(James Yates / For The Times)
L.A. is too expensive. Here are 75 fun things to do for under $20
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The days are lengthening, the spring flowers are blooming and you’re ready for your next adventure in Los Angeles.
The only problem? Everything is too dang expensive.
With jobs dwindling, gas prices jumping and the wealth gap widening, there’s a collective feeling of brokeness in the city. We get it, and we’re with you.
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But that doesn’t mean we should all be stuck at home. L.A.’s many offerings — cultural and natural, iconic and esoteric — still beckon no matter when your next rent check is due. And plenty of them are cheap, or even free, to experience.
To help you stretch your precious dollars, we’ve curated a list of 75 of the coolest experiences around town, all of which cost less than 20 bucks to enjoy. Would you like to swim in a warm, scenic pool in the Pasadena foothills for $5? We got you. Why not take a tour of the largest Buddhist temple in the Western United States for free, followed by a $10 all-you-can-eat vegetarian lunch? You’ll find that too. You don’t need big bucks to watch a horse show at the saddle-filled oasis that is the Los Angeles Equestrian Center or visit the Belmont Shore Railroad Club’s extensive model city in San Pedro. On our list, you’ll find places you’ve heard of — Griffith Observatory, the Getty, the Venice Beach Skate Park — and places you probably haven’t, like the lush Velaslavasay Panorama in West Adams or the immersive Secret Forest in a Burbank shopping district.
So, pick a spot, any spot, and head on out. The cost? Less than an Erewhon Malibu Mango Smoothie. Finding adventures that take you deeper into this endlessly fascinating city? Priceless. — Deborah Netburn
About This Guide
Our journalists independently visited every spot recommended in this guide. We do not accept free meals or experiences. What should we check out next? Send ideas to guides@latimes.com.
Showing Place Places
Paddle a swan boat in Echo Park Lake
Echo Park Experience
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $13 per hour, $7.50 for those under age 18
On warm days, it’s hard to beat a ride on the swan boats at Echo Park. They’re powered by foot paddles, and the pedaling is easy because you’re in no hurry. Maybe you’ll want to do a circuit of the lake (really a man-made reservoir). Maybe you’ll sidle up to the towers of whitewater rising from the mid-lake fountain. Maybe you’ll wait until after dark (because the swans light up).
On warm days, it’s hard to beat a ride on the swan boats at Echo Park. They’re powered by foot paddles, and the pedaling is easy because you’re in no hurry. Maybe you’ll want to do a circuit of the lake (really a man-made reservoir). Maybe you’ll sidle up to the towers of whitewater rising from the mid-lake fountain. Maybe you’ll wait until after dark (because the swans light up).
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Explore iconic outsider art at Watts Towers
Los Angeles County Attraction
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $12 for a 30-minute tour
This tall, rough-hewn landmark, built by compulsion by a devoted Italian American laborer and surrounded by a blue-collar community that’s mostly Latino and Black, has become one of the most emblematic works of art in the state.
Sabato (Simon) Rodia, an immigrant from Italy, started this backyard project in 1921 and spent 33 years putting up Watts Towers (up to 99 feet high), using rebar, concrete, cast-off tiles, bottle caps and bits of colored glass (especially blue Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia bottles). He walked away in 1954 and died in 1965.
The gargantuan masterpiece of folk art is now protected as a state historic park and neighbored by a community arts center. Thirty-minute tours , which are the only way to get close to the towers, are offered Thursday through Saturday. If that doesn’t fit your schedule or your budget, you can still see plenty from outside the fence for free.
This tall, rough-hewn landmark, built by compulsion by a devoted Italian American laborer and surrounded by a blue-collar community that’s mostly Latino and Black, has become one of the most emblematic works of art in the state.
Sabato (Simon) Rodia, an immigrant from Italy, started this backyard project in 1921 and spent 33 years putting up Watts Towers (up to 99 feet high), using rebar, concrete, cast-off tiles, bottle caps and bits of colored glass (especially blue Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia bottles). He walked away in 1954 and died in 1965.
The gargantuan masterpiece of folk art is now protected as a state historic park and neighbored by a community arts center. Thirty-minute tours , which are the only way to get close to the towers, are offered Thursday through Saturday. If that doesn’t fit your schedule or your budget, you can still see plenty from outside the fence for free.
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103rd Street / Watts Towers Station
Experience L.A.’s esoteric history at the Philosophical Research Society
Los Feliz Social Club
(Joel Barhamand / For The Times)
Cost: Free to visit, workshops and lectures from $10 and up
Located at the intersection of Los Feliz and Griffith Park boulevards, the Philosophical Research Society has long been a place of mystery, intrigue and, for some, apprehension. The Mayan Revival campus painted in Southwestern shades of clay, cream and sage was built in 1935 by the celebrated author and esoteric lecturer Manly P. Hall. Today, it hosts a dizzying array of events each week including poetry readings, death cafes, sound baths, a weekly class on Buddhism, tarot and astrology salons and musical performances — some of which have a suggested donation of just $10. If you visit, make sure to make time to browse the excellently curated metaphysical bookstore.
Located at the intersection of Los Feliz and Griffith Park boulevards, the Philosophical Research Society has long been a place of mystery, intrigue and, for some, apprehension. The Mayan Revival campus painted in Southwestern shades of clay, cream and sage was built in 1935 by the celebrated author and esoteric lecturer Manly P. Hall. Today, it hosts a dizzying array of events each week including poetry readings, death cafes, sound baths, a weekly class on Buddhism, tarot and astrology salons and musical performances — some of which have a suggested donation of just $10. If you visit, make sure to make time to browse the excellently curated metaphysical bookstore.
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Stretch out at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Los Angeles County Attraction
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free to wander the gravestones or take a yoga class
This movie studio-adjacent graveyard combines film screenings and other pop culture programming — including popular Día de los Muertos presentations — with a long roster of show business grave sites. And while you’ll have to pay to attend many of the cultural events, wandering among the tombstones of the famous, notorious and simply dead is both fascinating and completely free.
Mel Blanc, Cecil B. DeMille, Judy Garland, Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone, Rudolph Valentino, Burt Reynolds and many others either repose here or are celebrated with cenotaphs. (Toto, of “The Wizard of Oz,” has a cenotaph.) As it turns out, you can stretch out here too — at yoga classes held on the venue’s Faribanks Lawn. (They’re offered several times a week; pay by donation.)
This movie studio-adjacent graveyard combines film screenings and other pop culture programming — including popular Día de los Muertos presentations — with a long roster of show business grave sites. And while you’ll have to pay to attend many of the cultural events, wandering among the tombstones of the famous, notorious and simply dead is both fascinating and completely free.
Mel Blanc, Cecil B. DeMille, Judy Garland, Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone, Rudolph Valentino, Burt Reynolds and many others either repose here or are celebrated with cenotaphs. (Toto, of “The Wizard of Oz,” has a cenotaph.) As it turns out, you can stretch out here too — at yoga classes held on the venue’s Faribanks Lawn. (They’re offered several times a week; pay by donation.)
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Hollywood / Vine Station
Find the perfect meditation spot at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine
Pacific Palisades Chapel
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free
Whether or not you’re familiar with the work of Paramahansa Yogananda, who founded the Self-Realization Fellowship in 1920, if you live in Los Angeles you owe him a debt of gratitude for the smattering of lush, meditative gardens in Southern California that are still open to the public today. Among those is the Lake Shrine, a beautifully landscaped 10-acre property in the Pacific Palisades surrounding a spring-fed lake that is dotted with quiet meditation spots. It is free to visit, but you will need to make a reservation online before you go. (Reservations open each Saturday at 10 a.m. for the week ahead, and they can fill up quickly.)
Whether or not you’re familiar with the work of Paramahansa Yogananda, who founded the Self-Realization Fellowship in 1920, if you live in Los Angeles you owe him a debt of gratitude for the smattering of lush, meditative gardens in Southern California that are still open to the public today. Among those is the Lake Shrine, a beautifully landscaped 10-acre property in the Pacific Palisades surrounding a spring-fed lake that is dotted with quiet meditation spots. It is free to visit, but you will need to make a reservation online before you go. (Reservations open each Saturday at 10 a.m. for the week ahead, and they can fill up quickly.)
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Question everything at the Museum of Jurassic Technology
Culver City Museum
(Malia Mendez / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $15
Deadpan humor meets natural history; high jinks ensue. We can’t say too much about the collection here without spoiling the experience, but if you’re looking for a museum unlike any you’ve previously visited, this is your place. You’ll need to reserve a time in advance. The museum is open Thursday-Sunday.
Deadpan humor meets natural history; high jinks ensue. We can’t say too much about the collection here without spoiling the experience, but if you’re looking for a museum unlike any you’ve previously visited, this is your place. You’ll need to reserve a time in advance. The museum is open Thursday-Sunday.
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Culver City Station
Cozy up with a flick at the Paramount Drive-In Theater
Paramount Drive-in theater
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $14 per adult, $7 per kid (ages 3-11)
For a night out that feels as cozy as a night in, head to the Paramount Drive-In Theater. In the comfort of your own car, you can spread out, munch popcorn and make all the commentary you want without getting looks from other moviegoers.
Tickets are purchased on arrival, and the parking lot is huge, so you’re bound to secure a good view of the big screen. There is a concession store on site with candy, chips and drinks, but you are free to bring all the snacks you want from home. Recline your seat all the way back, relax and enjoy the show.
For a night out that feels as cozy as a night in, head to the Paramount Drive-In Theater. In the comfort of your own car, you can spread out, munch popcorn and make all the commentary you want without getting looks from other moviegoers.
Tickets are purchased on arrival, and the parking lot is huge, so you’re bound to secure a good view of the big screen. There is a concession store on site with candy, chips and drinks, but you are free to bring all the snacks you want from home. Recline your seat all the way back, relax and enjoy the show.
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Immerse yourself in a 360-degree painting at the Velaslavasay Panorama
University Park Public/private garden
(Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $7 suggested donation
The weird and wonderful Velaslavasay Panorama in West Adams is an awe-inspiring art space that will take your breath away. Dreamt up by artist Sara Velas, the panorama is simultaneously a specialized exhibition hall, an immersive experience and a magical garden, all housed in an early 20th century movie theater painted turquoise. The Panorama is open by appointment from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
The weird and wonderful Velaslavasay Panorama in West Adams is an awe-inspiring art space that will take your breath away. Dreamt up by artist Sara Velas, the panorama is simultaneously a specialized exhibition hall, an immersive experience and a magical garden, all housed in an early 20th century movie theater painted turquoise. The Panorama is open by appointment from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
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LATTC / Ortho Institute Station
Attend a Sunday morning organ concert at the First Congregational Church of L.A.
Koreatown Historic Landmark
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
Cost: Free
In addition to being one of the most breathtaking churches in the city, the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles in Koreatown is home to one of the largest organs in the world. You can hear it played, for free, at a 30-minute organ prelude concert each Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. before the service starts at 11 a.m.
The concert is open to the public, and if you’re unsure whether you’ll be welcomed in a church setting, have no fear. FCCLA flies a trans flag in its forecourt, and while it is technically Christian, people from all religions including Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish, as well as atheists and agnostics, attend services.
In addition to being one of the most breathtaking churches in the city, the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles in Koreatown is home to one of the largest organs in the world. You can hear it played, for free, at a 30-minute organ prelude concert each Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. before the service starts at 11 a.m.
The concert is open to the public, and if you’re unsure whether you’ll be welcomed in a church setting, have no fear. FCCLA flies a trans flag in its forecourt, and while it is technically Christian, people from all religions including Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish, as well as atheists and agnostics, attend services.
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Wilshire / Vermont Station
Zip, zoom and soar on the Inglewood Pumptrack
Inglewood Park
(Alisha Jucevic / For The Times)
Cost: Free
Inside the sprawling Edward Vincent Jr. Park, there’s an area that’s always alive with action: the Inglewood Pumptrack. On the wavy, asphalt track that almost looks like a modern sculpture emerging out of a grassy field, kids and adults on bicycles zoom around, showcasing tricks and testing their endurance on hills, rollers and berms. On a pump track, instead of pedaling or pushing the bike forward, riders do an up-and-down pumping motion with their body to maintain momentum.
The site — launched by Grow Cycling Foundation and billed as L.A.’s first pump track — features two asphalt courses, the Woodlands and World Championship tracks. Woodlands, which is smaller and surrounds a host of trees, has smaller rollers and is designed for slower speeds, whereas the colossus World Championship track, which is wider with large rollers, was built in a mirrored design so two riders can race in opposite directions at the same time. Both tracks are open to all ages and levels.
Inside the sprawling Edward Vincent Jr. Park, there’s an area that’s always alive with action: the Inglewood Pumptrack. On the wavy, asphalt track that almost looks like a modern sculpture emerging out of a grassy field, kids and adults on bicycles zoom around, showcasing tricks and testing their endurance on hills, rollers and berms. On a pump track, instead of pedaling or pushing the bike forward, riders do an up-and-down pumping motion with their body to maintain momentum.
The site — launched by Grow Cycling Foundation and billed as L.A.’s first pump track — features two asphalt courses, the Woodlands and World Championship tracks. Woodlands, which is smaller and surrounds a host of trees, has smaller rollers and is designed for slower speeds, whereas the colossus World Championship track, which is wider with large rollers, was built in a mirrored design so two riders can race in opposite directions at the same time. Both tracks are open to all ages and levels.
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Fairview Heights Station
Experience infinity together at the Broad
Downtown L.A. Museum $
(EPW Studio / David Zwirner, New York)
Cost: Free
From neon pop art to a larger-than-life table and chairs, even non-art lovers will find something to stare at inside the Broad (and outside too — the architecture is as eye-catching as the works inside).
While admission is free, visitors must reserve a time slot in advance and should note the $17 museum parking. Snag a time slot to see Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Mirrored Room” on the first floor, where you and your friend can experience a mesmerizing space that feels like you’re standing in a galaxy. Last year, the Broad celebrated its 10th anniversary, having welcomed 6.7 million visitors to take in contemporary art by boldface names, among them Ed Ruscha, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker and Mark Bradford.
From neon pop art to a larger-than-life table and chairs, even non-art lovers will find something to stare at inside the Broad (and outside too — the architecture is as eye-catching as the works inside).
While admission is free, visitors must reserve a time slot in advance and should note the $17 museum parking. Snag a time slot to see Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Mirrored Room” on the first floor, where you and your friend can experience a mesmerizing space that feels like you’re standing in a galaxy. Last year, the Broad celebrated its 10th anniversary, having welcomed 6.7 million visitors to take in contemporary art by boldface names, among them Ed Ruscha, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker and Mark Bradford.
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Grand Ave Arts / Bunker Hill Station
Tour Malibu’s historic Adamson House, filled with glorious ceramic tile
Malibu Historic Home
(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $7
Touring the grounds of the Adamson House, with its views of the Pacific Ocean and Malibu Lagoon and its stunning Spanish Revival architecture, is so dreamy that you wouldn’t be disappointed if you skipped the docent-led tour.
But if you are a fan of Malibu Potteries tile, you must go inside the house, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Designed by Stiles Oliver Clements for Rhoda Ringe and Merritt Adamson, founders of the Adohr Stock Farms, the 1930 home offers a spectacular display of the priceless tile from the hallway floors to the walls of the bathroom and kitchen.
Tours are available on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. And please note before you go: The house only accepts cash.
Touring the grounds of the Adamson House, with its views of the Pacific Ocean and Malibu Lagoon and its stunning Spanish Revival architecture, is so dreamy that you wouldn’t be disappointed if you skipped the docent-led tour.
