20 Must-Do Attractions in Los Angeles
- Disneyland. Obviously, Disneyland is at the top of my list! If you have to choose just one of all the amusement parks in the Los Angeles area, this is the one to pick. I loved the huge, fast-paced rides and getting to meet my favorite Disney characters! Book your ticket now.
- Universal Studios. Universal is Disneyland’s less cartoony brother. This offers a bunch of rides and experiences that are similar to Disneyland, but you also get a behind-the-scenes look at how movies are made! I’d make this a close second to Disneyland because of all the cool tours you can take.
- Knott’s Berry Farm. For those who love rides more than characters, Knott’s Berry Farm is a ton of fun. Take a spin on some of the biggest roller coasters in the country here.
- Warner Brothers Studio Tour. Speaking of cool tours, this one is one of the best I’ve been on. You can experience the sets of several of your favorite movies and TV shows! I’d definitely recommend this.
F.R.I.E.N.D.S - Hollywood Walk of Fame. You have to stop and take photos with your favorite “star” at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Besides getting to see hundreds of movie star names written in this sidewall hall of fame, you can also meet the movie characters who often walk around this district!
- Beverly Hills. See the homes of your favorite actors when you take a Beverly Hills tour! You can drive down the streets and see the massive mansions of the rich and famous of both today and yesterday.
- Huntington Beach. One of the most fun beach experiences you can have in the Los Angeles area is a bonfire at Huntington Beach. Watch the sun set over the water before lighting up the night with warm flames. Break out the marshmallows!
- Santa Monica Pier. The pier is filled with fun things for everyone, from good food to great concerts. The pier is steeped in history, and even a simple walk down the water’s edge can make wonderful memories. If you’re looking for an exciting time, get tickets to the pier’s amusement park!
- Venice Beach is a fun, modern place to enjoy the beach and the boardwalk. Try your hand at some of the sports activities, take a romantic walk, or just get a tan.
- Griffith Observatory is more than just a gorgeous specimen of architecture. Take a tour or watch a planetarium show during your visit.
- The Food Towns, Chinatown, Japan Town, Korea Town, and Thai Town, within Los Angeles are great for experiencing culture and gastronomy. Try Japan Town’s mochi ice cream!
- Drive around the celebrity homes. You can do this on your own with a map, or you can take a tour. I’d recommend the tour, so you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the experience.
- Go for a hike. Believe it or not, there are some great hiking spots in the LA area. Escape the crowds and traffic for a while and enjoy California’s natural world.
- Try Porto’s cheese rolls and potato balls. The very fact that these foods made it on my list of attractions tells you that they are pretty dang amazing. Be sure to stop in and order some.
- Walt Disney Concert Hall. This concert hall is one of the world’s best-designed concert facilities. The acoustics are phenomenal! If you’re lucky, you may be able to catch a concert by Los Angeles Philharmonic.
- The Broad is an expansive modern art museum. You can see art from famous figures like Andy Warhol and his contemporaries as well as newer artists.
- Petersen Automotive Museum. You could literally stand and take selfies in front of this museum for hours, but the inside is too cool to miss out on. You can see cars from every maker and era—even if you’re not a car buff, you’ll still have a great time.
- The Getty. If you’re not so much into modern art as classic art, this is the place for you. The extensive collection of artwork in all media is sure to fascinate you for hours.
- LACMA. For an even more comprehensive overview of art, head to the LACMA. Here, you can see art from ancient times all the way to today.
- Laguna Beach. Talk about beautiful. This resort district and chain of coves and beaches will make you wish you could stay forever! Make sure you have plenty of time to explore the seaside.
Goodness! You certainly hit all the hotspots in LA, didn’t you, Karla! Makes me want to go back. It’s been quite awhile since I was last in LA, so I’ve not yet seen the fabulous WD Concert Hall that Frank Gehry designed. I love his work! Thx for sharing.
I was there last year and Hollywood was the only thing I wanted to see. I loved it there.
I haven’t actually ‘done’ LA yet, it’s been my layover on the way to Vegas, and the second time I was out there, I was picked up at LAX but then driven to Santa Barbara so I didn’t get to see much. Hopefully the next time I am out there I get a chance to really look around and take in the sights. Thanks for this list. I have friends out there I will have to ask them about Porto’s cheese rolls and potato balls as I have never heard of them before. I am a total foodie and always open to trying to new things, especially when I travel.
Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly
If you are a foodie, you would love it. Don’t get stopped by the huge line up, it moves fast.
Thanks so much for this great guide! L.A. is such a huge place, a guide like this is a must if you’re not local.
I agree. There is so much to do it can be overwhelming to decide.
I would like to visit The Broad and Venice Beach. Oh, who am I kidding? All of these sound like great spots to visit.
The Broad is actually really nice. You can reserve a slot online so you don’t have to line up too long like I did. Venice Beach, I loved too.
WOW! You did a ton! I have done 1/5 of that. Disneyland is on my list too
Los Angeles looks like a great place to visit. There seems to be quite a few attractions there and some would be great for me to try to go see!
This is a great list! I made it to LA for only a day and didnt have time to explore at all. I’d love to get back there sometime and really see what LA has to offer.
