When you have a kid like mine (obsessed with airplanes, grilled cheese, and curvy slides at playgrounds) then a well-timed trip to the new Aviation Park at The Proud Bird is an afternoon dream come true. We were excited to attend the new playground's recent opening day festivities, featuring models of life-size fighter planes, a view of the jets landing at nearby LAX, face painting, snow cones, and lots of playtime. Whether you're already heading to LAX to pick up the in-laws, flying off for vacay, or desperate for a new park to break up the after-nap routine, The Proud Bird is definitely worth a visit.

The Southland's rainy season may be short lived, but even if we're thrust into blazing heat again next week, either way having fun, free, indoor options for the kiddos is a must. You probably already know some local storytimes at LA libraries. Maybe you've checked out a few of our drive-worthy special libraries or any number of the awesome free perks your library card offers. But do you know the libraries where you can get a great book and engage your little one in some good old-fashioned indoor fun? You're in luck; here are our picks for LA's 10 best libraries with play spaces where you can do just that. 

If you thought vacations in ghost towns were only for sitcom families, think again! Just a short drive from LA is the Calico Ghost Town, an old mining town that boomed in the 1880s but was abandoned not long after. Walter Knott, of Knott's Berry Farm fame, restored the town in the 1950s into a Wild West locale perfect for a family vacation. And while Calico may or may not have actual haunted houses, it can be a wonderful Halloween month outing all the same.