Things to Do in Los Angeles: The Ultimate Guide to the City of Angels

• Ride the solar-powered Ferris wheel at Pacific Park

  Perched on the Santa Monica Pier, this bright Ferris wheel is the world's only solar-powered one and lifts you high above the Pacific for sweeping ocean and coastline views. The whole amusement park runs year-round, and sunset rides glow over the water. It's a classic, crowd-pleasing thrill for all ages.

• Take in the views from Griffith Observatory

  Perched on the south slope of Mount Hollywood, this Art Deco landmark offers free admission and jaw-dropping views of the Hollywood Sign, downtown towers, and the ocean beyond. Peer through the public telescopes after dark, then linger for one of the best sunsets in the city. Go on a clear day for the full sweep.

• Tour a working movie studio

  Ninety minutes on the Warner Bros. backlot with an expert guide unpacking Hollywood history is both relaxing and fascinating. You'll roll past standing sets, sound stages, and props from famous films. It's consistently rated one of the city's most memorable single activities for movie lovers.

• Catch a Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium

  Baseball at the third-oldest ballpark in the majors is pure L.A. summer, sunshine, palm trees on the horizon, and the legendary Dodger Dog. Even non-fans get swept up in the crowd energy, the between-innings singalongs, and the buzz that carries into Echo Park bars afterward.

• Laugh at a Groundlings improv show

  This Melrose Avenue theater is a launchpad for countless comedy stars and still delivers sharp, hilarious sketch and improv nearly every night. It's affordable, high-energy fun, and you can pair it with dinner and drinks along Melrose or in nearby Hollywood for a great night out.

• Eat tacos and a French dip

  Line up for al pastor tacos shaved off the spit at a beloved taqueria, then tuck into a French dip sandwich at Philippe's or Cole's, two downtown spots that each claim to have invented it. Food here is an activity in itself and a delicious way to argue with locals.

• Take a surf lesson at the beach

  Paddle out with an instructor at a gentle break in Santa Monica or Venice and catch your first wave in the very ocean where surf culture went mainstream. Standing up as the coastline rolls past is a thrilling and surprisingly serene rite of passage. Morning sessions have the calmest water.

• Explore the Venice Beach Boardwalk

  Beyond the sand, the boardwalk packs Muscle Beach, a legendary skate park, street performers, artists, and endless people-watching. It's unabashedly offbeat fun, best enjoyed on a warm evening with a snack in hand as the sun drops into the Pacific.

• Bike The Strand along the coast

  Rent a beach cruiser and roll along miles of car-free path from Santa Monica through Venice down toward the South Bay. It's exhilarating, free-flowing fun and covers a lot of ground, letting you string beaches, piers, and taco stands together in an afternoon.

• Bar-hop Silver Lake and Echo Park

  These hip eastside neighborhoods brim with craft-cocktail bars, breweries, vintage shops, and taquerias. A self-guided crawl here shows off L.A.'s creative, laid-back side far from the tourist core. Sunset Boulevard connects the two on foot or by a quick rideshare.

• Spend a day at Universal Studios Hollywood

  This theme park pairs the famous studio backlot tram tour with big-thrill rides, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and Super Nintendo World. It's a full day of screams and cinema magic just over the hill from Hollywood, best on a weekday to dodge the longest lines.

• Griffith Observatory

  Perched on the south slope of Mount Hollywood, this beloved landmark has never charged admission to its grounds, halls, or exhibits. Take in the city and the Hollywood Sign by day, peer through the public telescopes after dark, and treat it as the best free starting point for any first visit.

• The Getty Center

  Ride the free hillside tram up to Richard Meier's travertine campus for world-class paintings, sculpture gardens, and panoramic views from the mountains to the sea. Admission is always free; only parking carries a charge, which makes it endlessly repeatable.

• The Los Angeles Central Library

  Step inside the 1926 Goodhue building to admire the soaring rotunda, its zodiac chandelier, and the vivid California history murals. This downtown landmark hosts free exhibitions and readings and is one of the city's most beautiful and underappreciated free interiors.

