135 Best Sights in Los Angeles, California

Is there a dreamier way to top off your day at the beach than a bonfire at twilight? Beach bonfires are largely illegal in L.A., but you can still live the dream along Dockweiler’s 3.7-mile stretch. Here, lighting up isn’t just permitted; it’s practically encouraged, thanks to firepits peppered throughout. That's probably why this beach is almost always a scene where young twenty- and thirtysomethings roast jumbo marshmallows on long, makeshift skewers, as they guzzle beer in red cups. (Just arrive early to have a shot at one.) Amenities: food and drink; parking; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

More than just a prominent fixture on Hollywood Boulevard, the Dolby Theatre has a few accolades under its belt as well, most notably as home to the Academy Awards. The theater is a blend of the traditional and the modern, where an exquisite classical design inspired by the grand opera houses of Europe meets a state-of-the-art sound and technical system for an immersive, theatrical experience. Watch a concert or a show here to experience it fully, but before you do, take a tour for an informative, behind-the-scenes look and to step into the VIP lounge where celebrities rub elbows on the big night.

If this charming little park and its lake of swan boats looks a little familiar to you, it’s most likely because you’ve seen it in one movie or another (Chinatown, for instance). After a major overhaul, the park has blossomed into a beautiful urban landscape, set against the backdrop of the Downtown skyline. Weekends are always bustling, as are mornings when joggers and early risers take laps around the lake.

Though not Los Angeles’s biggest park—that honor belongs to Griffith Park—Elysian comes in second and also has the honor of being the city’s oldest. It's also home to one of L.A.'s busiest and most beloved attractions, Dodger Stadium, the home field to the Los Angeles Dodgers. For this reason, baseball fans flock to this 600-acre park for tailgate parties. The rest of the time, however, Elysian Park serves as the Echo Park residents’ backyard, thanks to its network of hiking trails, picnic spaces, and public playgrounds.

Originally developed in 1872 as an agricultural park, this 160-acre park has a lovely sunken rose garden and three museums—the California African American Museum, the California Science Center, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County—as well as an IMAX theater. There's also Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum where Olympic festivities were held in 1932 and 1984 and where USC games are now played. The newest addition to the park is the Banc of California Stadium, a 22,000-seat arena that's home to the LAFC soccer club. Good news for commuters: the Metro Expo Line, which connects the Westside to Downtown Los Angeles, has a stop at Exposition Park.

Note that the park and neighborhood are sketchy at night.

With its elegant dark-wood paneling and floors, curved staircases, and a theatrical stage in the parlor, it's easy to envision how this 1907 mansion along Pasadena's Millionaire's Row once served as a gathering place for the city's elite (it also housed the Finnish consulate until 1965). Most rooms on the ground and second floors are still fitted with original furniture; you can peek into these roped-off spaces to get a sense of what life was like more than a century ago. The mansion, which has been used in many films, is part of the two-acre Pasadena Museum of History complex, which also includes the adjacent Finnish Folk Art Museum, the Curtin House, the Estate Garden, and the History Center with its galleries, which host rotating exhibits dedicated to the art and culture of Pasadena.

Towering over the 20th Century Fox studio lot in Century City is Fox Plaza, a 34-story skyscraper where former president Ronald Reagan once had an office. Savvy screen watchers will undoubtedly know it by its more famous name---Nakatomi Plaza. Starring in the blockbusting juggernaut Die Hard, the building is shot at, blown apart, and set on fire as Bruce Willis takes down a German terrorist cell. It can be fun to see if you're a fan of the movie, but be aware this is just an office building, so there’s not a whole lot to do but look at it.

This contemporary art gallery, owned and directed by the legendary Larry Gagosian, features cutting-edge artists in a minimalist-styled space. It’s free to enter, exhibits rotate every six weeks, and the gallery has displayed everyone from Richard Avedon and Takashi Murakami to Frank Gehry and Jeff Koons. During Oscar season the gallery is known for its celeb-filled openings.

Built by Charles and Henry Greene in 1908, this American Arts and Crafts bungalow illustrates the incredible craftsmanship that went into early L.A. architecture. The term "bungalow" can be misleading, since the Gamble House is a huge three-story home. To wealthy Easterners such as the Gambles (as in Procter & Gamble), this type of vacation home seemed informal compared with their mansions back home. Admirers swoon over the teak staircase and cabinetry, the Greene and Greene–designed furniture, and an Emil Lange glass door. The dark exterior has broad eaves, with sleeping porches on the second floor. An hour-long, docent-led tour of the Gamble's interior will draw your eye to the exquisite details; specialty tours are available for those who crave more. For those who want to see more of the Greene and Greene homes, there are guided walks around the historic Arroyo Terrace neighborhood. Advance tickets are highly recommended. Film buffs might recognize this as Doc Brown's house from Back to the Future.

The Geffen Contemporary is one of architect Frank Gehry's boldest creations. One of three MOCA branches, the 40,000 square feet of exhibition space was once used as a police car warehouse. The museum's permanent collection includes works from artists like Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Cindy Sherman.

Present your TAP metro card to get two-for-one admission.

