Longtime L.A. residents may remember the DWP Holiday Light Festival, a free event held each year in Griffith Park. It had become somewhat of a holiday tradition for our family before it closed down in 2009, never to return. The Los Angeles Zoo is hoping to create a new holiday tradition for families with its LA Zoo Lights display. The self-guided walking tour takes visitors … [Read more...]
A Playful Parenting Guide to Winter Break
Just a few more days and the kids are on winter break. For three weeks. That's right - three weeks! For many parents in these parts, that's a terrifying idea. But around here, I'm getting pretty excited. No, I'm not crazy. I'm just not worried about how I'm going to occupy my kids 24-7. Because you know what? I don't have to! And you don't, either. In fact, you can even … [Read more...]
Descanso Gardens at Halloween: Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns
If you're looking for a non-scary, family friendly Halloween event in Los Angeles that isn't just your basic pumpkin patch, go see Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns. "The Rise," as it is affectionately known, is a nighttime display of 5,000 professionally carved pumpkins lit up and artfully arranged along a 1/4-mile walking path. The event takes place annually in New York and is … [Read more...]
Creative Outdoor Journal Prompts
As much fun as kids might have spending time outside, getting them to write about said time can be, well ... challenging. Who can blame them? Sometimes we all need a friendly nudge to get us thinking about - and really seeing - the world around us. Nature journals are a great way for kids and adults alike to put our thoughts, ideas and images down on paper. And creative outdoor … [Read more...]
We’re in This Together
Five years ago, GoExploreNature.com was born. At the time, I was knee deep in grief over the loss of my dad, who had been the driving force behind my love of nature. My goal with this blog was to provide nature-inspired adventure guides for the places in Los Angeles that the kids and I visited as part of our day-to-day lives. The Explorers were babes at 4 and 1 1/2. I don't … [Read more...]