Before the feast
POP IN ON FLOWERS, LIGHTS AND JELLY FISH THIS THANKSGIVING
Sometimes family holiday gatherings can feel too close when we’re all crammed inside. Screen time gets to feel like the same old same old, and aren’t we all tired of virtual events?
So if you’re looking for a way to get outside in real time on Thanksgiving, here are seven ways you can get out of the house, stretch your legs and find things to ( safely) do around Los Angeles.
As coronavirus restrictions ebb and f low, it’s wise to check any venue for closures before you go and don’t forget your mask.
Also note that several of these activities require reservations or advance registration, so if you’re interested, act early.
Lend a hand
Volunteer opportunities abound during the holidays, and Thanksgiving is no exception. Some agencies have revised their Thanksgiving meal plans because of COVID- 19 and won’t be using volunteers this year, but others need helpers for jobs like preparing meals, packing care packages or distributing food. Slots fill up quickly for Thanksgiving. We tend to want to help more during the holidays, but remember these agencies need help every other day of the year too. > Union Station Homeless Services, for instance, is celebrating its 50th Dinner in the Park event in Pasadena, providing meals on Nov. 18, 25 and 26, with helpers needed for each day. > Hollywood Food Coalition is partnering with Gobble Gobble Give for its annual Thanksgiving distribution of food boxes, hygiene kits and other essentials at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood, where volunteers are needed to assemble and pass out kits. > Contact organizations in your community for other opportunities or check Big Sunday’s Holiday List for volunteer jobs, bigsundays. org
Get back to nature
Several botanic gardens are open on Thanksgiving. The pandemic has made 2020 a lean year for these gardens, which rely on visitors and memberships to stay af loat. So instead of just wandering the neighborhood on Turkey Day to make room for some more pie, why not take a stroll through a botanic garden and provide it with much- needed cash? Or better yet, become a member, which allows free entry year- round. All the gardens have limited attendance to enforce social distancing and require masks and reservations.
Gardens open on Thanksgiving include: > Ventura Botanical Garden in Ventura, with 40 acres of plants from Mediterranean climate regions around the world. > South Coast Botanic Garden on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, with 87 acres of of plants, from roses to California native plants. ( There’s also an evening holiday light installation, see below.) > The L. A. Arboretum in Arcadia is a showcase of 127 acres of plants from around the world, enhanced by wandering peacocks. > Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge is featuring its Reflections art installations through Jan. 10, with f loral arches, deer sculptures, a wishing tree made from a felled oak tree, and gold- burnished stones and logs in the oak grove.
Visit a light show
Most holiday light shows were canceled this year to stop people from crowding together but — for a price — a few venues are offering walk- through or drive- through light events on Thanksgiving, with lots of safety protocols in place. > South Coast Botanic Garden is hosting GLOW, a night- time, ocean- themed holiday art installation using lights and a musical soundtrack that covers about a mile of mostly wheelchair- accessible trails in the 87- acre gardens. Reservations are required, with up to 50 people permitted to enter per time slot. Groups larger than 10 are not permitted. Admission is $ 24.95 per member and $ 34.95 for non members. Children 4 and younger enter free. > The Ir windale Speedway is hosting Santa’s Speedway Christmas Lights Drive- Thru. For $ 75 per car, participants get the thrill of driving on a real NASCAR race track ( at very slow speeds) through a 30- to 45- minute light show that includes scenes from Santa’s workshop, a 100- foot Christmas tree made of lights, and an LED forest of giant lollipops and other treats. > The Pomona Fairplex is hosting the Elf on the Shelf ’s Magical Holiday Journey. It’s billed as an immersive drivethrough musical “experience” that lasts around an hour. As the story goes, Santa Claus lands at the Fairplex during a test f light and, because of depleted holiday spirit, he’s having trouble getting back in the air. Viewers are invited to join Santa’s elves to get the sleigh back in action. Tickets on Thanksgiving are $ 40 for adults and $ 35 for children ages 3 to 12. Children under 3 are free. Each car must purchase at least two and no more than eight tickets.
Shop the theme parks
Theme parks are closed, but a few have opened their shopping areas outside the parks and will be decked in holiday decor. > Disneyland’s Downtown Disney District and Buena Vista Street in Anaheim have restaurants and shops open from 10 a. m. to 9 p. m.
> Knott’s Berry Farm is offering ticketed events through Jan. 3 with its Knott’s Taste of Merry Farm, which for $ 40 gives people a chance to sample five holiday foods and visit 23 stores featuring handmade, artisan merchandise. > Universal Studios’ CityWalk shopping and food area in Studio City is open noon to 8 p. m.
See holiday decor
The Citadel Outlets outside downtown L. A. are offering a quiet retail fix on Turkey Day. All but six of the Citadel Outlets’ 130 stores will be closed on Thanksgiving, but this shopping center in Commerce has plenty of window shopping and festive decor, with a 100- foot Christmas tree, the world’s largest holiday bow and Santa’s house. Starting Nov. 28 kids can visit with Santa as he sits behind plexiglass.
Hit the aquarium
The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach has kept its outdoor exhibits open during the pandemic, and there’s still plenty to do and see, such as feeding brine shrimp to moon jellyfish, as well as visiting the shark tanks, seals, sea lions and penguins. Admission is $ 19, and the aquarium will offer a boxed Thanksgiving- themed meal you can preorder on line. Reservations are required. Visitors 2 and older must wear a mask. Admission is $ 19 per person.
Walk through lights
The Mission Inn in Riverside attracted some 750,000 people last year for its monthlong Festival of Lights. This year there isn’t any special programming, but the block- long Mission Inn will be decorated with lights on three sides, along with the surrounding pedestrian mall for people who want to take an evening stroll. The inn’s lights won’t turn on until the day after Thanksgiving, but downtown Riverside will have trees and giant decorations installed if you want to take in holiday lights downtown.