But if you are a fan of Malibu Potteries tile, you must go inside the house, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Designed by Stiles Oliver Clements for Rhoda Ringe and Merritt Adamson, founders of the Adohr Stock Farms, the 1930 home offers a spectacular display of the priceless tile from the hallway floors to the walls of the bathroom and kitchen.
Tours are available on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. And please note before you go: The house only accepts cash.
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Enter the age of dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Exposition Park Museum
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $7 to $18. L.A. County are residents free Monday-Friday from 3 to 5 p.m.
Awe is standing before a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, your own head feeling a gumball in comparison. Come for the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, but stay for just about everything else — the quietly mesmerizing African and North American Diorama Halls, where artistically framed animals allow you to imagine a real-life encounter, or the heavily interactive Nature Lab, where you can learn about the challenges that face our urban coyotes or experience a meet-and-greet with a live animal.
Awe is standing before a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, your own head feeling a gumball in comparison. Come for the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, but stay for just about everything else — the quietly mesmerizing African and North American Diorama Halls, where artistically framed animals allow you to imagine a real-life encounter, or the heavily interactive Nature Lab, where you can learn about the challenges that face our urban coyotes or experience a meet-and-greet with a live animal.
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Expo / Vermont Station
Get lost in an array of blooms at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market
Downtown L.A. Experience
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $2 for entry to the market
A visit to the Original Los Angeles Flower Market in downtown L.A. is such a feast for the eyes that it’ll feel as if you’ve leaped from black and white to Technicolor. With over 35 wholesale vendors on the main floor of the 55,000-square- foot building, you’ll find a sea of rainbow-hued flowers — from peonies to ranunculus to hydrangeas — at every turn. Founded in 1921, it’s the oldest and largest wholesale flower market in the United States, and has become a destination for not only business owners but flower lovers alike. The market is open to the public with a $2 admission and it also gives folks access to the massive Southern California Flower Market across the way on Wall Street. To fuel up during your adventure, stop by the Ethnos Coffee Co. stall inside the main market for a honey lavender or churro latte, and venture next door for some classic American breakfast at Poppy + Rose.
A visit to the Original Los Angeles Flower Market in downtown L.A. is such a feast for the eyes that it’ll feel as if you’ve leaped from black and white to Technicolor. With over 35 wholesale vendors on the main floor of the 55,000-square- foot building, you’ll find a sea of rainbow-hued flowers — from peonies to ranunculus to hydrangeas — at every turn. Founded in 1921, it’s the oldest and largest wholesale flower market in the United States, and has become a destination for not only business owners but flower lovers alike. The market is open to the public with a $2 admission and it also gives folks access to the massive Southern California Flower Market across the way on Wall Street. To fuel up during your adventure, stop by the Ethnos Coffee Co. stall inside the main market for a honey lavender or churro latte, and venture next door for some classic American breakfast at Poppy + Rose.
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Pershing Square Station
Watch a cinematic deep cut at Vidiots
Eagle Rock Movie Theater
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Typically $13 for general admission in the Eagle
The homiest movie house in L.A. is worth the trek to Eagle Rock. Showing films daily on 35mm and digital in its newly renovated state-of-the-art 271-seat Eagle Theatre, the recently reopened nonprofit draws filmmakers and locals with its slate of genre-spanning crowd-pleasers and repertory deep cuts (Tollywood action epic “RRR,” baseball classic “A League of Their Own” and Walter Hill’s rock opera “Streets of Fire” are a recent sampling).
Originally established in 1985 in Santa Monica by Patty Polinger and Cathy Tauber, Vidiots’ new digs were designed with care — truly, there’s not a bad seat in the house — and with community in mind. Catch up over beer and wine in the unpretentious lobby bar and grab hot dogs, ice cream sammies and actually good popcorn from concessions. Then wander past the intimate Mubi microcinema and lose yourself in Vidiots’ flagship video store (one of L.A.’s very last), where hand-drawn placards lovingly guide you through a catalog of 60,000 DVDs, Blu-rays and rare VHS tapes.
The homiest movie house in L.A. is worth the trek to Eagle Rock. Showing films daily on 35mm and digital in its newly renovated state-of-the-art 271-seat Eagle Theatre, the recently reopened nonprofit draws filmmakers and locals with its slate of genre-spanning crowd-pleasers and repertory deep cuts (Tollywood action epic “RRR,” baseball classic “A League of Their Own” and Walter Hill’s rock opera “Streets of Fire” are a recent sampling).
Originally established in 1985 in Santa Monica by Patty Polinger and Cathy Tauber, Vidiots’ new digs were designed with care — truly, there’s not a bad seat in the house — and with community in mind. Catch up over beer and wine in the unpretentious lobby bar and grab hot dogs, ice cream sammies and actually good popcorn from concessions. Then wander past the intimate Mubi microcinema and lose yourself in Vidiots’ flagship video store (one of L.A.’s very last), where hand-drawn placards lovingly guide you through a catalog of 60,000 DVDs, Blu-rays and rare VHS tapes.
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Watch a horse show at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center
Griffith Park Equestrian center
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free
Most horse owners and riders across Southern California are probably already familiar with this 44-year-old, 75-acre equine oasis that borders (and is technically part of) Griffith Park, and all that it offers: 16 riding and show areas (including an indoor arena dubbed the Equidome that takes up about half a city block and seats 3,500), enough stable space for 500 horses, a riding school and a 460-stall show barn. But there’s plenty to do, see and enjoy even if you’re the more casual kind of hippophile who hasn’t spent much time in the saddle but simply appreciates being around these majestic, beautiful beasts.
If you’re equine-curious, check out the center’s online calendar to find a horsey event (there’s usually at least one or two happening each month that’s free for spectators), then canter over and bask in the SoCal sunlight while the horses and riders do their thing. If you’re hungry, there’s grub (and beer) available at the on-site Rein Cafe, which features umbrella-covered seating and fire pits to cluster around.
Most horse owners and riders across Southern California are probably already familiar with this 44-year-old, 75-acre equine oasis that borders (and is technically part of) Griffith Park, and all that it offers: 16 riding and show areas (including an indoor arena dubbed the Equidome that takes up about half a city block and seats 3,500), enough stable space for 500 horses, a riding school and a 460-stall show barn. But there’s plenty to do, see and enjoy even if you’re the more casual kind of hippophile who hasn’t spent much time in the saddle but simply appreciates being around these majestic, beautiful beasts.
If you’re equine-curious, check out the center’s online calendar to find a horsey event (there’s usually at least one or two happening each month that’s free for spectators), then canter over and bask in the SoCal sunlight while the horses and riders do their thing. If you’re hungry, there’s grub (and beer) available at the on-site Rein Cafe, which features umbrella-covered seating and fire pits to cluster around.
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Marvel at Neutra’s genius at the Neutra VDL Studio and Residences
Silver Lake Historic Home
(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $15
Long a modernist must-see on Silver Lake Boulevard, the Richard Neutra-designed glass box overlooking the Silver Lake reservoir was designed as a live-work experiment and is a classic example of midcentury California design that remains timely today. You can see it for yourself, thanks to the nonprofit Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, which owns the house. The house is open for tours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and the on-site caretaker — an architecture student — is available to answer questions during your tour.
The interiors are spare: The bedrooms are tiny with built-in desks, and the bathrooms feature colorful tile that feels of the moment. And like so many Midcentury Modern homes, the claustrophobic kitchen features an awkwardly placed cooktop that feels designed for one person. But with its connection to the outdoors, the interiors feel expansive, which must be why so many design students from around the world sit and marvel at Neutra’s genius on the rooftop, living areas and shaded backyard.
Long a modernist must-see on Silver Lake Boulevard, the Richard Neutra-designed glass box overlooking the Silver Lake reservoir was designed as a live-work experiment and is a classic example of midcentury California design that remains timely today. You can see it for yourself, thanks to the nonprofit Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, which owns the house. The house is open for tours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and the on-site caretaker — an architecture student — is available to answer questions during your tour.
The interiors are spare: The bedrooms are tiny with built-in desks, and the bathrooms feature colorful tile that feels of the moment. And like so many Midcentury Modern homes, the claustrophobic kitchen features an awkwardly placed cooktop that feels designed for one person. But with its connection to the outdoors, the interiors feel expansive, which must be why so many design students from around the world sit and marvel at Neutra’s genius on the rooftop, living areas and shaded backyard.
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Play a casual round at the Los Feliz 3-Par Golf Course
Atwater Village Golf Course
(Sean Yoo / For the Times)
Cost: $11 on weekdays, $13 on weekends
If the movie “Swingers” is considered a cult classic, you might as well throw the Los Feliz 3-Par in the same category. First, because this goofy course has a cameo in said movie. And second, because its simplistic charm and dive bar vibe have earned it a place in the hearts of Eastside golfers.
At the Los Feliz 3-Par, you need only three clubs: a putter, a wedge and an iron that maybe needs to go 140 yards max. (Most people I’ve seen on this course are usually carrying more tallboys than clubs.) The Los Feliz Par 3 is perfectly suited for beginners who want to build some confidence or players who want to golf a casual round and get away from the world for an hour or two.
If the movie “Swingers” is considered a cult classic, you might as well throw the Los Feliz 3-Par in the same category. First, because this goofy course has a cameo in said movie. And second, because its simplistic charm and dive bar vibe have earned it a place in the hearts of Eastside golfers.
At the Los Feliz 3-Par, you need only three clubs: a putter, a wedge and an iron that maybe needs to go 140 yards max. (Most people I’ve seen on this course are usually carrying more tallboys than clubs.) The Los Feliz Par 3 is perfectly suited for beginners who want to build some confidence or players who want to golf a casual round and get away from the world for an hour or two.
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Catch a classical concert rehearsal at the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Hills Amphitheatre
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free
The Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has lasted more than a century — it’s older than the Hollywood sign — which helps explain why so many Angelenos are so fond of it.
You don’t have buy a ticket to a show to enjoy it. There’s a network of walking paths around the bowl and a running club that meets there on Saturdays. And here’s an even bigger treat: Some morning rehearsals at the bowl are free and open to the public, typically on summer Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 a.m. and noon (seating on side benches in Section D). For fresh info, call the Philharmonic around noon on Monday (when a schedule is circulated), suffer through a few minutes on hold, then ask the representative what free rehearsals are scheduled for the week.
The Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has lasted more than a century — it’s older than the Hollywood sign — which helps explain why so many Angelenos are so fond of it.
You don’t have buy a ticket to a show to enjoy it. There’s a network of walking paths around the bowl and a running club that meets there on Saturdays. And here’s an even bigger treat: Some morning rehearsals at the bowl are free and open to the public, typically on summer Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 a.m. and noon (seating on side benches in Section D). For fresh info, call the Philharmonic around noon on Monday (when a schedule is circulated), suffer through a few minutes on hold, then ask the representative what free rehearsals are scheduled for the week.
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Hollywood / Highland Station
Behold the universe from a public telescope at Griffith Observatory
Los Angeles County Attraction
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free. Shows in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium are $6 to $10.
Without ever stepping inside the observatory on its perch in the Hollywood Hills, you can see Los Angeles as a tidy, twinkling grid of city lights, an epic view at dawn or sunset. From inside, you can scan distant stars and check your weight on Mars.
Since 1935, Angelenos have embraced Griffith Observatory as “the hood ornament of Los Angeles,” in the words of observatory director E.C. Krupp. It’s the architectural star of 4,210-acre Griffith Park, with three green copper domes, prime views of the Hollywood sign and a bust of James Dean, who sulked here in the 1955 film “Rebel Without a Cause.”
Parking is rare and pricey ($10 per hour), so you might want to hike up from the Greek Theatre or Fern Dell or see about Dash shuttle bus service from Vermont or Hillhurst avenues or the Sunset-Vermont Metro stop.
Besides its public telescope and shows in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium, the observatory offers an array of free indoors exhibits, plus presentations in its Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater.
Without ever stepping inside the observatory on its perch in the Hollywood Hills, you can see Los Angeles as a tidy, twinkling grid of city lights, an epic view at dawn or sunset. From inside, you can scan distant stars and check your weight on Mars.
Since 1935, Angelenos have embraced Griffith Observatory as “the hood ornament of Los Angeles,” in the words of observatory director E.C. Krupp. It’s the architectural star of 4,210-acre Griffith Park, with three green copper domes, prime views of the Hollywood sign and a bust of James Dean, who sulked here in the 1955 film “Rebel Without a Cause.”
Parking is rare and pricey ($10 per hour), so you might want to hike up from the Greek Theatre or Fern Dell or see about Dash shuttle bus service from Vermont or Hillhurst avenues or the Sunset-Vermont Metro stop.
Besides its public telescope and shows in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium, the observatory offers an array of free indoors exhibits, plus presentations in its Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater.
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Get in 50 winning swings at Burbank’s Batcade
Burbank Batting Cage
(Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $10 for 50 pitches
What’s more satisfying than solidly smacking a baseball or softball? Not much.
The Batcade’s pitching machines have been feeding that quest for bat-on-ball contact since 1993. If you just need a quick fix, for $10 you can buy a token good for 50 pitches.
You can order up baseball pitches (40-70 mph), fast softball pitches (40-60 mph) or slow, arcing softball pitches. Bats and helmets are included (and helmets are required).
Reservations are recommended when it gets busy — “on weekends and rainy days during Little League season,” says the website. There’s also a pool table and a set of arcade games on hand. Bonus: If you get hungry, Central Park Pizza is right there at the same address with carry-out and delivery.
What’s more satisfying than solidly smacking a baseball or softball? Not much.
The Batcade’s pitching machines have been feeding that quest for bat-on-ball contact since 1993. If you just need a quick fix, for $10 you can buy a token good for 50 pitches.
You can order up baseball pitches (40-70 mph), fast softball pitches (40-60 mph) or slow, arcing softball pitches. Bats and helmets are included (and helmets are required).
Reservations are recommended when it gets busy — “on weekends and rainy days during Little League season,” says the website. There’s also a pool table and a set of arcade games on hand. Bonus: If you get hungry, Central Park Pizza is right there at the same address with carry-out and delivery.
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Admire the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Hollyhock House
East Hollywood Experience
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $6 to $12. Reservations for timed entry can be made in advance online.
One of L.A.’s greatest treasures, the Hollyhock House sits atop of East Hollywood’s breathtaking Barnsdall Art Park. The building, over a century old and credited as a precursor to the California Modernism movement, is so revered that it became L.A.’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019. And luckily for Angelenos, it operates as a museum that’s open to the public for self-guided tours, with docents milling around to answer questions.
Oil heiress Aline Barnsdall commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build her 5,000-square-foot residence — his first commission in L.A. — that paid homage to her favorite flower, the towering and vibrant hollyhock. There are abstract interpretations of the plant, as geometric, spinelike designs that can be spotted throughout the home, carved into its concrete facade or in the back of a tall wooden dining room chair. While strolling through the garden and the different rooms, look out for Wright’s 100 geometric art glass windows and artwork, like a Buddhist Guānyīn marble sculpture.
One of L.A.’s greatest treasures, the Hollyhock House sits atop of East Hollywood’s breathtaking Barnsdall Art Park. The building, over a century old and credited as a precursor to the California Modernism movement, is so revered that it became L.A.’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019. And luckily for Angelenos, it operates as a museum that’s open to the public for self-guided tours, with docents milling around to answer questions.
