Things to do in Downtown Los Angeles

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.

Good to know

1. 1

   Downtown Los Angeles contains the largest concentration of historic theater architecture in the United States, centered along the Broadway Theater District.

2. 2

   The city's original 1781 founding site, El Pueblo de Los Angeles, remains preserved as a historic monument adjacent to the modern downtown core.

3. 3

   The city's extensive tunnel system, built for freight and later used during Prohibition, still exists beneath the downtown streets.

4. 4

   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.

5. 5

   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.