LA has one of the world’s most popular children’s attractions: Disneyland. Known around the world as a magic land of rides, the resort-park offers something for visitors of all ages and is an experience that is hard to find elsewhere. Other impressive features of the city include the Los Angeles Zoo, where you can see monkeys and kangaroos playing, while Universal Studios will appeal to film buffs.

Disneyland Resort
This is the original Disneyland, which has inspired adventure theme parks around the world for decades. Having attracted children worldwide since its inception, the park is a wonderland of rides, shows, hotels, entertainment and dining facilities. The magic of Walt Disney will put you under a spell from the moment you enter the park, although maybe not one that is strong enough to keep you in good spirits throughout the lengthy ride queues. The park is divided into eight ‘lands’ with different themes and rides. This is one quintessential part of LA, which simply must be visited if you have kids.
Phone: +1 714 781 4565; website: www.disneyland.disney.go.com

Los Angeles Zoo
Spanning a massive 113 acres, this is one of LA’s most popular attractions among families with children. Home to both native and exotic animals, visitors can come and enjoy the elephants, leopards, monkeys and koalas while also learning more about their life in their natural habitats. If you want to get away from the crowds, head to the on-site botanical gardens, where peaceful grounds await.
Phone: +1 323 644 4200; website: www.lazoo.org

Universal Studios
Another crowd-puller is this film-making studio, where you can see movies in action, sets from some of your favourite movies and learn how some of today’s most impressive special effects are created. There are also a few stomach-swirling rides on-site including the hair-raising Jurassic Park ride, which takes you through a jungle of dinosaurs. Ideal for a family day out, the studio’s movie magic and awe-inspiring sets won’t leave you feeing disappointed.
Phone: +1 818 622 3801; website: www.universalstudios.com

African American Arts Museum
Of interest to culture buffs and those interested in African American history, the museum explores African American artworks, while also featuring historical displays tracing the origins of Africans in America. The frequently rotating exhibitions and gallery shop make this a museum worth visiting.
Phone: +1 213 744 7432; website: www.caamuseum.org

Armand Hammer Museum of Art
With a collection that includes works by masters such as Monet, Cassatt, Van Gogh and Pissarro, it is no wonder this is LA’s most visited art museum. Impressionist paintings sit alongside contemporary works, while the outdoor sculpture garden reveals different forms of media. With exhibitions not just confined to the visual arts, visitors can also enjoy dance, music and poetry performances throughout the year.
Phone: +1 310 443 7000; website: www.hammer.ucla.edu

Broadway
Dating back farther than Hollywood’s Golden Age, Broadway was the first theatre district in the city, with the first theatre having been erected here in 1870. It was not until 1918 that the first motion picture theatre was established here, which sparked a spur of development that saw dozens of movie theatres pop up within a few blocks. When attention shifted to Hollywood in the 1920s, most of the theatres eventually closed, with many having been converted into churches or shops. Today visitors can tour the area with LA Conservancy and enter some of the buildings.

Chinatown
Packed with shops, restaurants and marketplaces, and characterized by Chinese arches and a 50-foot pagoda, this is a lively area of LA that is well-worthy of a few hours of exploration. Check out Chung King road’s many art galleries; the Thursday night Farmer's Market, showcasing exotic Asian foods and sometimes live entertainment; the summer-long film festival; and of course, the fantastic eateries serving up dim sum.

Griffith Observatory
Having featured in the James Dean film: Rebel without a Cause, this Art Deco landmark, dating from the 1930s, is LA’s planetarium of choice. In addition to the star-gazing on offer here are stunning cityscape views. Renovated in 2005, the cream-coloured observatory is popular among astrologers and cult film fans. Phone: +1 323 664 1191; website: www.griffithobs.org/

Museum of Tolerance
An excellent museum detailing the Holocaust, the Museum of Tolerance explores the themes of racism and prejudice. Thought-provoking, interactive and educational, visitors can expect to see some of the most extreme examples of inhumanity in modern history. Suitable for all ages, this moving museum should not be missed.
Phone: +1 310 553 8403; website: www.museumoftolerance.com

The Getty Museum
For those who want to break up their adventure theme park daytrips and beachside lounging with a bit of culture, the Getty Museum offers a fascinating collection of pre-20th century paintings, manuscripts and sculptures. Among the pieces on display are also some Greek and Roman antiquities as well as some 20th century photographs. The building itself is a modern complex featuring travertine stone imported from Italy, while the gardens make for a nice place to relax.
Phone: +1 310 440 7300; website: www.getty.edu/museum

LA’s Pacific coast beaches provide much of the outdoor activity in the city, with hordes of holidaymakers heading for the cooling waters at Santa Monica and Malibu beaches each year. If you prefer to stay on dry land, the city’s parks are extensive and relaxing, while sports action can be had at the city’s Dodger Stadium.