Oil heiress Aline Barnsdall commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build her 5,000-square-foot residence — his first commission in L.A. — that paid homage to her favorite flower, the towering and vibrant hollyhock. There are abstract interpretations of the plant, as geometric, spinelike designs that can be spotted throughout the home, carved into its concrete facade or in the back of a tall wooden dining room chair. While strolling through the garden and the different rooms, look out for Wright’s 100 geometric art glass windows and artwork, like a Buddhist Guānyīn marble sculpture.
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Vermont / Sunset Station
Judge indie comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
Hollywood Performing Arts Theater
(Malia Mendez / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Typically $5 to $15
Not every comedy club is friendly to audience participation, and rightfully so. But at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, several shows depend on it.
At the UCB’s “Sketch Cagematch,” attendees vote for their favorite sketch teams in a competition-style comedy show. At “F— this Month,” comedians turn crowd members’ professed miseries into improv scenes. At “The Sober Show,” an all-sober improv cast gets their material for the night by soliciting drinking stories from audience members.
Pro tip: Make sure to check which of the UCB’s two Hollywood venues your particular show is at (Franklin or Annex). They’re close to each other but not the same.
Not every comedy club is friendly to audience participation, and rightfully so. But at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, several shows depend on it.
At the UCB’s “Sketch Cagematch,” attendees vote for their favorite sketch teams in a competition-style comedy show. At “F— this Month,” comedians turn crowd members’ professed miseries into improv scenes. At “The Sober Show,” an all-sober improv cast gets their material for the night by soliciting drinking stories from audience members.
Pro tip: Make sure to check which of the UCB’s two Hollywood venues your particular show is at (Franklin or Annex). They’re close to each other but not the same.
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Hollywood / Vine Station
Catch a movie at the 104-year-old Egyptian Theatre
Hollywood Movie Theater
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $15
Freshly restored by Netflix, the Egyptian doesn’t look a day older than 104 — which is to say it still looks really old, wondrously so. You pass through a gate from Hollywood Boulevard into an open-air forecourt that’s the opposite of today’s carpeted soul-sucking multiplex. Hieroglyphics mark the walls (the hunt for King Tut’s tomb was big in 1922), invoking a self-mythologizing grandeur. There’s a staircase that leads nowhere. You enter — well, it’s basically a museum: beautiful framed photos, a sense of history, an usher’s uniform in a case. The theater itself is now a little smaller, just over 500 seats. The balcony, an addition from a prior restoration, is gone. But the sound is superb, and you can lose yourself in a movie here. Golden swans dance on the sconces above you. The projection booth can handle ultra-flammable nitrate prints, 70mm platters and everything in between.
Freshly restored by Netflix, the Egyptian doesn’t look a day older than 104 — which is to say it still looks really old, wondrously so. You pass through a gate from Hollywood Boulevard into an open-air forecourt that’s the opposite of today’s carpeted soul-sucking multiplex. Hieroglyphics mark the walls (the hunt for King Tut’s tomb was big in 1922), invoking a self-mythologizing grandeur. There’s a staircase that leads nowhere. You enter — well, it’s basically a museum: beautiful framed photos, a sense of history, an usher’s uniform in a case. The theater itself is now a little smaller, just over 500 seats. The balcony, an addition from a prior restoration, is gone. But the sound is superb, and you can lose yourself in a movie here. Golden swans dance on the sconces above you. The projection booth can handle ultra-flammable nitrate prints, 70mm platters and everything in between.
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Hollywood / Highland Station
Ride the world's shortest railway for $1.50
Downtown L.A. Historic Landmark
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $1.50 one-way
Billed as the “world’s shortest railway,” the Angels Flight Railway in downtown L.A. is more than 100 years old. It once ferried about 4,000 passengers daily, but today it is mostly used by tourists. It sits about half a block from its original location between Hill Street and the California Plaza and connects the Bunker Hill neighborhood and downtown’s Historic Core.
The tiny funicular railway — it’s a charmer — is a must-do at least once. Tack it on, for instance, to a visit to Grand Central Market. Fun fact: Its two cars, built in a Beaux-Arts architectural style, are named Sinai and Olivet.
Billed as the “world’s shortest railway,” the Angels Flight Railway in downtown L.A. is more than 100 years old. It once ferried about 4,000 passengers daily, but today it is mostly used by tourists. It sits about half a block from its original location between Hill Street and the California Plaza and connects the Bunker Hill neighborhood and downtown’s Historic Core.
The tiny funicular railway — it’s a charmer — is a must-do at least once. Tack it on, for instance, to a visit to Grand Central Market. Fun fact: Its two cars, built in a Beaux-Arts architectural style, are named Sinai and Olivet.
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Pershing Square Station
Enter the coolest miniature city at Belmont Shore Railroad Club
San Pedro Model Railroad Club
(Joel Barhamand / For the Times)
Cost: Free
Inside a run-down former Army base building overlooking the L.A. harbor, you’ll hear the clickety-clack of trains rolling along the Belmont Shore Railroad. Around the track, people peer over to take in the scene, their faces Godzilla-like in proportion, for these locomotives are 1/160th scale (imagine a caboose resting on your thumb).
It’s amazing to see what the model railroaders have built here: an entire miniature city called Belmont. Though it is a fictional metropolis, it’s filled with re-creations of many real historical and geographic features of Southern California: the Monolith Cement Plant, San Joaquin and the green hills around the Tehachapi Loop. In the real world, a trip around the railroad line would be 20 miles.
The club opens its doors for public viewing from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays. Kids are welcome, but note that the track is at a viewing height suited for adults, so you’ll likely have to lift up your young train fan to get a good glimpse.
Inside a run-down former Army base building overlooking the L.A. harbor, you’ll hear the clickety-clack of trains rolling along the Belmont Shore Railroad. Around the track, people peer over to take in the scene, their faces Godzilla-like in proportion, for these locomotives are 1/160th scale (imagine a caboose resting on your thumb).
It’s amazing to see what the model railroaders have built here: an entire miniature city called Belmont. Though it is a fictional metropolis, it’s filled with re-creations of many real historical and geographic features of Southern California: the Monolith Cement Plant, San Joaquin and the green hills around the Tehachapi Loop. In the real world, a trip around the railroad line would be 20 miles.
The club opens its doors for public viewing from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays. Kids are welcome, but note that the track is at a viewing height suited for adults, so you’ll likely have to lift up your young train fan to get a good glimpse.
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Roll bright with Venice Electric Light Parade
Venice Parade
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free (just bring your own bike)
Arguably one of L.A.’s least-known and most-beloved traditions, the Venice Electric Light Parade is a weekly two-hour bicycle ride that takes you along the Venice boardwalk to the Santa Monica Pier and then into Venice proper along city streets with a pack of 200 to 300 other wheeled riders. It’s led by event organizer Marcus Gladney, a.k.a. the Captain, who began the tradition back in 2015. You can outfit your own bike with lights or just get to the Venice Boardwalk early and put down $40 with Sebastian “The Light Man” Butler to get your bike wired with festive lights. Or you can rent a prelighted bicycle for $99, a fee that includes a special Venice Electric Light Bike Parade hoodie or shirt. You don’t have to have lights on your bike to ride; in fact, you don’t even have to have a bike — some people use rollerblades, skateboards or scooters — but if you don’t want to put lights on your bike you can wear them on your body or around your head.
To join in the festivities, which take place every Sunday (unless it’s raining), all you need to do is join the folks who begin to gather at Windward Plaza an hour before sunset and start rolling at dusk.
Jeanette Marantos is a former Times staff writer.
Arguably one of L.A.’s least-known and most-beloved traditions, the Venice Electric Light Parade is a weekly two-hour bicycle ride that takes you along the Venice boardwalk to the Santa Monica Pier and then into Venice proper along city streets with a pack of 200 to 300 other wheeled riders. It’s led by event organizer Marcus Gladney, a.k.a. the Captain, who began the tradition back in 2015. You can outfit your own bike with lights or just get to the Venice Boardwalk early and put down $40 with Sebastian “The Light Man” Butler to get your bike wired with festive lights. Or you can rent a prelighted bicycle for $99, a fee that includes a special Venice Electric Light Bike Parade hoodie or shirt. You don’t have to have lights on your bike to ride; in fact, you don’t even have to have a bike — some people use rollerblades, skateboards or scooters — but if you don’t want to put lights on your bike you can wear them on your body or around your head.
To join in the festivities, which take place every Sunday (unless it’s raining), all you need to do is join the folks who begin to gather at Windward Plaza an hour before sunset and start rolling at dusk.
Jeanette Marantos is a former Times staff writer.
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Play a weird, whimsical game at a local library branch
Lincoln Heights Games
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free
Imagine that your local public library is inhabited by an undiscovered race of tiny people. They’ve hidden themselves in the racks, tucked behind books and magazines, amid history and fiction, new media and old. If you’re lucky, you might spy them — or at least their tiny homes, which are filled with minuscule beds, microscopic stools, itty-bitty flowers and furniture fashioned out of found objects such as board game pieces and one-use spice bottles.
Welcome to the Bureau of Nooks and Crannies, an exploration-focused, play-inspired experience found inside the Lincoln Heights branch of the Los Angeles Public Library system. It is but one of many, as the Bureau of Nooks and Crannies is found in libraries in Atwater Village, Baldwin Hills, Chatsworth, Pacoima and Vernon, each location home to a different gamelike endeavor designed to get guests to view their local libraries — and the world outside of them — a little more imaginatively. Some ask us to find books and passages that can inspire us. Others lead us to hollowed-out encyclopedias, home to ghostly index cards full of contemplative prompts that compel us to compose a life’s story in a few sentences.
All Bureau of Nooks and Crannies experiences spring from the mind of Andy Crocker, an L.A.-based artist who specializes in theatrical, experience-driven entertainment, having previously collaborated with the likes of Walt Disney Imagineering and Cedar Fair’s theme parks. Guests are able to check out at the information desk a box filled with instructions and ephemera, such as magnifying glasses, to explore a fanciful tale.
Imagine that your local public library is inhabited by an undiscovered race of tiny people. They’ve hidden themselves in the racks, tucked behind books and magazines, amid history and fiction, new media and old. If you’re lucky, you might spy them — or at least their tiny homes, which are filled with minuscule beds, microscopic stools, itty-bitty flowers and furniture fashioned out of found objects such as board game pieces and one-use spice bottles.
Welcome to the Bureau of Nooks and Crannies, an exploration-focused, play-inspired experience found inside the Lincoln Heights branch of the Los Angeles Public Library system. It is but one of many, as the Bureau of Nooks and Crannies is found in libraries in Atwater Village, Baldwin Hills, Chatsworth, Pacoima and Vernon, each location home to a different gamelike endeavor designed to get guests to view their local libraries — and the world outside of them — a little more imaginatively. Some ask us to find books and passages that can inspire us. Others lead us to hollowed-out encyclopedias, home to ghostly index cards full of contemplative prompts that compel us to compose a life’s story in a few sentences.
All Bureau of Nooks and Crannies experiences spring from the mind of Andy Crocker, an L.A.-based artist who specializes in theatrical, experience-driven entertainment, having previously collaborated with the likes of Walt Disney Imagineering and Cedar Fair’s theme parks. Guests are able to check out at the information desk a box filled with instructions and ephemera, such as magnifying glasses, to explore a fanciful tale.
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Lincoln Heights / Cypress Park Station
Get lost in Santa Monica Pier’s trippy Funhouse
Santa Monica Amusement Park
(Santa Monica Pier)
Cost: $15
While this attraction at Santa Monica Pier’s Pacific Park thrives during Halloween season, it’s a wacky and slightly demented good time year-round. It’s weird, hallucinogenic and more than a tad creepy. The backstory of the 2,800-square-foot Funhouse, installed in 2025, is that Sprinkles the Clown — we told you it was creepy — is working with a fortune teller to lure unsuspecting guests into an ice cream freezer.
Sprinkles’ goal, to say the least, isn’t to have a giant sundae party. Throughout, we’ll get turned around in rooms full of mirrors and disorientating illusions. The Funhouse, designed by experiential group Epic Entertainment Group, also taps into Santa Monica Pier history, as its lore is a nod to an attraction that stood at Ocean Park Pier in the 1920s.
While this attraction at Santa Monica Pier’s Pacific Park thrives during Halloween season, it’s a wacky and slightly demented good time year-round. It’s weird, hallucinogenic and more than a tad creepy. The backstory of the 2,800-square-foot Funhouse, installed in 2025, is that Sprinkles the Clown — we told you it was creepy — is working with a fortune teller to lure unsuspecting guests into an ice cream freezer.
Sprinkles’ goal, to say the least, isn’t to have a giant sundae party. Throughout, we’ll get turned around in rooms full of mirrors and disorientating illusions. The Funhouse, designed by experiential group Epic Entertainment Group, also taps into Santa Monica Pier history, as its lore is a nod to an attraction that stood at Ocean Park Pier in the 1920s.
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Downtown Santa Monica Station
Search for treasure at the Rose Bowl Flea Market
Pasadena Flea market
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $12 admission
When you’re on a budget, shopping “for fun” can be hard. But the Rose Bowl Flea Market makes it easier.
On the second Sunday of every month, as many as 2,500 vendors set up shop in the Pasadena stadium. You’ll find the expected vintage T-shirts and antique home goods, along with eye-popping oddities: Ronald McDonald action figures, life-size Santa Claus statues, bejeweled animal skulls. Food stands offer everything from breakfast burritos to shaved ice.
Bring a tote bag (or a wagon) to collect all of your goodies, a hat to shield yourself from the sun and your bargaining skills.
Looking for more L.A. flea markets? Check out our guide, which also features the Pasadena City College Flea Market and the Melrose Trading Post, a flea-market-meets-people-watching spectacular that occupies the Fairfax High School parking lot every Sunday.
When you’re on a budget, shopping “for fun” can be hard. But the Rose Bowl Flea Market makes it easier.
On the second Sunday of every month, as many as 2,500 vendors set up shop in the Pasadena stadium. You’ll find the expected vintage T-shirts and antique home goods, along with eye-popping oddities: Ronald McDonald action figures, life-size Santa Claus statues, bejeweled animal skulls. Food stands offer everything from breakfast burritos to shaved ice.
Bring a tote bag (or a wagon) to collect all of your goodies, a hat to shield yourself from the sun and your bargaining skills.
Looking for more L.A. flea markets? Check out our guide, which also features the Pasadena City College Flea Market and the Melrose Trading Post, a flea-market-meets-people-watching spectacular that occupies the Fairfax High School parking lot every Sunday.
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Find your way back to yourself at the Peace Labyrinth & Gardens
Jefferson Park Garden
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(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $6
A labyrinth has no wrong or right turns. You simply follow the path to the center and back out. Guests are invited to walk this twisty, stone-carved trail as a moving meditation at the Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens. It’s a calming oasis tucked behind a Beaux-Arts-style mansion in the bustling West Adams district. In this often-frenetic, tech-fueled and traffic-riddled era, a mindful hour here might just lead you back to yourself.
The sprawling, wedding cake-like estate was famously owned by 1920s director-choreographer Busby Berkeley, who lived there with several of his six wives. Today, the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (a non-proselytizing spiritual group) maintains the grounds, which include cascading gardens, shaded alcoves, a reflection pond and, of course, the labyrinth, which is designed to mimic the medieval floor at Chartres Cathedral in France.
While the meditation gardens are currently closed for construction and will reopen this summer, the labyrinth and the house are open for tours. Reserve a time slot online.
A labyrinth has no wrong or right turns. You simply follow the path to the center and back out. Guests are invited to walk this twisty, stone-carved trail as a moving meditation at the Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens. It’s a calming oasis tucked behind a Beaux-Arts-style mansion in the bustling West Adams district. In this often-frenetic, tech-fueled and traffic-riddled era, a mindful hour here might just lead you back to yourself.
