Mommy what are we doing today? Well here’s an idea. How about a family outing to West Hollywood? WeHo isn’t just for the boys or parading down Santa Monica Boulevard on Halloween night. Discover a fabulous side of town with your family.

One spectacular and worthwhile stop is the newly transformed West Hollywood Library. This building has state of the art facilities for all including a terrific kids’ section, special reading room for children¹s programs, and even a teen center. The building also has an additional cultural draw as on the outer wall is a gorgeous mural painted by Shepherd Fairey. The kids will love seeing that a kind of pop art decoration on the building giving the library an ultra hip urban vibe. If you want to be both literary and sporty ­ you can check out some books and then play tennis on the rooftop tennis courts! The library provide 3 hour free parking with validation.

Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Friday and­ Saturday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Adjacent to the library is the newly re-opened West Hollywood Park, which is especially fun for the 5 and under crowd. There’s a great yellow tube slide that the kids love as well as the traditional swings and climbing structure. There is also a smaller enclosed park for toddlers. If your kids are older they can bring their scooters as there are various newly paved areas that are fun to scoot about.

For lunch I like The Newsroom Café, on Robertson a few blocks south on Robertson. The Newsroom serves all kinds of healthy but delicious fare, including a very tasty mac and cheese that my kids love. If it¹s not time for lunch they also serve a full array of smoothies, and hearty muffins if you just need a little pick-me-up snack.

If you are game for little shopping afterwards, Kitston Kids is right across the courtyard from the Newsroom, with the latest, trendiest, albeit pricey, brands for kids. They also carry some fun and original toys, big and small, that at least make it an entertaining stop to check out.

If you really want to top off the day with some fun stop at MILK on Beverly for their Warm Ooey Gooey Chocolate Sundae. MILK made our Best Ice Cream Parlors in LA list for its tasty frozen treats. “Sit at a table outside and enjoy an ice cream sandwich and some great people watching on the side.”

Lee Rose Emery is the writer of the award-winning blog LA City Mom – tips from the carpool lane