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Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
With jumbo jets soaring overhead, sailboats bobbing beyond the rolling surf, bonfires raging in the pit and a waxing moon rising high, summer nights on Dockweiler – a 3.5-mile stretch of open beach – are always a good time.
Street parking is usually available (arrive early for best options), or get here by bike; it's on the South Bay Bicycle Trail.
14.51 MILES
With eyes on both the galaxy above and palm-flanked boulevards below, the Griffith Observatory hovers above LA like a hulking spacecraft. This is one of…
26.48 MILES
What started as a simple berry farm is now a sprawling 160-acre operation with rides, live shows and lovable Peanuts characters roaming the grounds. Knott…
3.51 MILES
Prepare for a sensory overload on Venice's Boardwalk, a one-of-a-kind experience. Buff bodybuilders brush elbows with street performers and sellers of…
5.43 MILES
Once the very end of the legendary Route 66 and still the object of a tourist love affair, this much-photographed pier dates back to 1908 and is the city…
Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
22.9 MILES
One of the most delightful, inspirational spots in LA, the Huntington is rightly a highlight of any trip to California thanks to a world-class mix of art,…
13.4 MILES
From the instant it opened in September 2015, the Broad (rhymes with 'road') became a must-visit for contemporary-art fans. It houses the world-class…
9.39 MILES
In its billion-dollar, in-the-clouds perch, high above the city grit and grime, the Getty Center presents triple delights: a stellar art collection …
14.31 MILES
Dodge dinosaurs, hang with Homer Simpson and morph into a Minion on the sometimes hair-raising, always entertaining attractions at Universal Studios…
1.34 MILES
These last remaining wetlands in LA County are home to at least 200 migrating and resident bird species, including the great blue heron. Their habitat,…
1.92 MILES
Most boats, including party fishing boats and winter whale-watching boats, leave from this kitschy strip of candy-colored cottages filled with tacky gift…
2.55 MILES
South of Washington Blvd, the throng dissipates and the golden sands unfurl in a more pristine manner. Waves roll in consistently and are ideal for…
3.06 MILES
Even many Angelenos have no idea that just a couple of blocks from the Boardwalk madness is an idyllic neighborhood that preserves 3 miles of Abbot Kinney…
3.19 MILES
The best art gallery in Venice, and arguably the best in LA, LA Louver was established by Peter Gouls in 1975, and since 1994 has been housed in a…
3.19 MILES
One of our favorite Venice galleries, it specializes in single-artist exhibitions. When we passed it hosted the works of Ralph Ziman, a South African–born…
3.29 MILES
Epic 30ft-high portrait of one-time Venice resident Jim Morrison of the rock band The Doors, by Rip Cronk.