A brand new barn teaching children, juniors, and adults to train for three-day eventing (dressage, cross country & show jumping), or to just learn the basics to have a fun, safe time around horses.

The barn also hosts horse shows, trail rides, lessons, parties, spring/summer/winter camps, clinics, and lectures.

Established in 2005, A Galaxy Entertainment
is an event planning company specializing in children's entertainment.

Party themes range from puppy parties to sports parties, with activities covering everything from camel rides to create-a-bear parties, and entertainment from monkeys to world class magicians.

Established in 2005, A Galaxy Entertainment
is an event planning company specializing in children's entertainment.

Party themes range from puppy parties to sports parties, with activities covering everything from camel rides to create-a-bear parties, and entertainment from monkeys to world class magicians.

A Los Angeles Clown and Character offers party entertainment like silly tuxedo clowns and over 100 popular costumed characters providing games, magic, ballons, and face painting.

Other options include carnival attractions, puppet shows, trains, jumpers, go carts, race cars, DJs, reptiles, ponies, and exotic animals.

American Cinematheque, the company in charge of the classic Egyptian Theatre in LA, runs the Aero Theatre as well, offering numerous family friendly screenings and events. The cinema itself, with its art nouveau facade and glamorously painted foyer, has been a neighborhood favorite since 1940.

We especially love the well-designed and readily available booster seats, with velcro on the bottom that fastens them down firmly. The seats are surprisingly comfortable even through a long film, and a big help for toddlers or preschoolers who might otherwise miss half the screen. Look for the big stack by the door at family matinees.

The Aero is available for memorable birthday parties; guests can enjoy having the theater to themselves for a screening of whatever film the birthday boy or girl chooses.

Angel Eyes Lifeguards, a division of Happy Swimmers Swim School, watches over kids (and adults!) during back yard pool parties or swimming events, keenly and kindly providing the level of safety that insures a fun party for all.

The staff is Red Cross certified in Lifeguarding and CPR and first aid qualified, as well as responsible, mature, and friendly. The group has liability insurance.

Lifeguards come professionally dressed, safety equipment in hand. Angel Eyes serves all of Southern California.

This surf school offers both private and group lessons for families, as well as event/party hosting, and an annual summer surf camp for kids ages six to 17. Check the website for a complete schedule of classes.

The Aquarium in Long Beach is a terrific facility celebrating the inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean. You'll find tropical fish exhibits, coral reefs, sea otters, seals and sea lions, sea turtles, and sea birds.

The exhibits stretch from floor to ceiling; kids can lie right down on the carpets and stare up as schools of brightly colored tropical fish go swimming by, and feel that cold thrill as a shark suddenly darts into the picture. Scuba divers make periodic appearances to feed the fish and clean the coral, and are quite willing to wave and clown around for delighted children.

The centerpiece is the 10,000 square foot Shark Lagoon, which offers visitors the opportunity to touch and interact with bamboo, nurse, epaulette, and zebra sharks in shallow pools. One section, featuring above-and-below water views, allows guests to get nose-to-nose (but not, happily, hand-to-mouth) with large, toothy sharks. Sand tiger (endangered in Australia), zebra, nurse, and whitetip reef sharks, as well as rays, are featured. Special daily feeding presentations are a predictably huge draw - who doesn't want to watch sharks eat?

Opportunities for observing and touching other live creatures also abound, both above and under water. There are 19 major habitats on two levels, and 32 focus exhibits. Squeamish kids may not want to feel the sea urchins and anemones, but aquarium staffers are on hand to help those who do.

One gallery covers the Northern Pacific, and is slightly chilly and a bit grey, but worth seeing if only for the naturally comedic puffins. The other galleries cover the temperate waters of Southern California and Baja and the wonderfully warm and colorful tropical Pacific.

Kids can also take an expedition to visit friendly birds from Down Under in the Lorikeet Forest, a 5,200 square-foot walk-through aviary that brings new meaning to the word "encounter:" kids can feed the little flutterballs nectar from a cup!

Indoor and outdoor theaters feature regular showings of documentaries and animal education programs.

The outdoor Explorer's Cove includes Lorikeet Forest, Shark Lagoon, and the Marine Life Theater. There's also an adjacent refreshment and snack area, the Bamboo Bistro.

Cafe Scuba is a cafeteria style restaurant offering hot and cold entrees, salads, and sandwiches. There are plenty of high chairs and booster seats, and indoor and outdoor seating.

