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Los Angeles Attractions
Tourist Attractions
Mann's Chinese Theater
6925 Hollywood Blvd.
323-464-8111
Here in the famous courtyard, stars of the silver screen have left their marks--literally and indelibly! Since the 1920s, handprints and footprints of actors and actresses, from Gloria Swanson and Cary Grant to Marilyn Monroe and Kevin Costner, have been immortalized in cement. The cinema itself, which shows current films and resembles a Chinese pavilion, is a magnificent monument to Hollywood's glamorous past. Take a walk down Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame, where stars have their own stars embedded in the sidewalk.
Stroll Santa Monica Beach
Family friendly: Yes
Despite its reputation to the contrary, Los Angeles boasts many delightful areas for walking. Some consider Santa Monica the nicest of all, with the attractive shops along Main Street and the Third Street Promenade. The Pier, which also features an amusement park, is a popular hangout.
Stroll Venice Beach
Family friendly: Yes
You can also head a bit farther south to the Venice boardwalk, which is better explored during daylight hours. The Oceanfront Walk follows the coast for several miles and goes right past the famous Muscle Beach, where greased-up hunks pump their pecs and shoot baskets. Near the basketball courts and workout zones, stalls sell everything from sunglasses and incense sticks to CDs and clothing, all at bargain prices.
Universal Studios Hollywood
100 Universal City Plaza Drive
818-508-9600
Family friendly: Yes
This place offers a behind-the-scenes look at the world's busiest motion picture and television studio. The tour includes a tram ride through Universal's famed 420-acre front and back lots to view the backdrops of some of the world's greatest movies. This combination movie studio and theme park attracts six million visitors a year and few go away disappointed. There are also special effects demonstrations, stunt shows, and exhibits of TV and movie memorabilia. Favorite rides include Jurassic Park, WaterWorld, Back to the Future, and the E.T. Adventure. Visitors can experience an earthquake, visit with King Kong, and feel the fiery Backdraft.
Watching the Rich and Famous
Family friendly: Yes
Just south of Venice is Marina del Rey, a millionaire's playground of yachts set around a picturesque harbor. Explore Fisherman's Village, a quaint New England-style seaside community featuring shops, cafes, and boardwalks. A predominantly gay area, Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood features funky cafes and outrageous people, many of whom zoom down the sidewalks on in-line skates. A saunter down Rodeo Drive is also a must. Finish up with a drink in the Polo Lounge at the famous Beverly Hills Hotel or at the bar at the Regent Beverly Wilshire, where Pretty Woman was filmed. For the young-at-heart, a trip down Melrose Avenue affords a prime view of the city's trend capital, a bustling area of wacky fashions and svelte models hanging out in ultra-hip coffee shops.
Historic Attractions
Bradbury Building
304 South Broadway
Architect George H. Wyman designed this spectacular office building for Louis Bradbury, a self-made mining tycoon. Completed in 1893, the Bradbury Building features dramatically projecting towers, some ascended by stairs and others by glazed hydraulic elevators. The Victorian building has a cast-iron interior and is made of brick masonry and sandstone. The Victor Clothing Company mural, featuring Anthony Quinn with his arms outspread, is a pleasure to behold.
Castle Green
99 South Raymond Ave.
626-793-0359
The seven-story Moorish colonial and Spanish-style building is located near Central Park in old Pasadena, right at the intersection of Raymond and Green streets. Built by Colonel George G. Green in 1898, the landmark building was once a lavish resort for East Coasters escaping the harsh Atlantic winters. Throughout the years, the imposing structure has managed to retain much of its antique splendor. The interior has been completely restored, and many of the sitting rooms still contain their original furnishings. Other noteworthy attractions include a sunroom filled with plants, a grand lobby with a mosaic tile floor, and a marble stairway. Castle Green is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Chinatown
Family friendly: Yes
Although Los Angeles's Chinatown is smaller than San Francisco's famed ethnic enclave, the area holds rich cultural treasures of its own. Home to nearly 14,000 Asian residents, Chinatown features the unique pagoda-style rooftops characteristic of Chinese architecture and a lively Mandarin Plaza fronted by a gorgeous formal entrance. Most attractions, including cultural landmarks and ethnic food and herbal stores, are concentrated between College and Bernard streets.
Gamble House
4 Westmoreland Place
626-793-3334
Located in scenic Pasadena, the David D. Gamble residence is a fine example of American Arts and Crafts architecture. The pleasing abode and its antique furnishings were designed by Charles and Henry Greene in 1908. The interiors are paneled in mahogany, and the lighting fixtures feature elaborate stained-glass detail.
Little Tokyo
213-620-8861
Home to one of the largest Japanese communities in the United States, Little Tokyo covers about 12 pedestrian blocks in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Main attractions here include the vibrant architecture reflecting traditional Japanese styles, the Japanese American Culture and Community Center with its lush gardens, and the various Japanese restaurants, hotels, and specialty stores.
