Best End Of Summer Family Activities In Los Angeles
As summer starts winding down, family activities start revving up in order to take advantage of both fun and bonding time before school begins in the fall. To get your clan headed in the right direction for a whole bunch of frivolity and even a bit of education, consider the following five happenings that will keep any memory-making crew entertained and ready to embrace the end of this happy-go-lucky season in style and in substance.
Jam Session: Drum Circle
Ford Amphitheatre
2580 Cahuenga Blvd., E.
Los Angeles, CA 90068
(323) 461-3673
www.fordtheatres.org
Date: August 8, 2016
Does a family who drums together stay together? Find out by having the whole clan head for the Ford Amphitheatre on Aug. 8 to secure those rights. Once there, you will get in tune and in rhythm with each other and with leader Christopher Ramirez as you collectively become different drummers, all on the same wave length. Oh, and don't worry about bringing along an instrument of your own. Those will be provided by Remo Drums, a very charitable outfit.
Haunted House Party
Getty Villa
17985 Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 440-7300
www.gettyedu.com
Dates: September 1 & 2, 2016
On Sept. 1 and 2, The Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at Getty Villa will give you and your family a chance to have a Roman holiday in Los Angeles via preview performances of Haunted House Party. Based on Plautus's Mostellaria from 2000 BC, this comedy is about a kid in puppy love who borrows money from a questionable source in order to literally buy the affection of a girl by freeing her from being a slave. Hilarity ensues after this boy's father returns to learn of his lovesick scheme.
SPEED: Science in Motion
Discovery Cube Los Angeles
11800 Foothill Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 91342
(818) 686-2823
www.discoverycube.org
Dates: August - September 11, 2016
Throughout August and until Sept. 11, the unparalleled and unpredictable world of Formula 1 racing continues to be the center of attention at the fascinating Discovery Cube. Pitting science along with sports, this exuberant exhibition gives all the members of your family a chance to test their collective abilities as far as peripheral vision, coordination and reaction time are concerned. In addition, you'll be able to put your driving skills to the challenge at the on-premises The Race Track where you can also see how well you do while changing a tire under the conditions of a real Formula 1 race. Talk about high octane.
Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 857-6000
www.lacma.org
Dates: August - November 27, 2016
What self-respecting family of this millennium doesn't like to bond over monster culture? Well, here's a great opportunity that also allows your clan to gain a slice of artful insight in the same offering. Throughout August until Nov. 27, all kinds of art -- including sculpture, paintings, prints, photography, costumes, ancient artifacts and film -- will take over the At Home with Monsters exhibit created by acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro of "Pan's Labrynth" and "Pacific Rim" fame. One of dozens of highlights: A redo of his at-home Rain Room, which features a faux window to peak out onto a feisty thunderstorm that never stops. Spooky!
Dinosaurs: Unextinct at the LA Zoo
LA Zoo
5333 Zoo Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 623-3233
www.lazoo.com
A zoo trip always amounts to family fun. That said, our local outpost has added even more animals to the mix with a fresh exhibit that includes Suchomimus, Coelophysis and even Carnotaurus. Yes, that's right, dinosaurs are there in the Griffith Park mainstay where these giant creatures have been deemed "unextinct" thanks to the magic made through animatronics. How cool! Oh, and while you and your clan are there, don't miss the chance to play with these big guys as you will be able to do things like take part in a fossil dig and you can even climb onto the Pachyrhinosaurus. What a true blast from the past that isn't at all old school!
