Knowledge & learning in Los Angeles

Aquarium of the Pacific

Los Angeles

Burbank City Hall Annex

Los Angeles

The Burbank City Hall Annex is a civic administration building in central Burbank, California, constructed in 1943. Built as a supplement to the main city hall during a period when Burbank was a hub of wartime aviation and defence manufacturing, the structure reflects the functional architecture of the era. It continues to serve municipal government purposes today and offers a modest but authentic glimpse into mid-century civic planning in Southern California.

California African American Museum

Los Angeles

The California African American Museum (CAAM) in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, is one of the most significant museums in the United States dedicated exclusively to the history, art, and culture of African Americans. Founded in 1981, CAAM places particular focus on California and the American West — a perspective often underrepresented in broader narratives. The collection spans paintings, sculptures, photographs, and historical objects ranging from the era of slavery through the civil rights movement to contemporary art. Rotating exhibitions, educational programs, and community events make it a vibrant cultural hub. Admission is free, making it one of the most accessible museums in the city. It sits adjacent to the Natural History Museum and California Science Center within the leafy Exposition Park.

California Science Center

Los Angeles

The California Science Center in Exposition Park is the largest interactive science museum on the US West Coast, captivating visitors of all ages. Its roots go back to 1951, when it opened as the California Museum of Science and Industry; successive renovations and expansions created the sprawling campus of today. The crown jewel is Space Shuttle Endeavour — one of only four surviving orbiters — displayed near-vertical since 2012 inside the purpose-built Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. Permanent galleries on ecosystems, aviation and the human body offer hundreds of interactive stations alongside the shuttle hall. Admission to the core museum is free; IMAX films and special exhibitions carry a separate fee.

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles

Dodger Stadium is one of the most iconic sports venues in the United States, set in the Chávez Ravine valley north of downtown Los Angeles. Home to the Los Angeles Dodgers since its opening in 1962, it is the third-oldest currently active baseball stadium in the country and the largest baseball stadium in the world by seating capacity, holding over 56,000 fans. Privately financed at a cost of $23 million and technically ahead of its time at opening, it has hosted countless World Series games and landmark concerts — from the Beatles to Frank Sinatra. Evening games under the Los Angeles sky, with the illuminated skyline and San Gabriel Mountains visible beyond the outfield, rank among the most memorable sports experiences in North America.

Dolby Theatre

Los Angeles

The Dolby Theatre is an entertainment venue on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles that has served as the permanent home of the Academy Awards since 2002. Opened in 2001, it became the symbolic centre of global cinema almost immediately, hosting the Oscars annually and making its forecourt and staircase some of the most televised steps in the world. With a capacity of around 3,400, the theatre also boasts some of the most advanced stage technology in the United States. Outside Oscar season, it hosts major concerts, theatrical productions, and live TV events. Located inside the Hollywood & Highland complex next to the Walk of Fame, guided tours are available year-round — a genuine experience for film lovers.

El Capitan Theatre

Los Angeles

El Capitan Theatre at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard is one of the finest surviving movie palaces of the silent film era. Opened in 1926 as a stage theater, it was converted to a film house in the 1940s and fell into disrepair for decades. Walt Disney acquired the building and lavishly restored it in the early 1990s to its original Art Deco splendor. Now owned by The Walt Disney Company, it serves as an exclusive premiere venue for Disney Studios productions. The adjacent Hollywood Masonic Temple rounds out the complex. Inside, gilded columns, hand-painted ceilings, and a Wurlitzer organ performance before screenings transport guests back to Hollywood's golden age.

Galen Center

Los Angeles

The Galen Center is the multi-purpose arena of the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles and the home venue of the USC Trojans — the basketball and volleyball teams of one of America's most prestigious private universities. Opened in 2006, the arena holds around 10,000 spectators and sits in the heart of the USC campus, known for its connections to Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Beyond sports events, the Galen Center hosts concerts and graduation ceremonies. Attending a USC basketball game here delivers the quintessential atmosphere of American college sports.

Getty Center

Los Angeles

The Getty Center in Brentwood, western Los Angeles, has been one of the USA's most important cultural destinations since opening in 1997. Perched high above the city, it offers access to the world-renowned J. Paul Getty Museum collection — European paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and photographs — along with spectacular panoramic views of Los Angeles and the Pacific. The sprawling ensemble designed by architect Richard Meier, clad in travertine and white enamel panels, is itself a work of art. The campus also houses the Getty Research Institute and Getty Conservation Institute. Museum admission is free (parking fees apply).

Getty Villa

Los Angeles

Perched in the hills of Pacific Palisades with views toward the Pacific Ocean, the Getty Villa is one of the most extraordinary museum buildings in the world — a meticulous recreation of the ancient Villa dei Papiri, which was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Oil magnate J. Paul Getty commissioned it in the 1950s and 60s to house his growing collection of ancient art: Greek, Roman, and Etruscan works spanning prehistory to late antiquity. Today the Villa holds around 44,000 objects, including significant sculptures, painted vases, bronzes, and jewellery representing more than three thousand years of Mediterranean civilization. The gardens — with fountains, ancient planting patterns, and open peristyle courtyards — are as remarkable as the collections inside. Admission is free, but tickets must be reserved in advance.

Hollywood Sign

Los Angeles

The Hollywood Sign in the Santa Monica Mountains above Los Angeles is one of the most recognised landmarks in the world. The white letters, each around 14 metres tall, stretch 137 metres across the slopes of the Hollywood Hills — together the sign weighs around 220 tonnes of steel. Originally erected in 1923 as an advertising hoarding for a real estate development called "Hollywoodland", it lost its last four letters, fell into disrepair, was renovated, and was finally replaced in 1978 by a new sign sponsored by celebrities and companies. Today the sign is one of the most photographed spots in Southern California. Several trails in Griffith Park lead close to it, including the popular Mount Hollywood Trail. The sign itself is fenced off for safety; the best viewpoints are found below it.

Los Angeles Zoo

Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is located in Griffith Park, one of the largest urban parks in the United States, and opened in 1966 across a 54-hectare site. It is home to around 2,200 animals from approximately 270 species, combining zoological exhibitions with a botanical garden. The zoo is particularly well known for its endangered species breeding programmes – including the California condor, whose extinction in the wild was averted in part through captive breeding here. Owned by the City of Los Angeles, it is one of the most visited zoos on the American West Coast.