Exploring Nature in Los Angeles – Descanso Gardens
This month, leading up to Earth Day (April 22nd) I am visiting different gardens in Los Angeles with my daughter! I thought it would be the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day – to go outside, learn about nature, and spend time together while exploring new place in Los Angeles since recently moving here. There’s plenty of wonderful hiking trails, but since my daughter is 3 I wanted to find areas we could walk around outside that were easy for kids to explore, so gardens are perfect for that! One that caught my eye was Descanso Gardens.
Before entering the gardens, there is a restaurant with lots of healthy (and vegetarian) options. There’s also a garden-themed gift store! When you enter there’s an information booth that has maps, plus a special kids map, that outlines all the best places throughout the massive garden that’s best for kids. These stops include a koi pond, tulip planters, the Echanted Railway (a small train for kids), and much much more. For the most part, the ground at Descanso Gardens was pretty flat, making it easy for my daughter to explore freely, and to bring a stroller as well. Another thing I loved about the gardens were that there were so many different types of things to see. The Japanese garden areas, tulips, fountains, rows of massive trees and ferns. Another plus of going with small kids? 5 and under are free!
Descanso Gardens with Kids
Some things that make Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles a great nature destination with kids are:
- Beautiful rows of picnic tables prior to entering the gardens to enjoy food from home.
- Restaurant on-site in case you forgot to bring snacks!
- Special kid-friendly landmark map for Descanso Gardens upon entering
- Easily can navigate with a stroller or wheelchair
- Kids can enjoy seeing plants, flowers, and animals (koi, turtles, squirrels)
- Kids 5 and under are free
- Enchanted Railway experience for just $3/person
- You can easily enter by purchasing tickets to the garden online before arriving, so you can skip the ticket line and just show your purchase on your phone!
I can’t wait to go to Descanso Gardens again soon with my daughter! I highly recommend it as a great garden with kids in Los Angeles.