The bathrooms on both levels have changing stations, and there is a baby care room, with chairs for nursing mothers and toys for toddlers, in the first floor women's room.

The Aquarium strongly discourages strollers inside the exhibit area, especially on crowded weekends. There is a large stroller parking area in the lobby.

The Aquarium offers all kinds of educational programs for children of all ages on weekends. There are stroller walks for parents with infants, toddler programs for parents with two and three year-olds, pre-school programs for four and five-year-olds, and workshops, sleep-overs, Discovery Tours and Explorer Programs for older kids and teens at varying costs and times.

Ocean Adventures Summer Day Camp offers week-long summer sessions at the Aquarium for seven to ten year old campers to explore different facets of life undersea.

All the programs are available for groups; some are especially designed for daycare and pre-school groups. Call for reservations, times and group rates.

The Aquarium also offers kayaking lessons, followed by kayaking tours of Upper Newport Bay, as well as Ocean Experience boat excursions (seasonal).

For more information about any of these programs, call 562.590.3100 or visit www.aquariumofpacific.org.

Parties: 90 minute birthday parties at the Aquarium include themed décor, personalized cake, ice cream, juice, and a classroom program that features animal touch time, biofact discovery, and a take-home craft. All you need to do is call at least two weeks prior (subject to availability) to reserve a date and invite friends and family. The party area can accommodate up to 30 guests (minimum 10 participants). Cost is $275 for up to 15 guests (including adults), and $460 for 16-30 guests; members pay $250 to $420. For additional information or reservations, please call 562.951.1630.

Membership: Individual $55; Family $125.

Bennett Farms offers individualized horseback riding lessons in a safe environment for children.

Beyond the Balloon designs original and creative decor for parties and special events.

Bubble Mania and Company offers parties and programs built around the science and fun of soap bubbles for children of all ages. Interactive programs are available for schools, daycares, private parties, companies, and libraries.

"Bubblologists" make bubbles of all shapes and sizes without the use of bubble machines. Birthday party programs involve an indoor presentation followed by an outdoor party playtime.

The Burbank Community YMCA offers two heated indoor swimming pools, a basketball court, youth fitness center, two racquetball courts, a spa, and a child care center.

Classes include gymnastics, swimming, dance, karate, and boxing. Swim classes are held daily for swimmers of all levels and ages, from parent and baby (six months-three years) through adulthood. Recreational swim, lap swimming, and training sessions are also available.

The Junior Lakers Basketball League has winter and summer sessions; the costs is about $90, plus membership fees. Call 818.845.8551 ext. 269 for information about try-outs.

The Child Development Center is a nationally accredited child care center for toddlers, pre-schoolers, and after-kindergarten care. Financial assistance is available. For more information, call 818.562.5461.

The Adventure Guides Program uses nature as a backdrop. Parents (acting as guides) and their children embark on a series of adventures through hiking, camping, and crafts to build character and strengthen the parent/child bond.

Gymnastics birthday parties are offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm-4pm for children ages three and up (membership is required). Parties include a fully decorated room, invitations, birthday cake, tableware, 45 minutes of gymnastics fun supervised by the Y's coaches, goody bags, free trial class coupons for each guest, and a YMCA gymnastics t-shirt for the birthday child. For more information, contact Megan Hocking 818.845.8551 ext. 281.

The Burbank Community YMCA offers two heated indoor swimming pools, a basketball court, youth fitness center, two racquetball courts, a spa, and a child care center.

Classes include gymnastics, swimming, dance, karate, and boxing. Swim classes are held daily for swimmers of all levels and ages, from parent and baby (six months-three years) through adulthood. Recreational swim, lap swimming, and training sessions are also available.

The Junior Lakers Basketball League has winter and summer sessions; the costs is about $90, plus membership fees. Call 818.845.8551 ext. 269 for information about try-outs.

The Child Development Center is a nationally accredited child care center for toddlers, pre-schoolers, and after-kindergarten care. Financial assistance is available. For more information, call 818.562.5461.

The Adventure Guides Program uses nature as a backdrop. Parents (acting as guides) and their children embark on a series of adventures through hiking, camping, and crafts to build character and strengthen the parent/child bond.

