Los Angeles Attractions

Vacation and Holiday Ideas!

"Swimming pools...movie stars..." Yes, Los Angeles has them, lots of them. As well as miles of glorious beaches, stunning mountains, interesting cultural centers and museums, and fun amusement parks.

If you only have a few days to spend in Los Angeles, here are the recommended tourist attractions which must top your "to-see" list:

Los Angeles Tourist Attractions: Area Beaches

There are many beaches in Los Angeles county to have that "Southern California" experience. If you're wanting to lay on the sand, relax and listen to the pounding surf, I'd recommend Zuma Beach north of Malibu. But, if you want a "tourist" experience, then you have to go to Santa Monica and Venice beaches.

Venice Beach

Venice Beach includes the beach, the promenade that runs parallel to the beach, Muscle Beach, tennis courts, the numerous beach volleyball courts, bike trail and the businesses that sit on Ocean Front Walk. The great thing about this beach is that, while it's popular with tourists, the locals like it too. Venice Beach is one of the most unique Southern California beaches to visit, due to its lively street performers and artists. You don't go to Venice Beach to lay in the sand. You go for the quirky people. For another Venice Beach experience, rent a bike and ride it to the end of the bike path, which is about 8.5 miles.

Santa Monica Beach

Why go to Santa Monica Beach? The pier. Along with Venice Beach, Santa Monica is also crowded with tourists as well as locals, who go to people watch, ride the amusement park rides at Pacific Park, and play games in the arcade. Santa Monica Beach is cleaner than Venice Beach, and it's incredibly wide, so even if it's crowded you can find a spot to sit on the sand. You can visit both beaches in one day; they're just 10-15 minute walk or 5 minute bike ride away from one another. If you get hungry, head on over to the Third Street Promenade for a nice bite to eat, as well as some shopping.

Los Angeles Tourist Attractions: Theme Parks

Disneyland and California Adventure

If you're visiting Los Angeles, you have to take the time to visit Disneyland and California Adventure. Remember, that's the original Disneyland, with Sleeping Beauty's Castle, the Haunted Mansion, submarine ride and It's a Small World. California Adventure is the newest Disney park in Anaheim, and brings you such thrill rides as California Screamin'.

Knott's Berry Farm

Knott's Berry Farm is located in Buena Park, near Disneyland, and includes many different thrill rides like GhostRider, which they claim is the world's best wooden roller coaster; as well as Supreme Scream, which is 30-stories up, and 3 seconds down. For the little kids there's Camp Snoopy.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood is a studios tour, theme park with rides, concert venue, theater complex and, with the addition of Universal Studios Citywalk, a restaurant and shopping area. It's located in Universal City, just over the Santa Monica Mountains from Los Angeles proper, and west of Griffith Park, yet another Los Angeles landmark. You'll want to reserve the entire day as the lines can sometimes get long.

Los Angeles Tourist Attractions: Museums

Gene Autry Museum

Now called the Autry National Center/Museum of the American West (but still called the Gene Autry Museum by many) and located in Griffith Park near the Los Angeles Zoo, the Gene Autry Museum is a great place to visit if you're into all things western. That would be western paintings, western clothing, and the west in movies and television. A real fun place to visit. And the gift shop's fun, too.

Norton Simon Museum Pasadena

411 West Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena. Okay, this museum's in Pasadena, not Los Angeles. But, if you like visiting museums, then you have to stop at the Norton Simon, which has one of the world's greatest collections of art. You'll enjoy the permanent collection, which consists of Western and Asian art from a period spanning more than 2,000 years, with paintings, sculpture, works on paper and photography. Be sure to check out the rare etchings by Rembrandt and Goya and the Picasso graphics.

California African American Museum

100 State Drive in Exposition Park. Admission is free to this museum highlighting the African American experience. Permanent exhibits include African American Journey West chronicalling the African American journey from the west coast of Africa to the west coast of America, as well as contemporary art from the African Diaspora, which includes works from Haiti, Brazil and Jamaica.

La Brea Tar Pits

5801 Wilshire Boulevard. The La Brea Tar Pits is just that. Tar pits. In the middle of Los Angeles. And what are tar pits? It's where the dinosaurs and wooley mammoths got stuck and died. That's right. In Los Angeles. In fact, Rancho La Brea is one of the world’s most famous fossil locations. At the Page Museum visitors learn about another Los Angeles, the one before the celebrities, the one between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, when animals such as saber-toothed cats and mammoths were the stars.

Museum of Natural History

900 Exposition Boulevard in Exposition Park, across from the University of Southern California (USC) between Vermont and Figueroa. Here you'll find one of the world’s most extensive collections of natural and cultural history.

Hollywood Wax Museum

6767 Hollywood Blvd. The only museum dedicated to Hollywood celebrities. If you can't see them in person you can see them in wax. Celebrities like Harrison Ford, Katherne Hepburn, Tom Hanks and Marilyn Monroe. Open year round from 10AM to midnight.

Los Angeles Tourist Attractions: Celebrities

You may find yourself bumping into a celebrity or two at many different places in Los Angeles. Believe it or not they do shop and eat out. Try upscale supermarkets on the west side of Los Angeles, such as the Whole Foods and Gelson's. Celebrities are also often spotted shopping for antiques at the Flea Market held the second Sunday of the month at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

If you're not lucky enough to run into one, you can always pick up a map to the stars' houses. There's usually someone standing on Sunset Blvd. selling them. You can also watch a live TV show being filmed. Studio audiences are always needed for television shows, including reality and talk shows, and when in season, sitcoms. A good place to get free tickets is at Audiences Unlimited. Their website is tvtickets.com.

Day Trips from Los Angeles

If you have a week or more, you might want to take a boat ride to Catalina Island. You can go for the day or spend the night at one of the many hotels and inns on the Island. There's plenty to do: hiking, walking, driving a golf cart around the island, rent a bike, or rent a peddle boat.

You might also want to take a day trip to San Diego or Santa Barbara.

And, if you brought your hiking boots, there are many local trails in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains. For a real treat, hike the trail in Griffith Park to the Griffith Park Observatory. Admission is free, and there are many interesting exhibits.

Synonyms: CA and Calif is used synonymously with California. LA and Los Angeles are used synonymously.
Os, ols, ls, lso and lo are typos for Los. ngeles, nAgeles, Ageles, Agneles, Aneles, Anegles, Angles, Anglees, Angees, Angeels, Angels, Angelse and Angele are typos for "Angeles."