The sprawling, wedding cake-like estate was famously owned by 1920s director-choreographer Busby Berkeley, who lived there with several of his six wives. Today, the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (a non-proselytizing spiritual group) maintains the grounds, which include cascading gardens, shaded alcoves, a reflection pond and, of course, the labyrinth, which is designed to mimic the medieval floor at Chartres Cathedral in France.
While the meditation gardens are currently closed for construction and will reopen this summer, the labyrinth and the house are open for tours. Reserve a time slot online.
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Expo / Crenshaw E-Line Station
See Los Angeles via the City Hall observation deck
Downtown L.A. L.A. History
(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free
Downtown has no shortage of rooftop restaurants offering grand views and delectable bites. But one needn’t be splurging for brunch, a date or a business lunch to enjoy some downtown panoramas. Get a glimpse of L.A. history by visiting the Art Deco landmark that is City Hall and visit the 27th floor observation deck, where one can walk all sides of the building for a full 360-degree view of Los Angeles.
One can linger looking for historical or recognizable sites, as the deck is open as long as City Hall is open.
While it’s free to visit, one will need to do so on a weekday, excluding holidays, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. And since the center of the space is sometimes used for events or press conferences, guests are advised to call ahead: (213) 473-3231.
Downtown has no shortage of rooftop restaurants offering grand views and delectable bites. But one needn’t be splurging for brunch, a date or a business lunch to enjoy some downtown panoramas. Get a glimpse of L.A. history by visiting the Art Deco landmark that is City Hall and visit the 27th floor observation deck, where one can walk all sides of the building for a full 360-degree view of Los Angeles.
One can linger looking for historical or recognizable sites, as the deck is open as long as City Hall is open.
While it’s free to visit, one will need to do so on a weekday, excluding holidays, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. And since the center of the space is sometimes used for events or press conferences, guests are advised to call ahead: (213) 473-3231.
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Civic Center / Grand Park Station
Hon. John J. Kennedy pool
Pasadena Public Swimming Pool
(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times )
With views of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Hon. John J. Kennedy pool makes you feel like you’re on vacation — not doing laps at a city pool. Located just a few miles from the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center’s Olympic-sized pools, the much smaller Pasadena pool, which opened in 2023, offers an affordable, relaxed place to swim.
The 25-foot-long pool has four lanes and is heated to 90 degrees, which may feel a bit warm to some. Still, the atmosphere is welcoming, with friendly staff and lifeguards, pop music reverberating throughout the deck, and no-nonsense amenities like outdoor showers and family-friendly, gender-neutral bathrooms with changing tables. The pool is open year-round and offers lap swimming, water aerobics, swim lessons and recreational swimming for all ages. There’s a gently sloped walk-in entry for easy access for kids and seniors and a 9-foot-deep end for lifeguard training. While shade is limited on the deck, a few canopies over the bleachers offer a place to cool off, watch your kids or just pretend you’re worlds away from it all.
Size: 25-meter pool spanning 4,141 square feet.
Swim lanes: 4
Depth: Zero-depth entry to 9 feet deep.
Admission: $5 for lap swimming ($2 for Pasadena residents)
Parking: Free.
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 7:50 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Recreation Swim (free to the public): 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Lap swimming and water fitness: 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday (water exercise also has an evening session from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.); 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday.
The 25-foot-long pool has four lanes and is heated to 90 degrees, which may feel a bit warm to some. Still, the atmosphere is welcoming, with friendly staff and lifeguards, pop music reverberating throughout the deck, and no-nonsense amenities like outdoor showers and family-friendly, gender-neutral bathrooms with changing tables. The pool is open year-round and offers lap swimming, water aerobics, swim lessons and recreational swimming for all ages. There’s a gently sloped walk-in entry for easy access for kids and seniors and a 9-foot-deep end for lifeguard training. While shade is limited on the deck, a few canopies over the bleachers offer a place to cool off, watch your kids or just pretend you’re worlds away from it all.
Size: 25-meter pool spanning 4,141 square feet.
Swim lanes: 4
Depth: Zero-depth entry to 9 feet deep.
Admission: $5 for lap swimming ($2 for Pasadena residents)
Parking: Free.
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 7:50 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Recreation Swim (free to the public): 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Lap swimming and water fitness: 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday (water exercise also has an evening session from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.); 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday.
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Behold the tranquil waterfall at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Arcadia Botanic Garden
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $18; $14 seniors/students, $8 ages 5-12, members and children 4 and younger are free.
You’ll find plenty of beautiful places to wander at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, such as the aquatic gardens that include the Meyberg Waterfall, the Meadowbrook Garden (filled with deciduous trees whose colorful blooms and leaves change every season as well as evergreens), the tropical greenhouse with thousands of orchids, and the plantings grouped by geography — South American, Mediterranean, South African, Australian and Asiatic-North American.
Keep your eye out for the peacocks that nonchalantly roam throughout the gardens — they’re descendants of the three birds imported by Rancho Santa Anita’s last owner, Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin. There are historic buildings as well, such as the relocated Santa Anita Depot and the Queen Anne Cottage built by Baldwin.
Jeanette Marantos is a former Times staff writer.
You’ll find plenty of beautiful places to wander at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, such as the aquatic gardens that include the Meyberg Waterfall, the Meadowbrook Garden (filled with deciduous trees whose colorful blooms and leaves change every season as well as evergreens), the tropical greenhouse with thousands of orchids, and the plantings grouped by geography — South American, Mediterranean, South African, Australian and Asiatic-North American.
Keep your eye out for the peacocks that nonchalantly roam throughout the gardens — they’re descendants of the three birds imported by Rancho Santa Anita’s last owner, Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin. There are historic buildings as well, such as the relocated Santa Anita Depot and the Queen Anne Cottage built by Baldwin.
Jeanette Marantos is a former Times staff writer.
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Tour the Lummis Home, a rustic, Craftsman-style mini mansion built with river rock
Mount Washington Historical Landmark
(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free self-guided tours
This rustic mini-mansion made of Arroyo Seco river rock, mortar and telephone poles is an architectural oddity, a combination of Craftsman ideals, Pueblo building traditions and quirky Mission Revival features from two decades before “Mission Revival” was a thing in L.A. Its uniqueness is a perfect reflection of its idiosyncratic first owner: Charles Lummis, a writer, photographer, Native American advocate, early preservationist and city librarian who once traveled from Cincinnati to L.A. on foot to accept an editorship at the Los Angeles Times.
Lummis built his home by hand over a period of 15 years, with the help of a constant stream of Indigenous kids from the Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico. The floors are all concrete so that they could be easily hosed down after one of the endless parties that Lummis threw at the house (he called them “noises”). Wander around the bountiful gardens and imagine what it must have been like to spend time here before the 110 Freeway was constructed, just steps away.
And did you know this? Embedded into the window frame in the living room are negatives from photographs that Lummis took during his travels around the Southwest.
The Lummis Home is open for self-guided tours from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Docents from the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks are usually there to answer questions.
This rustic mini-mansion made of Arroyo Seco river rock, mortar and telephone poles is an architectural oddity, a combination of Craftsman ideals, Pueblo building traditions and quirky Mission Revival features from two decades before “Mission Revival” was a thing in L.A. Its uniqueness is a perfect reflection of its idiosyncratic first owner: Charles Lummis, a writer, photographer, Native American advocate, early preservationist and city librarian who once traveled from Cincinnati to L.A. on foot to accept an editorship at the Los Angeles Times.
Lummis built his home by hand over a period of 15 years, with the help of a constant stream of Indigenous kids from the Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico. The floors are all concrete so that they could be easily hosed down after one of the endless parties that Lummis threw at the house (he called them “noises”). Wander around the bountiful gardens and imagine what it must have been like to spend time here before the 110 Freeway was constructed, just steps away.
And did you know this? Embedded into the window frame in the living room are negatives from photographs that Lummis took during his travels around the Southwest.
The Lummis Home is open for self-guided tours from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Docents from the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks are usually there to answer questions.
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Southwest Museum Station
Take a self-guided audio tour of Walt Disney Concert Hall
Downtown L.A. Concert Hall
(Marsha Takeda-Morrison)
Cost: Free
If you’re only going to the Walt Disney Concert Hall to hear one of Gustavo Dudamel’s finale concerts, you’re missing out. A self-guided audio tour, narrated by actor John Lithgow, offers insider details about the iconic building, like Frank Gehry’s architectural plans and the genius gadget that cleans the curved steel structure. (It’s more compelling than it sounds, we swear.)
Although the tour doesn’t give you access to the main concert hall, you will be guided to a wondrous part of the building you might not know exists: the rooftop Blue Ribbon Garden. This tranquil, tree-shaded space features a meditation labyrinth, a lush variety of plants and flowers and an outdoor children’s theater. At its center is a fountain, A Rose for Lily, that was a collaboration between Gehry and Lillian Disney, who was a major benefactor of the Walt Disney Concert Hall project. After the hourlong tour, relax on one of the many benches scattered in the garden, cue up some L.A. Phil on your phone and enjoy the gorgeous views of downtown L.A.
Tours run daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. via your smartphone or a Podcatcher device that you can check out in the lobby of the concert hall. No reservations required. Dates and times may vary — check the schedule for blackout dates.
If you’re only going to the Walt Disney Concert Hall to hear one of Gustavo Dudamel’s finale concerts, you’re missing out. A self-guided audio tour, narrated by actor John Lithgow, offers insider details about the iconic building, like Frank Gehry’s architectural plans and the genius gadget that cleans the curved steel structure. (It’s more compelling than it sounds, we swear.)
Although the tour doesn’t give you access to the main concert hall, you will be guided to a wondrous part of the building you might not know exists: the rooftop Blue Ribbon Garden. This tranquil, tree-shaded space features a meditation labyrinth, a lush variety of plants and flowers and an outdoor children’s theater. At its center is a fountain, A Rose for Lily, that was a collaboration between Gehry and Lillian Disney, who was a major benefactor of the Walt Disney Concert Hall project. After the hourlong tour, relax on one of the many benches scattered in the garden, cue up some L.A. Phil on your phone and enjoy the gorgeous views of downtown L.A.
Tours run daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. via your smartphone or a Podcatcher device that you can check out in the lobby of the concert hall. No reservations required. Dates and times may vary — check the schedule for blackout dates.
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Grand Ave Arts / Bunker Hill Station
Level up and settle scores at Player One
North Hollywood Arcade
(Gerard Burkhart / For The Times)
Cost: 25 cents to $1.50 a game
Whatever arcade game you grew up playing, chances are you’ll likely find it here. Pinball options include “Austin Powers,” Monopoly and “Jaws”-themed machines. Bowling? Try Lane Master. Basketball? There’s NBA Hoops. Need a Nintendo fix? Take a seat and grab the wheel at one of the Mario Kart Arcade GP machines or get it on like Donkey Kong. The dot eaters get their due and then some with a Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man machine (fun fact: Her first name is Pepper) and a giant-screen, wall-mounted, four-player version called Pac-Man: Battle Royale. And then there’s the T-Rex-topped, two-seat “Jurassic Park” climb-in cabinet with a 55-inch screen and mounted pair of tranquilizer guns beckoning near the door.
This retro-nostalgic, 21+ environment has an important thing the arcades of your youth (probably) didn’t have: booze. So feel free to level up with a cheeky themed cocktail like the Pinkie Paloma or Mega Man Mezcal. It also offers humorously themed game nights like a recent “Severance” Bingo (“all blue bingo cards necessary for refining your data file”) or Tuesday trivia nights.
Whatever arcade game you grew up playing, chances are you’ll likely find it here. Pinball options include “Austin Powers,” Monopoly and “Jaws”-themed machines. Bowling? Try Lane Master. Basketball? There’s NBA Hoops. Need a Nintendo fix? Take a seat and grab the wheel at one of the Mario Kart Arcade GP machines or get it on like Donkey Kong. The dot eaters get their due and then some with a Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man machine (fun fact: Her first name is Pepper) and a giant-screen, wall-mounted, four-player version called Pac-Man: Battle Royale. And then there’s the T-Rex-topped, two-seat “Jurassic Park” climb-in cabinet with a 55-inch screen and mounted pair of tranquilizer guns beckoning near the door.
This retro-nostalgic, 21+ environment has an important thing the arcades of your youth (probably) didn’t have: booze. So feel free to level up with a cheeky themed cocktail like the Pinkie Paloma or Mega Man Mezcal. It also offers humorously themed game nights like a recent “Severance” Bingo (“all blue bingo cards necessary for refining your data file”) or Tuesday trivia nights.
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North Hollywood Station
Wander through an immersive fairy land at Secret Forest L.A.
Burbank Shop
(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles times )
Cost: Free
Karina Konupek and her husband, Ed Bowlby, started the Secret Forest L.A. as a tribute to their mothers, who passed away within a year of each other. Over time, it has grown into a magical community space where, as they put it, “creativity can bloom, where peace can be found and where joy can be rediscovered.”
Located in Burbank’s Magnolia Park shopping district, the retail space is an immersive environment lovingly created by the couple. Konupek designs the art, while Bowlby, a landscape designer, takes care of the plants. The space features hand-built trees that open to reveal fairies and gnomes, along with flower pendants hanging from clouds on the ceiling.
The couple invites everyone to slow down and explore. Visitors can pick an oracle card from a deck and reflect on an intention. They can also relax on one of the couches in the “forest” or in a cave filled with sparkling amethyst geodes.
Karina Konupek and her husband, Ed Bowlby, started the Secret Forest L.A. as a tribute to their mothers, who passed away within a year of each other. Over time, it has grown into a magical community space where, as they put it, “creativity can bloom, where peace can be found and where joy can be rediscovered.”
Located in Burbank’s Magnolia Park shopping district, the retail space is an immersive environment lovingly created by the couple. Konupek designs the art, while Bowlby, a landscape designer, takes care of the plants. The space features hand-built trees that open to reveal fairies and gnomes, along with flower pendants hanging from clouds on the ceiling.
The couple invites everyone to slow down and explore. Visitors can pick an oracle card from a deck and reflect on an intention. They can also relax on one of the couches in the “forest” or in a cave filled with sparkling amethyst geodes.
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Go on a Zen journey through the awe-inspiring Hsi Lai Temple
Hacienda Heights Experience
(Jean Trinh)
Cost: Free
High up in the hills of Hacienda Heights is one of the largest Buddhist temples in the United States — and one of the most Zen experiences you can have in Southern California. The Hsi Lai Temple sits on 15 acres of land with a layout of prodigious temples and gardens in the shape of a Bodhi leaf as an homage to the tree Buddha sat under and meditated until he reached enlightenment.
The temple is free to enter, and visitors can take themselves on self-guided tours. Start at the information center, where you can get a map and tour booklet, and complimentary tea or coffee. If you time your visit to lunch (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.), you can also enjoy the temple’s popular $10 all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet. Check the website for the temple’s dress code.
High up in the hills of Hacienda Heights is one of the largest Buddhist temples in the United States — and one of the most Zen experiences you can have in Southern California. The Hsi Lai Temple sits on 15 acres of land with a layout of prodigious temples and gardens in the shape of a Bodhi leaf as an homage to the tree Buddha sat under and meditated until he reached enlightenment.
The temple is free to enter, and visitors can take themselves on self-guided tours. Start at the information center, where you can get a map and tour booklet, and complimentary tea or coffee. If you time your visit to lunch (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.), you can also enjoy the temple’s popular $10 all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet. Check the website for the temple’s dress code.
