L.A. Family Travel

06/26/2026

😅 Let's be honest...

Taking kids to a national park can feel a little intimidating.

Will they get bored?
Will they hike very far?
Will they remember any of it?

The funny thing is... they're often the ones who notice the coolest stuff.

A squirrel.
A soaring hawk.
A funny-shaped rock.
A sunset that doesn't even look real.

The Grand Canyon has a way of turning simple moments into lifelong memories—and you don't have to tackle the hardest trails to experience it.

If you're planning a family trip, here are our favorite tips for making the Grand Canyon unforgettable for everyone 👇

https://lafamilytravel.com/how-to-make-unforgettable-memories-at-the-grand-canyon-with-kids/

What's one place your kids still talk about years later? ❤️👇

With hikes, bike trails, ranger talks, and even mule rides, a Grand Canyon vacation with kids offers adventure for all ages.

06/24/2026

🍒 If you've never been to Traverse City's National Cherry Festival, here's your sign.

Imagine a summer festival packed with:
✔️ Cherry pie (lots of it)
✔️ Air shows over the bay
✔️ Parades, live music, and family activities
✔️ Fresh cherries everywhere you look

It's been a Michigan tradition for nearly 100 years and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each summer. The festival features more than 100 events, from pie-eating contests and races to parades and family-friendly entertainment.

Our guide covers everything you need to know before you go, including favorite events, where to stay, and tips for making the most of your visit 👇

https://lafamilytravel.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-traverse-citys-national-cherry-festival/

Have you ever been to the Cherry Festival? What's your favorite cherry treat? 🍒👇

The iconic National Cherry Festival is the heart of Traverse City and will be held this year from June 29th to July 6th.

06/23/2026

I had a whole vision for Rome. My kids in reverent silence beneath the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Gelato-lit evenings. Everyone soaking in centuries of history while I sipped espresso like an off-duty Roman goddess. 🇮🇹✨

Reality? Hour two at the Colosseum, brutal heat, one kid announcing her feet had stopped working and another negotiating for chips next to a 2,000-year-old wonder of the world.

And then there was the zoo. I genuinely thought, "kids like animals, zoos have animals, this is math." My children were more captivated by the gift shop t-shirts than actual live creatures. Turns out I'm raising tiny weirdos who do not, in fact, love the zoo. I was floored. 😂

But here's the thing—we went back to Rome THREE years in a row. Because once I stopped planning for imaginary well-behaved museum children and started planning for my actual kids? Rome became magic.

I'm spilling everything: the amusement park that was a total win, the parks where they could finally just RUN, the kid-friendly stops, where to actually stay with a big family, and why snacks are not a luxury—they're a survival strategy. 🍕🍦

If you're dreaming of Rome with your crew (or bravely planning it), this one's for you. 👇

https://lafamilytravel.com/rome-with-kids-what-actually-worked-for-our-family/

Tell me I'm not the only parent who's been defeated by the heat, the crowds, and a child asking "can we leave?" in front of something ancient and priceless. 🙋‍♀️

Explore the best things to do in Rome with kids to create lasting memories filled with fun and history during your family trip.

06/21/2026

Happy Father’s Day to the one who tells our favorite dad jokes!

06/21/2026

Is it the people? Is it the location? Or is it the people with you on the location? As hard s it sometimes (often) gets, you’ll never regret taking that family trip.

🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈

06/21/2026

Is it the people or the location? Or the experience with the people in the location?

06/20/2026

Check out our new post of the best things to do in Seattle with Kids!
https://lafamilytravel.com/seattle-with-kids/

06/20/2026

Seattle with kids: where you can stand on a glass floor 600 feet up, watch grown men hurl salmon through the air like Olympic athletes, and scream into an actual booth at the pop culture museum. (That last one? Cheaper than therapy. 🙌)

We just dropped our full family guide to the Emerald City — the city that makes travel feel adventurous without anyone needing bear spray or "a vacation from the vacation." 😅

A few highlights waiting for you:
🚀 The Space Needle's rotating glass floor (your brain says "it's safe," your survival instincts say otherwise)
🐟 Flying fish at Pike Place + chowder worth standing in line behind 800 strangers for
🎸 MoPOP, where playing air guitar and playing actual guitar turn out to be VERY different skills
⛴️ Ferry rides, Ballard Locks (a literal elevator… for boats??), and salmon cheering on the fish ladder
🦋 An exhibit that turns beetles into actual jewelry-level art — equal parts beautiful, bizarre, and "wait, is that a bug?"
☕ Plus where to stay on every budget, easy day trips, and the one packing tip that matters most: layers, because Seattle weather changes faster than a toddler's mood.

Whether you've got little kids, teens, or just exhausted parents who'd like to quietly reclaim their sanity — we've got you. 💙

👉 Read the full guide: https://lafamilytravel.com/seattle-with-kids/

Save it. Bookmark it. Tag the friend who's been threatening to plan a PNW trip for three years. 👀

06/20/2026

If you could go back, to one moment, what would you do?

06/19/2026

Remember relaxing? Me neither. 🙃

Then my husband and I escaped for two nights to Murrieta Hot Springs, and I remembered VERY hard.

Picture it: 50 geothermal pools. Zero tiny humans asking for snacks. A pool literally named "Clouds in My Coffee." A bed with a "sleep hygiene tray" — earplugs, an aromatherapy stick, AND a little pouch to lock your phone away (the resort understands us). We didn't set a single alarm. We had entire conversations that nobody interrupted. I cried a single tear of joy into a hot tub and no one needed to know.

It's about 90 minutes from LA, it reopened in 2024 after looking like an abandoned spa for years, and it's basically luxury summer camp for burnt-out grown-ups. Couples trip? Yes. Girls' weekend? Absolutely. Bringing the kids? ...let's not.

We broke down everything — the pools, the rooms, what we'd do differently, and how much a day pass actually costs — in our full review. Your future relaxed self says thank you. 👇

🔗 https://lafamilytravel.com/murrieta-hot-springs-review/

Plan a romantic getaway near Los Angeles at Murrieta Hot Springs Resort with mineral pools, spa time, overnight tips, and a restorative escape for parents.