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One thing you might have noticed about my list of animation-related places in Los Angeles, there are no huge tourist attractions on the list. Here's a short list of The Places Everyone Goes To around LA.
Disneyland
Let's get this place out of the way before anything else. Disneyland is a mecca for Disney freaks, for kids, and for Tourists from Middle America. For everyone else, it's sort of overrated. Disneyland has this none-too-subtle vibe of "we're watching you...don't pull any funny stuff, buster..." that gives me paranoid chills and flashbacks of being back at school and being watched by the hall and playground monitors. There are some decent rides, best being The Matterhorn, Space Mountain, (although if you are in any way susceptible to motion sickness this might not be for you) The Pirates Of The Caribbean, (that ride's showing its age, though...) Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Big Thunder Railroad. And of course there are other theme rides, too, as well as stage shows, parades (usually tied in with the latest Disney Feature Animation release) and their nightly fireworks display. It's expensive, your children (if you have them) will probably not rest until you've gone there, and will probably wind up being a disappointment to you. But you have to go either there or Walt Disney World at least once in your life. It's a requirement.
Location: Ball Road at Santa Ana Freeway, Anaheim. Admission: Adults $34, Seniors $30, Children 3-11 $26. Hours: Seasonal...call (213) 626-8705 x 4565 or (714) 781-4565 or surf to http://www.disneyland.com/ for further information.
Universal Studios Hollywood/CityWalk
As I mentioned when we dropped by The WB Lot, the Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour is $5 cheaper and much more of an authentic look at how movies are made. But if you don't expect authenticity and are just there to have a Theme Park Experience, you could do worse than Universal Studios. (you could go to Knotts and hob-nob with the Knott-zis, for instance!) I haven't been there in 20 years, and there are so many attractions there that I haven't even experienced. But by all reports it's pretty mindblowing.
CityWalk is open not only to Universal Studios Hollywood patrons, but also to the general public. It's sort of like a sanitized-for-your-protection version of the Venice Boardwalk, complete with street performers. There's a branch of the world-girdling Hard Rock Cafe here, and other theme restaurants like BBKing's Blues Club, Country Star, and Wizardz, a magic-themed restaurant. There's much to do here, and best of all they don't charge admission to just roam around.
Location: Hollywood Freeway at Lankershim Boulevard. Admission to Universal Studios: Adults $34, Seniors $29, Children 3-11 $26. Hours: Seasonal...call (818) 508-9600, or surf to http://www.mca.com/unicity/ for further information.
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Disneyland is for Disney Fans and Kids, Universal Studios is for almost everyone else, but for Serious Thrill Ride Aficionados, nothing else will do but Magic Mountain. This is the place for the daredevil in all of us. The first modern looping rollercoaster, The Great American Revolution, premiered here 20 years ago, and Magic Mountain's been raising the thrill-ride ante ever since. Colossus, Ninja, Psyclone, Batman The Ride, Viper...all of these are world-class rollercoasters worth every second of the ride. There are tons more thrills here, including the newest, Superman: The Escape.
And oh yeah...there's a very large branch of the Warner Bros. Studio Stores here, and underpaid, sweaty teens in Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Taz and other WB character costumes roam the park for photo opportunities. The only drawback: this place gets hellishly hot in Summer. Wear light clothing and drink plenty of water.
Location: Magic Mountain Parkway, off the Golden State Freeway, Valencia. Admission: Adults $32, Seniors $19, Children under 4 feet $15. Hours: Seasonal. Call (818) 367-5965 or (805) 255-4111 or surf to http://www.sixflags.com/losangeles/index.htm for more information.Return to Table Of Contents?
Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park:
The Santa Monica Pier has been battered and bruised in its century-long history, but unlike old landmarks like Pacific Ocean Park's steel pier and most of the canals of Venice it's still standing. The venerable pier is now home to Pacific Park, the first seaside amusement park in the greater Los Angeles area since the Long Beach Pike closed in the late '70s. Pacific Park is not as massive as the old P.O.P., but the designers say that they have recaptured the spirit of the place, albeit on a smaller scale. The neighborhood also includes the Third Street Promenade, a street closed to traffic and lined with shops galore.
