Los Angeles Things To Do

Things To Do

It's hard to know where to start in such a sprawling city (467 square miles!), and there's really no one right way to do it. We suggest beginning in old Hollywood before heading to downtown L.A. Then, as an antidote to the concrete jungle, hit the beach! A trip to Santa Monica Beach and adjacent Venice Beach before heading back to Hollywood by way of Beverly Hills will round out your trip nicely.

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Santa Monica Beach
Groove to the vibe of SoCal beach culture on this 3.5-mile-long stretch of sand. Kids will love the Santa Monica Pier, which is topped with snack bars, carnival games, and amusement park rides, including a vintage carousel.
Santa Monica Beach; Santa Monica, CA; www.santamonicapier.org
Tags: beach | family | outdoors
Universal Studios

See the actual sets of some of Hollywood’s biggest movies, including the ominous Bates house from Psycho, on the studio backlot tour. Thrill rides include Revenge of the Mummy, Jurassic Park, and, new in 2008, The Simpsons Ride.

 

 

100 Universal City Plaza; Los Angeles, CA; www.universalstudioshollywood.com
Tags: family | theme park
Getty Center great value

L.A. owes much of its reinvention as a high-brow culture capital to starchitect Richard Meier's travertine marble art institution, perched in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. A tram ride up the hill followed by a stroll through the museum's gorgeous gardens makes one forget all about the traffic snarls below. Tues-Fri 10am-5:30pm; Sat 10am-9pm; Sun 10am-5:30pm.

1200 Getty Center Dr.; Los Angeles, CA; 310-440-7300; www.getty.edu
Tags: family | architecture | culture | art | great value | editor pick
Griffith Observatory
Positioned near the Hollywood Sign, this recently renovated Art Deco-era marvel offers great views of the heavens (on a clear night) and astronomy shows narrated by the likes of Leonard Nimoy. Tues-Fri noon-10pm; Sat-Sun 10am-10pm.
2800 E. Observatory Rd.; Los Angeles, CA; 213-473-0800; www.griffithobs.com
Tags: family | architecture | culture | editor pick
Beverly Hills Trolley Tours

See block after block of celebrity mansions on this 40-minute drive, including the late Lucille Ball's ranch house that starred in an episode of I Love Lucy. Tours depart on the hour, every hour, from 11am-4pm. Every Sat and Sun; Summer (July 5-Sept 1) Tues-Sun; Winter (Nov 23-Dec 30) Tues-Sun.

corner of Rodeo Dr. and Dayton Wy.; Los Angeles, CA; www.beverlyhills.org
Tags: architecture | culture | tour
Hollywood Hills

Hiking trails in Runyon Canyon, a 130-acre public park and former '20s housing development, afford awesome views of the Hollywood sign, downtown L.A., and iconic Hollywood architecture like the Capitol Records building, not to mention the occasional celebrity sighting. You can even look down into the yards and pools of several large estates tucked into the hills.

Mulholland Dr., between Laurel Cyn. and Cahuenga Blvd.; Los Angeles, CA; www.lamountains.com
Tags: hiking | outdoors
Hollywood Boulevard
Tour the Kodak Theater, home of the Academy Awards show (but skip the attached Hollywood & Highland retail complex, a tourist trap akin to Time's Square and Fisherman's Wharf); see where the stars left their mark at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater; then hop across the street for a show at the glittering El Capitan Theatre.
Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave.; Los Angeles, CA; www.hollywoodchamber.net
Tags: family | architecture | culture
Chinatown
Adjacent to downtown, L.A.'s bustling Chinatown is packed with great dim sum restaurants, markets, curio shops, and a new spate of innovative art galleries (most situated on Chung King Road).
Los Angeles, CA; www.chinatownla.com
Tags: culture | culinary | art
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