The GRAMMY Museum brings the music industry to life. Throughout four floors and 30,000 square feet of space, the museum showcases rare footage of GRAMMY performances, plus rotating and interactive exhibits on award-winning musicians and the history of music. A 200-seat theater is great for live events that include screenings, lectures, interviews, and intimate music performances.

Built in 1928, this stunning mansion resides in a discreet residential part of Beverly Hills, surrounded by 18 acres of manicured grounds that are open to the public. The historic house was built by oil magnate Ned Doheny (inspiration for the Daniel Day-Lewis character in There Will Be Blood) and has been featured in films like The Big Lebowski, Spider-Man, The Social Network, and X-Men. Self-guided tours of the interior of the mansion are offered on the first Saturday or Sunday of each month from January to November. Once inside, you can gawk at the 46,000-square-foot estate with a bowling alley, secret panels for liquor, and even a screening room.

Run by beach conservation group Heal the Bay, this live marine-life menagerie contains more than 100 species of marine animals and plants, all found in Santa Monica Bay. The Dorothy Green Room features live and interactive exhibits about local watersheds and shark feedings and short educational films on the weekends. The Kid's Corner provides books, games, and a puppet show. Don't miss this chance to learn about the area's ecology and the staggering evidence of how pollution is affecting ocean life. The aquarium can be tricky to find—look for it tucked under the eastern end of the Santa Monica Pier bridge along Ocean Front Walk. Follow the colorful seascape murals that cover the outside walls. Free admission for kids ages 3 and under.

Looking like a prop street set up by a film studio, Heritage Square resembles a row of bright dollhouses in the modest Highland Park neighborhood. Five 19th-century residences, a train station, a church, a carriage barn, and a 1909 boxcar that was originally part of the Southern Pacific Railroad, all built between the Civil War and World War I, were moved to this small park from various locations in Southern California to save them from the wrecking ball. The latest addition, a re-creation of a World War I–era drugstore, has a vintage soda fountain and traditional products. Docents dressed in period costume lead visitors through the lavish homes, giving an informative picture of Los Angeles in the early 1900s. Don't miss the unique 1893 Octagon House, one of just a handful of its kind built in California.

South of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach has all the amenities of its neighbor but attracts a rowdier crowd. Swimming takes a back seat to the volleyball games and parties on the pier and bustling boardwalk, but the water here is consistently clean and inviting. Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee); lifeguards; showers; toilets. Best for: partiers; surfing; swimming.

The mere mention of this intersection inspires images of a street corner bustling with movie stars, hopefuls, and moguls arriving on foot or in a Duesenberg or a Rolls-Royce. In the old days this was the hub of the radio and movie industry: film stars like Gable and Garbo hustled in and out of their agents' office buildings (some now converted to luxury condos) at these fabled cross streets. Even the B Line Metro station here keeps up the Hollywood theme, with a Wizard of Oz–style yellow brick road and movie-themed artworks in tile on permanent display. Sights visible from this intersection include the Capitol Records Building, the Avalon Hollywood nightclub, Pantages Theater, and the W Hollywood Hotel.

Originally the tearoom for the Hollywood Bowl, this unassuming, two-story museum not only recounts the history of one of L.A.’s most renowned landmarks, but also commemorates some of the major and unforgettable performances that have taken place here. While the second floor mostly touts temporary exhibits, the first floor boasts permanent displays, a few of which are interactive. A quick visit to this museum is a definite must whether you’re a musicophile or you’re coming to see a performance at the Hollywood Bowl.

This unassuming wooden building across from the Hollywood Bowl is a treasure trove of memorabilia from the earliest days of Hollywood filmmaking, including a thorough look back at Cecil B. DeMille's starry career and a recreation of his office. The building itself is the restored Lasky-DeMille Barn, the oldest studio and oldest building in Hollywood, designated a California State Historic Landmark in 1956. Models show the building's former location on the Paramount Studios lot. Changing exhibitions cover movie and film history.

Providing equipment for countless Los Angeles bands since the 1960s, Guitar Center pays tribute to its rock-star clientele with the Hollywood RockWalk in front of the building. The concrete slabs are imprinted with the talented hands of Van Halen, Carole King, Chuck Berry, Dick Dale, Slash, Carlos Santana, AC/DC, and others. Two standouts are Joey Ramone's upside-down hand and Lemmy of Motörhead's "middle finger salute." 

The Holocaust Museum uses its extensive collections of photos and artifacts, along with audio tours and interactive tools, to evoke European Jewish life in the 20th century. The mission is to commemorate the lives of those who perished and those who survived the Holocaust. The building is itself a marvel, having won two awards from the American Institute of Architects.

Opened in 2024, the Intuit Dome is Inglewood's newest sports and entertainment venue, seating 18,000 and serving as the home of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. Its instantly iconic steel-and-fabric grid architecture is a high-tech nod to a basketball net. Visitors enter through tiered "sky gardens" that let in natural light and set the stage for the experience inside, which includes a huge 360-degree halo screen. Another standout feature at the Dome is the Wall, a floor-to-ceiling set of rows behind the net that amplifies fan voices and creates an imposing home-court advantage.

