There are literally hundreds of things to do here. Here is my list of “must sees”, (that can fit in this limited space). Visit as many as you have time for:

Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth. Half a billion visitors can’t be wrong. #1 Destination.
Universal Studios: A theme park that grew out of a studio tour. #2 Destination. Being fans of the movie biz, this is a must-see.
Even if you don’t visit Disneyland or Universal Studios Tour, Downtown Disney District and Universal City Walk are very fun places to visit for shopping and eating. And they’re free to visit. If you’re adventurous, try the indoor skydiving (www.iflyhollywood.com). It’s a blast!

Hollywood: Enjoy the Walk of Fame, Entertainment Museum, Chinese Theatre and more. The Hollywood & Highland complex has lots of shops and restaurants, and the Kodak Theater. The El Capitan Theater, right across the street, is where Disney shows their movies. And the Hollywood Bowl is a GREAT place to listen to concerts outdoors.

Other theme parks include Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain, which are both more geared towards the fast-ride teen crowd.

Olvera Street/Union Station: Olvera Street is the birthplace of LA, and it emphasizes our Mexican heritage. In addition to the Avila Adobe (oldest building in LA), you can eat at some pretty good Mexican Restaurants, do a little shopping, and taste a churro. If you don’t want to go to Tijuana, this is as close as it gets without going there

Rodeo Drive, 90210: Packed with exclusive shops, full of gawkers. They all came to enjoy the excess. Free, unless you intend to buy something.

Venice Beach: Here you’ll find Muscle Beach, street performers and tacky shops galore. Fun, VERY interesting, but I avoid it after dark, when it gets a little TOO interesting for my taste.

Santa Monica: Beach and Pier: Great beach scene and a classic seaside amusement park, complete with antique carousel that has been in a lot of TV and movies. After visiting the pier, you can ride a bike south a couple miles to Venice Beach.

Sunset Boulevard began as a route between the stars’ posh neighborhoods and the Hollywood studios. It runs from downtown to the ocean, passing through the "Sunset Strip" on its way.

Farmers Market and The Grove – A new shopping complex right next to a Los Angeles landmark, It is right next to CBS, so walk across the lot to see if they are taping "The Price is Right".

Griffith Park – Home of the Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park Observatory, Travel Town, the Greek Theatre, and Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

Getty Museum – The Getty’s architecture is so beautiful that it keeps me fascinated. No matter whether you like their art, architecture, or view better, the Getty is sure to please. Free.

Attend a TV taping – You can get free tickets at audiencesunlimited.com, tvtix.com, or see the booth at Universal City walk. It’s very interesting to see a show being taped. The most popular, by far, is the Tonight show.

Places to eat:
In-N-Out Burger: Multiple locations, best burger in LA, ask anyone.
Pink’s Hot Dogs: 709 N. La Brea, just north of Melrose. You might even see a celebrity. Maybe.
Tommy’s Chili Burgers: Look for the shack, an LA tradition. The original location is at Beverly & Rampart, a couple miles west of downtown.
Canter’s Deli: 419 N. Fairfax, between Beverly & Melrose. Near CBS, you might spot a celebrity.
Phillippe’s: 1001 N. Alameda. Great roast beef sandwiches. Near Union Station and Olvera Street.
Tito’s Taco’s: Voted best tacos in LA, even though it’s in Culver City. King Taco is a good alternate if you can deal with East LA.
The Pantry: Corner of Figueroa and 9th, downtown. Huge portions, they never close GREAT steak and eggs.
Medieval Times and/or Pirate’s Dinner Adventure: Dinner and an adventure show, both are on Beach Blvd in Buena Park, you get to eat with your hands.

Places to Stay:
Since LA is so spread out, there is no single place that is close to EVERYTHING. Most people who come here tend to stay in Hollywood, Santa Monica, or Anaheim. In Hollywood, I recommend the Orchid Suites, Hollywood Celebrity Hotel, or Hollywood Heights (formerly Holiday Inn Walk of Fame), all near Hollywood and Highland. In Santa Monica, the Holiday Inn Santa Monica is close to the pier and reasonably priced. In Anaheim, I recommend the Howard Johnson (HoJo) Anaheim, and the Candy Cane Inn. There is also a nice place in Burbank called the Best Western Media Center, very close to Warner, NBC, and Universal Studios.

Places to Shop:
Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica
The Grove, Los Angeles
Americana @ Brand, Glendale
Beverly Center, Los Angeles
Citadel Outlets, Commerce
Brea Mall, Brea
The Block at Orange, Orange
South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa
Fashion Island, Newport Beach
Santee Alley, Los Angeles

Don’t let the secret out, but you might try Disneyland, silly…..

1) Anaheim:
1) Visit the Disneyland Park
2) Downtown Disney

2) Buena Park
A. Knotts Berry Farm

3) San Diego/Carlsbad/La Jolla/Oceanside/San Juan Capistrano
A. Legoland
B. Balboa Park-San Diego Zoo and lots of museums
C. Seaport Village-lots of shops along the water, Carousel for the kids, terrific restaurants.
D. Old Town
E. Flower Fields @ Carlsbad Ranch (1-5 @ Palomar Airport Road)
F. San Diego Wild Animal Park
G. Mission San Diego (would be educational for the whole family).
H. Birch Aquarium-(La Jolla)
I. Mission San Luis Rey
J. Mission San Juan Capistrano
K. Sea World
L. Harbor Cruise-take the kids on the harbor cruise where you can see the naval ships up close)
M. Hotel Del Coronado-drive over to Coronado Island and walk through the hotel…let the kids run on the beach.

4) Big Bear Lake
A. Walk and shop in the village
B. There is a boat tour on the lake
C. Big Bear Discover Center
D. Camping, hiking
E. Moonridge Animal Park

5) Los Angeles Area:
A. Griffith Park-Griffith Park Observatory (The Hollywood Sign is right up on the hill next to the Observatory
B. Travel Town (Griffith Park)
C. Los Angeles Zoo
D. Live Steamers-ride the miniature trains around the park
E. Lots of trails to walk
F. Mission San Gabriel (would be educational for the whole family)
G. Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach)

6) Arcadia
A. Los Angeles County Arboretum (walk through the gardens, kids will enjoy the ducks and the peacocks on the property…lots of room for the kids to run)

7) Santa Barbara/Los Olivos/Ventura
A. Mission Santa Barbara
B. Misison Santa Inez
C. Solvang-(Danish Town above Santa Barbara) quaint shops

I hope this will help you with some ideas!! Have a great trip to California!!