206 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 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 Museum of Death

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

Los Angeles, California

The Last Bookstore

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

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

Sunken City

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

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.

See All 206 Things to Do in Los Angeles See All 206 Places

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.

Upcoming Experiences
Near Los Angeles

Atlas Obscura Trivia for the World’s Most Adventurous Explorers

Los Angeles, California

Lost and Long-Gone Graveyards of L.A.

Los Angeles, California

Clifton’s Curiosities and Cocktail Crawl

Los Angeles, California

Red Thread

Los Angeles, California

Celebrated sleight of hand artist Siegfried Tieber takes us on an evening of magic and mystery in an unexpected location.

It Doesn't Want to Sound Good

Hollywood Miniature Magic

Los Angeles, California

A Walking Tour of Hollywood Jazz History

The Abandoned Zoo Ruins of Griffith Park

Holllywood, Los Angeles, California

Cooking with Critters

Guided Bug & Wine Pairing

Exploring Historic Homes of the Stars

Santa Monica, California

The Largest Public Telescope in the World

Los Angeles, California

$225 per person

Gaze beyond our galactic borders with a groundbreaking telescope used by astronomy legends like Edwin Hubble.

Flirting with Love

City of Industry

Bunk Up On the Battleship Iowa

$175 per person

Atlas Obscura Trips

Dark Skies, Desert Beasts: Night Photography in Borrego Springs, California

Journey deep into the desert of Southern California to explore and photograph the Dark Sky Sculptural Oasis of Borrego Springs.

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Explore Los Angeles, California

Launch Map

Upcoming Experiences
Near Los Angeles

Atlas Obscura Trivia for the World’s Most Adventurous Explorers

Los Angeles, California

Lost and Long-Gone Graveyards of L.A.

Los Angeles, California

Clifton’s Curiosities and Cocktail Crawl

Los Angeles, California

Red Thread

Los Angeles, California

Celebrated sleight of hand artist Siegfried Tieber takes us on an evening of magic and mystery in an unexpected location.

It Doesn't Want to Sound Good

Hollywood Miniature Magic

Los Angeles, California

A Walking Tour of Hollywood Jazz History

The Abandoned Zoo Ruins of Griffith Park

Holllywood, Los Angeles, California

Cooking with Critters

Guided Bug & Wine Pairing

Exploring Historic Homes of the Stars

Santa Monica, California

The Largest Public Telescope in the World

Los Angeles, California

$225 per person

Gaze beyond our galactic borders with a groundbreaking telescope used by astronomy legends like Edwin Hubble.

Flirting with Love

City of Industry

Bunk Up On the Battleship Iowa

$175 per person

Los Angeles Leaderboard

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Recent Los Angeles Activity

scatekat1 has been to LAX Theme Building

alexpa22 wants to go to Brown Derby

scatekat1 wants to go to The Tonga Hut

scatekat1 wants to go to The Masque

scatekat1 wants to go to Space Shuttle Endeavour

Stories
About Los Angeles

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

The remains of the tree.

The Life of a Historic Los Angeles Tree Comes to an End

For 144 years, it lived at El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the site where the city was founded in the 18th century.

by Jonathan Carey

Early 20th-century postcard of the "Sunset Express" train passing through Yuma, Arizona.

How the 'Sunset Route' Railroad Helped Diversify California

The connection between New Orleans to Los Angeles can still be felt today.

by Evan Nicole Brown

February 14, 2019

In 1943, the Brown Derby restaurant on Vine Street, in Hollywood, was a place to dine and dish gossip.

Mourners Once Held a Sidewalk Funeral for a Restaurant Named for a Hat

On Valentine’s Day 1994, protestors in Hollywood turned out to eulogize the Brown Derby.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

February 11, 2019

The Love Story Behind L.A.'s Bunny Museum

Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski’s collection has grown to over 30,000 rabbit-related items.

by Lizzie Philip

February 4, 2019

A woman looks through a tower viewer at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

Atlas Obscura and The New York Times Journeys Launch Science Weekends

Our new collaboration offers unique three-day experiences, starting in Los Angeles and London in 2019.

January 8, 2019

A Visit to One of America's Longest-Running Puppetry Theaters

The Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been serving up laughs and ice cream since 1963.

by Lizzie Philip

January 3, 2019

Making sounds from cabbage has been a go-to radio and film trick for decades.

Why Foley Artists Use Cabbage and Celery to Create Hollywood’s Distinctive Sounds

Adding sound flourishes to films in post-production remains low-tech.

January 2, 2019

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