Choose from 88 Fun Things to Do in Los Angeles
Madame Tussauds Hollywood
One of the most-visited Madame Tussauds sits on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. The wax figures featured here depict famous Hollywood icons, contemporary movie stars and TV actors, auteur film directors (such as Alfred Hitchcock) and movie-franchise characters (like E.T. and the X Men), as well as pop stars, infamous criminals and sports celebrities. Each hyper-detailed wax likeness here is assembled by a team of sculptors and requires approximately 100 hours to create; for instance, each strand of a figure's hair must be individually set by hand.
Hollywood Hills
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Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Highlights of the museum are an enormous Dinosaur Hall full of sea monster fossils and T. Rex skeletons, three halls’ worth of amazingly realistic wildlife habitat dioramas (the African hall is like a safari that stands still), and a 150,000-specimen Gem and Mineral Hall full of gold, diamonds and other sparkly distractions. But be sure not to miss the soaring Rotunda at the center of the building, with its intricate stained glass dome, graceful bronze statues, and colorful paintings by artist Charles R. Knight, which illustrate mid-20th-century scientists’ findings about the prehistoric world.
You’ll rarely see a bigger collection of stuffed animals or a more opulent collection of pre-Columbian treasures. Try to avoid eye(s) contact with the tarantula in the Insect Zoo, but seek out a unique collection of Zuni fetishes; these tiny stone, bone and antler carvings found in a glass case by the ground floor stairs were made by the Zuni people, a Native American tribe from New Mexico.
Outside, take a wander through the Edible Garden to learn the names and leaves of common kitchen herbs, or to see what an artichoke looks like in full flower. Out in the Butterfly Pavilion (open May-October), the popular goal is getting these winged beauties to land on you – even if it’s just for a few seconds.
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Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Its original owners, San Fernando Valley developers Isaac Lankershim and son-in-law Isaac Van Nuys (whose names, respectively, are lent to a major boulevard in North Hollywood and a town in the northwest Valley), sold much of the cemetery in 1920 to Paramount Pictures, RKO Studios and the Beth Olam Synagogue. As a result, many entertainers (like Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, and two of the Ramones) and prominent Jews (like gangster/entrepreneur Bugsy Siegel) are buried here.
In 1939, the entire cemetery was bought by morally-challenged ex-con Jules Roth, who proceeded to sell off dozens of acres of the cemetery's land (now used as adjacent strip malls) and embezzle millions from the business, allowing the grounds and graves to fall into complete disrepair for about 60 years. In 1998, the Cassity Brothers, a pair of Missouri funeral home owners, took steep advantage of bankruptcy proceedings and re-named their new bargain purchase the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The Cassity Brothers have since authorized a 2000 documentary on the cemetery called The Young and the Dead, and introduced the Cinespia Series, where, on Saturday nights during the summer, classic films like Sunset Boulevard are screened against a mausoleum for large crowds of gourmet picnickers.
Throughout the year, various musical acts perform at the cemetery's on-site Masonic Lodge, and on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, guided tours are given by film historian Karie Bible, who also serves as the "Lady in Black," responsible for putting a fresh rose each day on the resident grave of Rudolph Valentino.
Hollywood Bowl
- Children ages 2 years and up must have their own ticket; you may be asked to check your stroller or baby carrier at the operations office.
- You may purchase food and beverages at the Bowl or bring your own, including wine and beer for some events (alcohol is not allowed to be brought in during other events but can be purchased).
- Selfie sticks and audio/video recording devices are prohibited.
- There are several wheelchair-accessible seating locations with space for a limited number of companions.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Basics
Aside from the thousands of stars studding the sparkly black sidewalk, the Walk of Fame is a totally normal public thoroughfare accessible 24/7 every day of the year. Most Los Angeles city tours and Hollywood tours include a stop along the Walk of Fame, providing geographical context as you descend past the famous Hollywood sign and the celebrity homes of Beverly Hills or sweep in from industrial downtown Los Angeles. You'll also be treated to a historical narrative as scandalous as the film industry itself.
Some tours of the area also include stops at other nearby landmarks such as Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, the Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive, Warner Bros Studio, Disneyland and Universal Studios, and the Dolby Theater, home of the Oscars.
- Ideal tour options are available for every type of traveler.
- Bring your camera to take a picture with your favorite celebrities' stars.
- The Walk of Fame is easily accessed independently or by guided tour.
Getting close to celebrities is difficult; getting close to their names isn't. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a stretch of public sidewalk extending along Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea Avenue and Gower Street and along Vine Street between Yucca Street and Sunset Boulevard. Drive, walk, or take the Metro Red Line to Highland or Vine.
When to Visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Los Angeles is known for its pleasant year-round weather. Check the Hollywood Walk of Fame's official website for an up-to-date calendar of public induction ceremonies that could make your visit extra memorable.
Gene of All Trades
Hoover Dam
- Bring sun protection, comfortable shoes, and plenty of water.
- A concession stand at the base of the dam’s parking garage offers a variety of food and drink options.