Location: at the end of Colorado Blvd., Santa Monica. Admission: Free, but the rides at Pacific Park cost money per ride.
The Venice Boardwalk
Also known as Ocean Front Walk, it's mobbed nearly every day in Summer and on weekends the rest of the year. I give only a qualified thumbs-up to this place because of its high crime rate and its rather forced charm...it was a lot better in the early 1980s. Muscle Beach is in the middle of the Boardwalk, and people still rent skates or bikes for a little enjoyable exercise. There are shops and booths selling food and souvenirs, but they are now by-and-large tourist traps.
Location: Ocean Front Walk. Most of the action is between Windward and Abbott Kinney Dr. Admission: Free.
Museum of Jurassic Technology
An art museum masquerading as a science/technology museum, this is one of the most unique attractions in the whole Los Angeles area. Prepare to have concepts blasted and your mind blown.
Location: 9341 Venice Blvd. Admission: $4 donation for adults, $2.50 donation for Seniors and Students with ID, Children under 12 free. Hours: Noon-6pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 2-8pm Thursdays.
The Museum of Tolerance
Yes, the Museum of Toleranceis heavy duty stuff, but it's worth a look. Through multimedia and artifacts from Holocaust-era Europe, you are put face to face with not only Man's inhumanity to Man but your own prejudices too. Not for small-fry but thought and conversation-provoking for older kids.
Location: 9786 W. Pico Blvd. Admission: $8 adults, $6 seniors, $5 students with ID, $3 children 3-12. Hours: Mon-Thurs. 10-4, Friday 10-1, Sunday 11-4. Reservations suggested for Fridays and Sundays -- call (310) 553-9036 or 553-8403 to make arrangements. Tours take approx. 2 1/2 hours.
The Queen Mary
The grande dame of the high seas from the '30s to the '60s, this massive luxury liner is now permanently docked in Long Beach. It's still very impressive, and you can actually stay the night aboard the ship at the Queen Mary Hotel, which endeavors to give a taste of what it was like to cross the Atlantic in the lap of luxury. The Spruce Goose used to be here, but the huge dome which housed it remains. There have been a few raves in the dome, and I hope someone finds a good use for it soon. A rather plastic recreation of an English village is also next to the ship.
Location: 1126 Queens Highway, end of Long Beach Freeway. Admission: $10 adults, $8 seniors, $6 children 4-11. For inquiries into hotel stays or other details, call (310) 435-3511. Hours: 10-6 daily.
Warning about LA Beaches: Some of the local beaches are contaminated with human bio-waste and non-organic pollution...affected areas are near storm drains, but there is some danger in going in and swimming just about everywhere along the LA coast. South Bay beaches like Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance Beach are safer, though. Tell your kids to be cautious, and to not let water touch their ears, nose, eyes or mouth. Wading in is best. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but we in LA have got a lot of work to do to clean up our beaches.
The Westsiders love to dump on the San Fernando Valley, but hey, it isn't a bad place at all. I've lived there for most of my life, and there are fun things to do and see there too. Most of the people involved in the animation industry live in the Valley, BTW. I wish I could tell you to come visit Busch Gardens, for example, but the one-and-only big amusement park in the Valley (not counting Universal Studios which is technically in Hollywood but is still half in the Valley) is more than 15 years gone. Still, you should drop by and check out some points of interest here.
Ventura Boulevard: Melrose Avenue Northwest
Ventura Boulevard stretches from Calabasas to Universal City where it becomes Cahuenga Blvd. However, we're not interested in the whole stretch. Between the communities of Sherman Oaks and Studio City, Ventura Boulevard is our own Melrose without the pretense or the parking troubles.
There are places like Ultrazone where kids and adults alike can strap on helmets, chestplates and laser guns and participate in mock battles that are like paintball but without the black and blue marks and mess. There's shops like the moderately-hip AAHS which have the kind of giftware and souvenirs which cost much more on Melrose or even Hollywood Blvd but at fairer prices. There's the Valley's answer to the Bodhi Tree, The Psychic Eye, where you can browse arcane books or get your fortune told by staff psychics. And there are plenty of cafes and restaurants to eat at, from the pricey to fast food.