• Venice Beach Boardwalk

  Stroll Ocean Front Walk past street performers, muscle beach, skate plaza, and open-air vendors, all free to wander. It's one of the most atmospheric ways to experience the coast, especially in the golden hour before the sun drops into the Pacific.

• The Strand & the beaches

  Walk, run, or bike the 22-mile Marvin Braude coastal path and lounge on miles of free public sand from Santa Monica down to Manhattan and Hermosa. Wide beaches with the mountains behind you are a quintessential, no-cost Los Angeles scene from spring through fall.

• Exposition Park Rose Garden

  This seven-acre sunken garden near USC bursts with thousands of rose bushes and is free to stroll most of the year. It's a serene, photogenic refuge beside the museum campus, especially magical in the peak of spring bloom.

• Runyon Canyon

  This free hillside park above Hollywood offers short but steep trails rewarded with sweeping views of the basin and the skyline. It links the flats near Franklin Avenue to Mulholland Drive and is a favorite quick escape into the chaparral for locals and visitors alike.

• Downtown murals & LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

  Wander the Arts District and the streets around Olvera to see one of the country's richest concentrations of murals, then step into the free LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes for centuries of Mexican American history and art in Los Angeles.

• Grand Park

  Splash near the historic pink Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain and picnic on the green terraces stretching from City Hall up to the Music Center. The park is free and hosts many of LA's festivals, free concerts, and civic celebrations.

• LACMA, free for county residents

  Los Angeles County residents enjoy free general admission on weekday afternoons, letting you see the encyclopedic collections without a ticket. Even without entering, the outdoor 'Urban Light' lamppost installation is free to photograph day and night.

• Griffith Park

  Kids can roam one of the largest urban parks in the country, with trails, a vintage merry-go-round, and pony rides among the sycamores. Entry to the park is always free, and its picnic lawns and playgrounds make an easy, no-cost family afternoon.

• Free museum days at the Natural History Museum, Science Center & The Broad

  The California Science Center is always free, The Broad's general admission is free with a reservation, and the Natural History Museum offers free days for county residents. Planning around these can save a family a small fortune while still delivering dinosaurs and blockbuster art.

• Explore neighborhoods on the Metro

  While the fare isn't free, simply riding the rail lines out to Little Tokyo, Koreatown, or the beach at Santa Monica is a cheap, easy way to see the sprawl without traffic. Watching the city change block by block from the window is an experience unto itself.

• The James Irvine Japanese Garden

  Tucked below the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Little Tokyo, this tranquil garden offers free strolling among a stream, stone paths, and maples. Combine it with a wander through the neighborhood's shops for a peaceful, no-cost afternoon downtown.

• Window-shop Rodeo Drive

  You don't need to spend a cent to enjoy the architecture, people-watching, and energy of Beverly Hills' famous shopping streets. During the holidays the lights and displays turn the whole district into a free spectacle.

• California Science Center

  Home to the real Space Shuttle Endeavour, plus a habitat wing with kelp forests and river otters. Admission to the permanent galleries is free, and the hands-on exhibits make science tactile and thrilling. Go early to beat school groups.

• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

  Towering dinosaur skeletons, a walk-through gem and mineral hall, and an outdoor Nature Gardens keep the wonder going. The dueling T. rex and Triceratops display awes kids of every age, and it's a full, weatherproof day of discovery in Exposition Park.

• Griffith Observatory

  Free to enter, with a Foucault pendulum, a Tesla coil, and telescopes open to the public on clear evenings. The planetarium shows transport kids across the solar system, and the terrace serves up a sweeping city and Hollywood Sign view.

• Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

  Tucked into Griffith Park, with gorillas, elephants, and a walk-through aviary. The compact loops and shaded paths suit shorter attention spans, and the children's discovery area lets little ones get close to smaller animals.

• Travel Town Museum

  A free outdoor railroad museum in Griffith Park where kids can climb aboard vintage locomotives and ride a miniature train. It pairs perfectly with the nearby pony rides and the historic merry-go-round for a low-cost morning.

