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Los Angeles is home to some of the world’s best-known movie, TV, and music stars, but it’s also a city of rich culture, innovative architecture, and eclectic attractions. A trip to the City of Angels will likely include visits to the city’s biggest tourist attractions, such as Universal Studios, Disneyland Park, Venice Beach, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. However, for those who prefer to venture off the beaten path, there’s no shortage of smaller and lesser-known attractions to check out too.
If you want to explore far and wide across Los Angeles County, it pays to seek out the quieter and quirkier sights. Here are 22 of LA’s best hidden gems to add to your itinerary and help you get to know this multifaceted city.
1. Marina del Rey
- Address: Coastal Los Angeles
- Website: visitmdr.com
Marina Del Rey is North America’s biggest man-made small craft harbor. Kayaking, paddleboarding, jet skiing, and sailing are all popular pastimes here, with rentals widely available. You can also book paddleboarding guided tours with a local who will tell you all about the marine life that lives in this region of the Pacific Ocean.
2. The Star Party at Griffith Observatory
- Address: 2800 East Observatory Road, Los Angeles
- Website: griffithobservatory.org/visit/calendar/star-parties
- Opening Hours: 2 pm – 9.45 pm one Saturday per month
Griffith Observatory is one of LA’s best-known attractions thanks to its planetarium shows and fantastic views of the iconic Hollywood sign. One Saturday each month it opens its doors to host free Star Parties where you can try out the observatory’s telescopes and get incredible sightings of the sun, moon, stars, and visible planets.
3. The Bradbury Building
- Address: 304 S Broadway, Los Angeles
- Website: laconservancy.org/locations/bradbury-building
- Opening Hours: Monday – Friday 9 am – 5 pm / Saturday – Sunday 10 am – 2 pm
The five-story Bradbury Building houses offices, but it’s frequently used in film and television shoots. Its Romanesque exterior and ornate marble and ironwork interior make it one of Downtown LA’s most iconic buildings, and it’s best known for its appearance in Blade Runner.
4. The Medieval Torture Museum
- Address: 6757 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles
- Website: medievaltorturemuseum.com
- Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday 11 am – 10 pm / Friday 11 am – 12 am / Saturday 10 am – 12 am / Sunday 10 am – 10 pm
Go back in time for a gruesome look at the Medieval instruments once used to inflict pain and extract confessions. This interactive exhibit is not for the weak-stomached, but those with a penchant for the macabre will love it.
5. The Garden of Oz
- Address: 3040 Ledgewood Dr, Los Angeles
- Website: atlasobscura.com/places/garden-of-oz
The Japanese Garden in San Fernando Valley is arguably LA’s best-known garden space, but don’t miss out on the petite and quirky Garden of Oz. This private residential garden is a charming miniature interpretation of the Land of Oz, complete with a yellow brick road. It’s rarely open to the public, but it is viewable from the street.
6. Bob Baker Marionette Theater
- Address: 4949 York Blvd, Los Angeles
- Website: bobbakermarionettetheater.com
This, the oldest children’s theater company in LA, was founded in 1963 and is home to a collection of more than 2,000 handcrafted marionettes. Shows are suitable for all ages and give fascinating insights into the history of puppetry.
7. Speakeasy Bars
Los Angeles is renowned for its thriving, glamorous nightlife, particularly in Hollywood and Beverly Hills, but here are three former speakeasy bars that often fall under the radar.
The Townhouse
- Address: 6835 La Tijera Blvd, Los Angeles
- Website: townhousevenice.com
- Opening Hours: Monday 4 pm – 10 pm / Tuesday – Saturday 4 pm – 2 am / Sunday 3 pm – 10 pm
Since 1915, The Townhouse Bar has been serving creative cocktails and hosting live music in its basement. It was a real speakeasy during prohibition and it maintains its historic vibes and library cover theme today.
