Los Angeles Best Places
Universal Studios Hollywood
Get ready for the ultimate Hollywood experience! Find a full day of action-packed entertainment all in one place: thrilling theme park rides and shows, a real working movie studio, and Los Angeles’ best shops, restaurants and cinemas at City Walk. Universal Studios Hollywood is a unique experience that’s fun for the whole family. Explore Universal Studios backlot on the legendary Studio Tour. Then face the action head on in heart-pounding rides, shows and attractions that put you inside some of the world’s biggest movies. End your day with the energy and excitement of Universal City Walk. All this and much more. Only at Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A.
The Getty Center
Spectacular museum boasts a most impressive collection by such luminaries as Van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne, along with the architectural triumph of its six buildings and gardens.
The Center sits atop a hill connected to a visitors’ parking garage at the bottom of the hill by a three-car, cable-pulled hovertrain people mover. Located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, the Center is one of two locations of the J. Paul Getty Museum and draws 1.8 million visitors annually. (The other location is the Getty Villa in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.) The Center branch of the Museum features pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; and photographs from the 1830s through present day from all over the world. In addition, the Museum’s collection at the Center includes outdoor sculpture displayed on terraces and in gardens and the large Central Garden designed by Robert Irwin. Among the artworks on display is the Vincent van Gogh painting Irises. Designed by architect Richard Meier, the campus also houses the Getty Research Institute (GRI), the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Foundation, and the J. Paul Getty Trust. The Center’s design included special provisions to address concerns regarding earthquakes and fires.
Griffith Observatory
With eyes on both the galaxy above and palm-flanked boulevards below, the Griffith Observatory hovers above LA like a hulking spacecraft. This is one of the city’s true icons, an art deco behemoth flaunted on both the small and silver screen. Yet the place is more than its architectural good looks and epic panoramas, with spectacular planetarium shows, intriguing exhibits and handsome murals.
The 1935 observatory opens a window onto the universe from its perch on the southern slopes of Mt. Hollywood. Its planetarium claims the world’s most advanced star projector, while its astronomical touch displays explore some mind-bending topics, from the evolution of the telescope and the ultraviolet and x-ray techniques used to map our solar system to the cosmos itself.
Petersen Automotive Museum
The Petersen Automotive Museum is a massive museum dedicated to showcasing the history of cars by offering educational programs and numerous vehicles on display. Car lovers will see wonders around every corner, as classic cars are on prominent display throughout the museum.
You’ll find fun for everyone here, as many of the cars on display are recognizable from being featured in films and television shows. It typically takes about an hour or 2 to get through the entire museum, but you can spend even longer if you participate in their educational programs.
Amongst this museum’s collection, you’ll find more than 100 vehicles on display throughout 25 distinct galleries. Of course, the museum has a far larger collection, but the rest are kept safe and secure in a basement-level vault.
You’ll find several cars in the collection that are instantly recognizable, such as the NASCAR Herbie that was used in the production of “Herbie: Fully Loaded.” Additionally, you’ll find the 1992 Batmobile from “Batman Returns” and the Delorean time machine from “Back to the Future.” This museum even features an exhibit focused on powered racing cars for children.
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Designed by architect Frank Gehry, The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall (Concert Hall) opened in 2003 as the newest of The Music Center’s four venues. The Concert Hall was conceived when Lillian B. Disney made an initial gift of $50 million to build an additional performance space on Los Angeles County land in honor of her late husband Walt Disney and his dedication to the arts. Home to LA Phil and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Walt Disney Concert Hall is one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world and provides both visual and aural intimacy through its exterior and interior design.
The terraced vineyard style seating is designed to bring the audience close to the orchestra and provide an intimate view of the musicians and conductor from any seat. A focal point for the auditorium is the 50-foot organ that houses 6,134 pipes ranging in size from a pencil to a telephone pole. Only two percent of the pipes are visible. The organ weighs more than 40 metric tons and was designed by Los Angeles organ designer Manuel Rosales along with Frank Gehry.