• La Brea Tar Pits and Museum

  Real Ice Age fossils bubble up from active asphalt seeps right in the middle of the city. Kids watch paleontologists clean bones in the Fossil Lab and meet life-size mammoths, making prehistory feel startlingly close.

• Kidspace Children's Museum

  Designed for hands-on play in Pasadena, with a climbing tower, a wash-and-splash water zone, and an outdoor nature exchange. Younger children can dig, build, and run free for hours in a safe, engaging setting.

• Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park

  A classic wooden pier with a solar-powered Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, and an old-fashioned carousel. Ride, play the midway games, then wander down to the sand and the aquarium tucked beneath the pier.

• Santa Monica State Beach

  Wide sand, gentle shallows, and a paved path make this the go-to family beach. Build sandcastles, rent bikes, and grab a snack before a stroll toward the pier as the sun drops over the water.

• Aquarium of the Pacific

  In nearby Long Beach, with a shark lagoon touch tank, playful sea otters, and a walk-through lorikeet aviary. The immersive Pacific exhibits are a guaranteed hit and a great rainy-day backup.

• Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden

  Free-roaming peacocks, a waterfall, and 127 acres of gardens make this Arcadia oasis a gentle, mostly outdoor outing. Kids love spotting the birds and exploring winding paths at a toddler's pace.

• Dine at a destination tasting menu

  Los Angeles is a fine-dining powerhouse, home to acclaimed tasting-menu restaurants like n/naka, Providence, and Somni. Reserve well ahead for a special-occasion meal, or explore the deep bench of celebrated neighborhood spots for creative cooking at every price point.

• Hunt for hidden cocktail bars

  The city's craft-cocktail scene rivals any in the country, with speakeasy-style rooms tucked behind unmarked doors and inventive bars across Downtown, Silver Lake, and West Hollywood. It's a rewarding scene for a night of unhurried, well-made drinks.

• Catch live music on the Sunset Strip

  Los Angeles helped shape rock and roll, and intimate clubs like the Troubadour, the Roxy, and Whisky a Go Go keep the tradition roaring nightly. Squeeze into a small room, order a drink, and hear the venues where the Doors and countless others got their start.

• Tour breweries in the Arts District

  Los Angeles's craft-beer scene is vast, with taprooms clustered in the Arts District and out toward Torrance and the South Bay. Spend an afternoon sampling flights, touring production floors, and hopping between neighborhood breweries known for everything from hazy IPAs to barrel-aged stouts.

• See a show at the Geffen Playhouse or a small stage

  Los Angeles's theater tradition is deeper than its reputation suggests, from the Geffen Playhouse and Center Theatre Group to tiny 99-seat stages across the city. Catching a play here means raw, actor-driven work in rooms where you feel every line, a very grown-up night out.

• Graze the Arts District's warehouse dining

  Downtown's Arts District has transformed old industrial warehouses into one of the city's hottest dining and nightlife strips. Graze between buzzy restaurants, natural-wine bars, and rooftops in a single stylish evening.

• Take a self-guided architecture deep-dive

  Beyond the beaches, adults can tour landmark interiors, mid-century masterpieces, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock and Ennis Houses. Los Angeles is an open-air museum of Case Study homes and modernist icons for those who want to look closely.

• Sip at a downtown rooftop at golden hour

  The rooftop bars atop hotels like the Ace and Freehand make for an ideal adult evening: a drink in hand, the skyline glowing, and the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance. It's relaxed, scenic, and quintessentially Los Angeles as the sun drops.

• Jazz at a classic club

  From the Baked Potato's long-running sets in Studio City to intimate rooms like Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood, Los Angeles's jazz scene offers sophisticated late nights. The Baked Potato in particular oozes history as one of the oldest jazz clubs in the country.

• Gallery-hop and try a card room

  Browse contemporary galleries at Hauser & Wirth in the Arts District or around Culver City by day, then try your luck at a legal card room like Hollywood Park or Commerce Casino by night. It's an easy way to mix culture and a little grown-up thrill into one itinerary.

