Ana Belibasis

Latest posts by Ana

Best Overnight Summer Camps in California

Submitted by Ana Belibasis on Sun, 02/09/2025 - 7:12am

Kids have a blast in the ocean at Catalina Island. Photograph courtesy of Catalina Sea Camps

Overnight summer camps are pretty heady stuff: Sleep away from home, meet new friends, have adventures, master new abilities, boost social skills, develop confidence, and learn to handle situations without parents around! For parents, it's a chance to have a little kid-free time without feeling guilty, because we know our kids are having the experience of a lifetime—and disconnecting from their devices.

For some reason, sleepaway summer camp isn't quite as big a deal in California as it is in the Northeast. Still, we've scoured the state and found some pretty amazing overnight summer camps in California, from stunning Catalina Island to the rustic Sierra Nevada mountains.

For more fabulous overnight summer camps, check out our Sleepaway Summer Camp Guide to the Best Overnight Camps in the US. Or if you're looking to stay more local, bookmark our Los Angeles Summer Camp Guide and our Camp Directory where you can search for summer camps by type, age, and town.

Disney Celebrates 100 Years of Magic with Celebrations at Disneyland, Disney World, and More

Submitted by Ana Belibasis on Thu, 01/26/2023 - 10:02am

Disney turns 100 with celebrations from coast to coast and around the world. Photo courtesy of Disneyland

Disney is turning 100 in 2023! That Mickey Mouse looks pretty great for his age. (For the record, Mickey Mouse isn't 100 yet, as he was first seen in 1928.) To celebrate 100 years of childhood smiles, the Walt Disney Corporation is throwing a party at theme parks across the globe. This year we get new nighttime spectaculars at Disneyland in Anaheim (and hopefully at Walt Disney World in Orlando as well), traveling museum exhibits across the country, a new animated feature film dedicated to the legacy of the animation studio, and more.

The worldwide anniversary bash begins January 27, 2023 at Disneyland, and the party continues all year, with more dates to be announced at other Disney parks. We've rounded up the biggest and best new rides, shows, movies, and celebrations, so you can plan your Disney-themed vacation this year. If your Disney trip takes you to Disney World, be sure to check out all our Orlando theme park coverage, and if your family is more partial to the west coast, we've got all the tips and tricks you need to know when visiting Disneyland with kids.

Now (Finally) Open: An Awesome New Playground in West Hollywood

Submitted by Ana Belibasis on Mon, 10/03/2022 - 12:54pm

The new playground at the West Hollywood Park has climbing things and sliding things and music things and makes for huge smiles.

If your child is anything like mine, they get bored with visiting your same old beloved neighborhood playground week in and week out. So, I was excited to hear that after years of closure, West Hollywood Playground at West Hollywood Park had finally reopened. I had heard raves about it in years past, but it's been closed practically my daughter's whole life. Let me cut to the chase: it was worth the wait, and I have a new favorite playground! Better than that, my daughter has a new favorite playground; in fact, she had so much fun at the rock climbing and music-making stations that she insisted we go back the very next day. Read on to discover why this inclusive, all-ages playground is our new favorite, and why I think you'll love it, too.

If you're looking for a new playground to add to your repertoire, we've made lists of the best playgrounds in Los Angeles and also amazing playgrounds specifically designed for toddlers in our Favorite Parks and Playgrounds of Los Angeles Guide.

10 Best Centers and Arcades for Virtual Reality in Los Angeles

Submitted by Ana Belibasis on Fri, 04/22/2022 - 12:07pm

Ready for battle! Photo courtesy of Battleground VR

If you're intrigued about the high-tech centers and arcades for virtual reality in Los Angeles that are popping up everywhere, but your own video game experience comes from the era of Atari or Nintendo, fear not. These new virtual reality games are really easy to get the hang of. Just put on your headset and jump into a virtual world where anything is possible—you can travel back in time, be an astronaut, or get stranded on a deserted island. These fully immersive centers for virtual reality in Los Angeles offer adventures for all ages and interests and are perfect for family outings, gaming afternoons with friends, and even birthday parties.

