FUN THINGS TO DO IN LOS ANGELES
A city of South California with sprawling districts and suburbs, tropical climate, immensely cosmopolitan, string of sandy beaches, sun-baked hills, beautiful pacific coastline, cultural art institutions, superior museums, theme parks and not to forget home of Hollywood.
The categorization of Los Angeles…… naaa…. Not an easy task to sum up the vibrant and exhilarating city which cannot be defined.
What can you say????
Or what not to say about the city of everything…. Home of the Beach Boys and Linkin Park…..
You can have a romantic weekend or an adventurous tour with your friends or family a refreshing trip with your loved ones in the “City of Angles”.
Bewilderment is usual when you decide to traverse one of the most diverse cities of United States. You can spend days strolling through the studio tours and pilgrimages to places from TV and movies or go deep and discover the taco truck.
Alexa Travel is here to fog you out from the mesh of desirable destinations and by sharing with you the 8 coolest places that you can visit and have fun during your stay in Los Angeles.
- GRIFFITH PARK
An eminent park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains has an assortment of fun things to do for you. You have been to LA and not get indulged in one of the top rated activities….
For film fanatics thefabulous Hollywood sign standing tall on Mount Lee in Griffith Park since 1923 (originally put up as “Hollywoodland”) is admirable. For an up-close peek you can hop on the back of horse and get along the network of trails of Griffith Park in a one hour ride for 50$ or two hour ride for 75$. And hiking up to the 53 mile park ….. Though tough yet worthy with every stop giving you a spectacular view of the cityscapeand never gets old. This big a sign is perfectly visible across the canyon by parking at the Lake Hollywood Park.
The Zoo of Los Angeles and Botanical Gardens offers a wide range of plants and animal species including elephants, koala bears, apes, lions, tigers, hippopotamus along with number of amphibians and reptiles.
Spend a beautiful day golfing at the two historic golf courses: Wilson and Harding with the amenities of golf shop, diving range and a restaurant.
A fun ride of a pony or a miniature train that takes you along the perimeter of the Travel Town Museum with a warm welcome by the two miniature goats: Itsy and Bitsy comes with a complete package of enjoyment for youngsters.
Have a refreshing picnic on the grassy areas of the park. The most desirable location is Amir’s Garden with a phenomenal oasis and amazing views, and the abundant of picnic tables.
Crazy for batman???
Bronson caves are for you made from the 20th century rock quarry used in innumerable movies and TV shows. It is accessible through an easy hiking to the caves emerging from the Canyon Drive.
Your amazement gets manifold with the “Christmas present” of Griffith J. Griffith in form of Griffith observatory and Greek Theatre. At the dreamy terrace of observatory behold the twinkling city at night or witness the city rippling in sun. The Samuel Oschin Planetarium screens Centered in the Universe offering you a trip through time with the discoveries by Ptolemy and Galileo, and space, through the Milky Way.
Become the spectator of several live comedy shows, musical performances and plays all along the year along with the sensational mountain views.Explore the culture, history and art of America at the Aurty Museum of American Westexhibiting variety of Native American art, paintings and historic firearms.
- THE GETTY CENTER
The Getty Center, an awe-inspiring modern fortress atop Santa Monica Mountains in Brentwood is a labyrinthine complex stretching up to 110 acres of Travertine reflecting light at the hilltop.
Spoil yourself with the astonishing art collection from Stone Age to medieval times to present from different nations embellished with the manicured gardens. The incredible architecture of light-colored marble bob having circular concrete-and-steel structure among pools, fountains and ever-changing Central Garden, the Cactus Garden, the outdoor sculpture along with a knockout view of the city make this a must-do destination, even if you are not into art.
The finest collection comprises ofRenaissance paintings, Italian, Flemish and Dutch painting from the 17th to the 19th centuryEuropean paintings, 20th-century American photography, Baroque sculptures, historic and illuminated manuscripts, the huge assortment of Impressionist painting and exquisite decorative arts, as well as 19th- and 20th-century photography.
This multifaceted attraction avails free 45-minute guided tours (for 15-30 people) at 11 a.m. or 2 p.m., moreover the complimentary headsets are available for self-guided audio tours.
The fee to visit…. Yeah ……Important thing…. It’s free!!! You just need to give the parking charges 0f 20$ (you can avoid even this with the provision of city bus which drop you at the gate).
- The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
The Huntington, one of the world’s greatest research libraries in San Marino might be considered a little extravagant, however with every moving step it becomes apparent that it’s worth every penny spent.
Looking for a garden or in search of some art…. Or want some peaceful reading in a library or to get a glimpse of magnificent aromatic flowers….. Or what you can think of….. History?????
Whatever intriguing thing you are thinking, you are going to get at this sprawling estate stretched in 120 acres adorned with more than a dozen themed gardens including aesthetic desert garden, flabbergasting Japanese garden, Chinese garden and fragrant rose garden. The county withholds nine million items from alluring artifacts to inspiring manuscripts from 1000s to 21st century, Henry David Thoreau’s manuscript of Walden, for instance,and the documents from Abraham Lincon’s life are like an icing to the cake.
That’s not it… the exhibition spaces has an engaging display of literature and paintings and lush botanical gardens have an assortment of orchids, bonsai, cycads and camellias. Don’t miss out on the works of Rogier van der Weyden, Gainsborough and American artists like Mary Cassatt, Edward Hopper and Andy Warhol at the Huntington Art Gallery with a marvellous exhibit of painting, sculpture and decorative arts.