No Vacancy
- Address: 1727 N. Hudson Ave, Los Angeles
- Website: novacancyla.com
- Opening Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 8 pm – 2 am
No Vacancy is housed in an old Victorian schoolhouse that was originally built in 1902. It has a fun prohibition theme and is known for its thriving dancefloor, unique cocktails, and burlesque dancers.
The Frolic Room
- Address: 6245 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles
- Opening Hours: 11 am – 2 am daily
The Frolic Room began life in 1930 as a speakeasy, but it has been a legal bar since 1934 when prohibition ended. It has a fantastic art deco exterior and it has served as a location for various movies and TV shows including LA Confidential. It’s also alleged to have been the favorite bar of renowned writer Charles Bukowski.
8. Time Travel Mart
- Address: Echo Park Branch 1714 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles / Mar Vista Branch 12515 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles
- Website: timetravelmart.com
- Opening Hours: Echo Park Branch 12 pm – 6 pm daily / Mar Vista Branch 10 am – 4 pm Friday – Sunday
The quirky Time Travel Mart claims to sell goods from the present, past, and future. It also happens to be the headquarters of book publisher Barnacle & Barnacle. You can buy all kinds of curiosities here, from dinosaur eggs to robot memory erasers.
9. The Museum Of Death
- Address: 6363 Selma Ave, Los Angeles
- Website: museumofdeath.net
- Opening Hours: Monday, Thursday & Friday 11 am – 5 pm / Saturday 11 am – 7 pm / Sunday 11 am – 6 pm
This eccentric museum exhibits a variety of gruesome artifacts related to serial killers. It includes photos of real-life crime scenes from the likes of Charles Manson’s murders. This isn’t for the fainthearted, but it’s an interesting attraction for true crime fans.
10. Downtown Los Angeles Underground Tunnels
- Address: 320 W Temple St, Los Angeles 90012
Beneath the streets of DTLA is an eleven-mile network of abandoned tunnelways. They were originally used for transporting goods and moving horses, but they were particularly important during prohibition to help bootleggers run speakeasies. Today they’re officially closed, but hunt for a hidden elevator behind the Hall of Records on Temple Street for access.
11. Korean Bell of Friendship
- Address: Angels Gate Park, 3601 S Gaffey Street, San Pedro
- Opening Hours: 6.30 am – 10 pm daily
The Republic of Korea donated this 17-ton, ornately decorated bell, and pavilion to Los Angeles in 1976. The peaceful pavilion overlooks Los Angeles Harbor, Catalina Channel, and San Pedro Hill.
12. Old Los Angeles Zoo
- Address: 4730 Crystal Springs Dr, Los Angeles
- Website: hiddenca.com/old-la-zoo
- Opening Hours: 24/7
If you’re visiting Griffith Park, be sure to check out its abandoned zoo, which now serves as a picnic area. It closed in the 1960s when the LA Zoo moved to its current location. You can still see the remains of the animal enclosures today.
13. Street Art and Murals
Los Angeles has a thriving street art community, and the Arts District in Downtown LA is home to many incredible murals. You’ll also find plenty of temporary exhibitions, productions, pop-up bars, eateries, and art galleries here. Here are just a handful of the best pieces of street art to check out in DTLA.
América Tropical
- Address: 125 Paseo De La Plaza, Los Angeles, CA
David Siqueiros created this stunning mural in 1932 to highlight US imperialism in Latin America.
Bloom
- Address: The Neptune Building, 701 E 3rd Street, Los Angeles
HUEMAN painted this vivid mural to celebrate Joel Bloom, the Arts District’s unofficial mayor and an important advocate for the community here.
The Container Yard
- Address: 800 East 4th Street, Los Angeles
The walls of the Container Yard are constantly evolving with new artworks and creative expressions by local artists.
The Elephant Mural
- Address: 298 Rose Street, Los Angeles
Damon Martin painted this art deco-style mural to highlight the devastating global ivory trade.