Baseball
Baseball fans should head for Dodger Stadium
(tel: +1 323 224 1500); named after LA’s baseball team, this is the city’s most famous baseball diamond. Here you can witness authentic baseball games as well as the thrill and excitement that fill the benches when games are in action. With a capacity for 56,000 spectators, the stadium also hosts other events throughout the year.

Gardens
The Hannah Carter Japanese Gardens (tel: +1 310 825 4574) offers a quiet retreat away from what is an otherwise urbanised city. This Kyoto-style rock garden will transport you to Japan with its traditional Japanese features, many of which were constructed and imported from Japan, with some pieces up to 1,000 years old. Sip at a cup of green tea in the teahouse, admire cross delicately arched bridges or smell the incense at the authentic Japanese shrine; visitors to the gardens will feel fully charged for another day in the city once they leave.

Parks
If you would like to seek out some greenery and peace after touring the city’s main sights, Cheviot Hills Recreation Area
(tel: +1 310 836 8879) is a popular venue for sport and recreational purposes, with tennis and basketball courts, baseball diamonds, a swimming pool and children’s playground on offer. Alternatively, try the 600-acre Elysian Park (tel: +1 310 479 7200), known for its scenic walking trails, lake and picnic areas. Here you can admire several rare species of trees among other flora and fauna.

Water sports
The Pacific coastline is just 12 miles west of downtown LA and it boasts both varied and beautiful beaches. Popular favourites such as Santa Monica, Venice, Long, Muscle and Malibu beaches epitomise the LA stereotype, with scenes that are seemingly straight out of Baywatch everywhere you turn. Outdoor beach games and rollerblading along the promenades are hugely popular, while water activities such as swimming, jet-skiing and surfing are also favourite pastimes.

LA is a dining hub, with just about everything you could possibly want available here. Each district has its own eating outlets, often congregated in or around air-conditioned malls.

International cuisine is just as popular here as American-style food, with the ethnic hubs of Chinatown’s Bamboo lane, Little Tokyo, Koreatown and Olvera street’s Latino-influenced eateries cashing in with just as many customers as the more American-style eateries along Melrose Avenue, Santa Monica Boulevard or Sunset Strip. The vast selection of districts and menus will leave you will the difficult task of which venue/area to patronise.

Start your day with an all-American breakfast at a typical diner, found on virtually every corner. If all those beans, pancakes, eggs and bacon leave you with any room for lunch, fast-food favourites can be found in every area of the city, ideal for a quick bite. All-day breakfasts are also a permanent feature at many places, and offer good value for money.

Major resorts provide restaurants offering cuisine from around the world. In Hollywood, the evening meal is an opportunity to be seen and can carry on late into the night. The LA locals love to dine in restaurants and evening meals are the highlight of the day for many.

You will also find impressive food courts at most of the malls, with Beverly Center’s eighth floor food court being among the most popular. For dinner, seafood joints rank highly at the beach haven of Santa Monica, a great place to enjoy a few cocktails over sunset and tuck into some mouth-watering lobster.

If you need to work off all those calories, there’s no better way to do it in LA than shopping. Shopping complexes are abundant and include some of the most famous malls in the country, which attract superstars as well as everyday shoppers.

If designer goods are your thing, the Beverly Center is a good place to start, with outlets such as Louis Vuitton and Guess sitting alongside popular department and chain stores. While the Beverly Center attracts the stars, with the likes of Madonna and Jennifer Lopez having been spotted here, it is the exclusive boutiques on Rodeo Drive that steal the spotlight for designer wear.

Set in Beverly Hills, Rodeo drive is probably the most expensive street in the world so be prepared to tip your bank balance if you want to make a purchase here. Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and Dior line the road, with some stores only accepting customers with advance appointments. If upmarket shopping doesn’t interest you, there are plenty of other choices, with LA’s most popular shopping areas including: Third Street Promenade, Olvera Street, Melrose Avenue, Hollywood Farmers’ Market, Corner of Ivar Avenue and Selma Avenue.