Things to do in Downtown Los Angeles
- Downtown Los Angeles contains the largest concentration of historic theater architecture in the United States, centered along the Broadway Theater District.
- The city's original 1781 founding site, El Pueblo de Los Angeles, remains preserved as a historic monument adjacent to the modern downtown core.
- The city's extensive tunnel system, built for freight and later used during Prohibition, still exists beneath the downtown streets.
- Los Angeles remains the only major U.S. city where the primary city hall building sits on an active fault line, though it was retrofitted for seismic safety.
- Downtown features a rare collection of 1920s and 30s Beaux-Arts and Art Deco buildings that have served as primary filming locations for global cinema.
About Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles serves as the historic and civic core of Southern California, anchored by a dense collection of cultural institutions and high-rise commercial hubs. Visitors can explore world-class collections at The Broad or observe the city's architectural evolution at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The area balances its urban density with expansive public spaces like Exposition Park and the restored green space of Los Angeles State Historic Park. As the seat of LA County, it functions as a central transportation nexus connecting the city's sprawling neighborhoods.
Highlights of Downtown Los Angeles
The places our editors single out — and why they're worth your time.
Venues
Experience home games for the Major League Baseball team in one of the oldest stadiums in the league.
Museums
View an extensive collection of contemporary art housed within a unique, honeycomb-inspired building.
Museums
Observe the stars through public telescopes while enjoying panoramic views of the entire Los Angeles basin.
Museums
Walk through the Space Shuttle Endeavour exhibit located within a major regional science museum.
Museums
Explore one of the largest natural and historical collections in the western United States, featuring a renowned dinosaur hall.
Parks
Walk the trails of this converted railyard that now serves as an urban park highlighting the city's industrial past.
Temples
Admire the modernist architectural design and intricate bronze doors of this major landmark cathedral.
Venues
Attend Broadway-caliber stage productions at one of the largest performing arts venues in the country.
Top things to do in Downtown Los Angeles
The 633 highest-rated places in Downtown Los Angeles, ranked by travellers.
1
Amusement parks
Universal Studios Hollywood is a hybrid movie studio and theme park located in the San Fernando Valley. It features the...
2
Parks
Griffith Park is one of the largest urban wilderness parks in the United States, spanning over 4,200 acres in the Santa...
3
Venues
Dodger Stadium is the third-oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, having served as the home of the Los Angeles Dodge...
4
Museums
The Getty Center is a sprawling campus designed by architect Richard Meier, situated on a hilltop in the Santa Monica Mo...
5
Historical places
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of over 2,700 terrazzo and brass stars embedded into the sidewalks along 15 blocks o...
6
Museums
The California Science Center is a prominent science museum located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles. It is globally reco...
7
Museums
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is the largest art museum in the western United States, housing a collectio...
8
Museums
The Broad is a contemporary art museum in downtown Los Angeles featuring the 2,000-piece collection of Eli and Edythe Br...
9
Museums
Griffith Observatory is a public astronomy facility located on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. I...
10
Beaches and ponds
Manhattan Beach Pier is a historic concrete pier extending 928 feet into the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. The s...
11
Museums
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is home to the Dinosaur Hall, which features over 300 real fossils and...
12
Parks
Exposition Park is a 160-acre urban park housing several major cultural institutions and the BMO Stadium. It serves as t...
13
Museums
The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is the world’s only active urban paleontological research facility where excavation occu...
14
Amusement parks
Pacific Park is the only amusement park located on a pier in Los Angeles County. It features the world's only solar-powe...
15
Parks
Beverly Hills Garden Park is a formal, elongated public green space stretching along Santa Monica Boulevard in the heart...
16
Historical places
The Hollywood Sign consists of 45-foot-tall white letters located on Mount Lee in Griffith Park. Originally erected in 1...
17
Museums
The Getty Villa is an educational center and museum dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, R...
18
Amusement parks
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood is an immersive, themed land based on the Harry Potte...
19
Historical places
The Venice Canal Historic District consists of three primary canals—Eastern, Linnie, and Carroll—connected by pedestrian...
20
Places of interest
Urban Light is a large-scale assemblage of 202 historically significant cast-iron street lamps installed at the Los Ange...
21
Parks
Descanso Gardens is a 150-acre botanical garden located in the San Rafael Hills, notable for housing the largest collect...
22
Parks
Palisades Park is a 26-acre public park stretching 1.5 miles along the limestone bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in...
23
Parks
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area is a 401-acre park located in the Baldwin Hills of Los Angeles, offering panoramic vi...
24
Venues
The Rose Bowl Stadium is a National Historic Landmark located in the Arroyo Seco of Pasadena, California. Opened in 1922...
25
Parks
Runyon Canyon Park is a 160-acre municipal park located at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles....
26
Museums
Madame Tussauds Hollywood is a wax museum located on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that features hyper-realistic figures of...
27
Parks
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook is a California State Park known for its steep, 282-step concrete staircase that rises 500...
28
Beaches and ponds
Will Rogers State Beach serves as the northern terminus of the Marvin Braude Coastal Bike Trail, a 22-mile paved path st...
29
Temples
30
Venues
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Downtown Los Angeles on the map
Top attractions plotted across the city.
Plan your visit to Downtown Los Angeles
March to May or September to November, when mild temperatures avoid the extreme heat of summer and the city's seasonal coastal fog patterns.
3-4 days to explore the museum clusters, historic districts, and surrounding transit-accessible entertainment venues.
The LA Metro Rail system provides primary access to the downtown core, complemented by walkable historic districts and ride-sharing services.
The Financial District and Bunker Hill offer proximity to major cultural institutions and luxury hotels, while the Arts District provides a more industrial, gallery-centric atmosphere.
Expensive, particularly regarding accommodation and premium dining, though many public cultural parks offer low-cost access.
Frequently asked
Aventuro lists 633 curated attractions in and around Downtown Los Angeles, ranked by traveller ratings.
Universal Studios Hollywood is the highest-rated place to visit in Downtown Los Angeles right now.
The largest category is parks, with 209 places to explore.
Travellers also explore Bayonne, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Boston.
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