Top – 15 most popular places to visit in Los Angeles

Every year millions of people dream to travel to Los Angeles. Kids want to visit the home of Mickey Mouse and Barbie doll; ambitious young talents desire to become new movie stars; surfer athletes dream of raging Pacific waves, and ordinary mortal tourists want to taste all the pleasures of life:  to drive along the Pacific Ocean, looking at the prestigious Beverly Hills area and to play poker in one of  Los Angeles casinos  where every night gamblers sit at the table, champagne flows like water and ladies in elegant evening dresses defile, dazzling everyone with their diamond jewelry.

If you don’t have much time to visit places in LA, then choose only the most fun places to go in Los Angeles:

Contents

• Place to visit in LA number 1: Hollywood
• Place to visit in LA number 2: Griffith Observatory
• Place to visit in LA number 3: Go to the film studios 
• Place to visit in LA number 4: Spend night on Rodeo Drive
• Place to visit in LA number 5: Go to Memorial Coliseum
• Place to visit in LA number 6: Visit the business center- Downtown
• Place to visit in LA number 7: Go to the Walt Disney Concert Hall
• Place to visit in LA number 8: Visit the ethnic neighborhoods
• Place to visit in LA number 9: Take a ride on the railway on funicular
• Place to visit in LA number 10: Visit Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
• Place to visit in LA number 11: The Watts Towers
• Place to visit in LA number 12: Enjoy yourself at the Stratosphere Tower
• Place to visit in LA number 13: Go to the Madame Tussauds Museum
• Place to visit in LA number 14: Walk along Olvera Street
• Place to visit in LA number 15: Visit The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
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Place to visit in LA number 1: Hollywood

In Hollywood – Los Angeles area – there is the record number of stars of movies and show business per square meter. After all, here there is the epicenter of the global film industry. Everyday life in this part of the “City of Angels” around the clock and, immersed in his colorful bustle, you can hear the dialects from around the world. What attracts tourists to Hollywood? Of course, an ability to touch the mystery of filmmaking. In the famous concert hall of the Kodak you can enjoy the most significant ceremony, presentation of musical novelties of the starry Olympus and Grauman’s Chinese Theater – movie premieres.

First go to Hollywood as it is the most famous part of Los Angeles:

• Stroll past the Egyptian and Chinese theaters
• Visit the famous Kodak Theatre

It is in this theatre the annual ceremony of “Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences» is being held. It is better known as «The Oscars», this year 85-th ceremony has already taken place. Imagine, for a moment, the world stars, shining in the rays of spotlights of cameras and going down to the room walking on the red carpet with the confident gait. Next, go to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, stretching around Los Angeles by as much as 18 quarters, and find prints of hands and feet of your idols. There are a great number of famous people who made a significant contribution to the development of theater, film, radio, music and television.

Interesting: Hollywood is a must place to visit not only for talented and ambitious people but for those who would like to dive into the world of rich and famous!

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Place to visit in LA number 2: Griffith Observatory

 Here you can enjoy the following activities:

1. Have a look at the starry sky in a huge telescope,
2. Enjoy the view of the Pacific Ocean and the center of Los Angeles from the observation platform in the Griffith Park.

If the weather permits, you can see the famous brand name of the city – large white letters «Hollywood» on the hills. White letters forming the HOLLYWOOD sign, surrounded by lush green slopes of Mount Lee – without exaggeration, the most recognizable sign of “town” in the world and also the only one with its own website. It is a symbol of the Dream Factory, Los Angeles, California and, often, all the States.

Interesting: “Hollywood” sign appeared for the first time in 1923.

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Place to visit in LA number 3: Go to the film studios

Los Angeles – after all, is the birthplace of the film industry. You won’t regret devoting the whole day to the famous film studios in Los Angeles – Universal Studio and Warner Brothers, where you can have great time:

1. Watching how films-disasters are being made
2. Learning the secrets of staging and special effects for Hollywood movies

Moreover, you can try all sorts of attractions and get great emotions being involved in the plot of the most popular action films such as King Kong and The Terminator.