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Relax with live jazz and a latte at Jones Coffee Roasters
Pasadena Coffee shop
(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times )
Cost: Free, donations accepted
The family-run Jones Coffee Roaster coffeehouse in Pasadena’s warehouse district has been welcoming guests since 2006, when customers began bringing their own chairs to the roastery so they could sit and talk with friends while enjoying their coffee. The retail space and roastery are filled with colorful art, mismatched furniture and playful neon signs that add to its lively ambience. There’s also a great lineup of live entertainment, making it easy to enjoy music while you work on your laptop or catch up with friends over coffee.
On Mondays from 9 to 10 a.m., the jazz trio Triple Shot performs, sometimes with a surprise vocalist. Tuesdays feature the Coffee Shop Jazz Trio with modern jazz and Latin fusion from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Jazz pianist Larry Garf plays vintage jazz and classic blues from 9 to 10 a.m. every Friday, and recently, customers even danced along to resident accordionist Stanley Oropesa. Jenny and the Jazzbirds from South Pasadena play blues, funk, and jazz on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon, and on Sundays, the Gold Line Jazz Collective with cool jazz from 10 a.m. to noon. For the full schedule, check the website.
The family-run Jones Coffee Roaster coffeehouse in Pasadena’s warehouse district has been welcoming guests since 2006, when customers began bringing their own chairs to the roastery so they could sit and talk with friends while enjoying their coffee. The retail space and roastery are filled with colorful art, mismatched furniture and playful neon signs that add to its lively ambience. There’s also a great lineup of live entertainment, making it easy to enjoy music while you work on your laptop or catch up with friends over coffee.
On Mondays from 9 to 10 a.m., the jazz trio Triple Shot performs, sometimes with a surprise vocalist. Tuesdays feature the Coffee Shop Jazz Trio with modern jazz and Latin fusion from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Jazz pianist Larry Garf plays vintage jazz and classic blues from 9 to 10 a.m. every Friday, and recently, customers even danced along to resident accordionist Stanley Oropesa. Jenny and the Jazzbirds from South Pasadena play blues, funk, and jazz on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon, and on Sundays, the Gold Line Jazz Collective with cool jazz from 10 a.m. to noon. For the full schedule, check the website.
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Fillmore Station
Bask in the simplicity of a round of mini golf at Castle Park
Sherman Oaks City park
(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times )
Cost: Miniature golf is $8 to $12, and you can replay the same day for just $5. Batting cage sessions are $6 for 25 pitches.
If you have kids, you may have been to a birthday party at this longtime family-fun center near the 101 and 405 interchange in Sherman Oaks. The park has three 18-hole miniature golf courses with fairy-tale decor, including a windmill, candy house, magic castle, and a haunted house with “Psycho” vibes. There’s also a batting cage in the front parking lot that offers pitching speeds from 40 to 80 miles per hour. Inside the “castle,” the arcade has a cafe with kid-friendly staples like soft pretzels, pizza, chicken tenders and French fries. The park is busy on weekends and is a popular date-night spot, but it’s much quieter during the week if you want to relax with a slice of pizza and a round of miniature golf without breaking the bank.
If you have kids, you may have been to a birthday party at this longtime family-fun center near the 101 and 405 interchange in Sherman Oaks. The park has three 18-hole miniature golf courses with fairy-tale decor, including a windmill, candy house, magic castle, and a haunted house with “Psycho” vibes. There’s also a batting cage in the front parking lot that offers pitching speeds from 40 to 80 miles per hour. Inside the “castle,” the arcade has a cafe with kid-friendly staples like soft pretzels, pizza, chicken tenders and French fries. The park is busy on weekends and is a popular date-night spot, but it’s much quieter during the week if you want to relax with a slice of pizza and a round of miniature golf without breaking the bank.
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Catch the ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ at the Art Theater
Long Beach Movie Theater
(Bora Chan / For The Times)
Cost: $15 for movie tickets
The 100-year-old Art Theater on Long Beach’s Retro Row was bought and restored using original blueprints by Kerstin Kansteiner and her husband, Jan Robert van Dijs, in 2007. The only change they made was installing a digital projector.
Like other independent movie houses in L.A., the Art hosts lively screenings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which, if you ask anyone who has gone, is more of a stage show with a “shadow cast” that encourages audience participation. Independent films, documentaries and revivals of classics like “Pulp Fiction” round out its programming. A particular treat for cinephiles are the nights when silent movies are screened as a live orchestra plays the soundtrack.
Kansteiner, a legend in Retro Row, also owns Art du Vin, the wine bar next door. The connection means you are allowed to bring the wine and any items you buy there into the theater with you.
The 100-year-old Art Theater on Long Beach’s Retro Row was bought and restored using original blueprints by Kerstin Kansteiner and her husband, Jan Robert van Dijs, in 2007. The only change they made was installing a digital projector.
Like other independent movie houses in L.A., the Art hosts lively screenings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which, if you ask anyone who has gone, is more of a stage show with a “shadow cast” that encourages audience participation. Independent films, documentaries and revivals of classics like “Pulp Fiction” round out its programming. A particular treat for cinephiles are the nights when silent movies are screened as a live orchestra plays the soundtrack.
Kansteiner, a legend in Retro Row, also owns Art du Vin, the wine bar next door. The connection means you are allowed to bring the wine and any items you buy there into the theater with you.
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View marine life at the edge of the pier at Roundhouse Aquarium
Aquarium
(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
Cost: Free with a suggested donation of $5 per person or $10 per family
The picturesque Manhattan Beach Pier, with its turquoise railings, is the image that pops into most people’s heads when they think of the city. A beach day here wouldn’t be complete without a stroll down its wide walkway. But what is that circular building at its terminus? It’s the Roundhouse Aquarium, a place where kids and grown-ups can explore a touch tank with starfish and get spooked by large eel and jellyfish tanks.
The aquarium is staffed by local volunteers, who can answer questions about the area’s aquatic wildlife and ecological challenges and innovations. One exhibit depicts how long different pieces of refuse take to biodegrade (or not) in the ocean. A peephole in the floor gives a glimpse of the ocean, integrating the aquarium with its natural environment.
The picturesque Manhattan Beach Pier, with its turquoise railings, is the image that pops into most people’s heads when they think of the city. A beach day here wouldn’t be complete without a stroll down its wide walkway. But what is that circular building at its terminus? It’s the Roundhouse Aquarium, a place where kids and grown-ups can explore a touch tank with starfish and get spooked by large eel and jellyfish tanks.
The aquarium is staffed by local volunteers, who can answer questions about the area’s aquatic wildlife and ecological challenges and innovations. One exhibit depicts how long different pieces of refuse take to biodegrade (or not) in the ocean. A peephole in the floor gives a glimpse of the ocean, integrating the aquarium with its natural environment.
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Take in the sights (and smells) of the La Brea Tar Pits
Mid-Wilshire Museum
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $18 to visit the museum, admission to the park and tar pits is free
If you grew up around Los Angeles, you’ve probably been to the La Brea Tar Pits on countless field trips, but this enduring scientific wonder in the middle of the city is always worth another visit. After all, where else can you find a pool of bubbling tar that has perfectly preserved ice age animals, plants and insects from the last 50,000 years?
In front of the museum, check out the still-bubbling Lake Pit, where you’ll see an installation that depicts a baby mammoth watching one of its parents drown in the tar. Then, once you’re thoroughly bummed out, take a break from the tar on the lush premises — there’s plenty of grass and space for picnics and general frolicking.
If you grew up around Los Angeles, you’ve probably been to the La Brea Tar Pits on countless field trips, but this enduring scientific wonder in the middle of the city is always worth another visit. After all, where else can you find a pool of bubbling tar that has perfectly preserved ice age animals, plants and insects from the last 50,000 years?
In front of the museum, check out the still-bubbling Lake Pit, where you’ll see an installation that depicts a baby mammoth watching one of its parents drown in the tar. Then, once you’re thoroughly bummed out, take a break from the tar on the lush premises — there’s plenty of grass and space for picnics and general frolicking.
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Wilshire / Fairfax Station
Speculate what really happened in 1929 on a tour of Greystone Mansion
Beverly Hills Historical Landmark
(Iris Schneider / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $8 for Beverly Hills residents, $10 for nonresidents and must be purchased in advance.
Looking for something macabre to do? Consider visiting the 55-room Greystone Mansion and Gardens in Beverly Hills where oil tycoon Edward Doheny was found murdered in 1929 along with, and perhaps by, his secretary Hugh Plunkett. (Speculation continues to this day.)
The mansion is worth a visit even without the dark history. Architect Gordon B. Kaufmann designed the building, mixing Tudor and Jacobean styles, using stone arches and vaulted ceilings “on the grandest possible scale,” in the words of architectural historians David Gebhard and Robert Winter.
It’s one of SoCal’s most popular filming locations (“There Will Be Blood” and “The Big Lebowski,” among many others) and it’s a public park.
The grounds, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. (depending on the season), include several water features. Self-guided indoor tours of the first floor and theater are available on Saturday or Sunday during the first weekend of each month.
Looking for something macabre to do? Consider visiting the 55-room Greystone Mansion and Gardens in Beverly Hills where oil tycoon Edward Doheny was found murdered in 1929 along with, and perhaps by, his secretary Hugh Plunkett. (Speculation continues to this day.)
The mansion is worth a visit even without the dark history. Architect Gordon B. Kaufmann designed the building, mixing Tudor and Jacobean styles, using stone arches and vaulted ceilings “on the grandest possible scale,” in the words of architectural historians David Gebhard and Robert Winter.
It’s one of SoCal’s most popular filming locations (“There Will Be Blood” and “The Big Lebowski,” among many others) and it’s a public park.
The grounds, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. (depending on the season), include several water features. Self-guided indoor tours of the first floor and theater are available on Saturday or Sunday during the first weekend of each month.
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Try ‘Yoga on the Mountain’ at King Gillette Ranch
Calabasas Yoga
(Western National Parks Assn.)
Cost: Free
On the last Saturday of each month, teachers Dawn Geer and Greg Thiry lead an hourlong Kundalini yoga class on Saturday mornings at King Gillette Ranch, a nearly 600-acre expanse of parkland nestled in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains between Malibu and Calabasas.
True to the practice of Kundalini, this class incorporates intentional breathwork, chanting and selective pressurization of certain areas of the body, like the forehead or stomach, all under a canopy of sycamore trees. Geer and Thiry play live acoustic instruments at the end of the class, making it an extra-special experience.
The class is co-sponsored by the National Park Service and Western National Parks Assn. and is free, but you’ll want to sign up ahead of time on Eventbrite. Afterward, you can wander the grounds of King Gillette Ranch, which is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
On the last Saturday of each month, teachers Dawn Geer and Greg Thiry lead an hourlong Kundalini yoga class on Saturday mornings at King Gillette Ranch, a nearly 600-acre expanse of parkland nestled in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains between Malibu and Calabasas.
True to the practice of Kundalini, this class incorporates intentional breathwork, chanting and selective pressurization of certain areas of the body, like the forehead or stomach, all under a canopy of sycamore trees. Geer and Thiry play live acoustic instruments at the end of the class, making it an extra-special experience.
The class is co-sponsored by the National Park Service and Western National Parks Assn. and is free, but you’ll want to sign up ahead of time on Eventbrite. Afterward, you can wander the grounds of King Gillette Ranch, which is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
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Lounge like a silent-film star at the Annenberg Community Beach House
Santa Monica Beach House
(Kendra Frankle / For The Times)
Cost: $10 pool pass (sold only in person on a first-come, first-served basis)
In the 1920s, newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst snapped up 15 beach lots on this narrow sliver of land between the Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Monica State Beach and built a love nest for his mistress, silent-film actor Marion Davies. At its height, the compound included a William Flannery-designed Georgian Revival main house and four other homes, boasting a total of 110 bedrooms and 55 bathrooms. Residents and guests were tended to by a retinue of 30 full-time servants.
Today, the property is owned by the state and leased to the city of Santa Monica. It is home to a beachside facility that includes volleyball courts, changing rooms and a community events space. While most of the evidence of that era is long gone, two things remain: a single building — known as the Guest House — and an elaborately tiled pool, both designed by famed architect Julia Morgan. The former is open for tours (free, Friday through Monday, noon to 2 p.m.), but it’s the latter that makes this the ideal place to head to for a you-can-have-it-all beach excursion between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
That’s because, if you’re lucky enough to score a $10 pool pass, you’ll have access to the very same pool where Davies hosted the likes of Charlie Chaplin, restored to its Gold Coast glory, complete with green and white marble decking, mosaic pool-bottom tiles and an exquisite hand-painted decorative fish motif. And should you wish to leave your lounger in the lap of luxury — even briefly — you’re just steps from the sand and a few more steps from the Pacific Ocean. It’s the best of both worlds. No affair with a newspaper magnate required.
In the 1920s, newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst snapped up 15 beach lots on this narrow sliver of land between the Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Monica State Beach and built a love nest for his mistress, silent-film actor Marion Davies. At its height, the compound included a William Flannery-designed Georgian Revival main house and four other homes, boasting a total of 110 bedrooms and 55 bathrooms. Residents and guests were tended to by a retinue of 30 full-time servants.
Today, the property is owned by the state and leased to the city of Santa Monica. It is home to a beachside facility that includes volleyball courts, changing rooms and a community events space. While most of the evidence of that era is long gone, two things remain: a single building — known as the Guest House — and an elaborately tiled pool, both designed by famed architect Julia Morgan. The former is open for tours (free, Friday through Monday, noon to 2 p.m.), but it’s the latter that makes this the ideal place to head to for a you-can-have-it-all beach excursion between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
That’s because, if you’re lucky enough to score a $10 pool pass, you’ll have access to the very same pool where Davies hosted the likes of Charlie Chaplin, restored to its Gold Coast glory, complete with green and white marble decking, mosaic pool-bottom tiles and an exquisite hand-painted decorative fish motif. And should you wish to leave your lounger in the lap of luxury — even briefly — you’re just steps from the sand and a few more steps from the Pacific Ocean. It’s the best of both worlds. No affair with a newspaper magnate required.
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Watch a glorious 35mm film at the historic Vista Theater
Los Feliz Experience
(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Tickets start at $11
L.A. wouldn’t be complete without its historic movie palaces — and the Vista Theater in Los Feliz is one of the most iconic ones. The single-screen 400-seater, which was built in 1923, has all the makings for an immersive nostalgic cinema experience. Lewis A. Smith, the architect who designed the building, modeled the exterior after the Spanish Mission style, and added Art Deco flourishes in the Egyptian-inspired interior (complete with pharaoh masks adorning the walls). Hollywood touches like cement handprints and footprints from the likes of Martin Landau, Danny Trejo and Sarah Jessica Parker line the entrance floor like a mini-TCL Chinese Theatre.
The Vista closed in 2020 due to the pandemic and it felt like a major loss for the city until filmmaker Quentin Tarantino purchased and renovated it, and then brought it back to life in 2023. With an updated audio system and new projectors, the theater now only plays first-run and classic films in 35mm and 70mm.
L.A. wouldn’t be complete without its historic movie palaces — and the Vista Theater in Los Feliz is one of the most iconic ones. The single-screen 400-seater, which was built in 1923, has all the makings for an immersive nostalgic cinema experience. Lewis A. Smith, the architect who designed the building, modeled the exterior after the Spanish Mission style, and added Art Deco flourishes in the Egyptian-inspired interior (complete with pharaoh masks adorning the walls). Hollywood touches like cement handprints and footprints from the likes of Martin Landau, Danny Trejo and Sarah Jessica Parker line the entrance floor like a mini-TCL Chinese Theatre.
