Things to do in Los Angeles

Scholarly Collections

The library at UCLA has extensive children’s literature holdings in special collections, mainly focusing on English and American publications before 1840. Early games, pop-ups, moveable books, and manuscripts make this a haven for children’s literature scholars. Also, go here for a catalog to an exhibition of children’s books held in UC collections.

The Huntington Library is also a wonderful resource, one of the largest and most complete research libraries in the United States in its fields of specialization.  Collections include rare books and manuscripts principally in the areas of British and American history and literature, 15th century European books, history of science, maritime history, and Renaissance exploration and cartography.  Altogether there are about five million items available for research.

The Getty Center presents an extensive collection of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present, along with an impressive research library.

All of these resources are limited to qualified researchers, so be sure to contact each institution to arrange your reader’s card before leaving home.

Children’s Bookstores

The conference children’s bookseller, Every Picture Tells a Story…, has a delightful storefront in Santa Monica that is well worth a visit. This is the foremost gallery of the Art of Illustration -- including children's book art, fantasy and editorial works. Choose from over 70 of the greatest illustrators of all time and your favorite characters from literature. From Seuss to Steadman -- you can share and collect unique and cherished artworks -- both classic and contemporary. The store also regularly hosts a variety of talks and workshops—check out their website for up-to-date information.

Southern California is home to many other diverse children’s bookstores, including the following:

A Whale of a Tale

4199 Campus Drive, Suite A in Irvine

(949) 854-8288

Bright Lights

This store specializes in children’s books by African American writers and illustrators. Opening hours are limited, so call before heading over there.

8461 S. Van Ness Ave., Inglewood

(323) 971-1296

Children’s Book World

10580 ½ W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles

(310) 559-2665

Museums

Go here for a well-rounded list of links to Los Angeles area museums, including the Los Angeles Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Pacific Asia Museum, and the Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

Theme Parks

Of course, the most famous theme park in Southern California is Disneyland—well worth a visit if you have children with you or are interested in Disney from an academic perspective. It is crowded in the summer, particularly on the weekends, so, if at all possible, visit during the week. Other family-friendly theme parks in the Los Angeles and San Diego area include Knott’s Berry Farm (yes, it really was a berry farm at some distant point in the past), Six Flags Magic Mountain (great for roller-coaster fans), Universal Studios, Legoland, Seaworld and Santa Monica’s Pacific Park

Other Resources

The Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Magazine are both excellent resources to find out what’s happening around town.