Great Escape: Next Stop? Bergamot Station

If you’ve driven by the signs for but never actually stopped by, you've been missing out on one of the finest art complexes in L.A.

With more than 10 contemporary-art galleries, , a chic frame store—not to mention , which offers a wide variety of —this place has a bit of everything for an artistic outing!

There are more than a dozen featured exhibits right now, including a bunch that will end in the coming weeks: paintings by Alan Wayne (through Mar. 12); 's "Bar Notes" (Mar. 12); "Environmental Memory Part II - Taking Flight" (Mar. 12); and "New Paintings" by David Kapp (Mar. 12).

Bring your older kids or send them over to a friend's house to play. Ship off the little ones to the grandparents' for an afternoon of cookies (organic, of course) while you enjoy stunning works of art and delectable food.

Want to go but don’t have a sitter? Check out BabySitterSantaMonica.com!

Bergamot Station Arts Center hours: Tue - Fri, 10am - 6pm; Sat, 11am - 5:30pm; Sun, Mon, closed

SMMOA hours: Tue - Fri, 11am - 6pm; Sat, 11am - 8pm; Sun - Mon, closed

Bergamot Café hours: Mon, 9am - 4pm; Tue - Fri, 9am - 5pm; Sat, 10am - 5pm; Sun, closed