- The Hoover Dam Visitors Center and power plant tour are wheelchair accessible, but the dam tour is not accessible. Complimentary parking is available for wheelchair users.
Hollywood Wax Museum Los Angeles
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Hollywood & Highland
The core of Hollywood & Highland is arranged around a three-story courtyard, where soaring, elephant-topped columns evoke the Babylon set of D.W. Griffith's 1916 epic, Intolerance. Fanning out from here, you'll find over a dozen restaurants ranging from food-court outposts to destination dining, two night clubs, a bowling alley and 75+ retail shops, including large national chains like Gap, Build-A-Bear and Sephora.
Adjacent to the main mall is the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, an ornate movie palace festooned with Far East flourishes and featuring a cement-paved forecourt bearing over 200 celebrity hand and footprints. Originally opened in 1927 by movie-house mogul Sid Grauman, the Chinese Theatre is still a popular movie theater with a single large screen and more recently, an additional six-plex. The "Forecourt of the Stars," as well as a slew of character impersonators lingering around it in full costume, attract busloads of out-of-towners and souvenir hawkers each day.
Old Town Pasadena
Old Town Pasadena today includes a popular mixed-use commercial district known for a largely upscale mix of restaurants and chain stores, as well as inexpensive and plentiful public parking. Along the main shopping streets, Orange Grove and Fair Oaks Boulevards, the buildings are largely examples of Art Deco architecture from the 1920s, carefully restored during the district's urban revival in the 1980s.
Fanning out from the commercial center, area attractions include the Norton Simon Museum, home to the eclectic and fabulously expensive art collection of millionaire industrialist Norton Simon; the Pasadena Museum of California Art, a modern, spare and expertly-curated museum where each exhibition provides an in-depth history of a single facet of the state; the Pasadena Playhouse, a Spanish Colonial Revival-style theater with a mosaic-inlaid dome, perfect acoustics and a rotating stage; the Gamble House, a 1908 Arts & Crafts mansion that was joinery-built without a single traditional nail, designed for the co-founder of Procter & Gamble by famed architecture firm Greene & Greene and Vroman's, the largest and oldest independently-run bookstore in Southern California.
OUE Skyspace Los Angeles
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Pacific Design Center
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L.A. Live
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La Brea Tar Pits
- The La Brea Tar Pits are a must-visit for history buffs and families traveling with kids.
- All exhibits within the museum are wheelchair accessible, and wheelchairs are available to rent.
- Don’t forget to bring sun protection, as some areas of the museum are outdoors.
Manhattan Beach
The northernmost of L.A.’s three Beach Cities (along with Hermosa and Redondo), Manhattan was once merely a laid-back residential community, but is now home to some of L.A. County’s priciest real estate. To see some of the town’s loveliest/quirkiest homes, take a stroll along the ocean-side Strand, a pedestrian-friendly bike path that actually stretches 26 miles from Santa Monica to the far end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Manhattan Beach attracts almost 4 million visitors each year. Besides the Strand, it’s most popular for its shoreline, the historic Municipal Pier (which hosts a small aquarium with free admission), and two events held here every August, the Manhattan Beach Open volleyball tournament and the International Surf Festival.
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Olvera Street
A festive chaotic Mexican marketplace, Olvera Street is part of colorful and car-free El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the vibrant historic district near the spot where LA's Mexican colonists first settled. Gaudy decoration and souvenir stalls abound here, alongside dozens of little eateries serving tacos, tortas, and burritos. This is not a mere tourist trap: Olvera Street is a wonderful place to walk, eat and explore. It's a great add-on to a downtown LA visit.
On Olvera Street, you can shop for Chicano art, slurp thick Mexican-style hot chocolate, or pick up handmade candles and candy. Stop in Avila Adobe, the oldest surviving house in LA, which includes an exhibit on Christine Sterling who helped save the historic district.
Olvera Street spills into the Old Plaza, El Pueblo's central square with a pretty wrought-iron bandstand. Sleepy during the week, the square turns into a full-blown fiesta zone on Saturdays and Sundays, drawing crooning mariachis, costumed dancers, kissing couples, and strolling families. Historic buildings and statues surround the square.
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Olvera Street is in downtown Los Angeles, just west of Union Station. Stop by the El Pueblo Visitors Center, on Olvera Street, for information on the area. North of Olvera is Chinatown; south of Olvera is Little Tokyo. The area is accessible by metro trains, which stop at Union Station.
Melrose Avenue
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Museum of Tolerance
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Japanese American National Museum
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Hollywood Sign
- The sign hasn’t been lit up since New Year’s Eve of 2000, but its bright white letters often make it seem to glow in the night.
- Guided tours allow for safe photo op stops so there’s no need to make a dangerous stop in the middle of the mountain road.
- Dogs are permitted on hiking trails so long as they arekept on leash.
- Hikers should bring sun protection and water.
- Hiking to the letters themselves is strictly prohibited (you’ll be met with a chain link fence and security cameras), but the Brush Canyon Trail brings hikers to the peak right behind the sign.