Los Angeles, California, Attractions

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Architecture

• The Gamble House.  "The Gamble House in Pasadena, California, is an outstanding example of American Arts and Crafts style architecture. The house and furnishings were designed by Charles and Henry Greene in 1908 for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter and Gamble Company. The house, a National Historic Landmark, is owned by the City of Pasadena and operated by the University of Southern California and is open for public tours."

Botanical Gardens

• The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.  (See description below in the Libraries section.)   

• The Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden at UCLA.  "Located on the beautiful campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), this garden maintains one of the most important living botanical collections in the United States, with plant specimens from all over the world. Our seven-acre garden is frost-free and therefore can exhibit many different species of tropical and subtropical plants. Approximately 5000 species in 225 families are growing here outdoors. Feel free to roam this Website to enjoy and learn about this special garden spot in Westwood."

Cemeteries

• Forest Lawn, Glendale.  "Imagine... in one afternoon you can see exact replicas of Michelangelo's greatest works such as David, Moses, and La Pieta; Leonardo da Vinci's immortal Last Supper re-created in brilliant stained glass; two of the world's largest paintings, The Crucifixion and The Resurrection; original bronze and marble statuary, rare coins, valuable 13th century stained glass, old world architecture; and much, much more. And in that same afternoon, you can even take a quiet stroll around a splashing fountain pond that's teeming with ducks and majestic swans! Best of all, it's free."

• Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills.  "There's a place in Southern California where you can see and experience the rich history of the North American continent--Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills. Feel the excitement of the American Revolution as you stand before the world's largest historical mosaic, The Birth of Liberty, its struggle for independence-from the landing at Plymouth Rock to the first session of Congress. Visit a faithful reproduction of Boston's fabled Old North Church; see larger-than-life-sized bronze statues of Washington, Jefferson & Lincoln; watch a free 26-minute movie about the American Revolution; tour the Plaza and Museum of Mexican Heritage, an indoor/outdoor display which pays tribute to the early civilizations of North America who thrived in the land that is now Mexico; and much, much more."  Other Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and mortuaries.

Cities

• Santa Monica.

Free Stuff

• Los Angeles has a large number of free attractions most of which are described in "Free L.A. The Ultimate Free Fun Guide to the City of Los Angeles."  If you are visiting Los Angles and you want to get intimate with the city without spending lots of money, this book is for you.  There are more interesting free things to see or do than you will ever have time to experience. 

Horseback Riding

• Griffith Park Stables. "Riders have many specially marked trails at their disposal, plus fire and patrol roads within the park boundaries. All trails are closed at sunset. Riders may walk, trot, or canter horses, but must remain on marked trails at all times. Stables located near the parks northwestern and southwestern boundaries are privately owned."

Libraries

• The Brand Library.  "The Brand Library is an art and music library including an adult collection of books, compact discs, records, videos, slides, prints, and periodicals. It also houses an Art Gallery with 8 exhibits a year featuring Southern California artists, and a Recital Hall available for art and music events. Built in 1904, the Brand home known as "Brand's Castle" has a unique history."  

• The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.  "The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is a collections-based research and educational institution established in 1919 by Henry E. and Arabella Huntington. Huntington, a key figure in the development of Southern California in the early 20th century, was also an active collector of rare books and manuscripts, art, and plants. By the time he established the institution, he and his wife had amassed an extensive collection focusing on British and American history, literature, and art, as well as rare and spectacular plant specimens.
  
  Located 12 miles from Los Angeles in San Marino, California, the institution serves some 1,800 scholars each year conducting advanced research in the humanities. The library�s rare books and manuscripts comprise one of the world�s largest and most extensively used collections in America outside of the Library of Congress. Researchers who use our collections produce the leading scholarly books and articles in their fields; these in turn become the basis for the textbooks that are used in elementary, secondary, and undergraduate education across the nation. The Huntington also serves some 20,000 school children in the Los Angeles area, providing informal botanical, art, and library education through extensive on-site programs. Among the treasures for research and exhibition are the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer�s Canterbury Tales; a Gutenberg Bible on vellum; the double-elephant folio edition of Audubon�s Birds of America; a world-class collection of the early editions of Shakespeare�s works; original letters of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Lincoln; and an unsurpassed collection of materials relating to the history of the American West."

