Los Angeles attractions

Bringing together art vendors, fantastic food, and live music, with a staff of high school students making everything work, Melrose Trading Post is a weekly Los Angeles hub for outdoor shopping. With hundreds of vendors, you can find everything from vintage clothes to handmade jewelry, with proceeds benefiting Fairfax High School.

Enjoy a day filled with exploration, learning, and fun at Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena. Spanning 3.5 acres (1.4 hectares), this interactive children’s museum features more than 40 indoor and outdoor hands-on exhibits and interactive activities, and programs meant to encourage children’s growth and development.

From humble beginnings in a downtown LA loft, the Last Bookstore has grown to become California’s largest independent bookstore. Occupying a former bank, the giant, 22,000-square foot (2,043-square-meter) high-ceilinged complex houses thousands of new and used titles, as well as vinyl records, unique art, and even yarn.

Maritime history runs deep in the waterside community of San Pedro, home to the heavily trafficked Port of Los Angeles. Seafaring is a central attraction theme, from an old battleship and lighthouse to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. With its uptick in shops and restaurants, the area is gaining popularity as a hip waterfront destination.

Art, culture, and literature are showcased at Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Visit this Southern California cultural institution to admire European art, see diverse plants and flowers, and browse rare books (dating to the 1450s. Collected by businessman Henry E. Huntington, this once-private collection is huge and varied.

Boasting 42 miles (68 kilometers) of sandy beaches, surf breaks, and hiking trails, the Orange County coast is classic Southern California. Fronting the shoreline is a lineup of colorful towns with big personalities, from chic Laguna Beach to Huntington Beach, a laid-back haven that earns its nickname of “Surf City USA.”

One of downtown Los Angeles’ most-important museums, The Broad exhibits contemporary art from the 1950s to the present by displaying its permanent collection and rotating temporary exhibitions. The Broad’s nearly 2,000-piece collection includes works by Cindy Sherman, Roy Lichtenstein, Yayoi Kusama, and Andy Warhol.

This trendy beach town spanning 2 miles (3 kilometers) of Pacific Ocean shoreline bears no resemblance to the borough of Manhattan. Manhattan Beach attracts visitors with its wide ribbon of soft, white sand, consistent waves that draw local surfers, a commercial village of boutiques and restaurants, and some of the county’s priciest real estate.

For sightseeing a little off the beaten path, Los Angeles art enthusiasts shouldn't miss Watts Towers, a fantastic, open-air installation. This mid-century landmark sets steel spires against sky, and is adorned with found objects, sculpture, and a cactus garden. Visit this curious arts space for a guided tour, or just stop by to peek over the fence.

Los Angeles’ foodie haven, Grand Central Market, has been a mainstay on the LA culinary scene since 1917. The sprawling Beaux Arts-style market is a bustling place where dozens of food vendors serve dishes worldwide, from Berlin-style currywurst and Japanese bento boxes to Mexican tacos. It’s a microcosm of the city’s diversity.

The Norton Simon Museum is home to the eclectic and fabulously expensive art collection of billionaire industrialist Norton Simon (the marketing whiz behind Hunt's Ketchup, Max Factor, and Canada Dry Ginger Ale). This modern castle made of teak and stone features art from around the world and a stunning landscaped garden.

Situated just under 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles, the University of Southern California (USC) campus comprises 229 acres (93 hectares) of green spaces and quads, fountains, public art, and a mix of traditional and contemporary architecture. The USC Fisher Museum of Art and Tommy’s Place venue draw visitors from around Los Angeles and beyond.

Situated on the shores of the Los Angeles Harbor, this family-friendly aquarium and research center educates visitors about the marine life of Southern California. Touch pools and viewing tanks showcase thousands of native species and diverse ecosystems, from giant kelp forests and deep Pacific waters to sandy beaches and mud flats.

Cruise passengers heading to the Los Angeles World Cruise Center find a sun-drenched entryway to the West Coast that's ripe for exploring. At port, you're not far from Downtown LA destinations, scenic beaches, and top city attractions. Numerous tours with port pickup—and private transfers—can whisk you around the City of Angels.

