By J.C. Thomas San Diego County is known all around the world for its major tourist attractions, near-perfect weather and natural beauty. It’s hard to believe that any hidden gems remain among the region’s immensely inviting cities, beaches and mountains.…
Drink glasses set on a balcony with a lake backdrop at Lakehouse Resort in San Marcos near San Diego
(Photo by California News Press)
Santa Monica is the No. 1 place to go for anyone with a rosy, rom-com-like vision of a Los Angeles vacation. It’s a sunny, lively, visitor-friendly beach city that feels familiar even if it’s your first visit. Santa Monica is…
Santa Monica Pier with a Ferris wheel and backdrop of the beach and city
Exposition Park, a 152-acre urban park in a South Los Angeles neighborhood also named Exposition Park, is one of the top visitor destinations in all of Southern California. The park’s most famous landmark is the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a…
Fireworks over the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with the playing field covered in an American flag and stands full for a Los Angeles Rams game
Celebrations at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during an LA Rams game in 2019 (Photo by California News Press)
The Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles scores a spot on many visitors’ itineraries thanks to its biggest draw – Museum Row. The strip of top-notch museums along Wilshire Boulevard includes the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, the Petersen…
A view down the Miracle Mile stretch of Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles with the Petersen and Academy museums under a rainbow
Griffith Park is one of the greatest assets of Los Angeles – for locals and visitors alike. Massive and rugged, the municipal park’s 4,310 acres cover the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. Major attractions in Griffith Park, which…
An aerial view over Griffith Observatory at sunset with the mountains of Griffith Park and Los Angeles as a backdrop
An ultimate guide to all the best things to see and do in Hollywood, California Hollywood is the most famous neighborhood in Los Angeles and one of the top tourist destinations in the world. The name alone evokes visions of…
View over Los Angeles from behind the Hollywood Sign at sunset
A first-timer’s ultimate guide to all the best things to see and do in downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) Downtown Los Angeles, or DTLA, is not like other downtowns. This isn’t a judgment call on its appeal – there is a…
Downtown Los Angeles in the evening with cars in the foreground and the Walt Disney Concert Hall and skyscrapers in the background
Here’s an easy way to feel like you’ve cleansed your soul, just a little bit – take a stroll around your local botanical gardens.  There are around 100 botanical gardens in California that are open to the public, according to…
A clearing and dry creek bed under a shady oak tree at Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens in California
Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens
In late 2024, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to complete construction of its brand-new David Geffen Galleries. The building will house the museum’s permanent collection of 150,000 objects and reestablish its status as the largest…
A closeup view of Chris Burden's Urban Light art installation outside LACMA
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum has a mission to preserve and celebrate over 13,000 years of human interaction with the ocean. It’s quite the scope, narrowed by a focus on the local coastal region, the Santa Barbara Channel and the…
Dwight Brooks ship models and more displays inside the main exhibit hall of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
Every holiday season, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley presents a special exhibit of Christmas trees decorated to fit the year’s theme. In 2022, the theme is An American Christmas Story. The 5,000-square-foot exhibit features more than 60…
A closeup of ornaments on the California Christmas tree at the Reagan Library's An American Christmas Story exhibit in 2022
There are many popular museums in Los Angeles, but the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County stands out among them with its comprehensive and broadly appealing exhibits housed in a historic building in Exposition Park. The museum boasts almost…
The exterior of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum with banners