Olvera Street, El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park
Olvera Street
213-628-1274
Family friendly: Yes
The first Los Angeles settlement was founded here in 1781. The Avila Adobe, built in 1818, is the oldest structure in the city. The colorful marketplace features a variety of shops and restaurants.
Arts, Culture, and Science
Autry Museum of Western Heritage
4700 Zoo Dr.
323-667-2000
This museum is one of the most comprehensive repositories of historical items from the American West, with displays that include paintings, sculpture, historic firearms, tools, clothing, toys, and furnishings of both famous and lesser-known people of the western landscape.
California Science Center
213-744-7400
This center features themed exhibition halls, including the World of Life and the Creative World, with more than 100 interactive exhibits for visitors. Don't miss the high-wire bicycle; the 50-foot animatronic human figure; the earthquake experience, and the live animals and insects in the Discovery Rooms. An IMAX theater shows traditional and 3D films on a screen that is seven stories tall and features surround sound.
Carole and Barry Kaye Museum of Miniatures
5900 Wilshire Blvd.
323-937-6464
The biggest little collection of miniatures in the world features the works of world-renowned contemporary miniaturists. Scale replicas of the Vatican, Fontainebleau Palace, Hampton Court, and Brighton Pavilion, in addition to miniature scenes of life throughout the ages, are on display.
Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Dr.
Southern California's newest attraction unites the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty's institutes and grant programs. Designed by Richard Meier, the castle-like structure situated on a 110-acre campus looms majestically atop the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. Situated just off the 405 Freeway in West Los Angeles, between the posh neighborhoods of Bel Air and Brentwood, the Getty attracts visitors from around the world. A tram transports visitors up the hill and into another world. On a clear day, a spectacular panorama of Catalina Island, the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles, and the sometimes snowcapped Mount Baldy make outside views as impressive as the interior collection. The center includes a museum and research facilities, gracious gardens and courtyards, a theater, and a restaurant. The museum focuses on Greek and Roman antiquities. Admission is free but parking reservations are a must and it is necessary to reserve well in advance.
Hollywood Bowl
2301 North Highland Ave.
323-850-2000
From July to September, classical music, pop, and jazz concerts are presented under the stars.
The Huntington
1151 Oxford Rd.
626-405-2275
This cultural and education center features fine art collections of 18th- and 19th-century oil paintings, including Gainsborough's Blue Boy, a library, and magnificent botanical gardens covering 130 acres of unusual flora. A charming tearoom offers an afternoon respite.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
323-857-6000
Six buildings comprise the museum, which houses extensive collections of paintings, sculpture, and costumes from a wide variety of cultures and periods. Most of the museum's collection is housed in the Ahmanson Building, which features the Gilbert collection of monumental silver and mosaics, a fine exhibit of pre-Columbian art, and an Indian and Southeast Asian art collection. Also included are American and European paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts. The stunning Japanese Pavilion houses the internationally renowned Shin'enkan collection of Japanese paintings. Fine traveling exhibits are featured regularly.
The Los Angeles Music Center
135 North Grand Ave.
213-972-8001
Three theaters--the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum, and Ahmanson Theater--comprise the Music Center, Los Angeles's main venue for Broadway musicals, ballet, symphonies, opera, and theater.
Museum of Television and Radio
465 North Beverly Dr.
310-786-1000
Situated in the center of Beverly Hills, this sleek Richard Meier creation houses a compute rized collection of more than 90,000 television and radio programs accessible to visitors. Covering more than 70 years of broadcasting history, the programs range from news, public affairs, and documentaries, to drama, advertising, sports, and comedy. The museum's state-of-the-art library features private consoles where visitors can screen selections chosen from the museum's database. Changing exhibitions and screenings in the private theatre showcase classic and never-before-seen television shows.
Museum of Tolerance and Simon Wiesenthal Center
9786 W. Pico Blvd.
310-553-8403
The Simon Wiesenthal Center's Beit Hashoah Museum of Tolerance is a unique 165,000 square-foot interactive museum focusing on personal prejudice, group intolerance, the struggle for civil rights in America, and 20th-century genocides, culminating with a major exhibition on the Holocaust. The museum is said to be a "symbol of society's quest to live peacefully together and a resource for information and counsel on how to reach that goal." Archives, and a multimedia learning center designed for individualized research on World War II, the Holocaust, and anti-Semitism, are additional noteworthy attractions. The museum is closed on Saturday.
Norton Simon Museum
411 West Colorado Blvd.
626-449-6840
Although it is not the Musee D'Orsay, the Norton Simon's collection of impressionistic art commands acknowledgement among this country's art museums. Rodin's Burghers of Calais greets visitors at the entrance. Once inside, the works of Degas, Lautrec, Van Gogh, Manet, and Renoir fill the galleries. Seven centuries of European art, from the Renaissance to the 20th century, include the works of Raphael, Botticelli, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Goya. Paintings and drawings by 20th-century masters include those by Picasso, Matisse, and German expressionists.
