The energy of The Artist Lab is pure joy! From the moment my…read morekiddos arrived they were welcomed by everyone and encouraged to freely express their creative ideas. The facility is bright, clean and well maintained. As a parent who attended top colleges and has both degrees in Fashion and Studio Art; I was impressed by the quality of the teachers. Immediately noted these detailed classes: Color Theory Charcoal drawing Full size painting area with large easels In house Ceramic Kiln Fabricated projects And a lot more. I'm enrolling my daughter in the after school program. Looking forward to seeing her progress. They have a trial pass use it.

The Artist Lab is a nice little art space on Wilshire, in Hancock Park, conveniently located close…read moreto my house. It offers art classes for all ages, though I suspect most of its students are kids. My six-year-old Leo B. has become something of a regular, and he absolutely loves the place. For my part, I appreciate that there's always a camp available when I need it, sometimes even at the last minute. Popular classes sell out (if you want an anime/Pokémon/Hello Kitty kind of week, get on it), but most don't seem to reach capacity. There are camps for pretty much every school break, including one-day camps for various holidays. Parking is easy, as are drop-off and pick-up. Leo did one day camp last year, then two weeks of summer camp last month. He's a fairly shy kid, and was only willing to sign up because he had friends from school who would be with him. I was pleasantly surprised when he requested to come back for a second week this summer, knowing he wouldn't have any friends in that class. Artist Lab has different themes for each week, and he went for under the sea and pop art. There were different teachers rotating in and out, and to be honest, I never really talked to any of them, though they all seemed quite nice. I dealt with all the administrative stuff through text and email and enjoyed getting photo updates in the text thread. Leo had fun every day, and came home with all kinds of artwork that we're now stuck with until all parties are willing to get rid of them. He made sculptures and paintings and even sewed a little fish. I also liked that he got to learn a little about pop art after a somewhat difficult visit to the Tate Modern earlier in the month. I'm sure we'll be back to Artist Lab next summer, and possibly earlier. Leo will ask for it, and before long, his brother will want in on the action.

Our tour guide was Jeremiah and he was absolutely AMAZING in all ways possible! We asked so many…read morequestions, and you can tell how knowledgeable he is and how much he cares about the animals. Definitely a memorable experience that I would recommend to any one of all ages. Shop has beautiful artwork and cool merch!

Decided to go somewhere local today as a family. Scored some tickets on Groupon! Amazing!!! They're…read moreopen M-S 10AM-5PM. Staff is very friendly. We followed the path and saw some animals. My daughter was so excited. They had a reptile zone. Saw bald eagles! Through out the walk way there are plenty of benches under trees. They have a seating section where you can have picnics & bring your own lunch! Over all we enjoyed the wild life center very much. We would return.

My son attended his first season at Camp Adventurewood in 2023 - it was his first experience at a…read moresummer camp and he was a little nervous and shy but all his counselors made him feel so welcome and comfortable and after the first day he was hooked! He loved the variety of activities and made so many new friends. He came home with fun stories each day. I loved that they offered a variety of options from 2 days/week to 5 days. We returned last summer and an unexpected and sudden medical event threw our summer for a loop. They were beyond kind and accommodating. Michael, the owner, personally made sure we were taken care of at a very scary time and was just incredibly kind and communicative. I can't thank him and his staff enough for the support. I would recommend this camp for any family. Its like a classic, old-school summer day camp experience!

