Griffith Park

Griffith Park

With so much of Los Angeles paved in cement and asphalt, 4,100-acre Griffith Park stands out as a special place. It's the largest municipal park and urban wilderness area in the United States. On warm weekends, there are parties, barbecues, mariachi bands, and strolling vendors selling fresh fruit. Joggers, cyclists, and walkers course its roadways, and golfers play its four municipal courses. Within the park there are three tennis courts, horse stables, a collection of vintage locomotive and railroad cars called Travel Town, and pony rides. L.A.'s oldest merry-go-round (323/665-3051) continues to spin here, playing a fabulous Stinson calliope. It's open weekends 11-5, and it costs $2. There's also the 6,100-seat Greek Theatre (2700 North Vermont. 323/665-5857. www.greektheatrela.com), where Tina Turner and the Gipsy Kings have performed.

The park was named after Col. Griffith J. Griffith, a mining tycoon who donated 3,000 acres of land to the city for the park in 1896. The park has been used as a film and television location since the early days of motion pictures. One early Hollywood producer advised, "A tree is a tree, a rock is a rock, shoot it in Griffith Park."

One of the park's most famous filming sites is the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium. Overlooking Hollywood and Downtown, this art deco landmark off Vermont Avenue was immortalized in Rebel Without a Cause.

The silver-screen cowboy Gene Autry created the Autry National Center (4700 Western Heritage Way, at Zoo Dr., 90027. 323/667-2000. www.autry-museum.org), an impressive museum that traces the history of the American West and Western moviemaking. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10-5. Admission is $9, free second Tuesday of month.

Not far from the museum, at the junction of the Ventura Freeway (Highway 134) and the Golden State Freeway (I-5), is the 80-acre Los Angeles Zoo (323/644-4200. www.lazoo.org. $12). You'll need good walking shoes for this as distances are compounded by plenty of construction detours. You'll see tigers, lions, and bears along with a few endangered species such as the California condor and a trio of trio of Sumatran tiger cubs born in June 2007.

After a major fire in May 2007, many hiking and equestrian trails were closed (for safety reasons, for replanting, and for the natural wildlife). The park went into a state of uncertainty, with many of the access roads closed to the public. All trails have since reopened except the Bird Sanctuary Trail, which is undergoing a major recovery effort.

Griffith Park is accessible in several places: off Los Feliz Boulevard at Western Canyon Avenue, Vermont Avenue, Crystal Springs Drive, and Riverside Drive; from the Ventura/134 Freeway at Victory Boulevard, Zoo Drive, or Forest Lawn Drive; from the Golden State Freeway (I-5) at Los Feliz Boulevard and Zoo Drive. The park is open from 5 AM to 10 PM. Information (323/644-6661) and for emergencies, call the ranger station (323/913-7390) on Crystal Springs Drive, near the merry-go-round.