• Sunset sail from Marina del Rey

  Board a late-afternoon sailing cruise out of Marina del Rey and watch the coastline turn from gold to glittering as the sun drops into the Pacific. With a drink in hand and the sails catching the last light, it's an effortlessly romantic couple of hours on the water.

• Cocktails at a skyline rooftop

  Toast the city from a rooftop bar as the lights come on across downtown. LA has no shortage of stylish terraces; the ones at Perch or Mama Shelter facing the skyline at sunset are pure romance.

• Sunset from Griffith Observatory

  The observatory's lawns and terraces offer one of the dreamiest views in the city, especially at dusk. Watch the sun sink behind the hills as the entire basin lights up beneath you and the Hollywood Sign glows to the west.

• Stroll the Venice Canals at dusk

  The arched footbridges and reflections make an evening walk through the Venice Canals genuinely magical. Wander the quiet waterways hand in hand, then drift over to Abbot Kinney for a glass of wine as the light fades.

• A quiet garden wander

  The Huntington in San Marino or Descanso Gardens in La Cañada offer a warm, green, private-feeling refuge for a slow stroll together, especially lovely in the rose garden or among the camellias when the crowds are thin.

• Dinner and a show

  Pair an intimate dinner with live music at the Hollywood Bowl or a performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall for a classic date night. The LA Phil and the city's smaller theaters both deliver goosebump-worthy evenings for two.

• Beach picnic at El Matador

  Spread a blanket beneath the sea stacks and bluffs of El Matador State Beach in Malibu and watch the surf roll in. It's a surprisingly secluded, romantic escape, best timed for the golden hour before sunset.

• Slow morning at the Getty

  Wander the hushed galleries and hillside gardens of the Getty Center together before the crowds arrive. Lingering over a favorite painting, then taking in the view over the city, is a quiet, connecting kind of romance.

• Ride the Ferris wheel at twilight

  Share a gondola on the Pacific Wheel at Pacific Park as the sky turns pink over the ocean. Ride it as the pier lights flicker on beneath you and you'll have a memory that sticks.

• Wine bar hop in the Arts District

  The stylish, dimly lit wine bars of the Downtown Arts District are made for lingering conversation. Graze small plates, share pours, and let one intimate room lead you to the next along the neighborhood's brick-lined streets.

• Live music on the Sunset Strip

  Nothing says an LA night like a set at the Whisky a Go Go, the Troubadour, or the Roxy, where countless careers began. These small, loud rooms keep the city's rock tradition alive nightly, an essential after-dark pilgrimage.

• The Baked Potato jazz lounge

  This Studio City institution has poured drinks and served fusion jazz for decades, packing a tiny room with serious players night after night. Its unpretentious warmth makes it one of the most atmospheric nightspots in the city.

• Skyline views after dark

  Head to Griffith Observatory after sunset to see the basin spread out as a carpet of lights beneath the Hollywood Hills. The grounds stay open late, and the nighttime panorama is arguably even more dramatic than the daytime one.

• Improv and stand-up

  Catch a late show at the Comedy Store on Sunset or the Groundlings in Hollywood. LA's comedy scene runs deep into the night, and an unpredictable set full of famous drop-ins is a perfect way to fill an evening with laughter.

• Rooftop bars after golden hour

  As the sky darkens, downtown's rooftop terraces come alive with skyline views and cocktails. Perch and the bars around the Arts District and Hollywood have some of the best perches for a stylish night out above the streets.

• Live indie music in Echo Park

  The Eastside's venues break new bands nightly, from the intimate Echo to the larger Echoplex just below it. It's a beating heart of LA's current music scene and a great place to catch tomorrow's headliners early.

• Late-night eats

  LA's taco trucks, all-night diners, and Koreatown kitchens keep serving well past midnight. A post-show al pastor taco on a sidewalk in Boyle Heights or a bowl at a 24-hour K-town spot is the perfect, unpretentious cap to a night out.

