Places Sun Wants to Go

Small museum packed with artifacts recovered by the man rumored to be the real-life inspiration for Indiana Jones.

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

Where the rich wintered in Pasadena.

A glittering South Asian anomaly in a wealthy Los Angeles suburb.

An academy where anyone can train in the exciting acrobatic sports of parkour and freerunning.

This serene oasis in an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood holds some of Gandhi's ashes and got Elvis into Eastern Philosophy.

A "Titanic" superfan changed his name to Jack and set up this strange shrine to the blockbuster, complete with Korean food and Tarot readings.

A rare surviving example of a pre-WWII Japanese garden, restored after years of neglect.

A repository of Pasadena history.

A Masterpiece with a Tragic History.

Southern California’s Theme Park Beginnings.

Contemporary art inspired by natural history and science drawing on ancient techniques in a modern world.

An airy would-be solution to a housing shortage.

A stellar example of Art & Crafts architecture, and a movie set to boot.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

This museum honors the first Spanish land grant in California which is still in the hands of the original owner's family.

Working mining and drilling equipment demonstrate 150 years of energy history.

A ghost town at the airport is now a refuge for blue butterflies.

The creator of the carousel's bingo-pinball hybrid survives in California's oldest gaming establishment.

A small, peaceful sculpture garden with a grim memorial to a disaster that took place a few blocks away.

The site of murders and Satanic cult gatherings.

This hilltop park offers magnificent views and a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece.

The remains of the first punk club in L.A.

One man's vast collection of artifacts and ephemera from matchbooks and postcards to vintage neon signs and cars.