The Vista closed in 2020 due to the pandemic and it felt like a major loss for the city until filmmaker Quentin Tarantino purchased and renovated it, and then brought it back to life in 2023. With an updated audio system and new projectors, the theater now only plays first-run and classic films in 35mm and 70mm.
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Vermont / Sunset Station
Sit in the pilot's seat on a virtual flight at the Museum of Flying
Santa Monica Museum
(Kendra Frankle / For The Times)
Cost: $10. It’s an additional $8 to try the MaxFlight similator.
The nose section of a FedEx delivery plane jutting out of the side of a hangar-like building. A red, white and blue DC-3 held aloft on a concrete pedestal. A cluster of fighter jets in a parking lot. These aircraft, as eye-catching as they are, merely hint at the collection of winged wonderment to be found just inside the corrugated metal facade of this museum located at Santa Monica Airport. Arranged roughly chronologically from the Wright brothers’ early flight to space travel, the collection in the two-story space (built on the collection of Douglas Aircraft Co. founder Donald W. Douglas Sr.) is a hodgepodge of artifacts, movie props (several from “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”) and who’s who of American flight.
Its strongest suit is showcasing Southern California’s — and Santa Monica’s in particular — contributions to aviation. One exhibit explains how a Douglas factory in Santa Monica was camouflaged as a fake town to protect it from aerial attacks during World War II. Another consists of a slender plank of wood in a glass case that looks unremarkable — until you realize you’re staring at a piece of Howard Hughes’ famed H-4 Hercules, better known as the Spruce Goose.
On select Sundays, the museum operates the blue and yellow gondola-shaped MaxFlight simulator (call ahead to make sure it’s up and running). One of the museum’s big draws, it can put you in the virtual pilot seat for pleasure flights or aerial combat sorties alike.
The nose section of a FedEx delivery plane jutting out of the side of a hangar-like building. A red, white and blue DC-3 held aloft on a concrete pedestal. A cluster of fighter jets in a parking lot. These aircraft, as eye-catching as they are, merely hint at the collection of winged wonderment to be found just inside the corrugated metal facade of this museum located at Santa Monica Airport. Arranged roughly chronologically from the Wright brothers’ early flight to space travel, the collection in the two-story space (built on the collection of Douglas Aircraft Co. founder Donald W. Douglas Sr.) is a hodgepodge of artifacts, movie props (several from “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”) and who’s who of American flight.
Its strongest suit is showcasing Southern California’s — and Santa Monica’s in particular — contributions to aviation. One exhibit explains how a Douglas factory in Santa Monica was camouflaged as a fake town to protect it from aerial attacks during World War II. Another consists of a slender plank of wood in a glass case that looks unremarkable — until you realize you’re staring at a piece of Howard Hughes’ famed H-4 Hercules, better known as the Spruce Goose.
On select Sundays, the museum operates the blue and yellow gondola-shaped MaxFlight simulator (call ahead to make sure it’s up and running). One of the museum’s big draws, it can put you in the virtual pilot seat for pleasure flights or aerial combat sorties alike.
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Cycle alongside charming public art on the Chandler Bikeway
North Hollywood Trail
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(Malia Mendez / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free
Paved atop the long-abandoned tracks of the Burbank Branch Railroad, the Chandler Bikeway has been a Valley mainstay for the last two decades. On any given day, walkers, cyclists and casual runners alike can be seen making their way down this windy suburban path, some slowing their pace as they pass a collection of murals running from Vineland to Cahuenga. Save for the graffiti, these pieces might just as well be found in a contemporary art museum. In any case, the path’s surrounding landscape is visually satisfying enough, with low succulents and tipu trees on one side and neighborhood gems like the Iliad Bookshop on the other.
If you haven’t greased your bike wheels in a while, grab a Metro bike from one of the several Metro Bike Share stations across North Hollywood. (Pro tip: An e-bike is only $1 extra.) For a short and sweet ride with a reward, hop on a bike at the North Hollywood Metro Station, cruise down to Cahuenga and return your ride at the cache across the street from MidcenturyLA before heading down the road to Cahuenga General Store for a sandwich. Better yet, pack it for a picnic at the nearby Whitnall Highway Park North.
Paved atop the long-abandoned tracks of the Burbank Branch Railroad, the Chandler Bikeway has been a Valley mainstay for the last two decades. On any given day, walkers, cyclists and casual runners alike can be seen making their way down this windy suburban path, some slowing their pace as they pass a collection of murals running from Vineland to Cahuenga. Save for the graffiti, these pieces might just as well be found in a contemporary art museum. In any case, the path’s surrounding landscape is visually satisfying enough, with low succulents and tipu trees on one side and neighborhood gems like the Iliad Bookshop on the other.
If you haven’t greased your bike wheels in a while, grab a Metro bike from one of the several Metro Bike Share stations across North Hollywood. (Pro tip: An e-bike is only $1 extra.) For a short and sweet ride with a reward, hop on a bike at the North Hollywood Metro Station, cruise down to Cahuenga and return your ride at the cache across the street from MidcenturyLA before heading down the road to Cahuenga General Store for a sandwich. Better yet, pack it for a picnic at the nearby Whitnall Highway Park North.
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North Hollywood Station
Go on a grunion run led by the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
San Pedro Aquarium
(Luis Sinco)
Cost: Aquarium entrance is free with a suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for children and seniors. Grunion run tickets are $10 and free for members.
For those looking for a low-stakes excursion — particularly families with young kids — the Frank Gehry-designed Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is a reliable bet. It’s a manageable size (a fraction of Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific across the bridge), admission is donation-based and there’s a beach with a playground just across the parking lot.
In the rocky shores area, visitors can gather around the recently renovated touch tank to feel sea stars and prickly urchins. In a building across the way, kids can wiggle through a “crawl-in” aquarium where they’ll be surrounded by sting rays and octopuses.
One of the aquarium’s quintessential events is the annual grunion run, in which people gather at night, around the time of the new moon, to see the beach covered in a blanket of silvery fish that have arrived to spawn. Runs typically happen between March and August, and Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is one of the only organizations in Southern California to offer a guided grunion run program.
For those looking for a low-stakes excursion — particularly families with young kids — the Frank Gehry-designed Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is a reliable bet. It’s a manageable size (a fraction of Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific across the bridge), admission is donation-based and there’s a beach with a playground just across the parking lot.
In the rocky shores area, visitors can gather around the recently renovated touch tank to feel sea stars and prickly urchins. In a building across the way, kids can wiggle through a “crawl-in” aquarium where they’ll be surrounded by sting rays and octopuses.
One of the aquarium’s quintessential events is the annual grunion run, in which people gather at night, around the time of the new moon, to see the beach covered in a blanket of silvery fish that have arrived to spawn. Runs typically happen between March and August, and Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is one of the only organizations in Southern California to offer a guided grunion run program.
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Score rare finds at bargain prices in the enchanting world of L.A. estate sales
Estate sale
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(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Entrance is typically free, but some sales may charge a fee
Every week, there are at least a few estate sales, also sometimes called “tag sales,” happening in L.A. where you can shop (or window shop) for celebrity treasures and vintage finds from everyday people and/or defunct businesses. Looking for a formal gown from a specific era or a couch for your new apartment? Consider checking out an estate sale before dropping big bucks at a big-box store.
Read our guide to finding true gems at the best price. One tip: Check out estatesales.net — the industry’s premier site — to get listings on upcoming sales. Read the listing carefully for key information and bring cash so you can haggle.
Shopping sustainably, saving money and exploring a possibly famous stranger’s home for one-of-a-kind pieces is a fun weekend activity in and of itself.
Every week, there are at least a few estate sales, also sometimes called “tag sales,” happening in L.A. where you can shop (or window shop) for celebrity treasures and vintage finds from everyday people and/or defunct businesses. Looking for a formal gown from a specific era or a couch for your new apartment? Consider checking out an estate sale before dropping big bucks at a big-box store.
Read our guide to finding true gems at the best price. One tip: Check out estatesales.net — the industry’s premier site — to get listings on upcoming sales. Read the listing carefully for key information and bring cash so you can haggle.
Shopping sustainably, saving money and exploring a possibly famous stranger’s home for one-of-a-kind pieces is a fun weekend activity in and of itself.
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Stop the doomscroll at classic magazine stand Laurel Canyon News
Studio City Shopping
Cost: Free to browse
Just outside the CVS Pharmacy in Studio City is Laurel Canyon News, an open-air magazine stand with distinctive blue and white awnings. As one of the largest independent stands in the U.S., it still draws a small but steady stream of locals and passersby, perusing its extensive selection of over 2,000 monthly, quarterly, biannual and niche titles.
Paul Levine has owned and operated the stand since 1990 with his wife and a small, dedicated team. He fondly recalls the handful of times Paul Newman stopped by and thanked him for being there, how dozens showed up at the stand to mourn Princess Diana and how the community sought comfort at the stand after the ’94 Northridge earthquake.
“It’s a real-time reflection of what’s happening in the world,” Levine said. “A snapshot in time.”
Just outside the CVS Pharmacy in Studio City is Laurel Canyon News, an open-air magazine stand with distinctive blue and white awnings. As one of the largest independent stands in the U.S., it still draws a small but steady stream of locals and passersby, perusing its extensive selection of over 2,000 monthly, quarterly, biannual and niche titles.
Paul Levine has owned and operated the stand since 1990 with his wife and a small, dedicated team. He fondly recalls the handful of times Paul Newman stopped by and thanked him for being there, how dozens showed up at the stand to mourn Princess Diana and how the community sought comfort at the stand after the ’94 Northridge earthquake.
“It’s a real-time reflection of what’s happening in the world,” Levine said. “A snapshot in time.”
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Smell the roses at the Virginia Robinson Gardens rose gardens
Beverly Hills Public garden
(Adam Markovitz)
Cost: Adults $15, children (5-12) $6, students $11, seniors (62+) $11.
For roses with a heady perfume of Old Hollywood glamour, head to the Virginia Robinson Gardens just up the street from the Beverly Hills Hotel. The lavish 1911 estate was built by department store magnates Harry and Virginia Robinson and boasts Italianate architecture, lush botanical gardens and views that stretch as far as Catalina Island on a clear day. Opulence is the unofficial theme here, and the rose gardens are no exception: You’ll find no fewer than 500 blooming plants spread across two separate collections, one for display and one for cutting.
The display garden, just across from a tennis court where Hollywood stars like Charlie Chaplin used to play, is still maintained according to Virginia’s original design, with an emphasis on her favorite color. See if you can guess what it was as you browse the 34 different rose varieties, including blushing Mon Cheris, pastel Sweet Surrenders and Virginia’s personal preference, a Barbie-bright hybrid tea rose called Eiffel Tower.
In 1977 the estate was handed over to L.A. County, which now runs reservation-only tours along with a number of on-site classes and programs. (Events are posted about a month out and tend to fill up quickly, so it helps to check the official website regularly for new dates.)
For roses with a heady perfume of Old Hollywood glamour, head to the Virginia Robinson Gardens just up the street from the Beverly Hills Hotel. The lavish 1911 estate was built by department store magnates Harry and Virginia Robinson and boasts Italianate architecture, lush botanical gardens and views that stretch as far as Catalina Island on a clear day. Opulence is the unofficial theme here, and the rose gardens are no exception: You’ll find no fewer than 500 blooming plants spread across two separate collections, one for display and one for cutting.
The display garden, just across from a tennis court where Hollywood stars like Charlie Chaplin used to play, is still maintained according to Virginia’s original design, with an emphasis on her favorite color. See if you can guess what it was as you browse the 34 different rose varieties, including blushing Mon Cheris, pastel Sweet Surrenders and Virginia’s personal preference, a Barbie-bright hybrid tea rose called Eiffel Tower.
In 1977 the estate was handed over to L.A. County, which now runs reservation-only tours along with a number of on-site classes and programs. (Events are posted about a month out and tend to fill up quickly, so it helps to check the official website regularly for new dates.)
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Learn something new and unexpected about Compton at the Compton Art & History Museum
Compton Art Museum
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: $5 suggested donation for adults
In a bustling strip mall near the family-owned soul food restaurant Alma’s Place is the Compton Art & History Museum. Compton native Abigail Lopez-Byrd and her husband, Marquell Byrd, opened the art space in 2023 under their nonprofit, Color Compton, which helps the city’s youth explore the arts through hands-on projects and internship programs that amplify Black and brown stories. (Color Compton’s logo mimics the MLK Memorial at the Compton City Hall and Civic Center.) “Compton is known globally, but hardly do people get to know about its actual history,” said Lopez-Byrd, a longtime photographer who is also pursuing her PhD in education. She and her husband wanted to change that, and also provide a space where local artists, especially youth, could showcase their art. The museum hosts about three exhibitions per year as well as art workshops, movie nights and other events.
In a bustling strip mall near the family-owned soul food restaurant Alma’s Place is the Compton Art & History Museum. Compton native Abigail Lopez-Byrd and her husband, Marquell Byrd, opened the art space in 2023 under their nonprofit, Color Compton, which helps the city’s youth explore the arts through hands-on projects and internship programs that amplify Black and brown stories. (Color Compton’s logo mimics the MLK Memorial at the Compton City Hall and Civic Center.) “Compton is known globally, but hardly do people get to know about its actual history,” said Lopez-Byrd, a longtime photographer who is also pursuing her PhD in education. She and her husband wanted to change that, and also provide a space where local artists, especially youth, could showcase their art. The museum hosts about three exhibitions per year as well as art workshops, movie nights and other events.
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Compton Station
Spend a day with trains at Live Steamers and Travel Town in Griffith Park
Griffith Park Children's ride
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free. A $4 donation is suggested at Live Steamers.
No matter your age, it’s hard to resist the soothing clickety clack, clickety clack of the small-gauge steam trains at the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum in Griffith Park. You’ll ride over bridges and through tunnels, pass tiny Western towns and water towers, and even see the barn from Walt Disney’s Holmby Hills home, where he once ran his own mini-railroad. Lines can get long, so waiting can be tough for small kids, especially on hot days (so bring a hat). Still, the 10-minute rides, run by friendly club members dressed as conductors, help everyone relax the minute they’re on board. Trains run on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting.
Live Steamers is located next to Travel Town, a wonderland for train enthusiasts. You can walk among the numerous trains and tracks, get up close to ancient locomotives and — best of all — ride a 16″ gauge miniature train around the grounds. A huge open-air structure houses a few exhibits, a children’s learning center and a play area.
No matter your age, it’s hard to resist the soothing clickety clack, clickety clack of the small-gauge steam trains at the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum in Griffith Park. You’ll ride over bridges and through tunnels, pass tiny Western towns and water towers, and even see the barn from Walt Disney’s Holmby Hills home, where he once ran his own mini-railroad. Lines can get long, so waiting can be tough for small kids, especially on hot days (so bring a hat). Still, the 10-minute rides, run by friendly club members dressed as conductors, help everyone relax the minute they’re on board. Trains run on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting.
Live Steamers is located next to Travel Town, a wonderland for train enthusiasts. You can walk among the numerous trains and tracks, get up close to ancient locomotives and — best of all — ride a 16″ gauge miniature train around the grounds. A huge open-air structure houses a few exhibits, a children’s learning center and a play area.
