ARTHA Yoga & Wellness Sanctuary

Artha is a yoga and meditation sanctuary that also has cryotherapy, flotation tanks and an infrared sauna. Travelers can get a day pass for any class or experience, all for very reasonable prices. There is a newer outpost in Studio City as well.

Recommended by an Indagare community insider

Bike Rentals: Blazing Saddles

Nothing fancy but a central location to rent bikes for riding along the beach. They do have guided tours with headsets in the helmets if you would like a local to give you some history and anecdotes about Santa Monica and Venice as you ride along.

Interior Veiw - Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels  ,  Los Angeles, California

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

Located downtown, within walking distance of the Music Center, Disney Concert Hall and MoCA, this soaring contemporary space designed by Spanish architect José Rafael Moneo, with monumental bronze doors by L.A. sculptor Robert Graham, is the first Roman Catholic cathedral built in the western U.S. in thirty years.

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Classes: Aziam Yoga

There are tons of yoga studio in wellness-obsessed Los Angeles, but a great, centrally located one is Aziam at the Brentwood Country Mart. All the instructors are great but try to get a class with Tom Morley.

Rose garden

Descanso Gardens

A 150-acre botanical garden set in a natural bowl near Pasadena, Descanso Gardens live up to their name (“descanso” means rest in Spanish), and offer walking trails and scenic (often fragrant) corners for simply enjoying the lush landscaping—all about 20 minutes from DTLA, when the traffic is right.

Geffen Playhouse

LA is famously devoid of good theater, but one notable exception is the Geffen Playhouse, which puts on five plays per season (unsurprisingly, casts are usually star-studded). Annette Bening, Rita Wilson and Martin Short have performed here.

Villa  at Getty Villa  , Los Angeles, California

Getty Villa

The Getty Villa, about ten miles away in Malibu—reopened in 2006 after nine years of renovation. Here you’ll see the re-created Roman Villa dei Papiri (buried instantly when Mount Vesuvius erupted), gardens and all; galleries inside hold Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities. Eating outdoors at the delicious café with a villa view is an experience you’ll want to repeat. Indagare members can contact our bookings team for a guided tour with an art curator.

Theatre at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre  , Los Angeles, California

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

The most famous movie theater in the city, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is known for the cement handprints and footprints and as the site of many major studio premieres. In September 2013, it opened as the Chinese IMAX, one of the largest IMAX theaters in the world. The ceiling, wall décor and dramatic curtain remain the same, making this the city’s most remarkable movie experiences.

GreekTheater  at Los Angeles, California

Greek Theatre

Al fresco performances occur regularly at this 5,700-seat outdoor venue. James Taylor, Bob Dylan, and Dolly Parton have all graced the stage at the lively amphitheater.

Exterior View  - Hammer Museum , Angeles, California - Courtesy Elon Schoenholz

Hammer Museum

Founded in 1990 by Dr. Armand Hammer and acquired by UCLA in 1994, the Hammer Museum boasts an art collection that includes pieces from contemporary Los Angeles-based artists, Renaissance drawings and an extraordinary compendium by French satirist Honoré Daumier. The Hammer also hosts numerous lectures, film series, readings and musical events.

Lake at Hiking: Palos Verdes Peninsula  , Los Angeles, California

Hiking: Palos Verdes Peninsula

About 40 minutes from downtown L.A. is the Palos Verdes Peninsula, with coastal botanic gardens and miles of hiking trails, including some ideal for families, bird watchers and wildflower aficionados. For active travelers who want to combine sightseeing with a work out, we can arrange for a guide to take you on a guided hike.

Park at Hiking: Topanga State Park   Los Angeles, California

Hiking: Topanga State Park

Make time for this state park in the Santa Monica Mountains with 36 miles of trails that offer views of the Pacific Ocean. The park is the world’s largest wildland within the confines of a major city and features numerous natural wonders like earthquake faults and volcanic intrusions. For active travelers who want to combine sightseeing with a work out, we can arrange for a guide to take you on a guided hike.

