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Culture

What are Some Tourist Attractions in Los Angeles?

By Kathy Hawkins
Updated May 17, 2024
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Los Angeles is the second largest city in the United States after New York City, and it is known as the center of the film and entertainment industry. Many of the tourist attractions in Los Angeles are related to the film industry, and they can provide a great source of entertainment for visitors to the city. Other attractions in the area include amusement parks, beaches, and many other activities.

Many of the most popular tourist attractions in Los Angeles are located in Hollywood, which is the original home of the movie industry. Though few movies are produced within Hollywood itself today, the neighborhood provides many activities for movie fans, such as the famous Mann's Chinese Theatre, with sidewalk tiles featuring the hand and foot prints of hundreds of film legends. In the same area, you will find the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with sidewalk stars for many celebrities.

There are also many attractions that will appeal to children. Some large amusement parks in and near Los Angeles include Knott's Berry Farm, Disneyland, Soak City, and Magic Mountain. Don't miss Universal Studios, where you can view famous movie sets such as the house from Psycho, learn about movie special effects, and ride on film-themed roller coasters. Other tourist attractions in Los Angeles that children will love include the La Brea Tar Pits and the Los Angeles Zoo.

For many people, some of the best places to visit in Los Angeles are the shops. On Rodeo Drive, where Julia Roberts famously tried to shop in Pretty Woman, you'll find many exclusive designer shops including Armani, Gucci, and Christian Dior. The area is also a great place for celebrity sightings; you are likely to spot a famous actor walking down the street here.

The city's museums are also popular destinations. The J. Paul Getty Museum is home to one of the world's greatest collections of art, with more than 44,000 works from many cultures and time periods. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County features over 33 million unique specimens, including dinosaur skeletons and many other fascinating exhibits.

Public transportation is scarce, so you will probably want to rent a car to check out all of the different tourist attractions in Los Angeles. If you'd rather not drive, you can join a bus tour that will take you from your hotel to many of the attractions in the city.

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Discussion Comments

By recapitulate — On Nov 05, 2011

If there is a television show you especially like that films in California, it is pretty easy to make up your own person sightseeing tour. I went with a few friends last year to Los Angeles and San Diego, and while we were there we saw several buildings used to film Buffy The Vampire Slayer, including the high school and several houses. It was really cool to walk around the school campus and drive past these buildings.

I will say though that it's important to not bother people; many houses used for filming in shows several years ago will have people living in them now, and landmark buildings are often places of business in real life as well, so be aware that people live and work there and probably have little patience for tourists.

By andee — On Nov 05, 2011

If you are visiting Los Angeles with kids and are on a budget, there are many free or inexpensive things you can do in this big city.

One of our favorites was visiting the California Science Center. This was free admission and they had some great things both of our kids were fascinated with. My son loved the simulators and my daughter made a few trips up and down their cliff climb.

We also went to the Griffith Park Observatory and paid a small admission to see the Planetarium. We were able to spend a whole day in Los Angeles and take in some fun, educational activities with our kids and not break the bank.

By myharley — On Nov 04, 2011

We spent a few days in California one winter when my daughter was in high school. We spent a couple of those days in Los Angeles visiting many of the famous places that you always hear about.

It didn't take long to see Mann's Chinese Theater or walk along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but we spent at least one full afternoon on Rodeo Drive.

My daughter was looking forward to this afternoon for months. When we were done shopping, we found an outside table and enjoyed some food while we just watched all the people and expensive cars go by.

We didn't pay for a Los Angeles sightseeing tour, but were able to get around pretty easily to see all the sites we wanted to see.

We ended the day by taking a drive through Beverly Hills and along an area above the city where we saw many beautiful homes and mansions.

It was a fun place to visit, and I loved the sites and the weather, but I was ready to get back home where it wasn't as congested and a lot more quiet.

By Ivan83 — On Nov 03, 2011

I have only been to LA once and I went to see a band play. But it wasn't a big concert. They played at a venue called the Smell that is not very big or nice but puts on some of the best shows in LA.

I went to see a band I had found on the internet. They are still pretty small and don't play outside of LA very often. They definitely were not going to come to Oklahoma City where I live so I decided to be proactive and go to where they were.

It was an amazing show, one of the coolest experiences of my life. I didn't even see much of LA while I was there but I saw everything I wanted to.