Interesting: You shouldn’t have any doubts that it will be just a boring excursion as you will have a clear picture of what is going on behind the TV scenes.

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Place to visit in LA number 4: Spend night on Rodeo Drive

Spend the night on Rodeo Drive in the Los Angeles area Beverly Hills and make sure to walk along the main streets of the city:

1. Wilshire Boulevard
2. Miracle Mile

Here you will face a great “risk” of meeting your favourite celebrity! Be ready to such meeting! A paradise for shopaholics, an unofficial museum of world brand clothing, shoes, perfumes and cosmetics – this is Beverly Hills. However, a visit of such shopping center as the “Rodeo Collection,” which presents several major brands, will significantly empty your bank account. Look at boutiques with sparkling, inviting storefronts on Rodeo Drive, repeating the famous way of the Julia Roberts in the movie “Pretty Woman” and touching masterpieces of Dior, Chanel, Hermes with your own hands – isn’t this the duty of every tourist !?

But if you wanted fresh rustic milk, aromatic vegetables, juicy fruits, freshly caught fish, feel free to go to the Farmer’s Market. On the territory of the market there are a few caterers and bakeries, confectionery which aroma will keep you hostage for a long time.

Interesting: Beverly Hills is well-known to everybody from the popular TV serial which is always associated with this district since then and that’s why it is one of the most visited places in LA.

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Place to visit in LA number 5: Go to Memorial Coliseum

Visit the largest stadium in Los Angeles- Memorial Coliseum where the Olympic Games (in 1932 and 1984) took place twice. In this area you will find a lot of places to relax:

1. a huge park
2. a zoo
3. numerous museums
4. Park of exhibitions

Interesting: This LA place is worth your attention not only due to the fact that the Olympic Games are popular all over the world but also because of many things to enjoy here.

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Place to visit in LA number 6: Visit the business center- Downtown

Have a walk to Downtown which is a business center in Los Angeles, where on weekdays you can watch the “white-collar” with cups of Starbucks, hurrying in a crowded noisy crowd on the streets to their office in the skyscraper, and wander through the weekend deserted streets, as if this quarter is extinct. By the way, these days you are more likely to witness filming because just when the clerks leave the Los Angeles Center leave filmmakers activate and are engaged in filming of the different films and their street scenes may last from morning until late at night.

So, why to go to the business center:

1. Have a look at the businessmen working at large offices
2. Enjoy watching the process of filming

Interesting: Probably, you may see the filming of some new movie before its appearance on TV channels!

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Place to visit in LA number 7: Go to the Walt Disney Concert Hall

Flying Steel – this is how to describe it most accurately. Something medium between the Sydney Opera House and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the building was opened in 2003 and instantly became one of the most recognizable sights of the city. If you are not a big fan of the film industry, the modern building Walt Disney Concert Hall with a futuristic design certainly will not leave you indifferent! There are concerts of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles, which performances can be listened to also in theaters across the country as they are often broadcast live. Which music do you like?

Here you will have a chance to listen to:

1. classical music
2. contemporary music
3. world music

Interesting: This concert hall has a reputation of the one of the most sophisticated halls in terms of acoustics.

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Place to visit in LA number 8: Visit the ethnic neighborhoods

After inspection of Downtown you can easily get to the nearby ethnic neighborhoods of Los Angeles:

1. Chinese
2. Armenian
3. Korean

Here there are a lot of places to see:

1. a Buddhist temple
2. the Eastern Gate
3. the Golden Pagoda
4. lots of fountains
5. Japanese garden on the roof of the hotel DoubleTree by Hilton

All streets are decorated with red lanterns which shine brightly.  And what food they cook here! For a moment, even in Los Angeles you can feel like in Asia. The local Chinatown is not as huge as Chinatown in San Francisco, but it still deserves attention, too.

And if you like the cuisine of Thailand, do not miss the Thai quarter of Los Angeles.

