Los Angeles attracts tourists from around the globe. Art lovers converge upon its world-renowned museums like LACMA – which is considered to be the largest museum in Western US. You can so easily go to Los Angeles with Cathay Pacific so why not experience them all?
Car enthusiasts will delight in exploring the Peterson Automotive Museum to gain more knowledge of classic automobiles. Family entertainment awaits at Universal Studios Hollywood with exciting rides and backlot tours to keep everyone amused!
La Brea Tar Pits
La Brea Tar Pits, located in Los Angeles’ core, offer an engaging tourist attraction where you can see Ice Age fossils up close and watch paleontologists dig for new specimens. Over 38,000 years, its bubbling tar pools have preserved the remains of Ice Age animals such as dire wolves, ground sloths and mammoths; more recently pollen and bacteria microfossils have also been discovered here.
The museum at the tar pits is open daily from 9:30 a.m to 5 p.m, except on certain holidays such as Independence Day and Thanksgiving. Admission for adults is $15 while seniors or students pay $12 with tickets allowing access to Fossil Lab, Lake Pit and Observation Pit tours; special exhibits may cost extra; you can save money by purchasing online before traveling!
Once inside, you’ll get an up-close view of pits and fossils found within them in the Fossil Lab, while also being able to touch full-scale models of Columbian mammoths and American mastodons – giving an insight into life during the Ice Age for these animals that once lived here.
As well as walking through the tar pits and learning how treacherous and sticky asphalt-based tar was for Ice Age animals to extricate themselves from, you will also have the chance to pull on handles simulating how difficult it would have been for Ice Age creatures to free themselves of this thick substance. Finally, Dire Wolves and other prehistoric predators skeletons will also be on display.
Next, visit the Observation Pit to experience what it’s like being an archaeologist and digging for fossils. At the end of your visit, Project 23 and Pit 91 provide active excavation sites where paleontologists work – this activity is great fun for all ages and you can even purchase souvenirs at the gift shop afterwards! Both locations can be reached using public transportation.
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Pier (known by locals as SMP) is one of Los Angeles’s most beloved landmarks and for good reason: offering sun, sea and plenty of fun activities such as its ferris wheel, restaurants, carnival games and roller coaster as well as its seaside promenade, shops and famous beach. Furthermore, its beach offers live music performances, as well as incredible sunset views for people watching!
No surprise that piers have made appearances in so many movies and TV shows – they have made guest appearances in Forrest Gump, The Sting, Beverly Hills 90210, Hancock and Sharknado to name but a few – including Titanic where Jack tried to impress Rose by telling her he rode its roller coaster!
This famed LA attraction was constructed as the West Coast’s inaugural concrete pier in 1909. While initially intended as a public utility, it quickly transformed into a hub for food vendors, carnival games, street performers, lifeguard headquarters, roller skating venue, city jail before eventually being converted into a pleasure pier in 1929. Later still it hosted big band concerts and dances at its 15,000-square-foot LaMonica Ballroom (replete with 12 minarets to look like an Islamic palace) from 1930 until its demise in 1943.
Nowadays, the pier attracts millions of visitors who come for both nostalgic and breathtaking seaside beauty. Its stunning Ferris wheel and Pacific Park bring together classic carnival rides with coastal splendor to provide a truly enjoyable destination that kids as well as grandparents can all enjoy together.
The Santa Monica Pier is easily accessible via car, bus and bike and within walking distance to Third Street Promenade hotels as well as many nearby attractions such as Annenberg Community Beach House which features everything from swimming pools and fitness classes like beach yoga – making it an excellent place for families or groups wanting to escape crowds nearer to its location.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Those who appreciate art will enjoy exploring this museum of paintings from different eras. Home to some of the finest collections available anywhere, this tourist attraction in Los Angeles houses several buildings housing paintings by famous artists like Rembrandt and Monet.
Urban Light, an art installation composed of 202 cast-iron street lamps collected from all around LA and assembled as an art piece known as Urban Light, may have made headlines recently on social media; but that is only one reason to visit LA County Museum of Art on Wilshire Boulevard’s famed Museum Row.
This building complex boasts an encyclopedic collection encompassing every continent and period in human history, as well as spectacular collections showcasing Islamic and Asian art, Latin American exhibit featuring pre-Columbian masterpieces, traditional Japanese screens, as well as thought-provoking special exhibitions. Among the museum’s highlights are an outstanding Islamic collection as well as other noteworthy pieces, stunning Latin American exhibit including pre-Columbian masterpieces; and numerous well-respected and thought-provoking special exhibitions.
If you’re searching for something truly unforgettable, the Getty Center should be at the top of your itinerary. Boasting stunning art galleries as well as other attractions – like its planetarium show – the Getty Center makes for a must-visit. And don’t miss Griffith Observatory either: It boasts spectacular views of LA and Hollywood while boasting numerous science and space exhibits designed to keep kids busy for hours!
Olvera Street brings back to life Los Angeles’ Hispanic roots. Packed with shops, restaurants, taco stands, and other cultural sites – you’ll also get a glimpse of both historic Los Angeles City Hall and iconic Los Angeles Cathedral!
The California Science Center is an excellent way for anyone who wishes to gain more insight into science and technology. This interactive exhibit includes a pendulum that simulates Earth rotation as well as Tesla coil. Plus, take a ride on one of the popular rides at this theme park: Omnisphere!
Venice Beach
Venice Beach may not be as tourist-laden as Santa Monica, yet still boasts its own distinct character and allure. Drawing inspiration from Italy, Venice Beach is famous for its canals and unique culture – make sure to spend some time strolling along Ocean Front Walk between Venice Boulevard and Pier as this boardwalk serves as a great spot for souvenir shopping or grabbing lunch at one of many bustling beach grills, burger joints or Mexican eateries!
Venice Beach Pier is worth visiting too, even though it might not offer as much glamour and glitz as Santa Monica’s Pier does. Still, visitors can fish off its docks or ride its giant Ferris wheel for some fun fishing and strolling activities – something which may become increasingly busy and hectic as Venice Beach becomes ever more famous!
Other attractions nearby include renowned Pier, such as Mosaic Tile House on Palms Boulevard which can be explored via self-guided tour for $20.
Take a stroll along Venice Beach Canals is another must in this area. There are six waterways – Grand, Carroll, Linnie, Sherman and Eastern – that form an interlaced grid of residential islands that Abbot Kinney originally intended as America’s “Venice.” These canals make an excellent place to relax and discover this remarkable part of Venice Beach.
The Electric Lodge is an innovative cultural arts centre offering performances, classes and workshops that explore the power of art. As a non-profit devoted to environmental concerns as well, making this an engaging and immersive place to visit.