10 Eye-Catching and Underrated Things Worth Seeing in Los Angeles

Also known as the City of Golden Angels, Los Angeles is one of the largest cities in the United States. The place is filled with tourist attractions. However, the most famous landmark would be the large Hollywood sign.

Apart from visiting this sign, people love coming to LA because of the beaches and warm climate. If you plan a trip to Los Angeles, there are a lot of places where you can go – colossal shopping malls, fun theme parks, beautiful beaches, and great museums. Visitors will also see a thriving culinary scene here and several fun family attractions.

Places to Visit in LA

So, what are the best places to visit in Los Angeles? Here are some of the most underrated places to visit in LA that are worth your time. We’ve compiled a full list for you to get started.

Warner Bros Studio

Do not let the name fool you into thinking that Warner Bros Studios attract a lot of tourists. If compared to Disneyland and the infamous 2-hour long wait at Universal Studios, Warner Bros Studio is essentially a ghost town. But, if you want to enjoy it in peace, then this is it!

There are no death-defying roller coasters here. At Warner Bros Studios, you will find the authentic sets of movies and TV shows that we all are grown up with. You will see costumes and sets from shows like Friends and The Big Bang Theory. It is also an exhibition for people who are die-hard fans of superheroes. It is one of the best places to visit in the USA.

The Grove

While The Grove and the nearby market is a hotspot of the local populace, it is buried under the spotlight of Santa Monica, Universal Studios, Hollywood, and the like. However, The Grove is one of those places to visit in Los Angeles that offers some of the best shopping, entertainment, and dining opportunities across the city.

Because of its popularity, it has become a hot spot for celebrity sightings. The shopping area is made according to the pedestrian focus, which is a breath of fresh air from the rest of the traffic-congested Los Angeles. The only vehicle that you will need to move is the cute streetcar that offers a ride to guests who are traveling from one side of the shopping strip to another.

Griffith Park

If you want to do nothing but stretch your legs after a long flight and avoid crowds along Hollywood Boulevard on Venice Beach, then you can head over to the Griffith Park without any worries.

The area is full of relatively easy hiking trails. The Park will offer you unmatched views of the Los Angeles basin from the highest peak. Once you reach the top, you will find the world-famous Griffith Observatory; here, you have the chance to look through the telescopes towards the stars or grab a quality sneak-peak at the Hollywood Sign.

La Brea Tar Pits

Aside from all the crowds and hustling in Los Angeles, there are quite some untouched pieces of preserved nature that deserve your attention. One of them is the La Brea Tar Pits, where you will find the only modern Ice-Age fossil in a world that is being studied today. It is one of the best places to visit in the area.

You will also see a lot of preserved plants, insects, and animals that were trapped in the sticky asphalt when it was poured all over them. You can check out the scientific exhibitions, 3D-theatres, and the fossil lab here.

Getty Center

Fitted with incredible gardens and splendid agriculture, you will find a lot of interesting things at the Getty Center. While it cannot be compared to the Louvre in Paris or the MOMA or MET in New York, the Getty Center is all about offering a wide array of photographs, sculptures, paintings, and much more! It is one of the best places to visit in southern California.

The property is located on top of the hills and offers visually-stunning views of the LA basin. It also houses some great museums that are themed differently from each other. In short, you will see things that cover a vast range of interests. Visiting Getty Center during the right season means that you will see the flowers in the garden in full bloom too!

The Museum of Jurassic Technology

While this museum has nothing to do with actual dinosaurs, you will see a lot of other unusual sights here. They include exceedingly small sculptures and a bat that can fly through walls. This institute was made to combine both fact and fiction and has managed to do it most amazingly.

The place is full of strange sights. Things that you think about generally like the Noah’s Ark are also exhibited here; however, this Noah’s Ark is fitted with butterfly wings. All these are kind of odd and intriguing at the same time. This is one of the most popular tourist spots in LA.

The Nethercutt Collection

The Nethercutt Collection is one of the top places to visit in LA, especially if you are a car enthusiast. You will see a wide range of car collections ranging from classics, antiques, and even vintage models. You can even plunge into history as well as the name of the previous owners beside it.

The Nethercutt Collection is a one-of-a-kind automobile museum. The atmosphere here is very colorful. If you are lucky, you will even be able to watch the demonstration where the usage of specific tools is shown and how the cars are being restored.

Hollywood Boulevard

A suburb of Los Angeles, Hollywood is a destination in itself, with its own iconic sites and unique history. This is one of the most popular tourist places in LA, full of souvenir shops. The star-studded Walk of Fame attracts tourist groups from all over the world. It is one of the most beautiful places to visit in LA. 

The attractions here are closely-associated with the glamour of the silver screen and the film industry. You can quickly head out for a sightseeing session in the nearby Chinese Theatre, the Walk of Fame, the central Hollywood Boulevard, and the hillside of the Hollywood sign.

Petersen Automotive Museum

Yet another hotspot for car enthusiasts, the Petersen Automotive Museum is something that you should not miss. The place spreads over four floors of temporary and permanent exhibits that feature more than 300 varieties of motorcycles and cars, right from the perfectly preserved ones from the 1850s to the concepts of the 21st-century supercars.

The museum has been through some significant renovations and is easily one of the most modern and eye-catching architectural masterpieces, making it one of the cool places to visit. If you pay out something extra, you can sign up for a 90- to 120-minute guided Vault tour, which will show you more unique cars.

The Original Farmers Market

As the name suggests, this was the first Farmers Market that opened up in 1934 as a modest help for the hardships caused by the Great Depression. When the economic disaster was at its height, 18 farmers came together and set up stalls to sell their products directly to the consumer.

The experiment turned out to be so successful that the area started to expand and indeed became the first vegetable and fruit market. Over the next few years, a lot more types of vendors were accommodated. Today, you will see a lot of specialty shops and restaurants, apart from the regular vegetable and food stalls. The market also hosts a variety of entertainment events every week.

Conclusion

If you wish to make the most of your time, you must start planning your trip out. Apart from the above, many such underrated places in LA deserve your attention. So, pack your bags, stay clear of the police scanners, and visit them all!

What do you think of these places to visit? Let us know in the comments!

Kevin Nelson (Author)

Passionate reader, avid traveler, and professional writer. Kevin studied in northern California before going on a 3-year spree of traveling the world on a budget. He runs an online blog and wants to study psychology in the nearest future.