Flight Path Learning Center LAX

 

Credit: Rachel Hoggan

We have another fun post from a new contributor to share with you today. Over the next few weeks we will have quite a few new contributors join us and I’m so excited because these moms and dad are quite the explorers and are out and about all over Southern California.  Our post today comes from Rachel Hoggan and she shares about her experience at the Flight Path Learning Center at LAX. Here is what she has to say.

I am always looking for educational and fun places to visit with my kids. A few months ago, we discovered a hidden treasure in Los Angeles–The Flight Path Learning Center in LAX. I have two sons and a husband who all love airplanes, and this museum did not disappoint us. The museum is located on the south side of the LAX airport at 6661 W. Imperial Highway. It is appropriately named “Flight Path Learning Center” because it is right next to an area of the airport where cargo planes take off and land. Even if there had been nothing else to see in the museum, my kids would have been content to watch the planes. The museum has great viewing areas to watch planes–both inside and outside. The inside viewing area included binoculars, a step-stool, and even a set of headphones we could put on to listen to the actual communications from the air traffic control tower. Outside, we were able walk right onto the tarmac with a museum docent. We were lucky enough to be on the tarmac when a large cargo plane landed right in front of us.

The museum also included three or four rooms with an impressive collection of model airplanes, artifacts from various airlines, historical photographs, and more. I loved seeing the various uniforms that flight attendants have worn through the years. There were some outlandish outfits that flight attendants used to wear. And my kids absolutely loved the full-size DC-3 airplane outside the building that they were able climb into and pretend to pilot. Best of all, the museum was completely free, including free parking. If you are in the area and you love planes, I highly recommend visiting the Flight Path Learning Center. For more information, you can visit their website here.

Rachel Hoggan is a former English teacher who is now a full-time mom of three children who are all under the age four. Her number one hobby is her children. When she’s not out daytripping,  she’s at home crafting, reading books, and playing make believe with her children. You can read more from her at mommylessons101.com, where she is a contributing writer.


Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rockery

 

Elephant Seals

Last month when we took the family on a quick little getaway up the coast, we made sure to drive a few miles past Hearst Castle to the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal  Rockery.  The Elephant Seals (Mirounga angustirostris) spend most of their time diving for their food and out in the ocean. These  magnificent creatures are fun to watch and we watched them as a family for quite some time.

all about these majestic creatures

The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rockery, is located about 4 miles past the entrance to Hearst Castle on the ocean side of Highway 1. There are docents from the Friends of the Elephant Seals that are there to answer any of your questions and provide information.

Mesmerized by the seals

The beautiful Vista Point offers plenty of parking and is a great place to observe nature in action. Next time you are heading up the Central Coast, make sure to stop by at the Rockery. It is a great educational experience and downright fun for the entire family.

For additional info head here.

Tuesday’s Tip: The Pacific Marine Mammal Center

Happy Tuesday! Did you all have a wonderful long weekend? We had a great time playing “tourist” and hit Disneyland/DCA and were able to ride the brand new Little Mermaid ride at DCA and also the revamped Star Tours Ride at Disneyland. We also spent an afternoon at Pretend City, hit the beach and finished up on Monday with a quick visit to Seaworld. It was a super fun weekend!

One of my stops on my extremely fun weekend was a visit to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. I have been wanting to visit the center for quite some time now and I was in Laguna and decided to stop and tour the center with the kiddos. The Pacific Marine Mammal Center was founded in 1971 and is a non profit organization . The Pacific Marine Mammal Center mission is to rescue, treat, rehabilitate marine mammals that are injured or have been stranded and release them back into their natural habitats.

We stopped in for a quick tour and one of the very friendly and informative docents explained about the work at the  center and the different sea lions and seals that are currently patients and their injuries. On the day of our visit, there were 31 patients, that were currently under treatment. The kiddos were mesmerized and even learned to differentiate between seals and sea lions (it’s all in the ears or lack thereof) .

We spent about half an hour there and all learned so much. If you can gather a small group(more than 6) you can schedule a field trip to the center. Field trips are for groups of all ages and include a guided tour of the facility, a class room presentation about the different patients and their medical conditions and up close viewing.

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center is open everyday to the public from 10am to 4pm. Call 949-494-3050 to schedule a tour or for additional information.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center

20612 Laguna Canyon Road

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

For additional info head here.