Cool LA/HOLLYWOOD attractions?

[TeaToo!]

We are taking a day in LA/Hollywood. We are not really interested in hitting Lego Land or Knotts Berry Farm or any other amusment park type places (we just like DL LOL!) Any suggestions on sights to see that would be worth not missing? Much thanks!

 

[DmaxHawk]

Hollywood/Hollywood Blvd is always interesting. Kodak theater. I know you said you were steering away from any other theme parks but Universal Studios is close by. If you don't want to go to the park, the city walk is always fun. The observatory near Glendale off of Los Feliz is good. Then of course all of the museums...Natural History, Science, Air/Space, Automotive. Then of course the beaches and aquariums.

 

[mystic_path]

Are you driving or looking into a tour? If you want a tour, look at the Southern California Gray Line tours website.

I would definitely suggest Universal Studios. With Gray Line they have this tour called Universal Deluxe where you spend your entire day at Universal, then after park closing the bus takes you all around Hollywood to the hot spots and gives you time to walk around and check out the major sites. You will see Melrose Avenue, Santa Monica Boulevard and Sunset Strip which is home to such trendy spots as the Chateau Marmont Hotel, Whiskey A Go Go, House of Blues and much more! You get time to explore the stars on the Walk of Fame and the foot and hand prints at Mann’s Chinese Theater. You also get a quick photo stop at Downtown LA’s beautiful music center including the Disney Concert Hall.

All the Gray Line tours include round trip transportation from your hotel and back to your hotel at the end of the night so you dont have to worry about driving back when your tired.

 

[spacemermaid]

You could make a day of seeing everything there is to see on Hollywood Blvd! It's worth the price of admission to see a movie at the Chinese Theater, as the inside is gorgeous; I see you're also a MJ fan, and his star on the Walk of Fame is right out in front of that theater There's the new Madame Tussaud's wax museum that recently opened, and of course the Disney Ice Cream Parlor, across the street from the Chinese Theater. Nearby is also Mel's Diner, which is a 1950s themed restaurant with an extensive menu of yummy food (if you're a meat eater, do try the openfaced meatloaf sandwich! It = ) .

Have fun on your trip!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

There's also the La Brea Tarpits that are in the general area. We used to take family to Olvera Street, Hollywood, La Brea Tarpits, and then drive by the Beverly Hills Hotel, and Rodeo Drive as a day trip.

 

[TeaToo!]

I see you're also a MJ fan, and his star on the Walk of Fame is right out in front of that theater ) .

Have fun on your trip!

That is what takes us into Hollywood

Thanks everyone for all the info!
We'll deffo be taking lots of the advice in this entire thread!!

 

[jlmarr]

That is what takes us into Hollywood

Wikipedia has the full list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stars_on_the_Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame

 

[Peri]

The Gene Autry western museum in Griffith park is wonderful and kids like it a lot. I think the name might be a bit different now, but the museum is the same. Griffith park also has a zoo and a nice observatory. Also lots of movies are made there so it will all look pretty familiar to you - lol. There is a small train that goes through part of the park, too.

Universal Studios, to us, is much more a "theme park" than a movie lot. If you want to see a movie lot, I would go to another studio - or try to get some free tickets to a filming of a show while you are there - there is a number you can call to get a seat. Most shows do not allow children in under a certain age. It is fun to go in "back stage" and sit in the studio audience. You also might get to see a famous guest star!
But it is at night, of course.

We personally never found Graumann's or the Hollywood area particularly interesting, but some people just love it, so that is a matter of taste. Be warned that if you stray at all off the main area you will see people doing drugs on the street (shooting up). Can be interesting explaining when kids are younger . . . In the past few years the city has tried to move/clean this up.


The science museum, tarpits and asian museum downtown are great. There is also an American Girl store downtown if you have interested kids.

Although we are "tourists" we go to LA two or three times a year and have for over 40 years, so we have tried to see many different things and areas!

 

[HydroGuy]

From "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

22. Other Destinations in Southern California

Some potential DLR visitors may conclude that a 3-5 day visit to DLR is not worth the effort because it is too short. To make the trip more worthwhile you may want to consider other destinations in Southern California.

One possibility to consider is the Southern California CityPass, which offers three days at DLR, one day at Sea World San Diego (80-100 miles away), one day at the San Diego Zoo (also 80-100 miles away) and one day at Universal Studios Hollywood (40 or so miles away). All for about $200 per adult ticket. Tickets can be bought on the DLR website and other locations.

Knott’s Berry Farm is near DLR and is actually older than DL. It has turned into a more full-fledged theme park of its own. I have not been there for 20 years but back then it was a fun place to go. Do some research if you are interested.

Up Interstate 5 about 40 miles away from DLR is the real, actual Hollywood. And near that is Universal Studios Hollywood (USH). If you are interested in either or both of these destinations you may want to try to schedule them on or near weekends. If you were to visit both, then a local hotel might be a good idea and you could visit them on subsequent days. The reason for scheduling these on weekends is that it allows easier day time driving from DLR. Or you can do your driving late in the evening. Otherwise you can take your chances with the Southern California freeway traffic. Also if you are interested you can obtain tickets to see live tapings of certain shows (such as Jay Leno). These will be at other network studio locations in and around Hollywood and typically on weekdays. I had occasion to do all of these things when I lived in California.