My son attended Adventurewood camp for the first time this week. For the most part he enjoyed…read morehimself -- particularly the characters they introduce throughout the week. However, we decided to pull him out for next week because of a very disturbing situation. He shared that a counselor had pushed him with both hands on his shoulders during a capture the flag activity. He had dropped his flag and was putting it back on when a counselor (he didn't know her name) pushed him back hard enough to make him lose his balance and fall. She also barked "you need to reset!" She didn't ask if he was ok or help him up. You'd think if this was an accidental push and he fell over she would say something like "sorry bud are you ok? Here let me help you up" but nope, not a word. A friend he's attending camp with witnessed the whole incident. Since I pick them both up in the afternoons they both recounted this situation to me and both of them noted how inappropriate her behavior was. I immediately reached out to Michael, the owner of the camp. He said he wanted to identify this counselor and get her side of the story. Understandable. My son felt uncomfortable going back the next day but I reassured him it would be handled and offered to drop him off in the morning and stick around to talk to Michael and the counselor. I wanted him to feel safe. Michael identified her (her name is Carson) and said he wanted to talk to her first, which he did a few feet away from me. I heard her say she didn't push him. They then walked over to me and she again denied everything. So we asked both kids to come over and recount what happened. They both did -- in front of her -- and reiterated she pushed him. She denied even touching him. So Michael suggests at this point that perhaps it was an accident and my son responds by saying "how do you push someone like that by accident?!" No response. So I ask her, are you saying these kids are lying? She again said she didn't touch him and at this point we send the kids away. I'm incensed because not only does she gaslight both of them to their face but tells this bold faced lie to her boss in front of the campers and me. I tell her I believe them and I think she's the one lying. At this point she gives me this dirty look - angry, irritated and almost rolls her eyes at me. I turn to Michael and say "and now she's giving ME an attitude?!" Unbelievable. In a follow up call, he tells me how good of a person she is and that this is shocking for him to hear but that she doesn't seem like someone who would do something like this...that she's getting her teacher credentials and he knows her really well. I am getting the vibe he doesn't actually believe any of this and he sounds very skeptical. I respond by telling him that it's almost always surprising when people exhibit bad behavior and that even teachers do bad things...that doesn't make her any more credible in my eyes. He acknowledged that. In fact, it's worse because I would be really concerned to have someone like that teaching a kid. Lack of empathy, accountability, and integrity. I mean, I think it's great he's trying to have her back but there are moments in life when you need to draw a line and act swiftly...these are one of those moments. Because ultimately, this impacts the reputation of your camp. I told him that it would be good to offer training to his staff in case this ever happens again in the future and honestly he sounded baffled and asked me to clarify...I said well maybe tell your staff not to give dirty looks to a mom who's clearly upset that her son just got pushed by a grown adult at summer camp?? I told him that the response to this situation could've resulted in a totally different outcome. Had she said something like "I really don't recall pushing you but if I inadvertently did and made you feel bad I'm sorry - I didn't mean to do that" - I would've went home that morning feeling fine about the situation. When I told him this he said that he's not going to police all her reactions, that she's still young, that she's still learning and made all kinds of excuses for her. Exhausting. Apparently she got a "warning" and will sit out of the flag activity (umm, ok...). He seems like a smart guy and wish him nothing but success in the future and I was earnestly trying to offer advice for how to handle a situation like this better but it fell on deaf ears. I really hope that some kind of learning comes out of this for both of them. Oh and to top it off, my son's friend told her mom that Carson was giving her looks several times throughout the day today and when she asked what kind she said "side eye" looks. NOT COOL. My son also said she was kind of mean to him but wondering why they were even in close proximity when Michael said they'd absolutely be separated and would not see each other? Validates we both made the right choice by pulling them both out. He offered a refund but I'm still pissed about the situation.

We live very close to Imaginology and its been a godsend for us every holiday / break. Lately my…read morekids have been asking to go even when its a normal school day because they love it here. Specifically, they love playing with Miss Vivian (which I think is very telling)! She helps foster the kids' creativity and I don't know what she does/says but they just adore her. The only con is that the website can be confusing but if you call they're usually very flexible and able to work things out. I am honestly so so grateful for Imaginology!!

We absolutely love Vivian and everything at imaginology. What a magical and amazing place for kids…read moreto do what they do best -- use their imaginations and play play play! Play is the work of a child and the space Vivian has created here is so wonderful to help facilitate just that. She's so wonderful and involved and always accommodates the kids and finds fun imaginative ways for them to learn and play.

Our 6 year old son has been going to got game for years, and loves every second of it! We have…read moreparticipated in their summer camps, after school programs and holiday camps, and feel so lucky to have them as an amazing program no matter when he attends. The coaches and staff are so friendly, accommodating and trustworthy with our son's happiness and safety. Added bonus, I LOVE that you can sign up far in advance or the day of. A flexibility that is rare with camps these days.

Got Game Camp has been a great summer and holiday camp for our child to enjoy activities and…read morereconnect with friends she has made over the years.

We had such a great time with Professor Egghead Science Camp for our daughter's 6th birthday party!…read moreOur amazing scientist had the kids completely engaged from start to finish. Even the parents couldn't help but stop and watch--and we were all impressed by how patient the scientist was with the kids and how well they followed instructions. The birthday girl felt extra special getting to be the scientist's assistant, which was such a fun and memorable touch. And the balloon rocket launch was absolutely amazing! I have never seen a group of kids run around a park screaming with that much excitement. It was educational, interactive, exciting, and so much fun for everyone. We would highly recommend Professor Egghead for a kids' party!

We hired the Professor Egghead team for my son's 6th birthday. We had 36 kids to opted for the…read morelarger party package that had two instructors. It was AWESOME. All we had to provide was 2 gallons of water, and they did the rest. They kept the kids engaged, talked about the scientific reasons reactions were happening, and interacted with all of the kids. It was a full hour of awesomeness and made the party a hit! There were both demonstrations and things for the kids to do themselves. They also worked closely with our city's park and rec office to make sure they provided all required insurance docs, which gave me great peace of mind. Big thanks to Catie and Jackie!!

