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All United States California Los Angeles

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Los Angeles

232 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Los Angeles, California

Updated March 14, 2023

The City of Angels is full of sites that are known by sight the world over. Weʼre here to tell you about some of the lesser-known highlights, from a mysterious hotel with a dark history to an impressive meteorite collection.

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Unusual Attractions in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

The Last Bookstore

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

Los Angeles, California

The Echo Park Time Travel Mart

Non-profit time travel mart sells goods you would need for a trip through the fourth dimension.

Los Angeles, California

Sunken City

Remants of foundations, streets, and streetcar tracks inhabit the cliffs where a landslide occurred in 1929.

Los Angeles, California

Bradbury Building

The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.

Los Angeles, California

Griffith Observatory's Tesla Coil

High on a hill overlooking Los Angeles lives a world famous, high power conical Tesla Coil.

Los Angeles, California

Old Zoo Picnic Area

The abandoned zoo enclosures offer a perfect place to experience the other side of the bars.

Los Angeles, California

Bronson Cave

It should come as no surprise that the best view of the Hollywood sign is from Batman's lair.

Los Angeles, California

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Resting place of Hollywood's immortals is also site of summer film screenings.
See All 232 Things To Do in Los Angeles

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Galco's Soda Pop Stop

Shop selling 500 flavors of soda has something for everyone.

Los Angeles, California

Tiki-Ti

Established in the '60s, a family-owned tropical drink bar founded by Ray Buhen, bartender to the stars.

Los Angeles, California

Pink's Hot Dogs

World-famous, Pink's still manages to keep its prized cult fetish status.

Los Angeles, California

Café Jack

A "Titanic" superfan changed his name to Jack and set up this strange shrine to the blockbuster, complete with Korean food and Tarot readings.
See all 10 Places to Eat in Los Angeles
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

On the Run: Los Angeles

Originally named “Venice of America,” Venice, California, owes its existence to a wealthy developer’s dream of a canal-laden resort town west of Los Angeles. The dream didn’t last long: After opening in 1905, the city went broke before joining Los Angeles in 1926. The decades of neglect that followed earned Venice the nickname “the slum by the sea,” but its affordability also attracted artists, beginning with the Beats in the late ’50s. Venice’s identity as a rough-around-the-edges artist haven endures more than 60 years later, though its affordability less so. If you’re looking to plot a trek across Los Angeles pavement and beaches, zero in on Venice with a run that oscillates between fast-and-furious and slow-and-curious. Take on this 5.2-mile run in one go, break it up into multiple runs, or do it in reverse. With the right running shoes, you’ll be ready to navigate Venice’s storied past and its eternally eccentric personality.

View Itinerary

Explore Los Angeles, California

Collections 24
Architectural Oddities 24
Film 24
Shops 23
Film Locations 21
Art 20
Museums And Collections 20
Homes 18
Unique Restaurants & Bars 14
Eccentric Homes 14
History 12
Plants 12
Places To Stay 8

Los Angeles Leaderboard

Places Added

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Places Edited

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Places Visited

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Recent Los Angeles Activity

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Stories About Los Angeles

‘Cockeyed’ Map Shows Both Glamour and Margins of 1930s Hollywood

Legendary cartoonist John Groth's pictorial map captures L.A.'s film factories in their Golden Age.
by Frank Jacobs, Big Think
March 10, 2023

8 Unexpected Stories That Go Behind the Scenes in Hollywood

Frozen lettuce, a ghost subway station, and an unplaceable accent all have starring roles.
by April White
March 8, 2023

This Is the First List of Japanese Americans Incarcerated in Internment Camps in WWII

The new work of art includes 125,284 names.
by Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing
November 10, 2022

Eat Like an Apollo 11 Astronaut With This Celestial Dessert

Neil Armstrong, Richard Nixon, and Jimmy Stewart all feasted upon Clair de Lune.
by Anne Ewbank
August 26, 2022

Discovering the Modern South Asian Ritual of Making Chai

Remember the history, practice, and be creative.
by Sujata Day
July 13, 2022

Reuniting a Pilot and a Lost Drone Is Some Spy-Level Stuff

It started with some serious sleuthing skills and ended with a new friendship.
by Alie Ward
June 30, 2022

Podcast: Leimert Park

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
June 20, 2022

Podcast: Watts Towers

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
April 12, 2022

Lists Featuring Los Angeles

Hollywood Forever
Tesla Coil
Portal of books.
The Bradbury Building

Los Angeles' Top 10 Wonders of 2018

The strange and unusual places Atlas Obscura readers wanted to visit most in L.A. in 2018.

10

Including Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Griffith Observatory's Tesla Coil, and The Last Bookstore

Blue Sky Mausoleum.
Darwin Martin House Complex.
Skylights on the exterior porch made of red cypress.
A restored Wright house on the Burnham Block.

A 12-Stop Road Trip of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Most Surprising Designs

A UFO-inspired church, a futurist gas station, and more deep cuts.

12

Including Blue Sky Mausoleum, The Darwin D. Martin House, and Kentuck Knob

They were built in 1979.
The Howe Street stair corridor is the longest in Seattle.
Seward Street Slides

When Stairs and Slides Are Hiding in Plain Sight

Play real-life Chutes and Ladders at these obscure thruways.

9

Including Secret Tiled Staircase, Esmeralda Slide Park, and Howe Street Stairs

Yellow dashes mark the old tunnel
Dashes mark the old tunnel, solid lines are the newer ones
Los Angeles Tunnels
The tunnels all look slightly differiently

7 Hidden Tunnels Under Government Buildings

The literal underbelly of public agencies.

6

Including FDR's Bomb Shelter, Steam Tunnels Under Capitol Hill, and Underground Tunnels of Los Angeles

Look familiar?
The ivy covered hotel.
Staircase at Hotel Vertigo
Mid Eastern-themed billiards room

19 Unusual Hotels in California

Remarkable places to stay—or at least visit—in the Golden State.

19

Including The Ahwahnee Hotel, Venice Beach House, and Hotel Vertigo

APEX Electronics

9 Cool Shops in Los Angeles

Wonderfully unique stores in L.A.

9

Including Cactus Store, APEX Electronics, and Dapper Cadaver

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