219 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Los Angeles - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Underground Tunnels of Los Angeles

During prohibition, corrupt city officials ran drinking dens under the streets of Downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles, California

The Museum of Death

World's largest collection of serial killer artwork and other macabre exhibits.

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

The Last Bookstore

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

Los Angeles, California

Sunken City

A jumble of foundations, streets, and streetcar tracks inhabit the cliff where a landslide occurred in 1929.

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

Bradbury Building

The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.

Los Angeles, California

Old Zoo Picnic Area

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

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Upcoming Experiences Near Los Angeles

Go With the Glow - Heal The Bay Aquarium

Santa Monica, California

Sexual Fluidity Beneath the Sea

Santa Monica, California

Unique Food & Drink in Los Angeles

The Zombie

Donn Beach only wrote the recipe for his famously potent cocktail in secret code.

Szechuan Button

This herb gives cocktails another kind of buzz.

Hangtown Fry

This bacon-and-oyster omelet was a status symbol during the California Gold Rush.

Steam Beer

The unique style born out of the California Gold Rush blends the crispness of a lager with the flavor of an ale.

Atlas Obscura Trips

Escape: Art of Joshua Tree and the Mojave

Join us as we venture deep into the High Desert, glimpsing massive sculptures, fluorescent painted mountains, and revitalizing domes along the way.

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Stories About Los Angeles

Eupelmid wasp from the genus <em>Metapelma</em>.

L.A.'s Insects Are Hairy, Iridescent, and Crazy Photogenic

The creatures are ready for their close-ups—in the name of getting a better handle on biodiversity in the bustling city.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

How a Photographer Recreated Outdoor Adventures With Household Stuff

Think of it as the Great Indoors.

"The package may be small, but you will know it does not need to hold the love I send, for that cannot be confined," Hildreth Heiney wrote to her fiancé in 1918. The man in the photograph, identified as John, may be her brother.

A Trove of Sad, Funny, and Familiar Stories From the 1918 Flu Pandemic

A UCLA librarian has built a remarkable collection of century-old letters, diaries, and photographs.

by Jessica Klein

Hear the Soundscapes of Cities Transformed

"It is, in a word, quiet."

by Matt Mikkelsen

A food truck fit for a prince.

The Exiled Prince Behind Los Angeles's Only Fresh-Pasta Food Truck

Bend the macaro-knee.

February 27, 2020

SHAN Wallace, <em>The Makeover of Progress</em>, 2019. The Annenberg Space for Photography commissioned the photographer to document the wall along Detroit's 8 Mile Road, which segregated the city's working-class homeowners.

Photographers Take on the World's Walls, Borders, and Barriers

An exhibit documents the obstacles we erect, and how we overcome them.

November 26, 2019

The Fitzroy Mausoleum at night, ready to scare visitors.

How Two Friends Rebuilt a Huge Haunted House in Just Two Weeks

Shortly before opening night, vicious winds ripped the roof off of their homemade haunt.

by Shannon Brown

October 29, 2019

The Raitt Street mural around four years ago, faded and in disrepair.

California's Mexican-American History Is Disappearing Beneath White Paint

It’s surprisingly hard to protect beloved public art.

by Sabrina Imbler

August 28, 2019

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