By chivebasil — On Nov 02, 2011

I went to LA with my girlfriend about 5 years ago. She had a whole schedule of things that she wanted to do planned out but there was really only one thing that I wanted to do. I have always been fascinated by the HOLLYWOOD sign and have wanted to see it in person since I was a little kid.

I don't know what it is about that sign. I am not overly fascinated with movies or the people and places where they get made, but I love that sign.

We saw it when we were there and it lives up to expectations. And when you are in LA you can't beat free entertainment.

By Sara007 — On Nov 01, 2011

What are some of the best things to do in Los Angeles if you have kids with you?

My family is considering taking in quite a few of the Los Angeles tourist attractions but we really want to make sure we do a few things specifically for the kids. Right now we are looking at making it to Pacific Park near the Santa Monica pier because it less expensive than heading to Disneyland.

I've also heard some good things about Aquarium of the Pacific, and think the kids might get a kick out of the shark feeding activity that they offer there. Any other ideas would be much appreciated though.

By BrickBack — On Oct 31, 2011

@Mutsy - You know I have a really funny story. A few years ago my husband and I took our ten year old daughter to Los Angeles and because my daughter was a history buff and she was obsessed with the movie, “Titanic” we thought it would be fun to take a tour of the Queen Mary which is located in Long Beach, not too far from Los Angeles.

Everything was fine until the tour guide mentioned that the ship was haunted and that there are still cabins that they don’t go into because of the spirits. My daughter wanted out right then and there.

She wanted no part of that ship. The staff was also dressed in period costumes which really made the experience even scarier. People also rent out cabins like a hotel for many stay overnight. They also have a really scary tour that we didn’t go on but it would really be fun to do something like this on Halloween.

By lonelygod — On Oct 31, 2011

If you are short on time and want to do some Los Angeles sightseeing it is good idea to do an arranged tour. For myself I only had a two-day stopover so I really had to cram everything I could into a short time.

What I did was book one of the top tourist attraction in Los Angeles sightseeing tours and it only cost me $55 for an entire day trip. The tour took me to celebrity homes, the ritzy shopping district Rodeo Drive and did stops at things like Paramount Studios. It was a great experience and I would recommend a condensed tour for anyone who only has a day or two to spare.

By mutsy — On Oct 30, 2011

@Sunny27-My favorite attraction in Los Angeles is the Santa Monica Pier. It was so much fun and it reminded me of the beaches with the boardwalks at the Jersey shore with all of the rides and carnival games that I used to see as a kid.

It was so fun. We rode just about everything there and my husband was also able to win some stuffed animals. It was really nostalgic which is probably why I enjoyed it so much.

Los Angeles has a lot of scenic parks that are also so beautiful. You should definitely take a drive down to Malibu Canyon. It is breath taking and there is something for everyone to do there.

By Sunny27 — On Oct 30, 2011

@GreenWeaver - That does sound like fun. When we went to Los Angeles and we did a tour of Hollywood celebrity homes. We also went to the famed Madame Tussaud's museum and the mannequins were amazing. It looked like the celebrities were right there with you.

We also went to the Hollywood Museum which had a lot of entertainment memorabilia and it was fascinating to see movie posters and even checks that were issued to movie stars in the 1930’s. The Hollywood Museum had a lower level that was strictly for horror films, but I didn’t go down there because they warned us that it was really scary and I didn’t want my kids to start crying and getting scared.

We also spent some time at the Hollywood Walk of Fame and took lots of pictures. The Los Angeles Zoo was also really nice and we got to see a lot of animals. We did walk a lot. There are so many things to do in Los Angeles.

By GreenWeaver — On Oct 30, 2011

I love Los Angeles. I went there last summer with my family and I didn’t want to leave. There are so many things to do there. My family and I got a City Pass card and it allowed us to go to a variety of attractions for one fixed price.

You really save a lot of money by doing this. You can choose a day pass or a multiple day pass. You do get a better deal with the multiple day pass. We chose the three day pass which meant that we had unlimited use of the attractions listed in the booklet for any of the three days that we chose.

The bonus on our booklet offered free admission to Universal Studios and Legoland. This is why we bought these tickets because we ended up ahead because admission to these two places was really expensive.

Universal Studios Los Angeles is like $90 and Legoland’s admission is like $70 at the door. At Legoland you can get a second day for an additional $10.00 which is well worth it. Although Legoland is outside of Los Angeles, it is close enough to L.A. that you could make the trip. It is a must if you have little kids.

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