Gymnastics birthday parties are offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm-4pm for children ages three and up (membership is required). Parties include a fully decorated room, invitations, birthday cake, tableware, 45 minutes of gymnastics fun supervised by the Y's coaches, goody bags, free trial class coupons for each guest, and a YMCA gymnastics t-shirt for the birthday child. For more information, contact Megan Hocking 818.845.8551 ext. 281.

Burgundy Blue is a funky fashion store for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers (sizes run to 5T). Gift baskets for newborns, custom bedding, nap-to-go's, moses baskets, mommy & me mats, and more are also for sale.

Families can also paint ceramic pottery, stop by for a scheduled Saturday brunch, and check out in-store classes that range from yoga mommy & me and jewelry-making to story time.

Birthday parties can be held at the store on Sundays, with themes that include tea parties, royal princess parties, crazy hair salon parties, and "paint it up" parties (for both boys and girls). The store's vanity closet provides dress-up fun with a variety of dresses, boas, and jewels.

Professional cheerleaders are available to spice up your little cheerleader's party! Cheer Mania is owned and operated by Michelle Boehle, a former Laker Girl and UCLA cheerleader. Kids can dress up in "authentic" cheerleading uniforms, apply spirit glitter makeup, decorate megaphones, make pom poms, learn cheers and/or dances, take pictures, and perform. Services are available in Orange County and Los Angeles County.

Cheer Mania also offers Cheer Camps in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Brentwood, and Westwood. Contact the venue directly or check the website for specific dates and locations.

Chefs, Inc. offers culinary classes and camps for kids, teaching future chefs the finer points of food preparation, keeping a clean work space, recipes, and measuring ingredients.

Kids are encouraged to explore their own creativity and style, and to eat what they make.

Birthday parties at Chefs, Inc. are a lot of fun, with hats, aprons, and individual menus with recipes for each child to take home. Kids prepare and eat the whole meal under expert supervision.

Following the infamous incident at the end of 2007 in which a crane dropped a billboard through the roof, Cool Baby's facility is temporarily closed for renovations. Until further notice, many classes are being held at two temporary locations; call for details or see their online schedule, which is updated weekly.

Cool Baby offers enrichment classes for kids and babies in art, music, and yoga, as well as yoga for moms-to-be and new moms by Yoga Works trained teachers. The first pre-natal yoga class is always free. Other options include Abrakadoodle Art, music, Spanish, family circus, and a Daddy & Me Drum class.

There is a family lounge with a bright, spacious free play zone, full of well-made toys in natural materials; and the drop-in Art Splash Zone is fun for all ages. Stroller parking is available.

Custom birthday parties can be accommodated, with themes including yoga, circus, drum circles, and art.

The retail store features unusual items, like Ugly Dolls, bouquets of baby clothes, and products from around the world that give a portion of the proceeds to charity. There is a Putumayo listening station that kids can use, and this is the only place on the Westside to buy Entertaining Elephants kids' clothes. There's a great selection of books, too.

Creative Space offers a full and varied program of classes and after-school programs for pre-school and school-age boys and girls.

The directors spent months talking to neighborhood parents and educators, and put together a complete curriculum, with qualified faculty, designed to help kids learn and have fun.

Classes range from animation and bead-design to puppetry, cooking, film-making, yoga, and dance for school age kids. Mommy-and-me classes, as well as special pre-school programs in yoga, music, dance, and gymnastics, are also available.

Birthday party packages include a two-hour party on Saturdays or Sundays, entertainment, food and beverages for kids, and noshables for adults. Themes range from arty parties, dance parties, and magic to science, aromatherapy, make-your-own-doll, and animals. The space is also available for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, sweet 16s, and grown up parties.

Summer Camp is based at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple campus, featuring playgrounds, a playing field, state of the art and fully air-conditioned athletic facilities, dance studio, black box theater, and an art studio.

Creative Space also has a Hawai'i Sleepover Camp, which includes airfare and two weeks of fun and cultural experiences on Oahu's north shore.

A toddler program is available for three-year-olds; children ages four to 12 may attend the day camp proper (Mon-Fri 9am-3pm).

For adults only, parenting, infant massage, nutrition, and exercise classes are also available.

Creative Space offers a full and varied program of classes and after-school programs for pre-school and school-age boys and girls.

The directors spent months talking to neighborhood parents and educators, and put together a complete curriculum, with qualified faculty, designed to help kids learn and have fun.

