You’ll feel a world away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles when you visit the Malibu Creek State Park, which is tucked away in the Malibu Canyon. Part of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, and only 25 miles from Downtown Los Angeles the Park features swimming, hiking, fishing, bird watching, mountain biking, camping, and horseback riding. Of course being so close to LA it’s no surprise that this scenic area was once used to film many of the famous television shows and movies that we know and love.
The 20th Century Fox film How Green Was My Valley was filmed here in 1941 and shortly thereafter Fox Entertainment purchased the property, which became known as the 20th Century Fox Ranch. Moves and television shows continued to be filmed in the Park after the State of California bought the property in 1974 including: M*A*S*H, Planet of the Apes, Doctor Doolittle, Pleasantville, Batman, Anchorman and so many more.
There are hiking opportunities for all fitness levels, including 15 miles of stream side trails, and along the way you’ll be treated to views of the valley, canyon and scenic pools.
Century Lake was named in honor of the Park’s former owners.
Although many areas of the park were damaged in the tragic wildfires that tore through the area in late 2018, the area is well on its way to recovery.
Tips and Useful information
- Bring Water and wear appropriate foot attire. Trails on the easy hikes are wide and smooth, but appropriate foot attire is a good idea.
- The Visitor Center is open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4:00 pm.
- All day parking is $12.00 per car, per day, or there is an hourly rate.
- Restrooms and a drink machine are located in the parking area.
- Dogs on a leash are allowed in the park’s day use areas and campground. Dogs are not allowed on the backcountry trails or dirt roads.
- The park is on Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Road, and can be located from the Pacific Coast Highway via Malibu Canyon Road, or from Highway 101. The Address is: 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, CA 91302
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My favorite street art discovery of the day was this Mini Heros mural painted in 2009 by three indivduals known as KEB, WAND and BUTR. Miraculously it’s still in existence! What could be better than street art and superheros?!
Wandering along Mission Street we went as far as Lilac Alley, located half a block from the 24th Street Bart Station. The Alley is 2 blocks long between Mission and Capp Streets, and is lined on both sides with vibrant murals.
I’ve been eating the same flavors of ice cream my entire life, at first it was chocolate chip mint. Every. Single. Time. At some point I switched to Pralines and Cream and that was my flavor. These days, I have been trying to branch out a bit more in the flavor department. My current favorite is salted malted cookie dough at Salt & Straw.
The Museum of Ice Cream is a temporary interactive art installation featuring not just ice cream, but all things ice cream related. The only real purpose, as far as I can tell, is to provide pure joy and happiness and they’re really good at it!
Along the way, you’ll see and experience a ton of silly fun from ice cream sandwich swings, to giant popsicles, and scratch and sniff wall paper! Along with all the silly fun, there will be endless photo opportunities! I loved that they incorporated some of LAs most famous icons into the installations.
The Museum of Ice Cream is located inside a converted warehouse in the DTLA Arts District! Everything including the outside of the building is Pink! Did I mention Everything!?
In fact after years of signing my older son up for the “right” team, getting up early on weekends, shlepping the little brother along, volunteering, preparing snack, washing the uniform, losing the uniform, returning the uniform and driving back and forth to soccer, baseball, basketball, and swim team I rejoiced when he finally asked to quit.
In a big city like Los Angeles, there is no a shortage of things to see and do, in fact if anything, deciding which amazing thing to do next is the challenge. I know! It’s a struggle! Lucky for me, I live here, so even though I can’t do it all, I at least have a fighting chance! But what if you don’t live here, how do you narrow down all those great options?
If you’re looking for a few ideas to get you started, look no further! Our recent 8 hour whirlwind tour, which started in Santa Monica and ended with a gorgeous sunset over Museum Row, hit many iconic highlights, and included something for everyone. We had a lot of ground to cover, especially since some of our group had never been to California before, but I think we did a pretty good job!
A great place to grab breakfast and go over the day’s plan, our group met at 
If you’re interested in street art you might like to view the large 
When visiting Los Angeles the world famous Hollywood sign is always a popular sight! If you’re not up to
Another famous Hollywood institution is the 
After all that hiking and walking we’d whipped up an appetite and no trip to Los Angeles would be complete without a trip to 
Our next stop will be of particular interest to any history lovers in your group! Can you believe that at one time the bustling area that is now Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard was once the home of dire wolves, saber-tooth cats, and mammoths? It’s true! Of course that was 50,000 years ago, give or take a few thousand years… The 
Excavation is still taking place and during your visit you’ll see bubbling tar pits, current dig sites, fossils, informational films and interactive exhibits. A few things to keep in mind: There is an entrance fee to the museum, but viewing the outside exhibits is free. You won’t see dinosaurs here, as they’d already been extinct for 65 million years when animals started becoming entrapped in the tar pits.
Conveniently located across the lawn from the Tar Pits, we walked over to our final stop of the day, The 
I could spend hours at Urban lights by artist Chris Burden. The solar powered installation is made from 202 restored cast iron street lamps from 1920s and 30s Los Angeles. This is an incredibly popular place to take photos and hang out, so unless you want to visit in the middle of the night, expect to have other people in your photos.
The boys loved Penetrable by artist Jesús Rafael Soto, an interactive art installation just outside the entrance to the Ahmanson Building. Made of simple yellow tubing hanging from a steel grid, this installation is meant to be touched! The boys spent ages here and I think we need one of these in our yard!
Just as the sun was setting and having had our fill of outdoor art and photos we decided to call it a day. There are so many amazing places to see in LA and I’m doing my best to see them all… I’ve got my work cut out for me, but I think I’m up to the task!
A labyrinth of books, the comic section, the first edition vault, (literally, it was inside an actual vault), the artist studios, and a rare book room were just a few of the places we explored during our recent visit to The Last Bookstore.
A self proclaimed voracious reader there was a time when I would have spent hours perusing bookstore shelves in search of the next great read. Often becoming lost between the pages of a book or even the latest gossip rag I would not even realize the hours had melted away. Just one more chapter…
What was I talking about? Oh yes, when I heard about that cool book seller in Downtown Los Angeles that not only sells books but sells them with flair, I just knew I had to go there!
I spent an incredibly relaxing day at Disneyland the other day! Yes, you heard me… incredibly relaxing… at Disneyland. Yes, there were crowds, lines and heat, after all it is summer and I was in Disneyland. However, having visited more times than I can count with every combination of people imaginable I feel like I’ve got a pretty good handle on keeping calm and Disneyland at the same time and you can too!
I know some of you might be thinking, how is this even possible? Yes, Disneyland is crowded, expensive and touristy, but it’s also magical, beautiful and fun!
It’s all in the mindset… understanding that it’s just not possible to do it all, especially if you only have one day, and that trying would only serve to ruin the day and everyone’s good time… basically the same philosophy I use when traveling to far away places when time is an issue. Time is always an issue. There is never enough time in disneyland! However, it’s still very possible to see many of the attractions and feel like you’ve gotten your money’s worth while at the same time keeping calm and enjoying yourself!
