We've been attending Camp Awesome for several years now. We always go for a few weeks of August. My…read morekiddos just love it. They splash around in the waves with staff and the staff is wonderful. The highlight is when the ice cream truck comes by after lunch and everyone buys a treat. All treats are pre packed with easy to read ingredients, so very accessible for those kiddos with food allergies too. All the classics - big sticks, ice cream sandwiches, bomb pops, jaw breakers, snowcones, pickles, banana on a stick, cotton candy buckets, paletas, and more. It's also one of the few camps where you purchase by the day vs the week, so the flexibility is great. It's California. Going to beach camp is a rite of passage. So is the sand you bring home in your car too.

We live in San Francisco but would go down to LA every summer so my boys can attend Camp Awesome!…read moreThat's how much they love this camp. Since I don't attend the camp myself, I asked my 10-year old what he liked about it and he said: "the staff is really friendly because even if you make a mistake and do something wrong, they don't yell at you. They let us play in the sand, there are tons of games and activities (there's a game where they said a certain type of action and you have to do it or you lose; there's also a game where we pair up in teams and capture the flag), we go to the ocean two or three times a day to swim and play games there. They're really nice and there's ice cream truck every day and pizza on Friday." Speaking of the staff, they are truly one of the best (especially Jessica!!!) and so responsive! Truly one of the best camps around. (I wish they have them in the Bay Area). Highly recommend!

My wife and I took the beginner pottery class at Good Dirt LA with Amber, and it was such a great…read moreexperience. We had an absolute blast from start to finish. Amber made the class really fun and approachable--she's incredibly knowledgeable but explains everything in a way that makes you feel comfortable, even if it's your first time touching clay. The studio itself is beautiful--clean, welcoming, and just a really cute, inspiring space to create in. You can tell a lot of thought went into the vibe of the place. It made the whole experience even more enjoyable. Highly recommend this class for anyone looking to try something new, have a fun date, or just get creative. We'll definitely be back!

Great experience taking a throwing class. Our instructor Chanté was an excellent teacher. She kept…read morethe whole class engaged and made sure we all hear a great time.

This place is great for kids to express their creativity. Classes are exciting and fun.read more

Attended the Premiere Exhibition of Dotan Saguy, "Venice Beach, Last Days of a Bohemian Paradise"…read more If you have lived here for 40 years or so and spent time anywhere near this famous landmark, you will recognize the cast of characters portrayed in this lineup. The reception was lovely, well attended, photos beautifully lit, artist easily engaged. He plans to capture the essence of homeless transition to contributing community members. What a profound concept and incentive for others to recognize progress! I was overjoyed with this photo collection as I have many exceptional memories of skating, shopping and sunning on Venice Beach. There are currently rumors that newly enacted regulations will completely transform the locale and eliminate the local 'color' of wild, crazy, unimaginable existence not found elsewhere. Perhaps this is needed due to the area's excessive homeless situation. Despite the many issues facing Venice, I found this celebration a fine tribute to it's unique entertainment via Mr. Saguy's black and white compositions. Thank you to Venice Arts for hosting such a fine opening! High recommend for an easy visit, parking was actually easy, free, nearby despite being a summer Saturday evening. Enjoy!

This is my 6 year old's second summer at Steve and Kate's Mar Vista, and my 4 year old's first…read moresummer, and they both love it so much! There is a super fun new activity to look forward to each day of camp, such as a petting zoo, water play, magic show, bubble party, and so much more! They also have different themed rooms for their favorite activities, such as sewing, a game room, library, and baking. My daughters both excitedly show me their bakery item of the day they helped make! The hours are the best around, open from 8 am to 6 pm, with the flexibility to drop off and pick up at your convenience. They also serve lunch and snacks, so it is a super stress-free summer! I also really appreciate the staff, it truly shows how much they enjoy their jobs and show they care for the kiddos. I wish I had this type of camp when I was growing up! I am so grateful to Steve and Kate's Mar Vista and I highly recommend them!