- DISNEYLAND RESORT
What’s your age??? Ahhh ….. Forget it… who cares???
Whatever your age…. an obligatory trip to Disneyland Resort is on the top of your bucket list because you are never too old for DISNEYLAND.
A premier family vacation destination is offered by the incorporation of two theme parks, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, connected via outdoor shopping area, Hotels, Restaurants and Downtown Disney.
The park offers legendary rides like Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad combined with the ecstatic experience of elaborately created sets based on movie themes.
You will get fascinated with the charm of old Hollywood and the buzz of Disney’s Marvel and Pixar movies in the park. People especially the tiny visitors cannot get out of the fun and enchantment of Main Street parades.
Have you already been to the place????…. No worries….A new land is opened in 2019 for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, designed in collaboration with Lucas film.
- VENICE BEACH
Thinking of VENICE …. Two words pop up…. Amusing and vibrant having its own unique vibe.
Developed in the early 20th century by Abbot Kinney, the two and half mile stretch of golden sand, known as the Venice Beach boardwalk never fails to create an impression with the daily procession of scantily clad beachgoers and packed withconstant stream of walkers, cyclers, rollerbladers, and joggers among the eclectic characters.
Name a fun activity …… Muscle Beach, cannabis shops, a skate park, street performers, tattoo parlours, international cuisine, innumerable trinket hawkers….. And it’s there.
The bohemian epicenter of California boldly embraces its eccentric spirit with its arcaded historic buildings, canal side resorts, funky boutiques and restaurants.
For a vacation filled with cool and fun activities, Venice Beach is free for everyone for the whole 24 hours (though parking can be a hassle) and easily accessible through nearby bus stops.
6. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The linchpin of Los Angeles museum district with the expansion of 20 acres ornamented with a medley of seven uniquely architectured buildings is the largest museum of the western United States on Wilshire Boulevard’s Miracle Mile.
Get mind-boggling experiences of the vast collection encasing every nook and corner of the world exhibiting almost 130,000 artifacts from Impressionist paintings to modern art and admire the Chris Burden’s Urban Light installation, designed from 202 restored cast iron antique street lamps.
Some of the visit-worthy pieces include inventories of Greek, Roman with enthralling Etruscan, American, Latin American, Islamic, Asian art, photography and film as well as eye-catching permanent art installations.
There’s much more to this thought-provoking place like Diego Rivera’s Portrait of Frida Kahlo (1939), Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio by David Hockney (1980), Titian’s Portrait of Jacopo (1532), The Swineherd by Paul Gauguin (1888) and the most recent expansion Transformation.
You can avail this terrific experience with an admission ticket of 25$ for adults and the smaller visitors (17 or younger) gets a free pass.
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The largest natural history museum of western United States encompasses 4.5 billion years of history within three museums:The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the The Page Museum at The La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park and the William S. Hart Ranch and Museum in Newhall, Santa Clarita, California.
Get amazed with the Spanish Colonial Revival designed mansion circumjacent by the trails, farm animals, bison, park and a cheerful picnic area. The museum carry forward Hart’s legacy withholding the possessions of movie stars along with Native American artifacts. The charm of the museum gets enhanced with the commemoration of Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival and Annual Hart of the West Powwow since 2015.
George C. Page museum is a story teller of the excavation of tar pits with the display of out of the ordinary specimens dug out from the pits. A stroll in the park offers you a splendid view of more than 100 tar pits and the life-size models of prehistoric animals.
The Natural History of Museum is house of immense agglomeration of specimens covering a range of topics on several galleries.
You will surely get astound by the 14,000 square foot Dinosaur Hall having a mind-blowing display of dinosaur skeletons and the spell-bounding experience especially for the younger guests to witness the growth series of Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ranging from baby to adult. You can never ever ignore to explore the 500 years of Southern Californian history in Becoming Los Angeles and the accompanying Discovery Center and Insect Zoo.
Searching for an added advantage??? Okay… there it is… you can have a tour of this amazing place without spending a single penny… yeah…. it’s free.
- UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD
Movies… all-time favourite source of entertainment…. We all concur to this fact.
And given the opportunity no one misses out to have a tour of the movie sets and if the tour is of Universal Studios…. It becomes a must-do trip.
The fun of having an hour-long tram ride is unmatched as it offers you a peek to the sets of movies like Courthouse Square (To Kill a Mockingbird, Back to the Future, Gremlins) and the house from Psycho (1960) with a fascinating view of certain famous movies, in addition to this you feel the shiver of couple of mishaps, like flash flood and earthquake.
The Universal Studios Theme park serve as the icing on cake with breath-taking theme rides based on blockbuster movies like Wizarding World of Harry Potter having the Flight of the Hippogriff rollercoaster and the Forbidden Journey, a dark ride through Hogwarts and the latest arrival of Jurassic World: The Ride, a “shoot the chute”.
You can meander on the City Walk and pamper yourself with the three-block entertainment area along with awesome places for dining, shopping and to enjoy theater.
It’s not possible to stay away from these dreamy destinations for a long…
So grab your luggage, pack and plan your trip to Los Angeles with Alexa Travel and avail the best flight deals from India to USA for your hassle-free journey.