We have been becoming increasingly outdoorsy and adventurous, and thought it was time to learn more…read moreabout outdoor survival in case things one day go awry. We took the core survival class, and found it to be very useful. Many of the essential components of surviving in the wild are counterintuitive, especially based off of pre-conceptions we have learned from movies and TV shows about wilderness survival. We are now much better prepared because of the knowledge we gained through this class. I won't give any spoilers cause that would ruin the experience- but on top of basic survival priorities, we learned how to build shelters, purify water, best react to dangerous animals, build fire, and even identify some plants. I also learned that I am kind of a pansy and really don't want to get lost in the wild. I would definitely recommend wearing long pants and long sleeves due to some of the tasks required during the training. Don't be like the girl that came (loudly pronouncing that she was) super hungover, wearing a super deep v neck and no bra (come on man- save it for Burning Man), because you are going to have to actually do stuff. This is a hands-on course, not a powerpoint presentation. Overall, would highly recommend this course for adventurers wanting to better learn how to be safe in the wild.

Attended the core survival class with my seven year old and it was a great experience. My daughter…read moreloves being outdoors and has become obsessed with "survival" shows/videos. She asked if there was classes for survival. Luckily I found California Survival School. We were fortunate to have Dan as the instructor. He background is quite extensive and impressive. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. Although I thought my seven year old would get bored with the lecture portion, Dan kept the group engaged throughout. The hand on activities were our favorite, like building a tend properly. Both my daughter and I enjoyed the class and learned essential skills that can be used in everyday situations. Highly recommend the class for any age.

It starts from the top down. Kahuna and Blaze set a tone that creates a happy, fun and relaxing…read moreatmosphere where the kids and employees get to enjoy the sweet months of summer creating memories for a lifetime. It's not fancy but they're not roughing it either. It's just the right mix of Topanga nature-inspired tranquility sprinkled with breezy silliness. This is a happy place and you feel it as soon as you arrive. Feels good to leave my son here knowing he's going to have a great day and come home dirty and tired with stories he's eager to share. 5th year and now a Jr Leader - what a lovely place to learn, grow and laugh through childhood summers.

We absolutely love Cali Camp!…read more I have two boys, and both have had an amazing experience there. My older son loved it so much that he is now becoming a Junior Leader, which says everything about how meaningful Cali Camp has been for him. My younger son, who is in 2nd grade, went for the first time last year and is already so excited to go back. What really stood out to me was how quickly they both adapted. My younger son joined not knowing anyone and felt welcomed almost immediately. Both of my boys felt included from day one. The staff is incredibly caring, supportive, and attentive. You can truly feel that they work hard to create a safe, joyful environment for the kids, and as a parent that means everything. The activities are fantastic: well planned, age appropriate, engaging, and fun. The natural setting is also beautiful and feels especially important these days. My boys came home with confidence, stories, friendships, and summer memories they will cherish forever. And the camp spirit is real. We still sing the silly songs at home, especially the announcements song whenever we have a family announcement, and the birthday song too. I cannot recommend Cali Camp enough. It has been such a special part of our family's life.