Don't be tempted by Moon Zappa's old hit to visit The Sherman Oaks Galleria, though...it's seen better days, and teenage Vals now hang out at the much less tired Sherman Oaks Fashion Square a little north of the Boulevard.
Location: Ventura Blvd. between Kester Ave. and Colfax Ave. Ultrazone is at 14622 Ventura Blvd (at Cedros) in the La Reina Shopping Center. Admission: Free for almost everything -- Ultrazone costs $7 per person per session.
Japanese Gardens...at a waste treatment facility?!?!?
Yes, it's true. The Tillman Water Reclamation facility has a little Japanese Garden as a showplace of what can be done with reclaimed water. It's actually quite a beautiful litttle spot. The facility is part of the Sepulveda Dam Basin, which is the largest parkland space in the San Fernando Valley. Another place worth seeing in the Dam Basin is Lake Balboa, an artificial lake with picnic space.
Location for the Japanese Gardens: 6100 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys. Location for Lake Balboa: Balboa Blvd. just before Victory Blvd., Van Nuys. Admission: Free, however, reservations are requested for the Japanese Garden tour: call (818) 756-8166.
A different kind of Nerd's Paradise...
Fry's Electronics started off in the Silicon Valley as an electronic parts store. However, now it has mushroomed into a Computer/Electronic Appliance store of Gargantuan proportions, with chain stores in the South Bay area of LA, Orange County, and here in Woodland Hills and Burbank. The Woodland Hills site is a massive place, decorated in a fanciful scheme sort of like a cross between Disneyland and The Good Guys. The Burbank Fry's is even more spectacular, starting with the crashed UFO in front of the building and continuing with a '50s Alien Invasion Movie film theme throughout. Both stores share some cool prices on stuff if you don't mind a lot of poking around. Being that this article is going to be out on the World Wide Web, I suspect that poking around a place like this would be quite entertaining for a lot of my audience.
Woodland Hills Location: 6100 Canoga Ave., Woodland Hills. Burbank Location: 2311 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank (near the Burbank Airport) Admission: Free, but I doubt you'll leave without buying something. Hours: Call for hours and other information to (818) 227-1000 (Woodland Hills) (818) 526-8100 (Burbank).
Santa Clarita Valley...not just Magic Mountain
The area around Magic Mountain, which includes Newhall, Saugus, and the cities of Santa Clarita and Canyon Country, have a few points of interest other than Magic Mountain. Here's a quick list:
William S. Hart Park and Museum
The Silent era Cowboy star willed his mansion to the County of Los Angeles when he died, and the County turned it into a rather impressive museum and park. There are tours of the mansion, picnic areas, a petting zoo, even a herd of feral American Bison which have their origins in Hart's pet buffalo herd. A pony ride concessionaire is at the park on Saturdays and Sundays.
Location: 1 3/4 miles NW of Route 14 via San Fernando Rd. Admission: Free, but the pony rides cost. Hours: Park open daily 7am-Dusk, except New Year's, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Home open Wed-Sun. 11-4 Summer, Wed-Fri. 10-1, Sat-Sun 11-4 rest of the year. Phone for info and directions: (805) 254-4584
Placerita Canyon Park and Nature Center, Newhall
This is one of my favorite places in Los Angeles. The Nature Center is part nature education center, and part animal hospital for local injured wildlife, and the nature trail is fine for novice hikers and yet very beautiful and wild. On the south end of the park you will find a vantage point where you can look into the Walt Disney Movie Ranch, although it's fenced off and virtually inaccessible this way. Some of the Disney live-action movies were filmed there, and there are still sets up from movies as recent as Tom And Huck and as far back as The Apple Dumpling Gang. A more advanced portion of the trail northward will take you all the way up to a waterfall.
If you want a sense of what Los Angeles was like before "civilization" got to it, this might be your best place to get it.