Classes range from animation and bead-design to puppetry, cooking, film-making, yoga, and dance for school age kids. Mommy-and-me classes, as well as special pre-school programs in yoga, music, dance, and gymnastics, are also available.

Birthday party packages include a two-hour party on Saturdays or Sundays, entertainment, food and beverages for kids, and noshables for adults. Themes range from arty parties, dance parties, and magic to science, aromatherapy, make-your-own-doll, and animals. The space is also available for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, sweet 16s, and grown up parties.

Summer Camp is based at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple campus, featuring playgrounds, a playing field, state of the art and fully air-conditioned athletic facilities, dance studio, black box theater, and an art studio.

Creative Space also has a Hawai'i Sleepover Camp, which includes airfare and two weeks of fun and cultural experiences on Oahu's north shore.

A toddler program is available for three-year-olds; children ages four to 12 may attend the day camp proper (Mon-Fri 9am-3pm).

For adults only, parenting, infant massage, nutrition, and exercise classes are also available.

Dana Wharf cruises Dana Point Harbor and the Orange County coastline with whale watching cruises and deep sea fishing adventures. Privately chartered whale watching boats, catamarans, and sailboats are available in addition to scheduled tours.

Kids 12 and under can join the Kids Club for $25, which includes two cruises and a free t-shirt.

Nestled in the foothills of Pasadena, Danny's Farm houses a collection of rescue animals who are much happier on a farm - chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, tortoises, donkeys, ponies, and bunnies to name a few. The farm hosts birthday parties and other events with aplomb; parties start at $450.

Danny's takes particular pride in catering to special needs children; the Danny in the farm's name is a boy with autism and a love for animals who inspired the whole business.

Dreams Come True offers a wide variety of theme parties for boys and girls.

Seeing the next Disney movie at El Capitan Theatre is a way to treat yourself (and your kids) to a spectacular movie-going experience.

This gloriously-restored, ornate theater, now owned by the Disney Company and Pacific Theatres, creates magical movie experiences for kids, from the disappearing organ-player who opens each film to the live stage show prior to each perfomance during the holiday season.

VIP Admission to the Disney features is $20-$22, and includes reserved seats, early admission, no waiting in line, and free popcorn and soft drink. If you can afford a few extra dollars, it really does make for a relaxing experience.

Booster seats are available for little ones, generally stacked up outside the door; if you don't see them, be sure to ask.

El Capitan also presents occasional non-Disney film series; check our calendar for information.

Next door, families can scoop up an ice cream soda or two at Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store.

El Capitan also offers birthday party packages; information is available at 818.845.3110.

Tommy Ostendorf's El Porto Surf School in Manhattan Beach offers family surf lessons year round. Group and private lessons are available, as are birthday parties. All equipment is provided.

The school also runs summer surf camps.

Tommy Ostendorf's El Porto Surf School in Manhattan Beach offers family surf lessons year round. Group and private lessons are available, as are birthday parties. All equipment is provided.

The school also runs summer surf camps.

The Environmental Nature Center covers 3.5 acres of what was once a litter-filled gully behind Newport Harbor High School. It's home to 14 California native plant communities (ranging from a desert, to an oak woodland, to a fresh water marsh, to a redwood forest), wildlife habitats, and walking trails.

The Discovery Room is packed with neat things to touch and investigate, and the ENC runs a Nature Camp each Summer (offered in three two-week sessions).

Birthday parties may be scheduled on Saturdays for two and a half hours, and include a tour of the center and either a scavenger hunt or nature craft activity.

Faces & B'loons by Lauri offers a wide variety of entertainers (balloon artists, face painters, and more) for birthday parties. The company also provides twisted balloon centerpieces, party favors, buckets of water balloons (what a time saver!), and many other balloon-themed items.

Faery Peeps brings fairies and flights of fancy to any party or event. Costumed fairy characters can visit a party or turn up as a Birthday-gram.

The unique performance troupe Faery Trail Theater is most known for its highly popular outdoor show A Faery Hunt, which takes place promenade style on the trails of O'Melveny Park in the San Fernando Valley and at Corriganville Park in Simi Valley.

The show is interactive, with the audience encouraged to help 'faery' hunters Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright to locate winged sprites in the woods. As if on cue, one likeable character after another magically appears from behind trees and shrubs until a whole extended family of fairies (and the occasional troll) have gathered to play out an entertaining drama.