Kay Kay Cool-ay!!!!…read more There are a lot of reviews here by people who are reminiscing about their childhood experiences and so I wanted to leave a more current review for those considering sending their daughters here. Some may consider this camp a "best kept secret" but I would rather the word keep getting out so this place can continue to stay open for future generations! I am not a SoCal native so had never heard of Camp Hollywoodland until I had kids and was looking for a sleepaway camp option that wasn't too far from home. This camp is fantastic. My daughter has now been several times since first attending in early 2017, both to the summer camp and the Girls' Getaway weekends. We've also done the Mother/Daughter weekends which is a great way to check it out with your girl before summer and have some camp fun of your own. They do the girls' only getaways and bring-your-parent weekends in the fall and the spring; as of this writing they're about $110 per person which includes all activities and meals (from dinner Friday through breakfast Sunday). Each session has a theme, which might be anything from Star Wars to Mystery Madness to Hawaiian Luau, but they are all a lot of fun! The camp is a great intro for first time sleepaway campers since their summer sessions are shorter than your average sleepaway camp and include a field trip (beach, theme parks, etc). As of this writing each week's session is $400-450/ for 5 nights, M-F. The camp has a swimming pool (open in summer only), rock climbing wall, beach volleyball court, archery area, arts & crafts room, and fun, professional staff that has very low turnover (with fun counselor names like Cheetah, Amoeba, Cricket, Saffron, and Vanilla!). The food is really good too (seriously, kid and mother approved), and is prepared by dedicated kitchen staff in a modern dining hall: think spaghetti & meatballs, build-your-own tacos, pancakes with bacon & eggs, etc. There is a salad bar as well as vegetarian/vegan options. At drop off, before they are allowed to stay at camp each girl is checked for lice or anything potentially contagious. Sleeping arrangements are in longhouses up on the hill; each one contains 8 or 9 metal bunk beds with plastic covered mattresses (pack a twin fitted sheet), and basic closet space, so it's pretty spartan. At least one counselor sleeps with their assigned set of girls who are grouped by age (7-8, 9-10, etc). They no longer allow cabin buddy requests but camp is small enough that friends will definitely see each other, while making new friends :) There is heating, but no AC. Bathrooms are attached to most of the longhouses, with sinks outside and showers/toilets inside. It's not super fancy (all the buildings except the dining hall/multipurpose rooms seem like they were probably built in the 50's or earlier) but it's definitely "real camp" with campfire singalongs, s'mores, and all the girl-empowered camaraderie you can imagine. It's out in nature and feels much farther away than it is (just a 5 minute drive up the road from Franklin Ave. in Hollywood). As you can read from the other reviews a lot of the girls that go there are 2nd and even 3rd generation campers, it's been around that long. Everyone we have met there has been really nice and laid back. My daughter looks forward to going whenever she can, and I love that she gets a break from suburban life (and technology!) to experience a great week in nature with other girls from all over LA. As far as enrollment goes, there is definitely a finite number of spots and summer camp does sell out so you need to sign up early, especially the Disneyland week (field trip tickets are included in the price of camp, holla!). The only real pain point I have is that because this is all through LA Parks and Rec the registration process is very old school, and you can't do it online (but I think they are working on that). You either have to mail in your application or drop it off in person, and then wait for a snail mail letter to confirm your registration is complete. Call to make an appointment to drop off your application and you can get a sneak peek at the dining facility. I don't think they do tours but it can't hurt to ask.

We are furious and honestly still shaken after what our daughter experienced at Camp Hollywoodland,…read moreand parents deserve to know exactly what happened. Last summer, our daughter got her first period unexpectedly while at camp -- scared, confused, and away from home. Instead of receiving basic care or compassion, she was met with obstruction and what we believe was outright negligence. Staff told us the camp did not have supplies and required us to bring them ourselves, while camp policy prevented us from even speaking to our own child during one of the most vulnerable moments of her young life. We were repeatedly told she was "fine." The very next day, campers were taken to a water park where our daughter, who still had no guidance or support, was reportedly not allowed to wear shorts or bring a towel. When she began menstruating publicly and asked to use the restroom, she was denied multiple times and forced to wait until the group finished eating. She was left humiliated and exposed in front of her peers while the adults responsible for her care refused to help. When we picked her up, she completely broke down, describing an experience that was humiliating and traumatic. No child should ever be made to feel ashamed or powerless for a normal biological milestone. What makes this even more disturbing is what followed. After multiple attempts to address this with leadership, Camp Hollywoodland chose to defend and justify staff behavior rather than accept responsibility. The response we received made it clear that protecting their policies mattered more than acknowledging the harm done to a child. This is an all-female camp -- a place that should understand and support girls through normal developmental changes. Instead, our daughter was left without dignity, without guidance, and without protection when she needed it most. Families should understand exactly what can happen when policies and poor judgment override basic humanity.

It's fun to stay at the YMCA, especially in DTLA…read more Open 5:30 am - 9:00 pm Monday through Friday and as early as 8 to 9 am Saturday and Sunday til the afternoon. The Ketchum location, named after the late Stuart M Ketchum, a huge philanthropist, civic leader and real estate mogul. Is very modern and stylish on the outside and the in. If you want to volunteer for various programs you can do so via their online portal. Opportunities from Sports Assistant to Food Distribution and more. YMCA Downtown LA partners up with great groups such as the LA Food Bank, LA Civil Rights, Students Run LA, American Red Cross and numerous others. Passing through on a Saturday morning, the fitness area was filled. And they offer some great wellness programs including group exercise, various indoor sports and even online programs. Check out their youth and adult programs ranging from hobbies and sports to summer camps and workshops. Additionally the DTLA Y has monthly, annual and day pass memberships. And their layout as well as the outdoor landscape with beautiful statues, colors, designs, etc... that make all feel welcome.

The gym and the staff are completely fine. The men (customers) who mess with the heat sensors in…read morethe sauna and steam room are the problem. They place wet towels on the heat sensors and this drives the heat up, causing the heater to automatically turn off. Long term this breaks the heater. Currently the sauna is "broken" due to these actions. It's extremely frustrating. This really needs to stop. There is no consequence for the men who continue to place the wet towels over the sensors in the sauna and steam room, so consequently this behavior will continue.