: Location: Off the 14 Freeway at Placerita Canyon exit. Drive two miles on Placerita Canyon Road. Street address is 19152 Placerita Canyon Rd. It's on the right-hand side of the road. Admission: Free. Hours: 9-5 7 days a week. Phone for info and directions: (805) 259-7721.
California Institute of the Arts, Valencia
This is the Arts college which was created out of the venerable Chouinard Institute in LA proper and moved to the wide-open spaces of Valencia by the Disney family. The Character Animation program has since the '60s traditionally served as the "farm system" for Disney Feature Animation, but has also turned out animators that work all over the LA animation scene and beyond. Cal-Arts is also a mecca for Experimental Animation, music, drama, dance and visual art, and is home to five theatres and a few art galleries. Give the place a call to find out about performances going on when you are visiting LA. It's usually quiet in the Summer, though.
Location: 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia. Admission: depends on event. Hours: call for gallery hours and performances at (805) 255-1050.
North all the way to Santa Barbara
A good automobile side trip from LA is Santa Barbara and Solvang. Santa Barbara is a peaceful, smallish town a few hours north of LA on the 101 Freeway. There are also a few neat stops along the way, and a half-hours drive north of Santa Barbara is Solvang, a Danish village transported to California.
Santa Claus
Santa Claus, California is a very bizarre roadside attraction. When I was growing up, my grandfather took me here and told me that this, not the North Pole, was the place that Santa Claus lived and had his workshop. He even proved it, too...around Christmas time they used to have a Santa there. Now the place has gotten a little shabby and run down, but it's still kind of weird and worth checking out.
Location: just before Carpinteria off of the 101 Freeway. Admission: Free.
Santa Barbara itself
Santa Barbara is a quiet city very strongly steeped in the history of Spanish Colonial California. There is a very well preserved Mission here, Mission Santa Barbara, and one of the few Presidios, or garrisons -- El Presidio de Santa Barbara -- is also still standing. Santa Barbara has a very nice little Zoo, and several museums worth looking at. The AAA puts out a special guide to Santa Barbara which is useful for finding your way around. Another possibility for getting here would be to take Amtrak...the San Diegan's northward trip ends here.
Santa Barbara is criss-crossed with bed and breakfast inns...this is a great place to go if it's just you and your significant other...very, very romantic.
Location: about 3 hours north of Los Angeles. Admission: depends on where you want to go.
Solvang
About a half-hour drive north of Santa Barbara is Solvang, a beautiful but very touristy place built by Danish immigrants. There is shopping all over the place, and even outdoor theatre. There are a few wineries nearby, and some very pretty countryside surrounding the town. The kitchy Pea Soup Andersen's restaurant is nearby in Buellton... you will not miss it because the 101 is lined with billboards for the place.
Location: 45 miles NW of Santa Barbara on the 101 Freeway.
South all the way to Mexico
Near San Diego:
Mission San Juan Capistrano
As any Animation Nerd will remember, Bugs Bunny often sang rapturously of the time "When The Swallows Come Back To Cap-is-TRAAA-no." Well, here's the actual place the old song's talking about. This is one of the historic Missions started by Spanish Catholics attempting to convert the local Indigenous population, and it's actually one of the prettier ones.
Every March 19th, by tradition, the swallows do migrate here from Argentina, to escape the oncoming Winter there. (which starts June 21st in the Southern Hemisphere) Recently there's been some real controversy...the San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce wants to have the "welcoming ceremony" on the closest Saturday to March 19th, but the traditionalists have no truck with that. So now the church bells ring twice. Progress? You tell me.
Location: 2 blocks west of the junction between State Rte. 74 and the Golden State Freeway, San Juan Capistrano. Admission: $4 for adults, $3 for children 3-11. Hours: daily 8-5.
San Diego Wild Animal Park
This is one cool place. A zoo where the humans are "caged" in a monorail while the animals roam free. You've got to check this out...it's great. This is the way zoos should be. Operated by the San Diego Zoological Society, the San Diego Wild Animal Park is one of the most successful places for captive breeding of animals. In an environment like this, the reasons for the success should be obvious.
