The sad truth is that the majority of LA’s most famous tourist attractions kind of suck. The first time I visited the city as teenager with my parents that’s all we saw and I remember feeling very disappointed. I mean sure, Mann’s Chinese is a cool theatre, and it’s fun to match up your hands to the prints of the stars, but the surroundings in Hollywood are otherwise kind of dingy. If that’s all you see without knowing where else to go, the image is pretty dim.
Luckily, there’s a lot more to LA than that. It is a huge city with many treasures, however, it requires a guide. Thus, here is a list of 15 great places to go and things to do . . . other than eating and drinking. (Add in the Hollywood Bowl and it becomes 16)
I should note that a lot of these are summer activities and summer is my favorite time in LA, even with the added heat. However, a lot of “summer” programs stretch from spring to early fall – one of the many benefits of LA’s fantastic weather.
1. Outdoor Movie Screenings
For a long time, Hollywood Forever Cemetery would have held this spot on it’s own. You’d think it be really creepy to watch a film surrounded my tombstones, but it is a surprisingly beautiful place. Movies are screened onto the side of a mausoleum, and people bring their picnics and lawn chairs and hang out while DJ’s play music before and after the show. The only problem is that the secret’s out. Nowadays, to get a decent spot you have to arrive before the gates even open and wait around in line. The last time we went, we waited in line outside for over an hour, and even then only managed to score a mediocre spot. That was a couple of years ago and it has only gotten more popular.
Luckily, a few other places have caught on to the trend and have started their own screening series. This past summer our friends Danielle and Jason invited us along to a screening at Barnsdall Art Park. It’s a great setting on hill with great views of the city. Crowds seemed less intense, so far at least, and they have a wine and beer bar providing drinks, which means you have one less thing to carry. We caught a screening of LA Story a couple of weeks before moving. It’s the quintessential LA comedy and this was a perfect farewell to the city we’d come to love.
2. The Vista Theatre
LA has a lot of wonderful modern theatres, nonetheless, the Vista was always our favorite place to see a movie. It’s a 1920’s single screen theatre in Los Feliz with wonderful faux Egyptian décor adorning the interior. They play one current release film at a time, and while the screen isn’t the newest in town, the rows of seats are widely spaced apart so you can really spread out and get comfy. To top it off, tickets are considerably cheaper than at most theatres.
The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood has a similar old-Hollywood appeal and has an interesting slate of film programs run by the American Cinematheque.
3. Last Remaining Seats
If you ever wonder what it would have been like to see a film in one of the opulent movie palaces of yesteryear, this is your chance. The LA Conservancy runs a series of screenings (usually in the spring and summer) of classic films in the few movie palaces that are still leftover from the glamorous early years of the silver screen.
4. Beach Day
Venice Beach was one of my favorite places to take pictures. There was always something new to look at.
It’s LA, you have to hit the beach. They’re not the most beautiful beaches, nor are they the warmest, but they certainly are colorful. You can’t find much better people watching than you’ll see at Venice Beach. It’s crowded as hell on the weekends, but I love the graffiti, the wacky street artists, and the vendors selling all manner of merchandise. If you’re lucky you might even see a big, pounding, drum circle.
5. Get Wright - Hollyhock House and Ennis House
Two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s home designs in Los Angeles are easy to see. Tours are offered at Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Art Park several times a day from Wednesday to Sunday. A large part of the house is still beautifully furnished in all its Art Deco glory. The complex surrounding the house is still a functioning art complex, complete with an art gallery, a theatre, a Junior Arts Program, and many events including the outdoor screenings I mentioned in #1.
Ennis House isn’t currently open for tours, as its foundation is currently trying to sell it to a private owner. However, it’s just short drive from Hollyhock House and you can easily view the exterior and patios with wonderful views of the LA skyline from the street.
6. Greystone Mansion
Greystone is another destination for architecture and movie buffs. It’s a beautiful English Gothic mansion in Beverly Hills with lovely grounds and it has been used in an impressive list of films. They do have events and offer tours, although we’ve never taken one. Greg discovered this destination and we’ve always stuck to roaming the beautiful formal gardens and taking exterior photos – the tour will have to be a future to-do item.
7. LA Conservancy Tours
New York and San Francisco’s architectural charms are readily evident, whereas LA’s may not always be so evident. I get that; however, it’s not to say that LA doesn’t have them as well. You might just need someone to point out where to look. The LA Conservancy’s tours do a great job of this and they’re really inexpensive. We’ve done the Art Deco tour twice and I’ve heard the Theatre tour is also really interesting.
The Biltmore Hotel is near the starting point of the tour and they have a gorgeous lobby and offer a wonderful tea service that would make a lovely addition to the day. I also like Angelique Café, which is near where the Art Deco tour ends. It’s an adorable French café that just whisks you away to France.
8. Huntington Gardens
This is a nerdy girl’s paradise. The Huntington has stunning gardens, art galleries, and a rare books collection. Add in the tea at the Rose Garden and you’re in a scene out of a Jane Austen Novel. My one gripe is that altogether it can get pricey, but you definitely spend a beautiful day here. (Here is a link to a previous post on the Huntington Gardens.)
