Los Angeles is an incredible location, so much movie stars power, a must see for any travel enthusiast. Griffith Park opened in 1935 and remains America’s largest municipal park that includes true wilderness. It offers miles of trails and some of the most famous Los Angeles landmarks. The Griffith Observatory, newly recognizable to non-Angelenos thanks to its starring role in La La Land, is perched 1,135 feet high on Mt. Hollywood’s north slope, so its views over the city are unparalleled. On clear days, you can see to Catalina Island. Inside, the Griffith Observatory is a fascinating astronomy museum with educational space-themed exhibits and the 9,000-pound Zeiss telescope, which lets visitors see comets and other galactic phenomena. Every hour, a 20-minute film recounts the observatory’s history. Also in Griffith Park: the Los Angeles Zoo, train rides for kids, and hiking access up to the Hollywood sign.
As it features an art gallery, an impressive library and elaborate botanical gardens, it’s not only bibliophiles who will love the enchanting Huntington Library. After exploring the library’s exhibitions and collections of rare books, step outside and be transported to a garden straight out of a Jane Austen novel. Roses and marble statues surround the ponds and waterfalls, with a Japanese-style bridge in the middle of it all. To immerse further in the experience, visitors can also enjoy tea and freshly baked pastries in the Rose Garden Tea Room, which overlooks the garden. Admission is free the first Thursday of the month, $25 on weekdays and $29 on weekends. Established in 1917, Grand Central Market is a one-stop shop for every craving. Here you can find vendors offering an overwhelming selection of cuisines – from decadent breakfasts at Eggslut to handmade pupusas at Sarita’s Pupuseria – plus there’s coffee from G&B and juice from Press Brother’s, along with a host of choices for wine and beer. In addition to meals, visitors can also shop for fresh produce and sundries here.
Never neglect the Excess fee. In most cases, you will have to leave a deposit at the time of rental (see our FAQ about Excess Fee and Excess Fee Reduction), but you can usually insure this deposit or buy the Excess Fee Reduction. Always pay attention to the amount of this deposit, it is possible that the rental price is low, but the Excess fee is very high or vice versa. You should always consider the total amount, and not just the car rental price. See extra details at rent a car LAX airport under 25.
The oil magnate Jean Paul Getty was considered one of the richest men in the world when he established the J. Paul Getty Trust in 1953. Today, the world’s wealthiest art institution funds several institutions, including the stunning billion-dollar Getty Center perched high atop L.A.’s Brentwood Hills. A sleek hover-train funicular whisks visitors up to the museum where an extraordinary collection of artwork from the Middle Ages to the present awaits, including masterpieces like van Gogh’s “Irises,” Monet’s “Wheatstack” and “The Abduction of Europa” by Rembrandt. Outside, sculpture-ornamented gardens offer panoramic views of the Los Angeles Basin.
Bordering Los Angeles to the south, about 20 miles from downtown LA, Long Beach extends along San Pedro Bay. This is another community in the Los Angeles area that you can easily spend a day exploring. Worth visiting here are the historic Queen Mary ocean liner, now converted into a hotel and museum, the Aquarium of the Pacific, and the Museum of Latin America. You can also catch the Catalina Express from Long Beach for a trip over to Catalina Island. In Hancock Park, La Brea Tar Pits were formed 40,000 years ago, when oil seeped through the rock. The Tar Pits would entrap passing animals, which would get stuck in the substance. The tar then preserved the fossils throughout the ages, leaving behind an incredible glimpse into another age. The Page Museum shows reconstructed fossils of prehistoric animals found in the giant tar-craters of La Brea, as well as the process of fossil recovery. You can see bones being worked on and learn what takes place behind the scenes, before bones and skeletons are able to be displayed. The museum displays fully reconstructed fossils of a variety of mammals including mammoths, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and others, all dating from between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago. An outdoor area in Hancock Park displays replicas of extinct animals.