Suggestions Please

[V.B.]

Hey there! Myself and my two kids (a teen and a young adult) will most likely be in Cali in March of 2024. The kids would like to do Universal and possibly the WB studio tour and of course go to a beach. We've got some family commitments, so won't have a lot of days to spend there. So, I'd love some suggestions

1) Are the bus tours good? I thought a bus tour would help us see a lot of the main sites without having to worry about driving our car around and trying to find parking (or being stuck in traffic).

2) As we have a budget, is Arcadia a good option for hotels/motels. There are good deals for some on groupon that are within our budge (which is not huge).

3) Is the Aquarium of the Pacific worth a stop?

Any suggestions would be welcome! Thanks!

 

[hiroMYhero]

Check out the Go City pass:
https://gocity.com/los-angeles/en-us/products/all-inclusive

If you want to see the Hollywood sights, then a bus tour would be good.

Our family enjoys the Aquarium of the Pacific. It’s a must-do when in the Long Beach area.

 

[bcla]

2) As we have a budget, is Arcadia a good option for hotels/motels. There are good deals for some on groupon that are within our budge (which is not huge).

3) Is the Aquarium of the Pacific worth a stop?

Arcadia is more a nondescript bedroom community. Nothing wrong with it, but there's not really that much there that's interesting other than Santa Anita (the horse racing track). A good friend of mine grew up there and I've been to his family's home where he grew up.

Aquarium of the Pacific is interesting. Obviously one of the aquariums around the world that was inspired by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I was there in the late 90s, so I wouldn't really know much about what it's like now.

Another possibility would be the California Science Center in Exposition Park. The best part about it would be that's it's free, although parking has a fee. They have a little of everything including an aquarium section, physical science exhibits, etc. But the star attraction would be the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

https://californiasciencecenter.org/exhibits/endeavour-experience/space-shuttle-endeavour

 

[LKing]

If you are going to be in Long Beach, the two main attractions are the Aquarium and the Queen Mary. Personally, I enjoy the Aquarium more than the Queen Mary.

The CSC is great, as is the adjacent Natural History Museum. They are in Exposition Park, right next to USC and the LA Memorial Coliseum. If you plan on visiting, make sure there isn't a large event at the Coliseum or BMO Stadium.

Another area to visit is Wilshire and Fairfax. Within a few blocks, you have the Peterson Automotive Museum, The Academy of Motion Pictures Museum, LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits, Farmers Market and The Grove.

You might enjoy this recent review. https://www.disboards.com/threads/review-of-los-angeles-stay.3889473/

 

[V.B.]

Arcadia is more a nondescript bedroom community. Nothing wrong with it, but there's not really that much there that's interesting other than Santa Anita (the horse racing track). A good friend of mine grew up there and I've been to his family's home where he grew up.

Aquarium of the Pacific is interesting. Obviously one of the aquariums around the world that was inspired by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I was there in the late 90s, so I wouldn't really know much about what it's like now.

Another possibility would be the California Science Center in Exposition Park. The best part about it would be that's it's free, although parking has a fee. They have a little of everything including an aquarium section, physical science exhibits, etc. But the star attraction would be the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

https://californiasciencecenter.org/exhibits/endeavour-experience/space-shuttle-endeavour

Thank you so much! Would you suggest staying in Long Beach instead of Arcadia? I'm assuming because it's more known and there are more touristy places that it would be quite a bit more. We had thought of Arcadia because hotel prices seemed better (but I'd much rather stay closer to a beach tbh).

 

[bcla]

Thank you so much! Would you suggest staying in Long Beach instead of Arcadia? I'm assuming because it's more known and there are more touristy places that it would be quite a bit more. We had thought of Arcadia because hotel prices seemed better (but I'd much rather stay closer to a beach tbh).

There's nothing wrong with Arcadia. It's just a central business district and the race track surrounded by acres and acres of mostly single family housing. It's really odd though since they have one section of Arcadia that's almost all apartments.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/A...97292!4d-118.0353449!16zL20vMHFfeGs?entry=ttu
It's not really that close to big touristy things, but if you have a car it's not that bad. I could understand trying to save on hotel rooms. Arcadia is also pretty far from Long Beach. It's pretty close to some interesting places like Pasadena and The Huntington Library and Gardens. It's not that bad for a drive to Universal Studios. The last time we went there, we just decided to stay in Anaheim and Universal Studios was just one of the places we could go with our CityPASS multi-site ticket. That actually took a while, and we even stopped for early lunch.

But again, if Aquarium of the Pacific appeals to you, the California Science Center might make for a similar experience. And it might be the last chance to the see Endeavour for a while as they're putting it in storage at the end of the year and building a permanent pavilion for it where they will display it like it's prepared for launch with external tank and rocket boosters.

But the aquarium portion of the museum is pretty nice. Reminds me of the Kelp Forest tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.