Pantages Theatre
6233 Hollywood Blvd.
323-468-1770
This ornate theatrical venue generally presents musicals.
Shubert Theater
2020 Avenue of the Stars
This West Side theater features popular musicals.
Times Tix
Jerry's Deli at 8701 Beverly Blvd.
310-659-5616
Try Times Tix for same-day theater bargains. Inexpensive tickets for small, quality productions may often be purchased here at the last minute.
Nature Parks, Theme Parks and Beaches
Bolsa Chica State Beach
Located on the Pacific Coast Highway, between Golden West Street and Warner Avenue in Huntington Beach, this windswept stretch of sand is a popular place for surf fishing and bare-handed fishing. The scenic beach extends three miles from Seal Beach to Huntington Beach City Pier. The 1,000-acre Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is right across the road.
Disneyland
Off the I-5 Freeway at 1313 Harbor Blvd.
714-781-4000
Family friendly: Yes
Located an hour's drive from downtown, Walt Disney's wonderland of rides and special effects brings out the child in all visitors. Stunning "reality" rides include Star Tours, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Tomorrowland. Fantasyland celebrates fables and characters from childrens' tales, from Snow White to Peter Pan. The level of service and attention to detail in this colorful environment, referred to as "the happiest place on earth," is unsurpassed.
Griffith Park
Junction of Golden State and Ventura freeways
Los Angeles's largest park includes Train Town, public golf courses, a zoo, a Western museum, and unending miles of open spaces. One of the main attractions in the park is the Griffith Observatory, a Los Angeles landmark since 1935. The observatory is divided into three distinct sections, including an astronomy museum called the Hall of Science, a planetarium featuring spellbinding shows, and a third area full of various telescopes open for public viewing of the moon and planets.
Huntington State Beach
This popular beach stretches south from Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach to the Santa Ana River on the Newport Beach boundary. The strong winds and prime waves make this a favorite with local surfers. Huntington State Beach is located opposite Magnolia Avenue along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way
562-590-3100
Family friendly: Yes
The newly opened world-class Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific is a 156,735 square-foot facility featuring 12,000 ocean animals, representing over 500 species in 17 major living habitats. The aquarium explores various regions of the Pacific Ocean including the Southern California/Baja region, the Northern Pacific, and the Tropical Pacific. Special hands-on areas allow guests to handle the sea creatures. Shows are scheduled throughout the day.
Los Angeles Zoo
Junction of Golden State and Ventura freeways
323-666-4650
Family friendly: Yes
Over 110 acres of landscaped hilly terrain constitute this popular attraction. The zoo is divided into five continental areas, providing a natural setting for more than 2,000 mammals, birds, and reptiles.
Malibu Beaches
Malibu's best-loved beaches include Leo Carillo State Beach and Will Rogers State Beach. Leo Carillo offers 15 miles of untouched coastline complete with sheltered swimming beaches, tidepools, caves, and reefs. Although Will Rogers is much smaller, extending for less than two miles, it is spectacular in its own right, as evidenced by the numerous movies and TV shows that have been filmed along this gorgeous piece of coastline. The beach is perfect for swimming and surfing, and features a scenic walkway. Will Rogers is located off the Pacific Coast Highway, near the intersection with Temescal Canyon Road.
Muscle Beach
The original Muscle Beach was actually located in neighboring Santa Monica, but was closed down in 1959. As a result, local bodybuilders and weight-lifting buffs flocked to Venice and patronized the beach. Throughout the 1960s and '70s, local residents and tourists from around the world descended upon Muscle Beach, transforming it into one of California's busiest and most happening beaches. Today, muscular, toned, and heavily tanned bodies can be found up and down the beach, with the sun, sand, and Pacific Ocean providing a distinctively Southern Californian backdrop.
Santa Monica State Beach
Santa Monica is undoubtedly one of Los Angeles's most famous beaches. Excellent for swimming and surfing, the beach also features a paved bike path running along the Pacific Ocean. The path is popular not only with bikers, but also with walkers, joggers, and rollerblading fans. The beach adjacent to the path offers volleyball courts, outdoor art including sculptures and murals, and the lifeguard stations immortalized in the Baywatch television series.
Venice Beach
With an incredibly wide stretch of white sand and the stunning Santa Monica Mountains looming seductively on the horizon, Venice Beach is possibly the most scenic of Southern California beaches. Known throughout the world for its artists, street performers, and funky atmosphere, Venice Beach is a year-round carnival with unique, strange, and always interesting scenes. Venice Bea ch is also the birthplace of the rock group The Doors, and lead singer Jim Morrison once lived in one of the houses along the Venice canals. The Sidewalk Cafe is a prime spot from which to view some of the area's street artists and performers.
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