• Santa Monica Pier after dark

  In the evening the pier's solar-powered Ferris wheel and midway lights put on a free, dazzling spectacle above the ocean. Combine it with an after-dark stroll along the beach and the illuminated boardwalk.

• See a concert at a historic venue

  LA's grand rooms host everything from touring acts to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, whether at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Wiltern, or the summer lineup at the Hollywood Bowl. A show in one of these iconic spaces is a memorable night.

• Silver Lake bar crawl

  Dive bars, craft-cocktail dens, and live-music haunts cluster tightly here and along Sunset Junction, making it easy to hop from one to the next on foot. It's a quintessential neighborhood for a lively, unfussy night out.

• The Getty Center

  Hours disappear inside one of the world's great museums, from Van Gogh's Irises to the light-filled galleries and Richard Meier architecture. General admission is free, so a rainy day is the perfect excuse to slow down and see it properly, plan for at least half a day.

• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

  Dinosaurs, dazzling gems, and dioramas fill this vast Exposition Park museum, easily a full weatherproof day. The scale means you can explore for hours and still leave with halls unseen.

• California Science Center

  The Space Shuttle Endeavour, an ecosystems hall, and endless interactive exhibits make this Exposition Park giant an ideal rainy-day destination for families and curious adults alike. General admission is free, and its sheer size guarantees you'll outlast any storm.

• Aquarium of the Pacific

  Watch sea otters, sharks, and jellies drift through immersive habitats at this Long Beach aquarium, one of the largest on the West Coast. The exhibits keep everyone engaged regardless of the weather outside.

• The Huntington Conservatory

  Step into a warm, humid glasshouse of orchids, carnivorous plants, and rainforest greenery in San Marino while rain falls outside. It's one of the most restorative rainy-day escapes near the city, and the surrounding library and galleries keep you sheltered for hours.

• Los Angeles Central Library

  Admire the soaring painted rotunda and the atrium of this historic downtown landmark, all without paying admission. It's a beautiful, central place to browse the stacks and wait out a downpour.

• The Broad

  On Grand Avenue, The Broad offers bold, provocative contemporary work, including a Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirror Room, in an airy honeycomb building. General admission is free, making it a stimulating spot for a rainy afternoon of art, though timed tickets help.

• Grand Central Market

  Graze your way through this bustling downtown food hall, sampling small bites from dozens of vendors under one historic roof. It's a delicious, sheltered way to eat through the city's diversity in a single stop.

• Catch a matinee

  LA's theaters, comedy clubs, and cinemas run daytime shows perfect for a wet afternoon. A play at the Ahmanson or an improv matinee at a Hollywood stage turns bad weather into a great story.

• Shop and browse The Grove and indoor malls

  Duck between the shops and covered walkways at The Grove or the multi-level stores of Westfield Century City, staying dry while you browse. The flagship stores and food courts make for hours of weatherproof wandering.

• The GRAMMY Museum

  This interactive downtown museum celebrates music history with hands-on exhibits, rare artifacts, and listening stations. It's a compact, engaging stop that's ideal when you want culture without committing to a full day.

• Griffith Observatory

  A free hilltop landmark packed with indoor space exhibits, a Foucault pendulum, and a planetarium (ticketed) when the skies close in. It's a quick, warm refuge that pairs well with other Griffith Park stops on a drizzly day.

Los Angeles is often called a collection of neighborhoods in search of a city, and its character truly reveals itself once you venture beyond any single core. Each district has its own history, flavor, and rhythm, and getting between them is easiest by car, though the growing Metro and a few walkable pockets help. Whether you want gleaming skyscrapers, historic ethnic enclaves, hip creative hubs, breezy beach towns, or leafy family-friendly streets, there's a neighborhood tailored to your mood. Here are six essential areas to explore, each rewarding a half-day wander on foot.

See our full Best Hotels in Los Angeles guide for the best areas, and plan smoothly with our Los Angeles travel tips.