Location: about 5 miles east of Interstate 15 via the Rancho Parkway exit. Admission: Call for information at (619) 480-0100. There is a AAA discount available. Hours: Summer 9-6 with occasional nighttime hours, 9-4 rest of the year.
Balboa Park
One of the coolest things about San Diego is that most of the attractions you'll want to see are located in Balboa Park. It's a huge complex that was built for the Panama-California Exposition of 1915, and is now home to 15 museums, the San Diego Zoo, and a Legit Theatre complex which includes a replica of Shakespeare's Old Globe Theatre.
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo has been ranked time and again as America's best Zoo. The reason it continues to maintain its status is that it is continuously being rebuilt and revamped, thanks to very robust attendance bringing in the needed cash for such projects. The Zoo is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 1996, and special events will be going on all over the Summer to celebrate. Something else to celebrate...their captive breeding program is one of the best in the country.
Location: Park Boulevard, Balboa Park, San Diego. Admission: call (619) 231-1515 for information. Hours: daily 9-4.
San Diego Aeronautics Museum
The San Diego Aerospace Museum is right there with the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum as the best museum of its kind. The museum incorporates the International Aerospace Hall Of Fame, too. They restore airplanes on premises and a tour of their restoration shop is available.
Location: Ford building, Balboa Park, San Diego. Admission: call (619) 234-8291 for information. Hours: Daily 10-4:30.
Fleet Space Theatre and Science Center
As Dexter of "Dexter's Laboratory" would say..."what a fine day for Science!" The Space Theatre is the only place in California to see Omnimax movies...there are several IMAX screens but only the Fleet Space Theatre has the domed screen for the wrap-around film experience. There is also a very cool Science Center which provides dozens of hands-on exhibits...kind of like the Museum of Science and Industry in Exposition Park, but bigger and better.
Location: 1875 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego. Admission: call (619) 238-1233 for info...there is a discount available with your AAA card. Hours: Sun-Thurs 9:30-9:30, Fri-Sat 9:30-10:30.
The Tijuana Trolley
Due to the fact that taking ones car into Mexico is tricky business at best (you have to procure Mexican insurance because American policies are not honored) it's much easier to take the Trolley down to the border. You can pick up the South Trolley (the Tijuana Trolley) at several places in downtown San Diego, and ride it all the way to the Border for $1.75 each way.
Location: several places in downtown San Diego. Admission: $1.75. Hours: for information call (619) 231-8549.
The San Diego Comic Convention
Every year, around July, the world's biggest Comic Convention hits the San Diego Convention Center. For a few days it's fanboy central, complete with a huge exhibit area, panel discussions, fannish activities and tons of other cool stuff. The next San Diego Comic Con will be in August, 1998. Their website is at http://www.hotsites.net/comiccon/, and you can probably get all the information you need to attend from there.
Location: The Convention Center is at 111 W. Harbor Dr. It's huge. You can't miss it. Admission and hours: consult the SD Comic Con website.
Horton Plaza and The Gaslamp District
Not too far from the San Diego Convention Center, there is a large area of restored buildings that date back from the 1800s called the Gaslamp District. Anchoring this area is Horton Plaza, a huge shopping center incongruously built amidst the old buildings.
It's actually kind of touristy, but it's cool nonetheless. Wear good walking shoes, because you're going to do some serious walking to explore this area.
Location: (Horton Plaza) bounded by Broadway, G St., 1st and 4th avenues. It's easy to get around the Gaslamp District from here. Admission: Free. Hours: Horton Plaza is open Mon-Sat 10-9, Sun 11-7 in Summer, Mon-Fri 10-9, Sat 10-6, Sun 11-6 rest of the year.
Return to Table Of Contents?
Online resources for LA and Southern CA
Cities
Other guides to Los Angeles
Guides to Santa Barbara:
Guides to San Diego
Drop me a line to let me know what you think of the LA Tour...contact me via the Communication Form.
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Page last updated 3/5/1998
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