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Go deep into post office history on a tour of Wallis Annenberg Center for the Arts
Beverly Hills Entertainment Venue
(Alex Justice / For The Times)
Cost: Free
For a glimpse into the glory days of mail delivery — the physical, in-envelope kind — take one of the free tours on offer at this historic post office turned performing arts complex wedged in between Santa Monica Boulevard and Burton Way. Offered at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday (no reservation required), the roughly half-hour tour, conducted by a Beverly Hills park ranger (the 2.5-acre site is owned by the city) provides a wealth of details about the history and architecture of the space — and how it was painstakingly converted from one use to the other. Highlights include tales of how Will Rogers helped cajole the federal government into providing the $300,000 necessary to build it and the WPA funded lunette murals that depict the trajectory of mail delivery from the Pony Express to airmail.
For a glimpse into the glory days of mail delivery — the physical, in-envelope kind — take one of the free tours on offer at this historic post office turned performing arts complex wedged in between Santa Monica Boulevard and Burton Way. Offered at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday (no reservation required), the roughly half-hour tour, conducted by a Beverly Hills park ranger (the 2.5-acre site is owned by the city) provides a wealth of details about the history and architecture of the space — and how it was painstakingly converted from one use to the other. Highlights include tales of how Will Rogers helped cajole the federal government into providing the $300,000 necessary to build it and the WPA funded lunette murals that depict the trajectory of mail delivery from the Pony Express to airmail.
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Work out like a pro athlete at Sand Dune Park
Manhattan Beach Park
(Michael McKnight)
Cost: $3 ($1 for Manhattan Beach residents). Reservations are required.
Trudging up a 45-degree mountain of shifting sand isn’t for the faint of heart. If you reach the top and you’re not breathing like a disco-era prank caller, you deserve a medal. Over the years, some of L.A.’s most prominent professional athletes have been seen sprinting up the dune. It’s a workout like no other, and the top of the 100-foot-high dune offers a panoramic view of the city.
Trudging up a 45-degree mountain of shifting sand isn’t for the faint of heart. If you reach the top and you’re not breathing like a disco-era prank caller, you deserve a medal. Over the years, some of L.A.’s most prominent professional athletes have been seen sprinting up the dune. It’s a workout like no other, and the top of the 100-foot-high dune offers a panoramic view of the city.
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Get lit at one of L.A.’s many hip reading events
Atwater Village Literary Reading
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(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Typically no more than $10
Our city’s own literary prophet, Joan Didion, famously wrote, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” You can get your story fill at a number of free (or cheap), ever-expanding monthly literary readings around town. These happening monthly and pop-up events are often hosted in the backs of bars, trendy art galleries or even parking lots, serving as a prompt to leave your couch — and screens — behind.
There’s the intimate Unreliable Narrators in a disco ball-donned basement bar at Nico’s Bottle Shop in Atwater Village, hosted by Times regular contributors Maddie Connors and Mariella Rudi alongside comedian-novelist Amy Silverberg. JennaWorld podcast host and longtime journalist Molly Lambert heads the evolving monthly reading and variety series Jazz Roulette on the Stories Books & Cafe’s patio in Echo Park (marked on this map). If you are seeking a familial vibe, there’s This Friday, a secular “sabbath reading series” that’s fronted by fiction writer Ruby Zuckerman and poet/Jokermen podcaster Evan Laffer. There’s also the raucous literary series Casual Encountersz, hosted by writer and On the Rag editor Sammy Loren, often held in a new location each month, the hip “readings of rage and romance” event draws the fashion and art crowd — expect a beer-splashed afterparty.
Our city’s own literary prophet, Joan Didion, famously wrote, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” You can get your story fill at a number of free (or cheap), ever-expanding monthly literary readings around town. These happening monthly and pop-up events are often hosted in the backs of bars, trendy art galleries or even parking lots, serving as a prompt to leave your couch — and screens — behind.
There’s the intimate Unreliable Narrators in a disco ball-donned basement bar at Nico’s Bottle Shop in Atwater Village, hosted by Times regular contributors Maddie Connors and Mariella Rudi alongside comedian-novelist Amy Silverberg. JennaWorld podcast host and longtime journalist Molly Lambert heads the evolving monthly reading and variety series Jazz Roulette on the Stories Books & Cafe’s patio in Echo Park (marked on this map). If you are seeking a familial vibe, there’s This Friday, a secular “sabbath reading series” that’s fronted by fiction writer Ruby Zuckerman and poet/Jokermen podcaster Evan Laffer. There’s also the raucous literary series Casual Encountersz, hosted by writer and On the Rag editor Sammy Loren, often held in a new location each month, the hip “readings of rage and romance” event draws the fashion and art crowd — expect a beer-splashed afterparty.
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Time travel with tiny cars at the Metropolitan Pit Stop
Valley Village Museum
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(Malia Mendez / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free
Part specialty auto shop, part antique museum, the Metropolitan Pit Stop is home to both cars of the past and an imaginary future. These vehicles once constituted store founder Jimmy Valentine’s personal collection; today, they convene inside a showroom-style dreamscape that draws enthusiasts from all across the country.
Curiously, though, the one model true gearheads tend to overlook is the crowd-favorite among casual passersby, according to June Valentine, Jimmy’s daughter and the current owner of the Metropolitan Pit Stop. Dubbed the Astra-Gnome, the Jetsons-style concept car is a one-of-a-kind prototype, featuring metallic panels, a bubble top and an oversized body that gives the illusion of a flying car. It debuted at the 1956 New York International Auto Show as industrial designer Richard Arbib’s interpretation of “what the cars of the future would look like,” June said. Admiring the car’s retrofuturistic flair, you might find yourself wishing Arbib’s prediction had been right.
On top of the Astra-Gnome, the Metropolitan Pit Stop has six other unique compact cars and one pedal car — complete with operational headlights — in its permanent collection. Plus, surplus cars often spill over into the front-of-house showroom when the auto shop fills up. Even for those who aren’t so mechanically inclined, the mere aesthetics of the mini museum are a sight to see.
Part specialty auto shop, part antique museum, the Metropolitan Pit Stop is home to both cars of the past and an imaginary future. These vehicles once constituted store founder Jimmy Valentine’s personal collection; today, they convene inside a showroom-style dreamscape that draws enthusiasts from all across the country.
Curiously, though, the one model true gearheads tend to overlook is the crowd-favorite among casual passersby, according to June Valentine, Jimmy’s daughter and the current owner of the Metropolitan Pit Stop. Dubbed the Astra-Gnome, the Jetsons-style concept car is a one-of-a-kind prototype, featuring metallic panels, a bubble top and an oversized body that gives the illusion of a flying car. It debuted at the 1956 New York International Auto Show as industrial designer Richard Arbib’s interpretation of “what the cars of the future would look like,” June said. Admiring the car’s retrofuturistic flair, you might find yourself wishing Arbib’s prediction had been right.
On top of the Astra-Gnome, the Metropolitan Pit Stop has six other unique compact cars and one pedal car — complete with operational headlights — in its permanent collection. Plus, surplus cars often spill over into the front-of-house showroom when the auto shop fills up. Even for those who aren’t so mechanically inclined, the mere aesthetics of the mini museum are a sight to see.
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Go 'Back to the Future' at the acclaimed Arts and Crafts Gamble House
Pasadena Historic Home
(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times )
Cost: $15 to $20
If you’re a fan of “Back to the Future” — or just historic Los Angeles architecture — you’ll enjoy taking a tour of the Gamble House, famously Doc Brown’s house in the 1985 classic film.
Inside the 1908 Arts and Crafts building, you’ll see intricate woodwork and stained glass galore. You’ll learn about the Gamble family (yes, of Procter & Gamble fame) as well as the painstaking work that architects Charles and Henry Greene put into this stunning home.
Some bright spots of the tour include gawking at the 6-foot-4 front door with its impressive stained-glass tree and drippy lead edging, spotting the carved bats in the living room, admiring the custom wood furnishings and noticing a purposeful hint of “wabi-sabi,” or imperfection, in this highly designed home with Japanese influences.
If you’re a fan of “Back to the Future” — or just historic Los Angeles architecture — you’ll enjoy taking a tour of the Gamble House, famously Doc Brown’s house in the 1985 classic film.
Inside the 1908 Arts and Crafts building, you’ll see intricate woodwork and stained glass galore. You’ll learn about the Gamble family (yes, of Procter & Gamble fame) as well as the painstaking work that architects Charles and Henry Greene put into this stunning home.
Some bright spots of the tour include gawking at the 6-foot-4 front door with its impressive stained-glass tree and drippy lead edging, spotting the carved bats in the living room, admiring the custom wood furnishings and noticing a purposeful hint of “wabi-sabi,” or imperfection, in this highly designed home with Japanese influences.
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Memorial Park Station
Listen for music and learn some history at Mariachi Plaza
Los Angeles County Attraction
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free
If Los Angeles has a Mexican heart, this public plaza (and Metro subway stop) must be a ventricle. It’s where mariachi musicians hang out in hopes of being hired, and you see them lugging their instruments from one corner or another, or practicing a little. The plaza is surrounded by intriguing shops and tempting places to eat and drink, including Santa Cecilia Restaurant (tacos $5, cash only) and Street Tacos and Grill.
To the west, there’s the historic Boyle Hotel, once a hangout for wayward musicians, now the ground-floor site of a La Monarca Bakery & Cafe and the Libros Schmibros Lending Library. On the east side of the plaza rises a bandstand.
If Los Angeles has a Mexican heart, this public plaza (and Metro subway stop) must be a ventricle. It’s where mariachi musicians hang out in hopes of being hired, and you see them lugging their instruments from one corner or another, or practicing a little. The plaza is surrounded by intriguing shops and tempting places to eat and drink, including Santa Cecilia Restaurant (tacos $5, cash only) and Street Tacos and Grill.
To the west, there’s the historic Boyle Hotel, once a hangout for wayward musicians, now the ground-floor site of a La Monarca Bakery & Cafe and the Libros Schmibros Lending Library. On the east side of the plaza rises a bandstand.
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Mariachi Plaza / Boyle Heights Station
Snag a coveted bonfire pit at Dockweiler State Beach
Playa del Rey Beach
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free. Parking costs roughly $3 to $13 for the day.
“Firepitting” is not only a verb at Dockweiler State Beach, it’s a sport. And a competitive one at that. The beach hosts more than 80 free firepits on a first-come, first-served basis. Arrive early in summertime — we’re talking sunrise — and plan to guard your pit all day, until it’s bonfire time. The pits are ideal for roasting marshmallows by the sea or for a fire-adjacent singalong at sunset. Just project your voice loudly because — so close to LAX — planes roar overhead every few minutes.
There are volleyball courts, jetties for fishing and bike path access. Dockweiler also features L.A. County’s only beach-adjacent RV campground.
It’s the firepits, however, that give Dockweiler its personality — the scent of smoldering charcoal fills the air. This is urban camping at its finest.
“Firepitting” is not only a verb at Dockweiler State Beach, it’s a sport. And a competitive one at that. The beach hosts more than 80 free firepits on a first-come, first-served basis. Arrive early in summertime — we’re talking sunrise — and plan to guard your pit all day, until it’s bonfire time. The pits are ideal for roasting marshmallows by the sea or for a fire-adjacent singalong at sunset. Just project your voice loudly because — so close to LAX — planes roar overhead every few minutes.
There are volleyball courts, jetties for fishing and bike path access. Dockweiler also features L.A. County’s only beach-adjacent RV campground.
It’s the firepits, however, that give Dockweiler its personality — the scent of smoldering charcoal fills the air. This is urban camping at its finest.
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Rejuvenate with free wellness workshops at the Glorya Kaufman Community Center
Culver City Wellness Center
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Cost: Free
One of Los Angeles’ newest and most robust wellness hubs exists, perhaps counterintuitively, inside the Wende Museum of the Cold War. The Glorya Kaufman Community Center, a three-story, modernist concrete building, hosts activities such as yoga classes, guided meditations, sound baths, dance and movement classes, writing workshops and matcha tea-making classes.
Most notably? All of these wellness activities are free to the public.
The center was made possible with funding from the late philanthropist Glorya Kaufman, who passed away last year. “There’s an affordability crisis in this country right now, and the things we’re providing are human rights,” said Wende founder and executive director Justin Jampol. Check the programming calendar for the latest events.
One of Los Angeles’ newest and most robust wellness hubs exists, perhaps counterintuitively, inside the Wende Museum of the Cold War. The Glorya Kaufman Community Center, a three-story, modernist concrete building, hosts activities such as yoga classes, guided meditations, sound baths, dance and movement classes, writing workshops and matcha tea-making classes.
Most notably? All of these wellness activities are free to the public.
The center was made possible with funding from the late philanthropist Glorya Kaufman, who passed away last year. “There’s an affordability crisis in this country right now, and the things we’re providing are human rights,” said Wende founder and executive director Justin Jampol. Check the programming calendar for the latest events.
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Play tabletop games and find community at Geeky Teas & Games
Burbank Games
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Table $5 per person; private room $10 per person.
Geeky Teas & Games is a female-owned, LGBTQ+-friendly business with tables and rooms that transport you into a fantasy gaming world. There’s a dwarven-themed tavern and a spaceship-themed room, along with a vast library of more than 400 tabletop games to play.
Reserve a table online, especially on the busiest days, which are Saturdays and Tuesdays. If you want to come alone, the best way to make new friends at Geeky is through its Discord server. Simply post your interests, and staff members or patrons will help you get involved. The store is well-staffed, so you can usually find someone to explain new games. Geeky Teas & Games also includes a cat rescue where well-trained cats wander the space. Donna Ricci, Geeky’s founder and co-owner, focuses on creating a lighthearted, fun and accepting community. Ricci said she is “building a place where geeks feel like they are being honored.”
Geeky Teas & Games is a female-owned, LGBTQ+-friendly business with tables and rooms that transport you into a fantasy gaming world. There’s a dwarven-themed tavern and a spaceship-themed room, along with a vast library of more than 400 tabletop games to play.
Reserve a table online, especially on the busiest days, which are Saturdays and Tuesdays. If you want to come alone, the best way to make new friends at Geeky is through its Discord server. Simply post your interests, and staff members or patrons will help you get involved. The store is well-staffed, so you can usually find someone to explain new games. Geeky Teas & Games also includes a cat rescue where well-trained cats wander the space. Donna Ricci, Geeky’s founder and co-owner, focuses on creating a lighthearted, fun and accepting community. Ricci said she is “building a place where geeks feel like they are being honored.”
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Study the sky at a James Turrell Skyspace
Claremont Arts
( Florian Holzherr )
Cost: Free. Reservations are not required.
There are only a handful of publicly accessible Turrell Skyspaces worldwide. And one of them — the only one open to the public in Southern California — is on the Pomona College campus in Claremont. Artist James Turrell graduated from the school in 1965, and the architectural installation, “Dividing the Light,” opened there in 2007. The work is part of the Benton Museum of Art’s collection, but it’s situated in the college’s Draper Courtyard at 6th Street and College Way.
The lights go on daily 100 minutes before sunrise and 25 minutes before sunset, and they stay on for about an hour afterward. Lie beneath the installation and time becomes fluid and malleable, slowing and expanding at once. It contains hidden LED lights that shift in color and intensity with the movement of the sun at both dawn and dusk so that a swath of the sky — as seen through a cutout in the canopy of the structure — appears to change color by contrast. Watch it turn green, pink and lavender, then fade to aquamarine, deep cobalt and black. Wait as it slowly lightens to luminescent gold. The colors are season-, time- and weather-dependent, so you’ll never have the exact same experience twice.
There are only a handful of publicly accessible Turrell Skyspaces worldwide. And one of them — the only one open to the public in Southern California — is on the Pomona College campus in Claremont. Artist James Turrell graduated from the school in 1965, and the architectural installation, “Dividing the Light,” opened there in 2007. The work is part of the Benton Museum of Art’s collection, but it’s situated in the college’s Draper Courtyard at 6th Street and College Way.