9. Take a Hike
One of my favorite things about Los Angeles is that you can drive for just a few minutes and feel worlds away from the city. If you have time for a longer drive, Solstice Canyon and Malibu Creek State Park are both well worth the effort. Solstice Canyon has a great loop that takes you past a waterfall and the ruins of an old house that burned down.
Greg's pics from a camping trip we took to Malibu Creek.
You need not go that far, however, to get a quick escape. There are great hikes at Griffith Park, Runyon Canyon, and Baldwin Hills. Griffith Park has a lot of routes to choose from.
The view from Runyon.
Runyon Canyon and Baldwin Hills have two of my favorite views of Los Angeles and they’re basically mirror images of each other—one from the North and the other from the South. Neither is all that long and from each you get a full view of LA, the good, the bad, the ugly . . . and um, the beautiful. The city spreads out before you so that you see the industrial sections, the cool spots of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, the skyscrapers of downtown, and of course, the Hollywood sign. On a really clear day you can see all the way to the ocean. There is a great Scenic Overlook complete with a Visitor Center hidden at the top of the Baldwin Hills hike. On the flip side, Runyon Canyon is a strangely good place to spot celebrities while getting in your exercise.
10. The Griffith Observatory
Borrowed from Flickr.
One of the many hikes you can take in Griffith Park is the route up to the Observatory. (We did this once at night, and while not exactly something you’re supposed to do, it was a lot of fun.) Of course, you don’t have to hike to it – they do have parking and entrance to the Observatory is free. It’s fun for science geeks and movie lovers – it was featured in James Dean’s Rebel Without a Cause among many others. They also have a huge Tesla Coil and you can’t deny those are really cool.
Borrowed from Flickr.
11. Museum of Jurassic Technologies
It’s hard to describe this little museum that’s hidden over in Culver City, and I think it’s best not to try to explain it too much. I think of it as part museum of curios, part art installation, and part mind trip. Beyond that, I think it’s best to preserve the element of surprise.
12. Take in the Museums
LA gets a bum rap as a cultural vacuum. It actually has a wonderful crop of great museums. LACMA is right in the middle of Wilshire Blvd, and therefore easily accessible to just about everywhere. You can spend all day here. I particularly like the Japanese Pavilion and the Broad Contemporary Art Building. MOCA has three different locations to choose from around town– MOCA Grand, MOCA Geffen Contemporary, and the MOCA Design Center.
Outside LACMA
If you can make it out to Pasadena, the Norton Simon Museum is one of my favorites. It’s a nice size – neither too big, nor too small – and the collections are great. UCLA’s Hammer Museum is another compact space that’s easy to see in a short time without being overwhelmed.
The Getty
Finally, of course, there are the Getty Museums. To be honest, I don’t always love the exhibits at The Getty Center, but the architecture and views are fantastic. They have an expansive lawn than makes me think of some futuristic Utopia. The Getty Villa takes you back in time instead. It’s modeled after a Roman villa that was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and later excavated in Herculeum. The Getty’s Antiquities collection is housed here, it boasts fantastic views of the ocean, and the architecture tour is quite interesting.
All of these museums have great public programs, such as film screenings or summer concerts, so it’s worth taking a look online at what they have going on. I also have to add that if you need a good meal to complete your day—as I usually do -- a few of these have great options. The restaurant at the Getty Villa is surprisingly tasty. Many of LA’s most trendy food trucks hang out right outside LACMA. Finally, MOCA Geffen is immediately adjacent to Little Tokyo downtown, where there are lots of tasty options, and the Lazy Ox Canteen is right around the corner.
13. Art Walks
It seems to me that there are Art Walks going on all of the time in LA. (Here is a list with info). They can be a great way to see different parts of the city. The Brewery has one of my favorites because the space itself is really cool. The Brewery used to be exactly that, a brewery, and has since been converted into a huge artist’s colony. I love to see all the creative things that the artists have done to make their industrial lofts interesting and comfortable places to work and live. Culver City’s has some great galleries and the Downtown Art Walks have a wonderful vibe that really brings sometimes dead downtown to life.
When The Hollywood Bowl and the Greek shutdown in the winter, the Walt Disney Concert Hall downtown is an excellent alternative. It’s a very interesting building designed by Frank Gehry. For some reason, the thought that was put into the rest of the design was apparently not applied to the interior upholstery, which seems like a bad throw back to the 80’s, but the acoustics are fantastic.
Borrowed from Flickr.
You can’t picnic beforehand as at the Bowl and the Greek-- and it’s often too chilly to do so in the winter anyways-- but there are many great new restaurants and bars opening up downtown to provide ample distraction.
15. Disneyland
Ok, Disneyland isn’t exactly off the beaten tourist path, but as Greg says, I drank the Kool-Aid a long time ago. I grew up loving Disney World, and now I love Disneyland too. I can’t help it --- I turn into a five-year old the moment I walk through the gates. The price can get prohibitive, however. At certain times of the year they do offer the Two-for-one deal for CA residents, where you get two tickets for two days to use at either park. You can also sometimes find discounts if you pre-buy your tickets. Or you can do what I did this last time – beg your friends working for Disney to ‘Please! Please! Please!’ take you one weekend. Thanks for indulging me guys!
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