A cultural center and museum dedicated to Jewish history as it pertains to present-day democratic ideals, the Skirball Cultural Center has been an influential educational hub in Los Angeles since its opening in 1996. Known for its striking architecture, the landmark also includes a performing-arts center and hosts regular events.

Built for the vaudeville circuit in 1926, the Orpheum Theatre underwent a major renovation in the early 1990s and is now the best-preserved palace-style theater in LA. With a Beaux Arts exterior and a Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ below its curtained stage, this is a living remnant of the city’s magnificent Broadway Theater District.

Motorsports enthusiasts can find a world-class track just east of Los Angeles at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Whether you're whizzing around the track, visiting an auto show, or watching your favorite NASCAR drivers, this is the place to do it. Auto Club Speedway is the only permanent racetrack in the LA metro area.

This art deco beauty sitting atop Mt. Hollywood has unbeatable views of Los Angeles below and all the universe above. While you may have first spotted the observatory in a movie or on a postcard, you might be more starstruck in person, close enough to tour the cosmos in the planetarium or gaze straight to the heavens through a 12-inch Zeiss refracting telescope.

Formerly known as the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Craft Contemporary is an art museum dedicated to showcasing contemporary craft and design—and among the only museums of its kind in the western US. In addition to featuring cutting-edge exhibits of hand-crafted objects from all over the world—from pottery to woodworking and large-scale installations—the museum hosts craft-making workshops multiple times per week.

Built in the early 1920s, this architectural gem is a creation of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and represents his first Los Angeles commission. The visionary home predates California modernism, yet Hollyhock House is indicative of the popular movement. With docent-led and self-guided tours, architecture fans shouldn’t miss it.

One of the country’s most influential opera companies, the Los Angeles Opera (LA Opera) has been a highlight—and high-brow—cultural destination in the City of Angels since its founding in 1986. Headquartered at the Los Angeles Music Center, the company performs everything from classic repertory operas to innovative, modern music works.

Los Angeles has many famous streets, but Montana Avenue is the cool cousin of Sunset Avenue to Mulholland Drive. Tree-lined and full of boutique shops, cafés, salons, and restaurants, the avenue runs from Ocean Street to Brentwood. Stop by after visiting downtown to eat, shop, and be seen in the heart of Santa Monica.

In Los Angeles, the heart of the entertainment world, the Paley Center for Media houses a collection of more than 160,000 television and radio programs. The Paley Center works to preserve the artistic and cultural contributions of these programs, operating as a sort of database and forum for continued discussion. Radio programs date back to the 1920s, while television shows go back to 1939.The archives function almost like a library of media. Most are available to watch or listen to in screening rooms or on individual consoles. In addition to original materials, there are also recorded seminars from prominent television and radio figures ranging from hosts and creators to actors.The archives serve both as a resource for media professionals and as a catalog for the public to engage with. The center is expanding into emerging media, including Internet video and mobile content. There’s also a branch of the center located in New York City.

One of the few institutions in the US dedicated to the art and culture of Asia and the Pacific Islands, the USC Pacific Asia Museum holds thousands of art objects spanning more than 5,000 years of history. The museum building resembling a Chinese imperial palace is almost as noteworthy as the collections, which range from Japanese paintings from the Edo Period to South Pacific bark cloths and Buddhist art from throughout Asia.

Part of Los Angeles’ Exposition Park, the California African American Museum (CAAM) spotlights African American art, history, and culture. It celebrates true stories and experiences of Black people from the US West Coast. With three exhibition galleries, a research library, and regular talks and workshops, the museum welcomes everyone who wants to learn about and appreciate the legacy of African Americans.

Spanning eight states and 2,448 miles (3,940 kilometers), Historic Route 66 has become a cultural icon, immortalized in song and on the silver screen. This romanticized road trip from Chicago to Santa Monica offers drivers an inside look at classic America—kitschy roadside attractions, diners, historic motels, and plenty of 1950s nostalgia.