Great place to catch the planes taking off and landing. 50 yards of standing room with benches to sit and enjoy the view Entrance is from the woodley side, tuning west into the small street next to the fire station read more

VNY Public Observation Area - Airports Near Me - Van Nuys, California

This is a wonderful little space to watch the planes & helicopters take off and land. If your kid loves planes, or you love them, then you can really get up close on a lot of smaller sized crafts. They even include little holes in the fencing that allow you to stick your camera through if you're an avid plane photographer. You can tell they thought things through. There is a small play area for kids as well as a little info kiosk about the airport. I also like that they play the tower audio so you can feel like you are part of the action. My only real complaint is that I wish they had more covered seating. There are 2 small tables in one of the corner, but the other benches throughout the area aren't covered. And the area is all cement so if you are coming on a sunny day, especially during the summer, it is HOT in this area and bright. I highly recommend sunscreen if you are planning on spending a good amount of time here. I also want to say that parking is somewhat limited and very tight. If you have a long car, you might find it tough to get in and or out of some of the spots without potentially hitting cars parked behind or to the side of you. I know they are trying to get as many spots in as possible to accommodate visitors, but with the size of cars these days, it makes it tricky at times. read more

VNY Public Observation Area - Little play area for the kids - Airports Near Me - Van Nuys, California

I'm had no idea this place even existed and I've been living in the SFV all my life. Drove down there with the kids. Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 it's closed and we just entered the parking lot where there were a few parked cars with people having lunch. But we stayed and watched a few aircrafts take off and a pilot waved to the kids so they were excited. Looking forward to going back when it opens up because that little area looks super fun. read more

VNY Public Observation Area - Airports Near Me - Van Nuys, California

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Gonna make this simple and short. Its a great place to bring some Starbucks or food, watch the airplanes or helicopters taking off and landing. Tons of cool views if you like aviation. Negatives no restrooms and parking isn't great. read more

If you're looking for a fun and FREE activity to do with your kids, drop on by! The observation area is down the driveway beside the fire station off of Woodley Ave/Waterman Drive. Head on down the driveway to the end of the road. The gated parking and observation area is on the left and is open at dawn to dusk. You've got the helicopter lot (news helicopters takeoff from there)and the runway to view aircraft up close and personal and it's bustling with activity. My daughter enjoys going here for an hour or so to snack and watch aircraft land and takeoff. It's a vehicle frenzy when the train goes by too! I recommend having a set of ear plugs for your littles since it can get loud when the larger jets go by. Many of the pilots and airport staff are friendly. We've had pilots wave, truck drivers honk and even an employee come by to give kids free airport coloring books and gliders. There's a covered table area and some benches to sit at. For toddlers I would recommend bringing outdoor chairs and set them up along the fence for a "front row" view of the airport activity. This way there is no concern about them falling off the bench at the table area. There's also a speaker so you can hear air traffic control communicating with the aircraft. The area has a painted runway on the ground (great for scooters/bikes and wooden cutouts for the kids to put their heads in for fun. We'd stay longer if there were a bathroom! read more

VNY Public Observation Area - Airports Near Me - Van Nuys, California

I like to mix up my reviews. Call me a bit of an airplane groupie. I love to fly and I admire aircrafts (blame it on my family who would take me to airshows as a kid). There's something very relaxing about sitting still and seeing all these things happen around you. This is a cool little spot. Once my son gets old enough I am going to be excited to bring him here. There are a few benches and plane cutouts kids can play with. Cool to see tiny propeller planes to private jets to helicopters. read more

I spent an hour and 15 minutes watching small and larger aircraft taking off on a warm winter day. About 4 or 5 families with children arrived shortly after I did. While the children played in the playground area, I photographed quite a large number of planes (and a couple of trains - one the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner making its way through the San Fernando Valley). The biggest hurdle in taking photos here is having to shoot through chain link fence. It helps to have a large lens with an open aperture. These photos are 4"x6" cropped from the original camera images. I enjoy coming here for an hour or two for relaxation, especially since it is near my home. read more

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Great viewing spot for airplanes. If they could manage to make more park equipment or some fake grass I think it would draw more people and give more reason to stay long. read more

A lot of fun with toddler boys! We even brought scooters and they rode them there. Nice place to watch planes.

Great place for kids to watch planes landing and taking off. Sometimes it can be very loud when Jets are passing by, but other than that it's great. read more

Unmatched vantage point to watch the large variety of aircraft movement at KVNY. This visit was a little unusual in that the airport playground was closed and the parking area has become overrun by buses and limos. We lucked out to get an open spot, but those that arrived just after us did not. read more

A great way to spend time with your family and Not to mention FREE. They have little Croats airplane cut outs. And the view is amazing. I recommend you try this out. It will bring parents some sanity. You might want to consider ear muffs or plugs. Sometimes certain planes are louder than normal when they pass by after or before landing. Sunscreen and some snacks are a good idea too. read more

Could use some more shade, but a very good place to just hang out and listen to the air traffic controllers.