LAX to Carlsbad - Kid-friendly Stops?
 

On Thursday, February 4th my family and I are going to be driving from LAX to Carlsbad. We'll be heading out after breakfast, and will be checking in at our Carlsbad hotel around 4pm.

Wondering what route we should drive, and what kid-friendly stops we should make along the way. Kids are 5, 6 & 7.

Thanks in advance.

Kind of depends on your weather that day, but here are a few options if you opt to hang around the coastline:

1. Whale Watching - I think it's just the beginning of the migration season for northbound whales. The Point Vicente Interpretive Center has some information(http://www.acs-la.org/GWCensus.htm) and offers great views, even if you don't see any whales. The drive around the Palos Verdes Peninsula is visually stunning on a clear day

2. USS IOWA - Historic Battleship, very cool to visit: http://www.pacificbattleship.com/

3. Long Beach - there's the Aquarium of the Pacific (http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/) and The Queen Mary (http://www.queenmary.com/)

I'll let other chime in on the Orange County options

The drive on PCH from Newport to Dana Point has beautiful spots &
lots of kid friendly stops.

Here's what I might do.

Fun Zone in Newport Beach - Balboa Peninsula.
Ruby's Diner on the Pier - Balboa Peninsula burgers, salads, soup.
Then take the car ferry from Balboa Peninsula to Balboa Island.
Drive down PCH to Laguna Beach. Touristy in summer, but in the
winter, very relaxed, mostly locals if you feel like stopping for another
beach Laguna Beach - Main Street Beach.
Dana Point - Ocean Institute
http://www.ocean-institute.org
(Kids love this).

There are whale-watching boats from both Dana Point & Newport Beach.
Bring your binoculars.

Look at The Discovery Cube in Orange County off of the 5. Have heard several good things from friends with kids that have visited.

Mission San Juan Capistrano is one of my favorite missions along the line of missions that stretch from San Diego north. This one shows how the Padres taught the Indians skills such as tanning leather and growing crops.

I seconded Discovery Cube at Orange and Long Beach Aquarium. But with 3 kids at those ages, if you visited either, you are not going to get to Carlsbad until late at night LOL. :p

...and how to endure whippings and being tied to a stake while sewed into the skin of a fresh-killed calf. Actually, according to the possibly-exaggerated witness's story, the recipient of that bit of instruction died as a result. I guess he failed the lesson.

Moderator's Note:

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions so far.

Sorry to have veered off into Omni territory on the subject of the missions. I should have added that they are wonderful places to visit -- some of my favorite places in California, in fact. That their history is mixed should not detract from their appeal.

What time are you planning on leaving LAX?

I'm probably going to sound alarmist, but I would say that you should use that shoulder time between rush hour to get as far down towards Carlsbad as you can, or else may face some decent traffic for the evening commute, specially before the El Toro Y and in San Clemente, perhaps making 1-2 stops if it's between 10am-1pm.

There's a huge difference in LA between leaving at 8am vs. 10am, hence my question.

It's 10:01 am and the drive time is estimated at 1.5 hours.

It would not have been that at 8 am! Nor will it be that at 2 pm.

Since there are 2+ in the vehicle, you will be able to use the carpool
lane. Unless there's an accident in HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lane,
it should move quickly.

SigAlert LA is incredibly helpful as well as "traffic" on iPhone.
Some people like Waze.