Interesting: In fact, there is a good opportunity to eat some authentic Thai dishes prepared according to original recipes.

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Place to visit in LA number 9: Take a ride on the railway on funicular

It is a good idea to take a ride on the shortest railway in the world on one of the oldest attractions of Los Angeles- historic Angels Flight funicular! Go around the highest skyscraper in California which is 310 m and at the same time, the highest skyscraper with a helicopter pad on the roof in the whole world – US Bank Tower.

Things to do here:

1. Enjoy Angels Flight ride
2. Find out more about the history of the landmark
3. Have a look at the highest skycrapers

Interesting: This funicular dates back to 1901 and is considered to be the beloved landmark.

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Place to visit in LA number 10: Visit Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Don’t know where to go in Los Angeles? Then don’t even have doubts if you should see the most delightfully beautiful building in Hollywood that is Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. It is a hymn to the subtlety of the architectural style of the Middle Kingdom and tribute to the large Chinese diaspora, without which it is impossible to imagine Los Angeles for the past 75 years. The opening of the theater took place in 1927 and caused quite a stir – thousands of fans fought for the right to see the movie stars on the red carpet. History of Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre began in 1927. Today, it remains a place of high-profile Hollywood movie premieres, and on the Walk of Fame in front of the theater flaunt celebrity handprints and feet. During the year Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is visited by over 4 million people.

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre Complex consists of:

1. the theater
2. the courtyard in front of the building

The yard is surrounded by curved walls 12 meters high, topped with towers with copper domes and the inner part you can see the 3-meter high fountain in the form of lotus flowers. Do not forget to look under the legs – you will go on prints of hands and feet of the movie stars.

To rush straight to the prints of your favorite actor, it is recommended to take a map of “prints” at the entrance to the courtyard.

The height of the theater building is 27 meters, the entrance is marked by two columns of the coral-red color with capitals in the form of masks, a bronze visor supporting the roof. Above the portico it is worth to pay attention to the elaborately carved stone Chinese dragon length of which is 9 meters. Entrance to the theater is guarded by two giant “heavenly dogs”, imported from China.

Interesting: The rich interiors of the theater, especially the auditorium are reproduced with scrupulous accuracy in the style of imperial China – pay particular attention to the fantastic painted ceiling, raised columns and mirror scene.

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Place to visit in LA number 11: The Watts Towers

Among all places to see in Los Angeles the Watts Towers are a vivid example of that in the city of the mirrored skyscrapers the most interesting is not skyscrapers and not mirrored but those that are collected almost from scrap materials. A collection of 17 interconnected towers to a height of 30 meters is somewhat reminiscent of the futuristic buildings of Gaudi – it is no coincidence: their creator Sabato Rodia was Italian and was able to bring to Los Angeles the sunny mood of his Motherland.

In 1955, Rhodia finished the building of towers and felt a bit depressed as people showed little interest in his towers. The construction was gradually declining, while the Municipality of Los Angeles has decided not to raze it to the ground. However, actors and directors didn’t allow doing this, bought the land and organized a public committee. In 1975, the tower was donated to Los Angeles, and three years later – taken over by the State of California.

The Watts Tower is a sample of futuristic architecture with a touch of ethnic and naive almost in the center of Los Angeles. Seventeen structures of different heights have romantic names (such as “Ship Marco Polo”) and are connected with each other. Particular attention should be paid to the details of the towers ornaments:

1. sculptured girders wrapped with wire and glass
2. tiles
3. ceramics
4. metal pieces

By the way, in search of material the author of this construction had walked more than 30 km across the country.

Interesting: Arts Center, located next to the eponymous Watts Towers, hosts a variety of exhibitions and cultural events.

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Place to visit in LA number 12: Enjoy yourself at the Stratosphere Tower

The tallest building in Las Vegas, the most fun rides of the “Sin City” and the most memorable views of the sultry Nevada – all this is in the Tower of the casino Stratosphere. You can easily spend a whole day and not regret about any moment. It looks impressive reaching a height of 350 meters. “Stratosphere” Tower bustles with all sorts of entertainment and is considered to be one of the most interesting places in Vegas. What you can do here? Family tourists will get a good shot of adrenaline to the X-Scream, Big Shot and the like, tickling the nerves attractions. Finally, end your day is in a fantastic viewing platform or a glass of champagne in first class revolving restaurant.