My son loves Steve & Kate's camp. Molly, the Camp Director at Steve & Kate's Mar Vista location, is…read morevery welcoming and seems to remember the kids who attend her camp. I feel that she genuinely cares about the children, making sure they have a great time and are well taken care of. One day, my son missed a face-painting opportunity because I picked him up before his turn. He was very sad. After I told Molly about this, she arranged a face-painting session for him hte next day! He was so happy when he came home. I definitely recommend this camp and truly appreciate what they do.

We're new to Performing Arts Workshops this year, but the experience getting started has already…read morestood out. Our daughter has always loved singing, dancing, and performing, so we were looking for something that would nurture that in a structured, supportive environment. PAW felt like a natural fit. We also joined their Ambassador Program, which helps make camp more accessible--not just for our family, but for others as well. That piece really mattered to us and speaks to how the program is thinking about community and access. Looking forward to seeing how our daughter grows this summer and being part of the PAW community.

I am so happy that I found PAW! I have been searching for quality summer camps with unique options…read more They are super welcoming and have a wide variety of options for all interests. Some offerings include Musical Theatre, Comedy, Photography, Stage FX, make-up, Debate and filming. I also love how every session ends with a FREE performance for families. My son is super excited to try PAW this summer.

Great spot with incredible, engaging and warm teachers. My…read morechildren 20 months & 5 years love it here! Very good bang for your buck. The front parking lot is not the greatest so just beware of spaces. There is street parking in the back with a separate entrance.

Had my 2 year old's birthday party here. Worked out great. Joshua did a great job running the…read moreactivities with the kids with enthusiasm.

This is my son first time with Galileo Camp. I do not know how to say more than BIG!! THANK YOU!!…read more My son would love to go back to the camp every week. He has medical issue, But all staff deal with him very well. He comes home with new music, new science project that he would love to do. He told his dad how he predicated people at the Camp. Absolutely he will be back next year for sure. ^^ He loves it! you guys are Rock!!

In a time and place when families are flooded with options for summer enrichment, Camp Galileo…read moreproves itself over and over to be a high-quality, high-intention program that exhausts itself demonstrating to kids how art and science work together in the world around us. I'll join the chorus of reviewers commending the staff Galileo attracts - enthusiastic, intelligent educators who want campers to enjoy the heck out of learning. Programming is unique and always geared toward connection-making. Whether your child loves or loathes the nine months they spend in a classroom, they will love Galileo. And Galileo's partnership with Westminster Elementary could not be a more apt fit. If you are looking for something truly special for your child this summer and have not yet experienced Galileo, check them out. You won't be disappointed. A PERSONAL REQUEST: There are so many kids on the Westside who don't have access to great programs like this, due to financial or transportation setbacks. I believe there are substantial scholarships available at Galileo for kids who need help. If you have the space for it, think about ways to engage kids and families from your school community who might not be aware of this opportunity. Let the Venice community set the pace for providing great summer options for all neighborhood kids. :)

Went to the Art on Ocean event yesterday where Paint Lab was participating. So fun to see a local…read morestudio popping up to inspire the city. Lots of kids painting and a mural for everyone to be a part of. The staff did a great job managing the event given there was just one person running the show with a lot of interest. We stopped by to check out the mural and I've painted at the studio before. It's a really lovely place and I was excited to see such a good showing. There's so much creativity in Santa Monica and Ally is doing a great job fostering the nest generation of it!

We met Ally at the pier and she was the best vibe ever! We had so much fun at the pier she brought…read moreall vibes and encouraged us to let out creativity flow. Shes the best! So happy we ran into her today!!!

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.

I attended a Junk Journaling workshop with Hanabee at Rediscover Center and absolutely loved it! It…read morewas free, which was great - it's hard to find similar events that are low or no cost. It was fun to have access to so many recycled materials and meet new people. I've attended a few other Rediscover-sponsored events (farmers' markets, one at my kid's school) and I really appreciate their ethos, as well as the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. Thank you!

My son's class took a field trip here and it was absolutely wonderful. I had no idea that places…read morelike this existed, but how great because my son and his friends love the idea of re-using old, unwanted materials and turning them into something new. All of the kids had a blast and were so excited to bring home their creations. I definitely plan to be back both to drop off materials as well as to do some crafting together as a family. No mess at home is a huge plus, and it's eco-friendly. I also heard they have day camps when school is closed.