Markets

• Farmer's Market.  "Farmers Market became the central meeting place for Angelenos - "Meet me at 3rd and Fairfax" is still one of the most common phrases in the city. It also became, and remains, the must-see tourist attraction in Southern California."

• Grand Central Market.  "Experience the international diversity of Los Angeles at the Grand Central Market. Offering fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry and fresh fish from California and around the world, the Grand Central Market has been a hub of bustling activity since 1917. A place where thousands of people from all walks of life come to meet with old and new friends, shop for the best bargains in town or just to have a cone of ice cream on a sunny California afternoon. Find out more about the Grand Central Market here, then stop by and experience it for yourself."

• Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market.  The wholesale market that supplies most of the produce for a city of more than 10 million people.  Open only in the middle of the night, but a site not to be missed by food lovers. 

Murals

• Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles.  "Until the 1960s, public murals in Los Angeles were few and far between, isolated instances of commemoration or appreciation. During the sixties and seventies, young artists began to look at the early-century Mexican mural movement. Such notables as David Siqueiros, Diego Rivera and Jose Orozco helped inspire a new generation of Angeleno muralists such as Kent Twitchell, Terry Schoonhoven, Judith Baca, Frank Romero, Alonzo Davis, East Los Streetscapers and many others. Today upwards of a thousand murals have been produced in L.A., with new ones appearing on a regular basis. It has been widely acknowledged that we are one of the world's mural capitals. Murals that serve as significant area landmarks have been created by both famous and anonymous artists.
  
  All of this creative activity has served the public and enhanced the image of Los Angeles at little cost to the public. But it has also presented future generations with the problem of deterioration and vandalism. MCLA's mission is to deal with this problem NOW in order to prevent it from becoming extensive and embarrassing--and expensive--to the City; and to give this art its deserved due as a significant part of our cultural legacy." 

Museums

• Los Angeles Museum Directory.  A directory of art and other museums in the Los Angeles area.

Observatories

• Griffith Observatory.  "The Griffith Observatory has been a major Los Angeles landmark since 1935. It was visited by nearly two million people each year and ranked as one of the top tourist attractions of Southern California. It sits on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood where it commands a stunning view of the Los Angeles basin below. Tens of millions of people enjoyed the view from its balconies and terraces, especially at night."

• Mount Wilson Observatory.  " Founded in December 1904 by George Ellery Hale as one of the original scientific enterprises of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Mt. Wilson Observatory is completing its first century as one of the world�s premier astronomical observatories. During the first half of the twentieth century Mt. Wilson was successively home to the world�s two largest telescopes as well as the most powerful facilities in existence for studying the sun. The 60-inch and 100-inch night-time telescopes and the 60-ft and 150-ft solar tower telescopes in the hands of the brilliant scientists who used them revolutionized astronomy..."   

Parks

• Griffith Park.  "With over 4,107 acres of natural terrain covered with California oak trees, wild sage and manzanita, Griffith Park is the largest municipal park and urban wilderness area in the United States. Situated in the eastern Santa Monica Mountain range, the Park's elevations range from 384 to 1625 feet above sea level with climates varying from semiarid chaparral foothills to forested valleys. Over the years recreational attractions have been developed throughout the Park, however an amazingly large portion of the Park remains virtually unchanged from the days Native American villages occupied the area's lower slopes. Today's Griffith Park offers numerous family attractions, an assortment of educational and cultural institutions, and miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, and provides visitors an ideal environment for enjoyable recreation activities." 

Theaters

• Grauman's Chinese Theatre. "It was once stated that 'to visit Los Angeles and not see the Chinese is like visiting China and not seeing the Great Wall.' Grauman�s opulent, awe-inspiring presence and history has been a cornerstone of Hollywood for over 75 years."  This is the theater where the foot and hand prints of famous stars are embedded in cement.

Web Cams

• Web Cam Directories on Travelconsumer.com  

Zoo

• Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens.  "The Los Angeles Zoo is located in the heart of the nation�s second-largest city. Each year 1.4 million visitors pass through the gates to view a collection of more than 1,200 animals from around the world."

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