The lights go on daily 100 minutes before sunrise and 25 minutes before sunset, and they stay on for about an hour afterward. Lie beneath the installation and time becomes fluid and malleable, slowing and expanding at once. It contains hidden LED lights that shift in color and intensity with the movement of the sun at both dawn and dusk so that a swath of the sky — as seen through a cutout in the canopy of the structure — appears to change color by contrast. Watch it turn green, pink and lavender, then fade to aquamarine, deep cobalt and black. Wait as it slowly lightens to luminescent gold. The colors are season-, time- and weather-dependent, so you’ll never have the exact same experience twice.
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Get L.A.’s best free workout with a view at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook (a.k.a. Culver City Stairs)
Culver City Walk
(Joel Barhamand / For the Times)
Cost: Free
Officially known as Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, this state park is best known for the 282 concrete steps that lift visitors from bustling Jefferson Boulevard to the scruffy hilltop where one of L.A.’s most breathtaking city views awaits. Actually, the stairs don’t lift anything. Your legs do that.
The staircase is steep and each footfall varies in height (from three to 20 inches), so it’s hard to get into a climbing rhythm. Enjoy the unpredictability — it’ll keep you focused once your legs and lungs catch fire about a third of the way up. Bring water and a camera, so you can celebrate your achievement with the sprawling City of Angels as your backdrop.
Officially known as Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, this state park is best known for the 282 concrete steps that lift visitors from bustling Jefferson Boulevard to the scruffy hilltop where one of L.A.’s most breathtaking city views awaits. Actually, the stairs don’t lift anything. Your legs do that.
The staircase is steep and each footfall varies in height (from three to 20 inches), so it’s hard to get into a climbing rhythm. Enjoy the unpredictability — it’ll keep you focused once your legs and lungs catch fire about a third of the way up. Bring water and a camera, so you can celebrate your achievement with the sprawling City of Angels as your backdrop.
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Culver City Station
Take a mural tour through the DTLA Arts District, starting with ‘Undiscovered America’
Downtown L.A. Public Art
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(Silvia Rázgová / For The Times)
Cost: Free
Murals are part of the fabric of downtown L.A.’s Arts District’s street-art scene, one of the most vibrant in the world, with some of the most iconic graffiti and paintings in Los Angeles. That includes “Undiscovered America.” Originally painted by Earth Crew 2000 in 1992 to honor Native cultures, the mural is pivotal for several reasons. The same year, L.A. was rocked by the Rodney King riots. Earth Crew 2000 notably brought together graffiti artists from several crews to promote nonviolence and environmentalism. Though street murals began showing up in L.A. decades earlier, “Undiscovered America” was among a new wave to be spray-painted graffiti-style, bridging the gap between traditional muralists and taggers. It depicts Native nations in North, Central and South America and a medicine wheel as a symbol of healing. The collective restored the mural five years ago.
You’ll see dozens of murals throughout the Arts District, including JR’s “Wrinkles of the City,” “La Abuelita” by El Mac, “Ed Ruscha” by Kent Twitchell and Jen Stark’s “Chromatic Cascade.”
Murals are part of the fabric of downtown L.A.’s Arts District’s street-art scene, one of the most vibrant in the world, with some of the most iconic graffiti and paintings in Los Angeles. That includes “Undiscovered America.” Originally painted by Earth Crew 2000 in 1992 to honor Native cultures, the mural is pivotal for several reasons. The same year, L.A. was rocked by the Rodney King riots. Earth Crew 2000 notably brought together graffiti artists from several crews to promote nonviolence and environmentalism. Though street murals began showing up in L.A. decades earlier, “Undiscovered America” was among a new wave to be spray-painted graffiti-style, bridging the gap between traditional muralists and taggers. It depicts Native nations in North, Central and South America and a medicine wheel as a symbol of healing. The collective restored the mural five years ago.
You’ll see dozens of murals throughout the Arts District, including JR’s “Wrinkles of the City,” “La Abuelita” by El Mac, “Ed Ruscha” by Kent Twitchell and Jen Stark’s “Chromatic Cascade.”
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Little Tokyo / Arts District Station
Go on a Little Free Libraries tour (we have a map!)
Mount Washington Walk
A view of the Mount Washington little library.
(Jackie Snow / For The Times)
Cost: Free
Little Free Libraries, those charming book-filled boxes perched on posts, have become landmarks for wanderers and bibliophiles alike across our sprawling metropolis. They operate on a simple directive: Take a book, leave a book. What started in 2009 as one man’s tribute to his mother in Hudson, Wis., has blossomed into a global phenomenon, with over 200,000 registered Little Free Libraries in 128 countries.
There are thousands of these tiny outposts in L.A. For those traveling foot, they can transform an ordinary stroll into a treasure hunt. We’ve created a guide to 8 especially pleasant walks to get you started. It includes one leading to a tucked-away Little Free Library in Mount Washington (pictured) that’s as much a work of art as it is a book exchange. The literary outpost sits in front of Casa De Mi Sueño, a cultural heritage site believed to be built by Sophie Cubbison, whose cookbooks occasionally make their way into the library’s collection.
Little Free Libraries, those charming book-filled boxes perched on posts, have become landmarks for wanderers and bibliophiles alike across our sprawling metropolis. They operate on a simple directive: Take a book, leave a book. What started in 2009 as one man’s tribute to his mother in Hudson, Wis., has blossomed into a global phenomenon, with over 200,000 registered Little Free Libraries in 128 countries.
There are thousands of these tiny outposts in L.A. For those traveling foot, they can transform an ordinary stroll into a treasure hunt. We’ve created a guide to 8 especially pleasant walks to get you started. It includes one leading to a tucked-away Little Free Library in Mount Washington (pictured) that’s as much a work of art as it is a book exchange. The literary outpost sits in front of Casa De Mi Sueño, a cultural heritage site believed to be built by Sophie Cubbison, whose cookbooks occasionally make their way into the library’s collection.
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Southwest Museum Station
Enjoy so much more than art at the Getty Center and Getty Villa
Brentwood Art Museum $
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
L.A. is home to a number of world-class museums. But the Getty Center offers something you can’t find elsewhere: spectacular grounds and views.
You’ll take the Getty Center Tram — a hovertrain, specifically — up a short way to the Getty Center. The permanent collections house European art and artifacts from the Middle Ages to modernity, including paintings, illuminated manuscripts, sculptures and furniture.
Between galleries, relax and grab a bite in the central courtyard. Take in the views and the outdoor sculptures on display, and enjoy the ducks frolicking in the fountains. After you do the museum, head out to the Central Garden. The otherworldly landscape is considered a living part of the museum’s collection.
The Getty Center shares a namesake with the Getty Villa, but the two places house different types of art and have different overall vibes. The Getty Villa is designed to emulate ancient Roman architecture, with its largest garden modeled after the ancient Roman Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum. Those large fluted marble columns, reflecting pools and neatly trimmed hedges draw thousands and thousands of people there each month.
You’ll take the Getty Center Tram — a hovertrain, specifically — up a short way to the Getty Center. The permanent collections house European art and artifacts from the Middle Ages to modernity, including paintings, illuminated manuscripts, sculptures and furniture.
Between galleries, relax and grab a bite in the central courtyard. Take in the views and the outdoor sculptures on display, and enjoy the ducks frolicking in the fountains. After you do the museum, head out to the Central Garden. The otherworldly landscape is considered a living part of the museum’s collection.
The Getty Center shares a namesake with the Getty Villa, but the two places house different types of art and have different overall vibes. The Getty Villa is designed to emulate ancient Roman architecture, with its largest garden modeled after the ancient Roman Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum. Those large fluted marble columns, reflecting pools and neatly trimmed hedges draw thousands and thousands of people there each month.
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Rediscover the joy of pinball at Walt’s Bar
Eagle Rock Arcade bar $
(Esther Tseng)
Cost: Pinball games are 25 cents or 50 cents
This all-pinball hang in a former plumber shop has a nostalgic, local-soda-fountain vibe. Having just celebrated its eighth anniversary, Walt’s is the place for pinball champions and casual players alike. Brew taps feature local breweries, and the food menu offers plump and tasty hot dogs, vegan dogs and a loaded El Jefe Pretzel. Set under its retro, neon plumber facade is plenty of outdoor seating, so you can take in the sun during the day and make your way back inside for a taste of Eagle Rock nightlife after dark.
In 2019, Walt’s Bar began a women’s pinball tournament as a way to get more women and non-binary people involved in pinball. The competition, held on the second Monday of every month at 8 p.m., has a $5 buy-in and awards cash prizes to the top four winners — with first place taking home a trophy.
This all-pinball hang in a former plumber shop has a nostalgic, local-soda-fountain vibe. Having just celebrated its eighth anniversary, Walt’s is the place for pinball champions and casual players alike. Brew taps feature local breweries, and the food menu offers plump and tasty hot dogs, vegan dogs and a loaded El Jefe Pretzel. Set under its retro, neon plumber facade is plenty of outdoor seating, so you can take in the sun during the day and make your way back inside for a taste of Eagle Rock nightlife after dark.
In 2019, Walt’s Bar began a women’s pinball tournament as a way to get more women and non-binary people involved in pinball. The competition, held on the second Monday of every month at 8 p.m., has a $5 buy-in and awards cash prizes to the top four winners — with first place taking home a trophy.
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Journey to the beefy center of the In-N-Out Burger universe in Baldwin Park
Los Angeles County Fast food
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free to visit
For certain carnivorous Californians, a visit to this burger chain is like church, but with more flexible hours. At the flagship location in Baldwin Park, you can drive through, as most customers do. But you can also eat inside, then browse mountains of merch at the company store and perhaps matriculate at In-N-Out University, where managers train.
If you’re selfie-hungry, you’ll head to the nearby replica of the chain’s first tiny, red-and-white burger shack, open for photo ops from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at 13766 Francisquito Ave. in Baldwin Park.
Harry and Esther Snyder opened the first In-N-Out burger shack in 1948, which put them among the first to try a drive-through restaurant. To taste what the fuss is all about, order a “double-double, animal-style” — a double cheeseburger with the works, basically — which has fueled the company’s growth to more than 400 outlets in eight Western states.
For certain carnivorous Californians, a visit to this burger chain is like church, but with more flexible hours. At the flagship location in Baldwin Park, you can drive through, as most customers do. But you can also eat inside, then browse mountains of merch at the company store and perhaps matriculate at In-N-Out University, where managers train.
If you’re selfie-hungry, you’ll head to the nearby replica of the chain’s first tiny, red-and-white burger shack, open for photo ops from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at 13766 Francisquito Ave. in Baldwin Park.
Harry and Esther Snyder opened the first In-N-Out burger shack in 1948, which put them among the first to try a drive-through restaurant. To taste what the fuss is all about, order a “double-double, animal-style” — a double cheeseburger with the works, basically — which has fueled the company’s growth to more than 400 outlets in eight Western states.
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Examine a model train of a long-lost Disneyland attraction inside Walt’s Barn
Griffith Park L.A. History
(Solomon O. Smith / For The Times)
Cost: Free
In 1950, Disney built a miniature railroad in the backyard of his home in the Holmby Hills area of L.A. He and those he hosted were able to ride the train throughout the grounds, which famously included a tunnel under his wife’s flower bed. The barn that was the center of so much of Disney’s train operations now lives in Griffith Park, and is lovingly preserved by the Carolwood Society.
Consider it a small museum dedicated to Disney’s love of trains. You’ll see an original Disneyland passenger car, now outfitted with historic toys, photographs and early Disneyland train paraphernalia, including re-creations of what Disney’s backyard train — the Carolwood Pacific Railroad — looked and felt like. The star of the show is a heavily detailed model train of one of Disneyland’s early attractions, the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland. Walt’s Barn is open the third Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In 1950, Disney built a miniature railroad in the backyard of his home in the Holmby Hills area of L.A. He and those he hosted were able to ride the train throughout the grounds, which famously included a tunnel under his wife’s flower bed. The barn that was the center of so much of Disney’s train operations now lives in Griffith Park, and is lovingly preserved by the Carolwood Society.
Consider it a small museum dedicated to Disney’s love of trains. You’ll see an original Disneyland passenger car, now outfitted with historic toys, photographs and early Disneyland train paraphernalia, including re-creations of what Disney’s backyard train — the Carolwood Pacific Railroad — looked and felt like. The star of the show is a heavily detailed model train of one of Disneyland’s early attractions, the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland. Walt’s Barn is open the third Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Watch sick tricks at the vibrant Venice Beach Skate Park
Venice Skate Park
(Alon Goldsmith / For The Times)
Cost: Free
Located right on the beach between the boardwalk and the sand, this 16,000-square-foot undulating concrete indentation in the ground is worth checking out even if you’re oblivious to the storied role that Venice and neighboring Santa Monica played in the history of skateboarding. A fully functioning skate park that opened in 2009, cost $2.4 million to build and was designed with ramps, stairs, rails and a bowl that pays homage to the empty swimming pools commandeered by early skate pioneers, it’s also hallowed ground and a touchstone for skate tourists from around the globe.
Most times of the day, you’ll find it as colorfully chaotic — if perhaps more gravity-defying — as the nearby boardwalk, filled with skaters of considerable skill flinging themselves skyward with abandon.
Located right on the beach between the boardwalk and the sand, this 16,000-square-foot undulating concrete indentation in the ground is worth checking out even if you’re oblivious to the storied role that Venice and neighboring Santa Monica played in the history of skateboarding. A fully functioning skate park that opened in 2009, cost $2.4 million to build and was designed with ramps, stairs, rails and a bowl that pays homage to the empty swimming pools commandeered by early skate pioneers, it’s also hallowed ground and a touchstone for skate tourists from around the globe.
Most times of the day, you’ll find it as colorfully chaotic — if perhaps more gravity-defying — as the nearby boardwalk, filled with skaters of considerable skill flinging themselves skyward with abandon.
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Dig for rare books and vinyl in the Last Bookstore
Los Angeles County Bookstore
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Cost: Free to browse
Bookseller Josh Spencer started with a dead bank building on an iffy downtown block and turned it into a reader’s refuge full of drama and hope. The Last Bookstore is not just the largest new-and-used indie bookstore in California — it’s a literary destination.
The ground floor is filled with new and used books; used vinyl, CDs and DVDs; an annex for art and rare books; and a stage for readings and other performances. The tall, white columns, circa 1915, suggest you may be sifting through the ruins of a lost civilization. Dangling artworks hint at magic in progress, while the Last Wall offers books for $1 each.
But the flashiest bit is yet to come. On the upstairs mezzanine, you find the Horror Vault and the Labyrinth, where used books might be arranged by subject, color or shape. Don’t miss the tunnel. Around the periphery, studios harbor makers with work for sale.
Bookseller Josh Spencer started with a dead bank building on an iffy downtown block and turned it into a reader’s refuge full of drama and hope. The Last Bookstore is not just the largest new-and-used indie bookstore in California — it’s a literary destination.
The ground floor is filled with new and used books; used vinyl, CDs and DVDs; an annex for art and rare books; and a stage for readings and other performances. The tall, white columns, circa 1915, suggest you may be sifting through the ruins of a lost civilization. Dangling artworks hint at magic in progress, while the Last Wall offers books for $1 each.
But the flashiest bit is yet to come. On the upstairs mezzanine, you find the Horror Vault and the Labyrinth, where used books might be arranged by subject, color or shape. Don’t miss the tunnel. Around the periphery, studios harbor makers with work for sale.
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Pershing Square Station
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