Another thought for the original poster, do you have any desire to see the cultural stuff up in LA? There's some really fun stuff to do in LA that doesn't involve theme parks, and doesn't even involve the typical entertainment industry stuff of golf cart studio tours or Grauman's Chinese Theater or maps to the stars homes. And if that's not in your plans, then maybe the following is of use to others planning a SoCal visit.....
The elegant
Griffith Observatory has just had a huge renovation and it is absolutely stunning. It's one of the best free museums I've ever done in my life, and it has many fascinating space exhibits throughout. You can also look into the massive telescopes on the roof and see the surface of the moon or Mars with your own eyes. And then of course there's the amazing view of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills from the observation decks. The extremely well done show in the planetarium, said to now be the finest planetarium in the country, is an additional 10 dollar charge. But I did it in July with a 12 year old nephew and it was worth every penny. The rest of Griffith Observatory is complimentary, you just walk right in and explore.
http://www.griffithobs.org/
Also, there is the world famous
The Getty Center just to the west of the Griffith Observatory. The Getty is simply amazing, like a theme park for art and architecture lovers, and the sprawling pavilions and grounds can take hours to explore. The ride up the hill in the monorail sets the perfect tone for the unusual facility, and the gardens and restaurants are also very enjoyable. I'm certainly not an art expert, but even an amateur like me can't help but be awed and inspired by The Getty.
The Getty Villa further up the coast in Malibu is equally amazing, and it focuses on antiquities and ancient architecture. Literally, these Getty offerings are national treasures unparalleled in modern times.
http://www.getty.edu/visit/see_do/architecture.html
There is also some excellent museums in west Los Angeles on Museum Row.
The Petersen Automotive Museum is very famous and very well presented. Car buffs will love it.
http://www.petersen.org/
And across the street from the Petersen is the world famous
Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits. Kids just can't get enough of dinosaurs and ancient beasts, and seeing the real bubbling tar pits up close adds quite a bit of drama.
http://www.tarpits.org/info/visit.html
There's also the excellent
LA County Museum of Art (LACMA), next to the La Brea Tar Pits and the Petersen. LACMA is another sprawling collection of museums, pavilions and gardens with many different permanent and rotating exhibits for adults and children.
http://www.lacma.org/info/HoursDirections.aspx
And finally, it might be fun to see the gorgeous
Walt Disney Concert Hall in the Music Center complex. Just walking around this amazing ultra modern structure is fun, with a stop in the gift store of course. You might also look into buying tickets to the LA Symphony or other music concert that might work with your schedule.
http://www.laphil.com/about/wdch_overview.cfm
This last one is Disney-related, but it's still fun. The fabulous El Capitan Theater in Hollywood always has great movie experiences. If you go on a weekend they have a stage show before the Disney presentation, and a live organist plays an old fashioned organ. This is an old 1920's movie palace beautifully restored and now operated by Disney, but it's not a theme park and it's in the middle of a typical big city environment, so don't go expecting it to be Disney's Hollywood Studios or anything. You are going downtown to a fancy movie palace to see the show, not to visit a theme park filled with fake recreations of old Hollywood movie palaces. Just be ready for that.
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/el_capitan/about.html
Next door to the El Capitan is the Disney Soda Fountain and Company Store, which is a fun thing to do before or after the movie.
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/el_capitan/soda_fountain/main.html
Right across the street from the El Capitan is the Kodak Theater where the Academy Awards are held, and other big Hollywood events, so it can be crazy and hectic in that area if you are visiting during awards season or during a premiere.
http://www.kodaktheatre.com/
