An Alternative Guide To Los Angeles

Los Angeles is filled with wonderful and weird activities to delight locals and tourists alike. If you want to explore the City of Angels behind the scenes, check out this curated list of our favorite adventures off the beaten track.

1. The Last Bookstore

Bookstore, Store, Museum

If you live in the LA area, chances are you’ve already heard of The Last Bookstore. This spot is renowned as an enclave for literature lovers, filled with new and used books to please enthusiasts of all genres. There is also vinyl stocked on the first floor, and you can browse through the rotating galleries and craft shops upstairs, as well.

2. Underground Tunnels of Los Angeles

Building

During the era of prohibition, Angelenos opted to move the party underground. There is now a system of tunnels underneath Downtown LA where the locals enjoyed clandestine cocktails, aided by corrupt members of the mayor’s office staff. The basement at King Eddy Saloon is a great spot to get a taste of these tunnels.

3. Los Feliz Murder Mansion

Building

The Los Feliz Murder Mansion was the site of a double murder-suicide in 1959, only to be left abandoned for the next 50 years. Since then, it has become a spooky local landmark, inspiring many legends and mysterious stories over the years.

5. Watts Towers

Building

In the Watts neighborhood you can find Watts Towers, 17 non-traditional architectural structures built as a personal project by an Italian immigrant in the early to mid-1900s. They are constructed of steel parts, wire mesh, and mortar, and filled with scraps of porcelain, tile, glass, and various random objects for decoration. You can take a tour of the structures with a guide from Watts Towers Arts Center.

6. Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Cemetery

Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the resting place of celebrities like Cecil B. DeMille, Johnny Ramone and Estelle Getty. The grounds themselves are an incredible destination, filled with gardens and gorgeous architecture, but the events hosted onsite make this a must-visit spot. In addition to concerts held on-site, the cemetery is host to a series of outdoor movie screenings each summer.

7. Phantasma Gloria

Park

The Echo Park neighborhood is home to Randyland, home of local artist Randlett Lawrence. His home is the site of the sculptural magnificence known as Phantasma Gloria. This artwork of Lawrence’s is a collection of various colorful glass pieces, creating an incredible refracting effect when struck by sunlight.

8. Venice Canals

Bridge, Building, Natural Feature, Park

If you find yourself in the Venice area, be sure to check out the Venice Canals. Tucked in between a series of luxurious homes, these canals mimic the iconic canals of Venice, Italy, filled with arching bridges and clear waterways. In addition to strolling along the bridges, you can appreciate the gorgeous real estate that lines the walkways.

9. Museum of Broken Relationships

Museum

Started in the city of Zagreb, Croatia, the Museum of Broken Relationships recently opened a second location in Los Angeles. This museum holds mementos of all mediums from any sort of lost relationship, curating them in displays that will make your heart twinge, or at least make you reflect on your own relationships.

10. El Segundo Butterfly Preserve

Museum

Located near LAX, the El Segundo Butterfly Preserve is a refuge for the endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly. While the reserve is fenced of to the public, it is surrounded by a four-mile path from which you can see the butterflies, watch the planes at LAX, or enjoy a view of the ocean.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.