I would love to check out Universal over there and see the differences from Florida.
What a list of cool places in L.A! I would love to visit again! My last one was in 2003
I went to Los Angeles three years ago. I regret NOT going to the beach. I took the TMZ tour and a tour to Beverly Hills that was fun!
I love these ideas! I need to plan another trip to LA. It’s so much fun and clearly there is a lot I haven’t seen.
My cousin lives just outside LA and works in LA. Her siblings and mother were just out there and they pretty much went to all of these places. I can’t wait to visit.
I really enjoyed my visit to the Griffith Observatory, I watched a show there that was projected on the domed ceiling. The view was good too, luckily the weather was great.
I loved the Griffith Observatory, lots of scientific fun facts inside
This is such a wonderful place. I want to go to LA too and see these attractions! Nice experienced, I love it!
What did you enjoy the most?
Great list I am gonna pin it so I can use when I return to Cali. I definitely wanna go to Laguna Beach I heard it was amazing!
It is nice. Try it
I was reading your post and I was deciding which two would I like to visit, but I could not just pick two! I want to see them all! Looking at your photos made me want to go to Los Angeles like right now.
Los Angeles is a wonderful place. I have to go back there someday.
Great list, a lot of these are my favorite places. Love SoCal – great place to visit and live!
Going back to explore more of SoCal
We have a trip planned there next year! It looks like a blast! Thank you for sharing the best spots!
LA sounds like an amazing place to visit! Disneyland would be top of my list of things to see too. 🙂
What a great list! I have been to a few of these. I’d love to make it to Santa Monica Pier and Huntington Beach next 🙂
I’d love to go to that museum. In fact, I’d love to go to most any of these places!
The pictures are awesome!! LA is such a perfect place, great that you enjoyed your time in there
Aahhhh, I heart this post! In the past year I have been to LA on four occasions for business but not once have I been able to get out and see the scenes. I keep telling my husband that we need to take a real trip to LA. This list is amazing. I hope to visit all 20 sooner than later. BUCKET LIST!
There’s so much to see. You can’t really miss Disney and Universal, that’s pretty much a given. I’d love to do a food tour since there’s a lot of them here. Everything on this list is a must try!
this is on my bucketlist hopefully i can visit very soon! sharing ur amazing list to follow when traveing there!
wow I never knew there was so much to see and do. I’m sure these are only the tip of the iceberg too. Must get to LA soon.
Wow, you really did all that? Awesome. Sounds like you got the full L.A. experience!
I always wanted to go in L.A but I didn’t have a chance. It’s one of my bucket list
Los Angeles is awesome and it would be nice to be able to go there someday! I’ve only been to one Disneyland and that’s the one in Tokyo, I assume this is just as awesome! You can’t really skip The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios!
I loved the butter beer in Harry Potter World
What a great way to go in L.A. I would add this to my travel bucket list. Thank you for sharing this information.
Wow, I hope we can go next year there! What a great adventure in LA, sounds really fantastic!
Los Angeles is such a great place. I would like to bring my whole family there and enjoy each attraction.
I’d like to take my family too. These pictures are fun, and make me want to visit even more!
Oh my gosh the pictures are all so amazing! I totally love the huge table and chairs. Looks like you had an awesome time 😀
When I visited L.A., I stayed with my grandmother and aunt in Burbank. I didn’t tour the area like I would have with my sweetie, but I still had a ball. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is cool, and we went to Madame Tussauds wax museum and Max Factor’s museum (where Dorothy’s Ruby slippers were). We visited the LACMA where I almost had a panic attack on that giant escalator outside, but the variety in art was gorgeous. And, Porto’s…was in walking distance and I must have gained 5 pounds from all of their fruity pastries. Delicious!
I’ve heard Los Angeles is a great place to go. I’ve never actually been there before. All these attractions look great too! I would love to visit some day.
So much to do, so little time. This is a fantastic list, thanks for the share
I’ve always wanted to visit LA. When I do, I will be sure to check out some of these attractions. Especially the Peterson Automotive Museum!!
Wow! so many lovely things to do in LA, cannot afford to miss on any of these. For me the top ones would be Beverley Hills and the Warner Studios.
I have never been to Loa Angeles, but would love to. I would especially like to visit Knott’s Berry Farms.
Would love to visit LA! Hope to at some point, and think this is all so great to know. I’ll be doing all the touristy things so now I know where to start!
I had so much fun when I went to Los Angeles. There are so many amazing things to do there. I am excited to go back again soon.
These are all so much fun. I have many of these on my list for when people to come visit.
I want to visit one day so badly. I have to make it happen!
So many great destinations on your list! There’s fun and some great cultural experiences that any tourist or local needs to try.
Great to know that there are hiking opportunities in Los Angeles. I will go for that.
What a great list of ideas to do in Los Angeles. I am so glad you were able to visit and come back to share what we all should do to enjoy our visit to Los Angeles.
You really look like your having fun, great photos. Looks like a place I need to visit soon!
Yes , there is surprisingly a lot to do.
I have been to a few of those places when I’ve come to the LA area. But I need to visit them all! Great list of what to do!
We love LA and have been to most of these places. Though i have missed Disney Concert hall on my last 2 visits. It is on my must do list.