L.A. Times Concierge: Where can we go for a fun morning out with our toddler before nap time?

I’m looking for thing that’s unfastened aboriginal connected the weekends (9 a.m.?) wherever we tin instrumentality our 2-year-old daughter. We don’t privation it to beryllium an indoor play spot oregon thing that is solely designed for kids. Ideally, it would beryllium thing that adults bask too. Maybe thing outdoors oregon with a restaurant/cafe wherever we tin springiness ourselves a small treat. We are successful Manhattan Beach and person to beryllium backmost location by 12:30 p.m. for nap time. We’ve been capable to marque drives to Pasadena and Orange County and marque it backmost successful clip (bonus of leaving connected a Saturday oregon Sunday due to the fact that there’s nary traffic!) — Brittany Newell

Here’s what we suggest:

Finding places that volition support some you and your toddler entertained tin beryllium tricky. But don’t fret, Brittany! I’ve enlisted the assistance of immoderate of my colleagues who are besides parents that recognize the request to fly the location earlier nap time. I’ve compiled a database of amusive mini adventures that you tin commencement early-ish.

For an enactment adjacent to home, Michelle Woo, The Times’ West Coast experiences editor, suggests renting a toddler motorcycle trailer oregon motorcycle spot from 1 of the section shops and taking a thrust on the Strand from Manhattan to Redondo and backmost to Hermosa for a halt astatine Good Stuff, a beachside edifice wherever you tin bask a refreshing smoothie, mimosa oregon Woo’s go-to order, “the Good Stuff Breakfast with a pork sausage patty — elemental yet comforting.” Then fto your girl play successful the soil for a while. And if you haven’t been to the Roundhouse Aquarium before, it’s decidedly worthy a visit. The free, donation-based marine acquisition halfway is location to swell sharks, oversea urchins, jellyfish and much that volition permission visitors of immoderate property successful awe.

About 12 miles up the seashore successful Venice Beach is the recently renovated Windward Plaza Playground, a nautical-themed amusive portion equipped with slides, swings, climbers and more. The champion portion is that it’s located connected the soil astatine the formation conscionable steps distant from the celebrated boardwalk. Before you get to the park, my workfellow Amy King suggests stopping by Breakaway Cafe for yummy meal burritos oregon Menotti’s for coffee.

For an aboriginal greeting adventure, Times amusement and features exertion Brittany Levine Beckman recommends visiting the Riverside motorcycle way successful Frogtown, which opens astatine 6 a.m., truthful you tin commencement arsenic aboriginal arsenic you’d like. She and her hubby usually instrumentality turns pushing their 18-month-old girl successful a tricycle on the pathway and get their steps in. Afterward, she suggests going to Lingua Franca, a edifice situated on the river. “We’ve arrived a fewer times arsenic soon arsenic the edifice opens astatine 10 a.m. connected the play and been the lone early-bird brunchers,” she tells me. “We drawback a array extracurricular successful the backmost and our girl meanders without america feeling annoying.” The edifice besides serves a toddler-approved Dutch babe and a parent-approved bloody Mary, she adds. If you similar to conscionable drawback a coffee, spell to Tadaa.Coffee, which has a soil pit that your girl tin play in.

Another amusive enactment is the Natural History Museum successful Exposition Park, wherever you tin rotation done the awe-inspiring Dinosaur Hall, larn astir the improvement of mammals, roam done the enchanting quality gardens and respect much than 2,000 gems and minerals from crossed the globe. The depository opens astatine 9:30 a.m., but there’s inactive plentifulness of clip to research earlier nap time. Levine Beckman besides enjoys taking her girl to the museum. “Our toddler loves the carnal dioramas,” she tells me. “She likes staring up astatine the dinosaur bones excessively (and tin accidental “roar” now), but the large stuffed animals are her favorite.” For food, my workfellow Sophia Kercher recommends South LA Cafe, which is located astatine the museum.

Now for immoderate rapid-fire ideas: Kercher suggests the Stoneview Nature Center, which is simply a plant-filled metropolis sanctuary nestled successful Culver City’s Blair Hills. Here you tin pursuit hummingbirds, roam done the never-crowded plot and “visit Stoneview’s nonmigratory quails, which person their ain fenced-in compound called, ‘Quallywood,’” she says. Times contributor Rachel Kraus, who precocious wrote astir the emergence of promenade parks successful Southern California (and wherefore parents are loving them), suggests the Proud Bird adjacent LAX, which she calls “a 1 halt store genitor and kid utopia.” She adds, “You tin bid nutrient and drinks (including from a afloat bar) and fto your kids tally astir connected the outdoor play structure, footwear a shot connected the turf oregon research the vintage airplanes.” Also, beryllium definite to cheque retired our database of L.A. playgrounds that are adjacent to java shops wherever you tin get a jolt of vigor if needed.

I anticipation these suggestions are adjuvant with readying your adjacent greeting escapade with your toddler and that you are capable to make immoderate amusive caller memories together. Happy exploring!