The Concert Hall includes BP Hall, which is an additional space for performances and can accommodate up to 350 people. Clad in vertical grain Douglas fir as well, the curved room posed an acoustical challenge. To avoid focusing sound in one area of the space, perforations were added to the wood paneling with special material placed behind the panels to give the room proper acoustics.
Griffith Park
Spanning more than 4,200 acres of land, Griffith Park is one of the largest municipal parks with urban wilderness areas in the United States. Originally a part of the Spanish land grant, Rancho Los Feliz, the park was named for its former owner, “Colonel” Griffith J. Griffith, a Welsh industrialist and philanthropist. In 1896, Griffith bequeathed five square miles of his Rancho Los Feliz estate to the people of Los Angeles. Since Griffith’s original gift, further donations of land, along with city purchases and the reversion of private land to public domain, have expanded Griffith Park to its present size.
Beginning Dec. 7, 2019, the Griffith Parkline will offer convenient transportation for the park’s 10 million annual visitors. The bus will run from noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Passengers will be able to hop on and off at more than a dozen locations including the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Sign, the Los Angeles Zoo, and Travel Town.
Read on and explore the best attractions and activities in Griffith Park.
Staples Center
The home stadium of the famous Los Angeles Laker and the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA, and also host to several events throughout the year.
If you’re in Los Angeles during the NBA season, and you’re into basketball at all, you just cannot miss the chance of a game at the Staples Center. It is one of the most famous NBA arenas, and the atmosphere on game day is absolutely electric. If you’re visiting during the off season, you might get lucky since the Staples Center is also one of LA’s favorite arenas for concerts of international artists, many of whom have performed here more than once like Madonna, and the arena has even hosted the Grammys and the VMAs in 2012 and is the only venue which has hosted both the ceremonies in the same year. The Staples Center is a part of the L.A. Live development area, which was established to serve as a wonderful hub of activities and entertainment.
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Located in the heart of metropolitan Los Angeles, the La Brea Tar Pits are one of the world’s most famous fossil localities. Explore the world’s only active, urban Ice Age excavation site. Inside the Museum is where we showcase the best fossils, animals, and plants that have been discovered here — mammoths, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and more. Outside check out the La Brea Tar Pits where tar is still bubbling and our active fossil excavation sites to see what our excavators have uncovered today. Make the most of your visit with our Excavator Tour. Get the behind-the-scenes story and see scientists working on recently excavated fossils, walk around our famous Lake Pit, and visit our live dig site where scientists discover new Ice Age specimens every day. Free with museum admission.
The Grove
The Grove is your one-stop destination for the best clothing, accessories, beauty and more. With its fashion-forward collection of stores and ever-changing pop-up shops, The Grove delivers a dynamic shopping experience unlike any other in Los Angeles.
It was established in 1934 and since then has grown and expanded to become world-famous. The Grove, which came along in 2002, has become known for high-end shopping and dining. The two spots complement each other, allowing visitors to spend lots of quality time.
The Grove takes its name from “the oak, elm and magnolia trees surrounding the area”.
Fun for all ages, with an eco-friendly ice-rink, 8 state-of-the-art Cinema theatres, Ten-pin bowling and so much more. We make fun happen at The Grove Mall! Dekas & Co manufacture, create, design and manufacture industrial furniture and more. Everything to make your home that extra special.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is the largest art museum in the western United States. A museum of international stature as well as a vital part of Southern California, LACMA shares its vast collections through exhibitions, public programs, and research facilities that attract over a million visitors annually. LACMA’s collections encompass the geographic world and virtually the entire history of art. Among the museum’s special strengths are its holdings of Asian art, housed in part in the Bruce Goff-designed Pavilion for Japanese Art; Latin American art, ranging from pre-Columbian masterpieces to works by leading modern and contemporary artists including Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Jose Clemente Orozco; and Islamic art, of which LACMA hosts one of the most significant collections in the world.