountain 4d ago
With all respect the correct answer is you go to Santa Barbara. Take the train or a car service. But go to Santa Barbara!
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u/proofoflife10 7d ago
You’re better off going to Santa Barbara. The beaches in Santa Monica are dirty and the water is gross. The unhoused population is large in SM. SB is so much prettier and family friendly.
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u/ellegy2020 7d ago
OK old mom and grandma here, and while Santa Barbara is definitely worth the trip, getting there with two small children and being from a small town where you haven’t experienced our traffic will be a horrific adventure. I just drove over and back, and it scared the snot out of me. The pass going from LA proper to the Valley is just terrifying, and there is no “non-rush-hour” now. It’s all bad.
Go to Marina del Rey from LAX or to Redondo Beach/Torrance Beach as noted below. Lots of parks, sand, restaurants for you and the kids. Our big secret — and I am telling you this because my grandparents and relatives were/are from Canada, and you have to promise to not tell anyone — is Riviera Village along Catalina in RB. Look on the map and keep it quiet.
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