Top 5 Fun-filled Things To Do In Los Angeles

April 29, 2025

Los Angeles. The City of Angels. Where palm trees gently sway, stars sip on designer lattes, and sunsets appear to have been photoshopped by Instagram well before the app has a chance to load. Los Angeles is so much more than Hollywood glamour or traffic that threatens to engulf human tolerance. If you're a tourist—or even a resident and just need to mix things up on the weekends—these five adrenaline-packed things to do in Los Angeles will make you fall in love with the city all over again. So keep reading -

1. Hike to the Griffith Observatory (and Imagine You're in "La La Land")

Let's start with something active-but not overly active. While talking about things to do in Los Angeles, The Griffith Observatory hike is LA's initiation. It's quaint, doable, and rewarded with a grand view at the summit: a panoramic cityscape, the Pacific Ocean (if it's not cloudy), and, naturally, that iconic Hollywood Sign. If you’ve seen La La Land, you’ll recognize the observatory as the dreamy location where Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone danced among the stars. No dancing skills required here, though—just bring water, your camera, and maybe a buddy to snap some pics for the ’Gram. Pro tip: Go at sunset. It's less hot, the sky becomes cotton-candy pink, and seeing the city lights come on from above is a little bit magical. You will thank us later!

2. Eat Your Way Through Grand Central Market

If you consider "fun" to be dining (you should), Grand Central Market is not to be missed. It's in downtown LA, a sampling of all of LA's diversity in food within one building. From carnitas tacos at Tacos Tumbras a Tomas to a breakfast sandwich sent from heaven from Eggslut (yes, indeed, and yes, worth every penny) to gourmet pasta, ramen, oysters—anything.

3. Catch a Flick at an Old-School Theater

Yes, LA has Netflix offices and a million streaming options, but there's no substitute for sitting in the theater and watching a movie where the building itself looks like something out of the golden age of cinema. Check out the TCL Chinese Theatre (with all those celebrity handprints out front), or better yet, go a bit off the beaten path and hit the El Capitan Theatre, especially if you’re a Disney fan—it’s owned by them, and they go all out.

4. Walk Through Venice Beach (and Get into the Weirder Things)

Next in the list of things to do in Los Angeles is Venice Beach. If you're looking for LA's more offbeat side, Venice Beach is the place to go. There you'll find a completely bonkers combination of street performers, bodybuilders, artists, surfers, and some seriously next-level people-watching. The Venice Boardwalk is a procession of the strange and the strange. One minute you're observing a guy juggling machetes while he's riding a unicycle, the next minute you're purchasing handmade jewelry from a local street vendor, and the next thing you know you're in the middle of a long argument with a guy who's attempting to persuade you that aliens reside beneath Santa Monica Pier. It's a wonderful mayhem. You can ride a bike or rollerblades and roll on over to Santa Monica, or go a bit more Zen and take a few blocks inland to Abbot Kinney Boulevard for high-end boutiques, sick coffee, and some seriously Instagram-able murals.

5. Live Your Retro Dreams at the Santa Monica Pier

Whatever cynical you think you're becoming, there's something about the Santa Monica Pier that strikes you. The bright lights, the children screaming on the rollercoaster, the scents of salt and cotton candy—sitting there, you're experiencing the quintessential postcard moment. Talking about things to do in Los Angeles, There is an old-fashioned amusement park on the pier (Pacific Park) with a night-lit Ferris wheel that has breathtaking ocean views. There are street performers, arcade games, funnel cakes, and even an underwater mini-aquarium if sea creatures appeal to you.

Bonus: Don't Forget the Random Magic

LA is a cultural tapestry, a rainbow of colors, a symphony of sounds, and a culinary cornucopia. There are lots of things to do in Los Angeles. It's never boring, always a bit unexpected, and just full of little surprises waiting to be found—if you're willing to look for them. As per recent data, Los Angeles County saw a surge in tourism in February 2025, as seen by gains in revenue, room nights, and occupancy rate over the same month the year before. In particular, the occupancy rate increased 6.0% from February 2024 to 73.2%. A 5.4% increase in hotel demand resulted in a 5.6% increase in revenue, reaching $457.8 million.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're trekking into a sunset, eating spicy noodles in downtown LA, seeing a black-and-white film in a cemetery (weird flex, but okay), or dancing with a street performer on Venice Beach, Los Angeles does not disappoint. This area is a bit scary, okay? But give it a chance, and LA will do its thing to show you why it has been the subject of so many songs, films, and fantasies. Just bring sunscreen, an open mind, and perhaps an extra phone charger to explore the various things to do in Los Angeles. So wait no more; call us to book a trip today. Just a suggestion: while you are in Los Angeles, you can also visit the “Windy City,” Chicago, for a memorable experience. Do Read - Top 5 Things to do in Chicago – A Guide