If you're looking for more family fun for all ages, check out our roundup of the Best Escape Rooms in Los Angeles. For even more ideas that will appeal to your bigger kids, we made a list of 20 Things To Do in Los Angeles with Tweens and Teens That They'll Actually Enjoy. Now go have some actual virtual fun.

Best Dance Summer Camps in Los Angeles: Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, and More

Submitted by Ana Belibasis on Tue, 03/29/2022 - 11:34am

Little dancers stretch, move, and dance all summer. Photo courtesy of Artistico School Of Dance via Facebook

If your tiny dancer is happiest spinning, twirling, and performing, a dance summer camp would be on pointe. Whether they want to learn a new style of dance—like ballet, hip hop, salsa, or jazz—or just have fun while grooving to a beat, a dance summer camp is a perfect place to learn and shine. At these summer camps, dancers of all ages and abilities will learn new techniques from trained professionals and then show off their new skills in a showcase or performance. We've rounded up a selection of our favorite dance day camps in locations from Santa Monica to Long Beach to the Valleys and beyond, so wherever you live, you can find a great camp that's not too far from home.

For more summer camps in Los Angeles, including Musical Theater and Performing Arts Summer Camps in LA and other Favorite Outdoor Summer Camps in Los Angeles for Summer 2022, be sure to bookmark our Los Angeles Summer Camp Guide and our Camp Directory where you can search for summer camps by type, age, and town.

How To Stop Yelling at Your Kids: 10 Easy Tips for Calm Parenting

Submitted by Ana Belibasis on Mon, 03/07/2022 - 11:00am

Sometimes parenting just makes you want to scream! (And other times, it's the best.)Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

Juggling work, school, and family has never been easy, but these days—as we're still working from home and have almost zero alone time to decompress—parenting feels like running a marathon on a hamster wheel. Which can make you want to scream, or at least yell, especially when your kids seem incapable of listening. But yelling always makes you feel worse, and it doesn't even seem to work. So, we scoured the web and chatted with other parents to get some easy-to-follow, actually actionable tips that will help you stop yelling at your kids, even when sorely provoked.

These tips will help you relax, take a beat, and see things from a different perspective. And remember, you're not alone! Every parent we've ever met has yelled at their kids at some point; if you want to commiserate, meet us on our Facebook page to chat about all the challenges of parenting. Sometimes it's just nice to commiserate and feel seen.

10 Great Los Angeles Escape Rooms for Kids To Solve

Submitted by Ana Belibasis on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 10:30am

Put on your wizard's hats, or thinking caps, to get out of this escape room. Photo courtesy of Magiq Room

Want your kids to put down the video games? Bring them to one of these cool Los Angeles escape rooms where they can jump into a real-life, puzzle-solving experience. Escape rooms immerse teams of kids or families into all kinds of crazy situations, from solving a murder on the Orient Express to a journey through the city of Atlantis. Each escape room tests kids' ingenuity and ability to explore spaces, find clues, and solve mysteries as a team—all while the clock is ticking.

We've rounded up our favorite escape rooms for kids of all ages that you'll find from the Valley to the South Bay and at all points in between. They're great for birthday parties or even just "I'm bored" days. For more outings that are perfect for birthdays or family fun days, check out our Guide to the Best Sports Centers and Fun Zones in Los Angeles.

Hourly Drop-in Daycare in Los Angeles: For When You Gotta Work, but They Need To Play

Submitted by Ana Belibasis on Sun, 01/23/2022 - 11:51am

Kids Klub in Pasadena has drop-in play evenings and Saturdays. Photo courtesy of Kids Klub

Having an unconventional work schedule seems to be the new norm. With many people working from home, juggling work and parenting is a heroic feat. For those of us who are not looking for full-time daycare but sometimes need a helping hand, know that you can find a drop-in daycare in Los Angeles (and Pasadena and Santa Monica and loads of other local towns) where you can leave your kids for a few hours while you work or just get a little well-deserved me time.

I know firsthand that finding a place where you feel at ease leaving your little ones is not an easy task, but we've done the legwork, asked all the questions, and compiled a list of places that offer drop-in daycare. For more ways to get work done when you have young kids, check out our review of one of our favorite Co-working Childcare Spots in Silverlake and our compelte guide to Childcare Options in Los Angeles.

Ana Belibasis

Latest posts by Ana

Pages