The show is suitable for all ages (the phrase "Nothing scary happens in the woods" is oft repeated along the way), most particularly delighting the open minds of the very young, who all turn out in their favorite dress-up clothes. Never fear, however, if you're short on fairy garb; wings, hats, and fairy dust are all available for sale at the beginning of the 'hunt'.

Advance reservations are not required, but they do provide the added advantage of getting a child's name mentioned in the show.

Faery Trail Theater takes birthday party bookings, either as part of the regular Faery Hunt outing or privately. Individual fairy characters are also available to come to parties as entertainers.

Other programs offered by the company include visits to children in hospitals and group activities like Girl Scout badges.

The show meets at parks around the city, including Corriganville Park on the first and third Sunday of every month (meeting in the parking lot) and O'Melveny Park on the second and fourth Saturday. Rain cancels, as do major holidays.

Fairy Tale Parties is a children's entertainment company specializing in princesses, superheros, magicians, and clowns. Dancing and tea parties are also part of the repertoire, as are dress-up parties culminating in a royal parade.

Fairy Tale Parties is a children's entertainment company specializing in princesses, superheros, magicians, and clowns. Dancing and tea parties are also part of the repertoire, as are dress-up parties culminating in a royal parade.

Customers at Fashionology aren't slaves to ready-made dresses, shirts, or pants. Au contraire! Tweens can interact with a huge touchscreen computer and pick a garment - then add their own personal design touches, choosing "thingalings" that can be sewn, clipped, or pinned on.

Print-out in hand, young fashionists then sit at a table to put finishing touches to their items using Bedazzlers, among other tools. Once it's done, they can model it for the camera and have an instant snapshot flash on the screens in the store.

A quiet hideaway in the center of the city's hustle and bustle, Franklin Canyon Park rests on 605 acres at the geographic center of Los Angeles, between the San Fernando Valley and Beverly Hills.

The terrain consists of chaparral, grasslands, oak woodlands, a three-acre lake, an ADA-accessible duck pond, picnic grounds, and over five miles of hiking trails.

The lake and pond serve as permanent and seasonal home for birds in the Pacific flyway. Park features include the Sooky Goldman Nature Center, the Sam Goldman Amphitheater, and the Eugene and Michael Rosenfeld Auditorium.

Birthday parties can be scheduled in the auditorium, picnic areas, or open amphitheaters.

The brain child of entrepreneurial parents of a picky eater, Giggles 'n' Hugs is a true family restaurant on the Westside with a fully decked out play area. The menu is a combination of sandwiches, salads, pizzas, pastas, and breakfast items; and virtually everything can be prepared in a kid-sized portion for $6-$7. The food is predominantly organic, and kids can dine in style with cutlery and plates in their style, fun (but not overpowering) music, and cute murals on all the walls.

One of the chef's menu specialties is Mom's Tricky Treat - an option to puree veggies into just about anything. Kids who only eat mac and cheese need never know that cauliflower and squash were slipped into the sauce, and that cheese pizza might taste even better with a secret spinach infusion. Apart from the many ways to eat pasta and chicken tenders, there are some very tasty options for adults, too; we were delighted with the Chinese Chicken Salad, and then took guilty pleasure in finishing off a kids' portion of Snow White Fettuccine.

The play area requires a separate entrance fee and includes a play dough center, an arts and crafts table, make-up and dress-up areas, a train table, a pair of way-cool ride-on remote control cars, several play houses, a play kitchen, and a Wii for the older kids. Kid Aids monitor the action and even play along, allowing mom and dad to finish a cup of coffee without having to leap up every time a crayon breaks.

There is also a stage for periodic music events and a gift counter that sells one or two of the favorite items on the play floor - in case someone is clamoring to bring the baby doll home.

Giggles n Hugs special family nights feature extra fun like balloon artists, character visits, and dancing.

Monthly memberships are available for $49 and can make the play fee much more affordable for people who come more than once a week.

This is a natural spot for birthday parties, which cost $25 per child during normal business hours; private parties can take over the entire place for an additional $500 rental fee.

GreenBliss EcoSpa brings eco-friendly spa services to clients' homes for spa parties. Services include non-toxic nail polish, fruity face masks, chair massage, glamor hairstyling, bubble bath projects, matching kimonos for the party guests, and party favors.

School fund-raising parties and mother-daughter spa parties also specialties.