This landmark, constructed in 1908, is noteworthy because its south wall bears an infamous mural. Famed Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros shocked his patrons in the 1930s by depicting an oppressed worker of Latin America being crucified on a cross topped by a menacing American eagle. The anti-imperialist mural was promptly whitewashed but was later restored by the Getty Museum. It can be seen on the Italian Hall building today. Today the site functions as a museum and has seven color-coded exhibits on the history of Italian Americans. The site is also home to Taste of Italy, an annual event that celebrates the Italian culinary history of Los Angeles.

Highlighting the best of Japanese art, food, and culture with a goal to nurture a deeper understanding of Japan in the world, Japan House is an oasis of serenity on frenetic Hollywood Boulevard. This two-floor, multiuse space, whose interior and exterior were designed by leading Japanese designers, is made up of a gallery, a store with beautiful Japanese wares for sale, a library, an event space, and a fine-dining restaurant serving a traditional Japanese kaiseki menu of seasonal dishes. The gallery hosts touring and original exhibitions focused on photography, architecture, manga, paper culture, and more. The library and reading nooks welcome further exploration.

Plenty of traditional and contemporary cultural events make this center well worth the trip. Founded in 1980, JACCC is home to a number of civic and arts organizations. Through the center's basement you reach the James Irvine Garden, a serene sunken space where local plants mix with bamboo, Japanese wisteria, and Japanese maples. The main floor of the museum houses the George J. Doizaki Gallery, which has 2,000 square feet of exhibition space and has housed everything from national treasures of Japan to the Bugaku costumes from the Kasuga Grand Shrine in Nara. An 880-seat theater is known for any number of performing arts shows including Bunraku Puppet Theater and the Grand Kabuki of Japan.

Little ones can pan for gold in a small creek, play Spider-Man on a weblike climber, or race around a trike track at this children's museum.

The mammoth L.A. Live entertainment complex was opened in 2007 when there was little to do or see in this section of Downtown. Since its inception, this once creepy ghost town has become a major hub for sports, concerts, award shows, and more. The first things you'll notice as you emerge from the parking lot are the giant LED screens and sparkling lights, and the buzz of crowds as they head out to dinner before or after a Lakers game, movie, or live show at the Microsoft Theater. There are dozens of restaurants and eateries here, including Los Angeles favorite Katsuya, the spot for sizzling Kobe beef platters and excellent sushi (the crab rolls are not to be missed).

Park for free on weekdays from 11 am to 2 pm if you eat at one of the dozen or so restaurants here.

This small, rarely crowded beach, the southernmost in Malibu, is known for its groins (metal gates constructed in 1929 to protect against erosion) and has good swimming, diving, and fishing conditions and a rocky coastline that wraps elegantly around Pacific Coast Highway. Watch out for high tides and parking along PCH. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards. Best for: solitude; swimming.

On the very edge of Ventura County, this narrow beach is better for exploring than for sunning or swimming (watch that strong undertow!). If you do plan to swim, stay north of lifeguard towers 2, 4, and 5, but be sure to ask lifeguards about water conditions when you arrive. On your own or with a ranger, venture down at low tide to examine the tide pools among the rocks. Sequit Point, a promontory dividing the northwest and southeast halves of the beach, creates secret coves, sea tunnels, and boulders on which you can perch and fish. Generally, anglers stick to the northwest end of the beach; experienced surfers brave the rocks to the southeast. Campgrounds are set back from the beach; campsites must be reserved well in advance. Amenities: parking; lifeguards (seasonally); toilets; showers. Best for: sunset; surfing; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

The nation's third-largest public library, the handsome Los Angeles Central Library was designed in 1926 by Bertram Goodhue. Restored to their pristine condition, a pyramid tower and a torch symbolizing the "light of learning" crown the building. The Cook rotunda on the second floor features murals by Dean Cornwell depicting the history of California, and the Tom Bradley Wing, named for a famed L.A. mayor, has a soaring eight-story atrium.

The library offers frequent special exhibits, and don't ignore the gift shop, which is loaded with unique items for readers and writers. Free art and architecture tours are offered Friday at 12:30, Saturday at 11, and Sunday at 2. An Art-in-the-Garden tour happens once a month on Saturday at 12:30 pm. A self-guided tour map is also available on the library's website.

Wander through a re-created tropical forest, a South African landscape, or the Australian outback at this family-friendly arboretum. One highlight is the tropical greenhouse, with carnivorous-looking orchids and a pond full of brilliantly colored goldfish. The house and stables of the eccentric real-estate pioneer Lucky Baldwin are well-preserved and worth a visit, along with the fairy-tale Queen Anne Cottage built for his 16-year-old fourth wife, which has been painstakingly renovated and is now open for docent-led tours. (It's best known as Ricardo Montalbán's Fantasy Island house.) Kids will love the many peacocks and waterfowl that roam the property, and an abandoned 1890 train station built using Baldwin's own brick yard. The most recent additions include a new forest pathway and the Garden of Quiet Reflection, filled with contemplative quotes, a sundial, and East Asian flora.