Discovering Torrance – Family Travel

Every summer at the end of July we take a trip to southern California as a last getaway before school begins. Although we live 4-5 hours away, it’s close enough to get away from the central valley heat without going too far. We usually spend a day or two checking out museums, shops and other fun attractions. We then head to the coast to enjoy a day at the beach.Torrance, CA is the perfect coastal city when you want to enjoy the beach without the crowds but still have access to a variety of delicious food & shopping options. The city is located just 15 minutes from LAX and conveniently nestled between popular Southern California attractions. 

Our first stop was the Del Amo fashion center (the largest shopping mall in California) where we enjoyed a delicious brunch at Great Maple. I can’t recommend this restaurant enough! If you’re ever in the Southern California area keep this restaurant in mind. You will be completely enamored with the atmosphere at Great Maple. Between the green tufted seating, marble accents, beautiful lighting and floral wall paper, the design elements are almost as amazing as the food.

The maple bacon French toast logs were incredible. Don’t let this picture fool you, the portion size is big enough for at least two! I also really enjoyed the croque madame with a side of greens.

If you were to ask me what my favorite part to explore in a new town is, I would without a doubt say small shops and their downtown areas. I’m fascinated by the heart of downtown areas with small local bakeries and coffee shops. We found Torrance Bakery in a beautiful one-way street lined with tall trees and small tables to enjoy your treats.

My kids loved Torrance bakery! We sampled a variety of treats including their cupcakes, small cakes and cookies.The Hello Kitty cookie was my daughter’s favorite!After enjoying the treats, we stumbled upon Wilson park. Torrance has 30 parks and this one was full of energy and family activities. My kids were amazed by the giant treehouse. They spent a good portion of the afternoon running up and down the treehouse pretending to be knights.

To finish out our day we headed to the beach. The day we went was a little overcast but the temperature and small crowd size was perfect! The kids, along with my husband, spent hours chasing waves. On our next trip I plan to bring our bikes to ride along the strand bike path.

We will definitely be back to this charming city next time we plan a Southern California trip. The beach is excellent for families, the food was great and there are several restaurants we’d like to explore, like King’s Hawaiian and local ramen shops.