Park at Hiking: Will Rogers State Historic Park , Los Angeles, California

Hiking: Will Rogers State Historic Park

Purchased by Will Rogers in the 1920’s, this 186-acre property passed to the State of California when Rogers and his wife died. The state park still features his 31-room ranch house, and offers horseback-riding lessons and hiking trails for visitors to explore.

Beach at Hit the Beach in Malibu  , Los Angeles, California

Hit the Beach in Malibu

The beaches of Venice and Santa Monica are nice for biking or walking, but pockets can still be a bit seedy, so if you’re craving actual, towel-on-the-sand beach time, head to Malibu. Surfrider Beach (23050 Pacific Coast Highway) has built-in entertainment (surfers). Zuma Beach (30050 Pacific Coast Highway) became famous on “Baywatch”. Topanga State Beach (18700 East Pacific Coast Highway) is harder to get to, so it’s not as crowded, a fact that locals appreciate.

Exterior Veiw -  Hollywood Bowl  ,Los Angeles, California

Hollywood Bowl

Much larger than the Greek Theater, the Hollywood Bowl opened in 1922 and seats nearly 18,000. Concerts run regularly, and the view of the Hollywood Hills and the Hollywood sign in the background is a special treat. The live album “The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl” was recorded here, and the amphitheater is also featured in the Academy Award-winning film A Star Is Born.

Exterior View-Huntington ,Los Angeles, California

Huntington

Wear your walking shoes. The Italianate mansion and gardens of railroad magnate Henry Huntington are set on 120 acres in exquisite San Marino, just south of Pasadena. Henry and his wife, Arabella (formerly his aunt), were big collectors—of rare books (including the double-elephant folio edition of Audubon’s Birds of America), paintings and plants. Husband and wife are buried on the property in a mausoleum designed by John Russell Pope, who later designed the Jefferson Memorial, in Washington, D.C. The show-stopping grounds include a Japanese and Chinese garden and a collection of 1,400 varieties of camellias.

Exterior Veiw - Indagare Tours: Personalized Hikes  ,  Los Angeles, California

Indagare Tours: Personalized Hikes

For active travelers who want to combine sightseeing with a work out, we can arrange for a guide to take you on a four-hour guided hike through some of the city’s iconic destinations such as the Hollywood Hills, Griffith Park, the Santa Monica Stairs and Temescal Canyon with great Pacific Ocean views.

Crocodile at Indagare Tours: See the Studios  ,  Los Angeles, California , Courtesy Universal Studios

Indagare Tours: See the Studios

Though there are a half dozen studios in Los Angeles which offer some kind of tour, only Universal Studios and Warner Bros. still have major back lots (outdoor sets) so theirs are the best in the city. Universal and Warner Bros. offer VIP tours, which are expensive but these include guided touring on the back lot in a small group and more behind-the-scenes access. Indagare members can contact our Bookings Team for help with arranging a tour.

Exterior Veiw - Indagare Tours: Universal Studios  , Los Angeles, California

Indagare Tours: Universal Studios

Los Angeles owes much of its glory to its movie making culture, and there’s no better or more entertaining way to get a sense of it than visiting Universal Studios, which contains an amusement park and a working studio where movies and TV shows are produced. The best way to visit is to sign up in advance for the VIP experience, which takes you behind-the-scenes at the studio and allows you to cut the lines at the amusement park. The VIP experience lasts six hours and includes time on the back lot, viewing some of the sound stages and the costume department, a history of the studio, glimpses of real Oscar statuettes and much more. Indagare members can contact our Bookings Team to arrange a tour.

