Things to do in  Los Angeles

Only in Los Angeles are stars so common that they can be found on the sidewalk. Featuring more than 2,800 brass stars along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, the Hollywood Walk of Fame is an iconic tribute to celebrities past and present. No trip to Hollywood is complete without strolling its length and finding stars belonging to your favorite, ahem, stars.

One of LA's most recognizable landmarks, the famous Hollywood Sign proudly stands on Mt. Lee in the Hollywood Hills, overlooking Los Angeles. Built in 1923 as an advertisement for a housing development called Hollywoodland, it has since become a global symbol of fame and possibility. Whether viewed from afar or along a nearby trail, seeing the bold white letters is a quintessential Los Angeles experience.

Griffith Park is one of the largest city parks in North America, covering a vast 4,310 acres (1,744 hectares). An oasis amid Los Angeles's urban sprawl, this expansive green space offers something for all ages, with hiking trails, picnic areas, and major attractions such as the Los Angeles City Zoo, the Griffith Observatory, and views of the iconic Hollywood Sign.

Universal Studios Hollywood™ is home to one of the world's oldest continuously operating movie studios—and the first in Hollywood to offer tours to the public. It’s also a theme park, presenting a mix of thrill rides and live-action shows based on popular films and TV series, plus a tour of the studio lots. Designed for all ages, the theme park allows you to immerse yourself in the cinematic universes of Harry Potter,Despicable Me, and more.

The Sunset Strip, a storied stretch of Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, first became famous as an old-Hollywood hangout, then as the center of the rock and roll music scene. Today, the 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) strip, which extends east–west from Beverly Hills to Hollywood, is lined end to end with several legendary 20th-century venues—plus comedy clubs, upscale shops and restaurants, and rooftop bars with stellar city views.

From the Hills to the Sign, the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood is synonymous with the entertainment industry and its glamorous appeal. Match your handprints and footprints to those of 2,800 Hollywood stars on the Walk of Fame; look out for local celebs; and visit famed theaters, such as Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards, Grauman's Chinese Theatre—now the TCL Chinese Theatre—and adjacent to it, the Egyptian Theatre.

Known for its free-spirited vibe, Venice Beach in Los Angeles is fronted by the iconic Venice Boardwalk, officially known as the Ocean Front Walk. Encounters with pickup basketball teams, fortune tellers, and roller-skating sunseekers are pretty much guaranteed—especially on hot Southern California summer days. Beyond the sand, visit the skate park, the famous Muscle Beach outdoor gym, the canals, and Abbot Kinney Boulevard, featuring trendy restaurants, stylish boutiques, galleries, and cafés.

One of the most famous shopping districts in the world, Rodeo Drive attracts a well-heeled crowd of label lovers who exercise their credit-card prowess at designer shops such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Tiffany, and Gucci. Between the elegant storefronts, luxury cars, and swaying palm trees, it’s a Hollywood movie scene come to life. Come for the glitz, the shopping, or just the people-watching—it’s all a show.

Peek into old Hollywood on a visit to the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. This quintessential California landmark, featured in movies since 1927, is still a favorite location for star-studded red-carpet premieres. A recent upgrade to the theater’s seats and IMAX 3D equipment enhances the experience while keeping the theater’s original charm.

Open since 1934, the Los Angeles Farmers Market, aka the Original Farmers Market, draws both locals and visitors to its 100-plus food stalls, grocers, eateries, and other vendors that sell everything from fruit, meat, and baked goods to skincare, candles, flowers, and housewares. You can easily spend a couple of hours here eating, browsing, and people-watching.

Set along California’s Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica has two claims to fame: the beach and the pier. At Santa Monica Beach, miles of sand host playgrounds, parks, picnic areas, staffed lifeguard stations, and the original Muscle Beach. More than 10 million visitors frequent the area each year, most of whom follow the boardwalk to the Santa Monica Pier, whose neon-lit arch and Ferris wheel are instantly recognizable from films and TV.

Hollywood's Dolby Theatre (formerly the Kodak Theatre) is best known as the home of the Academy Awards. This 3,400-seat entertainment complex features an incredible sound system comprising 215 powered speakers. Although it's best known for the Oscars, the Dolby Theatre hosts all sorts of other live entertainment, from concerts to comedy shows.

Perched high above Los Angeles, the Getty Center pairs world-class art with stunning views of the city and the ocean. Its collection spans from the 1400s to today, with pre-20th-century European paintings, manuscripts, and sculptures, and 19th and 20th-century works by masters such as Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, and Cézanne. Outside, the Central Garden features sculptures, cacti, winding paths, and water features.

Designed in 1971 by Charles Luckman, architect of Madison Square Garden and LAX’s famous Theme Building, the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) sprawls over several blocks’ worth of downtown and plays host to some 350 industry showcases, genre expos, and special events each year.

The largest art museum in the western United States, the size of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is matched by the breadth of its collection. Home to more than 120,000 objects dating from antiquity to the present, representing every part of the world, the museum’s collection encompasses nearly the entire history of art.