Art Share LA Building
- Address: 801 E 4th Place, Los Angeles
Art Share provides affordable housing for artists. Residents continually paint and repaint the building’s exterior, so much so that it’s now known as LA’s coloring book.
Skid Row City Limit Mural
- Address: 6th Street and San Julian Street, Los Angeles
The City Limits mural was funded and created by Skid Row residents to highlight the high population of people living on the streets here.
14. San Pedro Sunken City
- Address: San Pedro 90731, Los Angeles 90014
A 1929 landslide in San Pedro led to the loss of several houses, part of a park, and some railroad tracks. The land movement here continued, resulting in unaffected homes being relocated and the area being abandoned. Now, locals know it as Sunken City. You can observe the area from a distance, but trespassing is prohibited due to dangerous, unstable terrain.
15. The Last Bookstore
- Address: 453 S Spring St, Ground Floor, Los Angeles
- Website: lastbookstorela.com
- Opening Hours: 11 am – 8 pm daily
This is the largest new and used bookstore in LA. Housed in the 22,000-square-foot atrium of a former bank, it has extraordinary sculptures and mobiles built from books.
16. Farnam House
- Address: 1098 26th St, Santa Monica
Farnam house, also known as LA’s mosaic tile house, is a private property completely decorated with glossy, glittering tiles. It’s an impressive piece of public art and a charming landmark of Santa Monica.
17. Hidden Local Relics
LA is dotted with curious forgotten relics from days gone by, many of which are accessible only on foot. If you love walking, consider setting out on one of these hiking trails.
Bridge to Nowhere
This 10-mile circular hike from Camp Bonita Road passes an incomplete mountain road and includes an unfinished bridge that is now popular with bungee jumpers. It’s a strange and unnerving sight, but the hike to reach it is beautiful.
M*A*S*H Set Remains
Malibu Creek State Park, scattered with green forests, open pastures, and rugged gorges and peaks, is one of Southern California’s most beautiful areas. It also happens to be home to the remains of the set of the 1970s TV series M*A*S*H. Head to the Santa Monica Mountains entrance and follow Crags Road for around 2.5 miles to find it.
The Back Side of the Hollywood Sign
There’s no end of viewing points to see the front of the Hollywood Sign, but what about the back? Take a 4.5-mile round-trip hike along the Innsdale Trail to emerge directly behind the iconic letters. A fence stops you from getting up close to the sign, but it’s still a unique way to take in Hollywood’s most famous landmark.
18. Museum of Jurassic Technology
- Address: 9341 Venice Boulevard, Culver City
- Website: mjt.org
- Opening Hours: Thursday 2 pm – 8 pm / Friday–Sunday 12 pm – 6 pm
This eclectic museum is home to a varied collection of scientific, artistic, historical, and ethnographic artifacts related to the Lower Jurassic. The museum’s factual claims are lacking in credibility, but there’s a confusing and fascinating charm to the eccentric array of exhibits here.
19. Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market
- Address: 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena
- Website: visitpasadena.com/directory/rose-bowl-flea-market
- Opening Hours: 5 am – 3 pm every second Sunday of the month
Situated at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, Rose Bowl Flea Market is a fantastic place to discover unique artworks, vintage clothing, antique furniture and accessories, vinyl records, and more. Rose Bowl is a 90,000-seat stadium, which gives you an idea of the sheer size of this impressive market.
20. Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve
- Address: Western end of, Victory Blvd, Woodland Hills
- Website: mrca.ca.gov/parks
- Opening Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Formerly known as Ahmanson Ranch, this 2,983-acre wildlife preserve is comprised of wetlands, canyons, pastures, and oak forests. It’s home to many rare and endangered species, and you can easily spend a day here walking the park’s recreational trails.
Add LA’s Hidden Gems to Your Itinerary
Be sure to incorporate some of these must-see hidden gems into your visit to Los Angeles to see the city’s eclectic side.
Featured Image Credit:Â nucksfan604Â via Flickr CC2.0