Interior Veiw  Indoor Skydiving  , Los Angeles, California

Indoor Skydiving

For those who want the thrill of skydiving without the real danger, there is an indoor simulated experience at Universal Studios City Walk. Just like an actual dive, you go through a briefing and are fitted in skydiving gear before entering a wind tunnel that simulates the experience of an airplane dive. Packages begin at $60 a flyer and include the training session, flight gear, the equivalent time of three-tandem skydives and instructor assistance. Other packages include DVDs of the flight and longer diving time. Advance reservations recommended.

Exterior Veiw -  J. Paul Getty Center  , Los Angeles, California

J. Paul Getty Center

The Westside’s very own architectural landmark is the Richard Meier–designed, travertine-clad Getty Center campus, atop a 110-acre hillside in Brentwood. It’s the home of the J. Paul Getty Trust, which administers the Getty Research and Conservation Institutes, the Getty Foundation, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Here you’ll see European paintings (including van Gogh’s Irises); selections from a vast photography collection, from Stieglitz and Man Ray to Hockney and Warhol; and inspired period rooms for decorative arts. Not into art? Then just gawk at the marvelous architecture, gardens and view. Dine at the upscale restaurant (by reservation) or the uninspired café. Indagare members can contact our bookings team for a guided tour with an art curator.

Editors' Picks
Museum art at LA County Museum of Art  , Los Angeles, California

LA County Museum of Art

LACMA’s extensive collection ranges from its noted Islamic, Japanese and Korean holdings to European masterworks by Rembrandt, La Tour and Chardin to such contemporary canvases as David Hockney’s Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio. The multi-building complex underwent a serious reinvention by architect Renzo Piano, with a solar, grand entrance pavilion and a new building, the Broad Contemporary Art Museum. Indagare members can contact our bookings team for a guided tour with an art curator.

 Art at Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA)  Los Angeles, California

Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA)

In the 1980s, as this striking building, designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, was going up downtown, Frank Gehry was creating a temporary exhibition space in a warehouse and a police-car garage in nearby Little Tokyo. The “Temporary Contemporary” still exists, as the Geffen Contemporary at MoCA, and it’s long since become a vibrant, integral part of the museum. A third, smaller venue, MoCA Pacific Design Center, in West Hollywood, opened in 2001. Indagare members can contact our bookings team for a guided tour with an art curator.

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Norton Simon Museum

This often-overlooked gem in Pasadena houses Asian, European and American art, including tons of Degas paintings and sculptures. Frank Gehry renovated the interiors from 1996 to 1999, adding the stunning Southeast Asian and Indian galleries of red sandstone. The sculpture garden, designed by L.A. landscaping star Nancy Goslee Power, is a must. Closed Tuesday. Indagare members can contact our bookings team for a guided tour with an art curator.

Editors' Picks
Automative museum  , Petersen Automotive Museum  ,  Los Angeles, California

Petersen Automotive Museum

Car buffs and anyone who loves history should make a visit to this temple to the automobile. With more than 150 classic cars and exhibitions that highlight such topics as famous cars from Hollywood movies, there are vehicles for everyone to admire. Among the highlights: race cars, vintage motorcycles, concept cars and displays on the history of the car in American life as well as on technology and design. On the third floor, an interactive gallery outlines the fundamental science behind how cars run.

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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library holds millions of documents, films papers and photographs from Reagan's administration.
Extrior View-Stahl House ,Los Angeles, California-Courtesy M.B. Trama

Stahl House

It was Julius Shulman’s 1960 photograph of this cantilevered mid-century modern home in the Hollywood Hills, with two ladies perched in a corner of the living room, that made it, arguably, the most famous of the Case Study homes. Pierre Koenig designed the glass-and-steel, indoor-outdoor space for the Stahl family, on a plot which Carlotta and Buck Stahl originally purchased for a mere $13,500 in 1954. Today, visitors and architecture buffs can take semi-private and private tours of the home, taking note of its utilitarian elements and mid-century furnishings (in partnership with Design Within Reach). The dramatic view, with the twinkling lights of tinseltown below, is reason enough to go.

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