If you travel south of DLR on Interstate 5 about 80-100 miles you will come to Sea World San Diego which sits on a beautiful location straddling Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean. SW is a one-day destination. Nearby is the world famous San Diego Zoo. And in northern San Diego (but inland and away from Interstate 5) is the Wild Animal Park which has some parallels to WDW’s Animal Kingdom. It is operated in conjunction with the San Diego Zoo. I had occasion to visit all of these when I lived in San Diego 15 years ago, and have visited Sea World several times over the last few years.

Then there is Legoland in Carlsbad, California. Carlsbad is at the northernmost edge of San Diego County and near Interstate 5 (about 50-60 miles from DLR). Legoland is a theme park with rides that revolve around the Lego theme. For those of you who missed childhood, Legos are those little building blocks that children use to build up creative three-dimensional structures. I have never been to LegoLand which was built about 5 or 6 years ago. Legoland appeals more to the under-12 crowd, but there are some things there to interest older kids. I have been told that they have a few thrill coasters, and Miniland, including an informative and fun boat tour, are not to be missed. Many of the United States’ major cities and historical landmarks have been recreated using nothing but standard Lego bricks that anyone can purchase.

If you travel to the north on Interstate 5 (80-100 miles) you will come to Six Flags Magic Mountain with its array of thriller roller coasters. I last did Magic Mountain about 15 years ago and it has gained a reputation as a hangout for gang members (just warning you).

OK, a couple of quick mentions to round things out. Mission San Juan Capistrano in south Orange County and right along Interstate 5 is one of the early missions established by the Spanish when exploring California and has a nice tour. And the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles is an area where many pre-historic creatures got ensnared and died. The tar pits are still there bubbling up in the middle of Los Angeles, and the exhibits there and animal skeletal findings are on display and quite interesting. I visited both of these some 15 years ago. Also there is the Santa Monica Pier on the coast near Los Angeles. This offers some interesting shopping, dining, aquatic displays, and amusement areas. It is often found in Hollywood movies so you may recognize some things there from movies. I was there just last year.

Last but not least are the Southern California beaches – a special temptation in the summer time. For those easterners not in the know, the Pacific Ocean waters circulate down from Alaska along the California coast and the water at the beaches is pretty cold. Even during mid-summer the temperatures will peak at around 72 degrees – on a good day. If you go in the summer be aware that the water temperature is tolerable albeit a bit shocking when you first get in. Once you get used to it, it is really not that bad. Nice, nearby beaches to DLR in Orange County are Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach. If you go down to San Diego there are many nice beaches there as well – that is where we usually spend a week each summer.

 

[TeaToo!]

Thanks everyone!

 

[Mellby]

I'm spending 4 days at the start of my trip staying in Hollywood. Please help me plan!

I stayed in West Hollywood on back in last Oct/November, but would like to try some new things out.

I've been to Universal, Santa Monica, Griffith Observatory, Farmers Market/The Grove and done the Hollywood celebrity tour.

I'm thinking of hinking Runyon Canyon, but besides shopping, cannot think of what else to do by myself.

I'd love to go to the Ellen show but from what I can tell you need to provide a US address and phone number (a little hard when I'm in Australia).

Is there anywhere worth going in the Valley? I'll only have a car for a couple of days, so the rest of the time I'm be walking/using public transport.

TIA

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hey Mellby....if you've seen my thread in the Aussie section, have you considered Catalina Island I think I'm hitting it on the 1st May.

Have you headed south towards San Diego? If you're there at a weekend, Balboa Park is quite nice to hang out and check out the architecture and artsy shops...

 

[Mellby]

Thanks PrincessInOz - I did see your other thread.

I'm not really keen on Catalina and my brothers will be in San Diego before I meet up with them.

However, I have since bought a ticket for Six Flags Magic Mountain as I love rollercoasters. Any factory outlets within LA (I don't want to have to drive more than an hour from Hollywood)?

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks PrincessInOz - I did see your other thread.

I'm not really keen on Catalina and my brothers will be in San Diego before I meet up with them.

However, I have since bought a ticket for Six Flags Magic Mountain as I love rollercoasters. Any factory outlets within LA (I don't want to have to drive more than an hour from Hollywood)?

For Factory Outlets, there is the Citadel, which is close to Anaheim....or Ontario Mills, which is huge.

Alternatively, try Carlsbad Factory Outlets, near Legoland or Lake Elsinore, which will be further away.

If you are heading down towards San Diego, there's the one at San Ysidro, near the Mexican border.

 

[LavenderPeach]

For Factory Outlets, there is the Citadel, which is close to Anaheim....or Ontario Mills, which is huge.

Yes, Ontario Mills is huge. I've heard that they get more guests per year than Disneyland.

 

[jlmarr]

Are you driving or looking into a tour? If you want a tour, look at the Southern California Gray Line tours website.

Good idea:

http://www.grayline.com/Grayline/destinations/us/losangeles.go

In particular the Hop On Hop Off tour:

http://www.grayline.com/Grayline/GraylineAssets/files/franchises/StarLineDoubleDeckerBusMap.pdf

 

[Mouse13]

Great thread! Thanks for all the ideas. DD and DSIL live in Claremont and have offered to give us the tour. I think we'll say yes.