But the most interesting – it is, of course, the local amusement park. Thus, the most popular rides of Stratosphere are the following:

1. SkyJump – a fashionable trend, which came from the distant islands of New Zealand. Wearing a special suit with attached to it an elastic rope, happy, but somewhat frightened tourists throw a dizzying height.
2. The Big Shot, is located at an altitude of 329 m, it is considered the highest attraction in the world. Ride is definitely worth: sit in chairs set in a circle on a square frame, and they have rolled up and down the tower spire. The only thing – the acceleration and deceleration is happening here in the ultra-high-speed mode, so take care of shoes and nerves.
3. Insanity the Ride, opened in 2005 at a height of 274 meters, and consists of chairs, but they do not “crawl” up and down the tower, but simply and angrily go beyond it, where a speed is about 40 miles per hour.
4. X-Scream needs no introduction, the name speaks for itself.
5. And finally, The High Roller – the highest “roller coaster” in the world, located at an altitude of 277 m Banal open carriage, which slides down along the guide rails in the side of the tower, swings and dramatically slows down.. Nothing special, just horribly scary.

Interesting: It is the most fun among the places to go in Los Angeles.

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Place to visit in LA number 13: Go to the Madame Tussauds Museum

Where else to see more celebrities in all their glory, if not in the most cinematic city in the world -Hollywood! That is why the museum Madame Tussauds in the prestigious area of Los Angeles attracts more visitors than its “big brother” in London:

1. Movie Stars of all ages and styles
2. popular scenes from the movies
3. westerns
4. thrillers
5. the Golden Age of Hollywood
6. many fun activities

Here you will find exact copies of mannequins celebrities in life-size – the main subject of the museum. Traditionally called wax (as a tribute to the history of Madame Tussauds), in fact, they are made of modern plastic polymers that will ensure one hundred percent similarity. The exhibition is divided into several thematic blocks. In the Hollywood icons you can stand next to Elvis Presley, Clark Gable, Marlene Dietrich, Vivien Leigh and other stars of the golden era of cinema.

All these fascinating things await tourists in this great museum.

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Place to visit in LA number 14: Walk along Olvera Street

Colorful Olvera Street is the place where the village was founded in 1781, which full Spanish name is translated as “The village of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Angels, on the river Porsyunkula”. This long name was made short without geographical specification and later it became just a “village of Angels” – El Pueblo de Los Angeles or LA. Along the street there are many shops where you can buy:

1. souvenirs
2. genuine works of folk crafts
3. quality leather and woven fabrics
4. clothing and hats
5. accessories and art glass

Interesting: Particularly noteworthy are music stores – they sell a great number of Mexican music and some CDs recorded by the inhabitants of the street.

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Place to visit in LA number 15: Visit The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

The Natural History Museum of LA is one of the best museums in the United States and, without exaggeration, is the whole world. Four and a half billion years of studying the history of the world are represented here graphically exciting and interesting, so that both adults and their kids will have great time in the museum spending hours looking at the huge collection of more than 35 million pieces and two subsidiaries of the museum in the bargain make Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County real fount of knowledge about our Earth. Natural History Museum is located on three floors.

Most popular and loved by the public its rooms with:

1. artifacts on the history of the animal world in general, and the dinosaurs in particular,
2. the art of pre-Columbian America,
3. the history of the State of California and Los Angeles,
4. a collection of minerals,
5. an extremely interesting collection of magical items from all over the world.

Pay special attention to the recreated mannequins of extinct animals. You can also visit the seasonal exposure: Butterfly Pavilion is open from April to September, Pavilion spiders – from September to November and a walk in the extensive garden.

Interesting: The museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions, such as “Travel along the Great Silk Road”.
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