The Most Unexpected and Unique Things To Do In Los Angeles

It’s not just about the sun and sand when you visit Santa Monica, this beachside city also has several scenic hiking trails dotted with hidden landmarks galore.

In Will Rogers and Topanga state parks, there’s the popular Los Leones, Inspiration Point and Temescal Canyon Loop trails for amazing panoramic vistas overlooking LA and the Pacific Ocean

Los Angeles is well-known for its many multicultural influences and Angelenos love the authentic atSiam Night Market in Hollywood off Hollywood Boulevard with more than 27 open-air stands dishing up fresh savoury flavours, sweet treats and Insta-worthy drinks from Friday through to Sunday.

The SoFi Stadium Tour is touted as one of LA’s must-dos by locals. The one-hour guided experience goes behind the scenes of the new-ish, 70,000-seat NFL venue in South Los Angeles where you can run down the same tunnel as the LA Rams and Chargers, see the players’ locker rooms and imagine what it would feel like to score a touchdown.

Plus, as a bonus, the stadium food offerings are themed around LA neighbourhoods and eat streets, such as the Mexican influences of Olvera Street and Sawtelle Boulevard's Japanese-inspired dishes.

Located right in the heart of Tinseltown and the last remaining original major movie studio still in Hollywood, the two-hour Paramount Studio Tour is considered the ultimate cinephile experience among those in the know.

Explore 100-plus years of Hollywood history at this famous attraction with access to the new Tour Center, Prop Warehouse and famous backlots while walking among TV and film talent and crew.

If you’re keen to see the final resting place of famous Hollywood legends, the serene and massive Forest Lawn Memorial-Park cemetery and museum in Glendale is home to more stars than anywhere else in Los Angeles.

Here, you’ll find the bronze plaques for the likes of Walt Disney, Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Clark Gable.

It’s cute and kitschy – and you should definitely do it. Pack a picnic and reserve a pedal-powered, swan-shaped boat to cruise around the refreshed Echo Park Lake in Eastside LA, soaking up the glorious sunshine and glimpses of Downtown Los Angeles.

If thrifting and Americana are your jam, be sure to plan your LA holiday around the Rose Bowl Flea Market, held every second Sunday at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, northeast of Downtown LA.

There’s an entry fee but with more than 2,500 vintage vendors on site, you’ll find yourself in preloved bargain heaven.

This offbeat attraction in South Los Angeles is a monument to one man’s 33-year artistic vision and a bona fide LA icon. Watts Towers features 17 spires inlaid with intricate mosaic details made from collected ephemera such as bottle tops, broken ceramics and shells. While you can’t go inside, guided tours will give you the lowdown on its historic and cultural significance.

The soon-to-open Destination Crenshaw open-air culture and contemporary art museum will stretch 2km along Crenshaw Boulevard in South Los Angeles, featuring 100 public works by Black artists along with landscaped pocket parks and community spaces to revitalise the commercial corridor.

While LA has plenty of landmark live music venues, seeing the LA Philharmonic play at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, one of the world’s most acoustically sophisticated spaces, is a bucket-list moment, according to locals. Oh, and the Frank Gehry-designed building is an architectural wonder in its own right, too.

One of LA’s quirkier attractions is the Angels Flight funicular railway, built in 1901 to transport Angelenos up and down the steep Bunker Hill in Downtown LA. For just USD$1 each way, take the short trip in the Beaux Arts-era carriage between Hill Street and Grand Avenue.

Head to one of LA's famous hillside staircases for the perfectly posed shot and a top-down view. Our picks are the multi-hued Micheltorena Steps and Murray Stairs’ black-and-white piano keys across from each other off Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake.

The Queen Mary is Long Beach’s best-known attraction – a historic moored ocean liner and hotel where you can stay in one of 347 original Art Deco-style first-class cabin suites and staterooms with all the mod cons. Famous as Snoop Dogg's 'hood, Long Beach is around 30 minutes’ drive south from LAX.

If you travel for the food, a self-guided taco tour of the Los Angeles area will fill your cup. Eat your way around Mexican regional influences from Olvera Street in Downtown LA to Baja fish and shrimp in West Hollywood and onwards to Tijuana-style tacos in Beverly Hills.

Rather than chase down taco trucks, Discover Los Angeles has collated its fave foodie finds into a handy Taco Trek map that features 25 different types to try.