Some advice:
For this activity, you can select either The Hollywood Museum or the TCL Chinese Theatre tour. You cannot choose both.
☞ TCL Chinese Theatre Tour — $25.25 USD
▶︎ Hollywood Boulevard
☞ Hollywood Behind-the-Scenes Tour — $27 USD
☞ Dolby Theatre Tour — $25 USD
While I consider the Dolby Theatre to be one of the venues that has hosted the Academy Awards on numerous occasions, I think it is adequate to just see it from the outside.
▶︎ Celebrity Homes Tours
☞ Hollywood Movie Star Homes Tour — $52 USD
This is perhaps one of the best-known tours in Hollywood, leading guests to where they can view the exteriors of celebrity houses from behind gates and fences. Maps to the homes of famous stars are sold along the Hollywood Boulevard, and the same data can be found on the internet, so you can drive yourself. Since people can only see the exteriors, it's the kind of tour that locals wouldn't take.
If you want to go full tourist mode, go for it.
☞ Malibu Celebrity Homes Tour — $55 USD
This option is a bit more interesting because visitors are less likely to know where the celebrities live in Malibu. Lots of celebs have houses in Brentwood and Malibu, including Jennifer Garner and Miranda Kerr. Also, Tony Stark's house in Iron Man is in this area, although that house is digitally created: the real location is empty, the interior shots were at a mansion in La Jolla. Malibu's most famous house is located in some films and TV shows like Revenge, Taken 3, and the Korean drama The Heirs.
☞ Hollywood Hills Hiking Tour — $52 USD
☞ Self-Guided Celebrity Homes Bicycle Tour — $55 USD
Tips:
You may only pick ONE of the above options.
The highest point near the Hollywood Sign that the public can reach.
▶︎ Theme Parks
☞ Universal Studios — $129 USD
See the introduction above.
☞ LEGOLAND California — $115 USD
This is a favorite for kids and LEGO fans.
(You can pick either LEGOLAND California or San Diego Zoo.)
☞ Six Flags Magic Mountain — $84.99 USD
For the travelers who love speed, thrills, and adventure. Anyone who is prone to dizziness should probably skip it.
☞ Knott's Berry Farm — $72 USD
Knott's Berry Farm is in Orange County, so it is not the easiest park to reach from Los Angeles. However, during Halloween, it transforms into Knott's Scary Farm, a huge haunted attraction with zombies, monsters, haunted houses, and mazes.
If you're someone that likes a good scare, this is the best option for you.\n\n\n▶︎ Beaches\n\n\n☞ Aquarium of the Pacific — $29.95 USD\n\n\nAquarium of the Pacific\n\n\nThis is an easy outing that is educational and entertaining, especially for parents traveling with kids.\n\n\nLong Line at the Aquarium\n\n\nTips: Long lines are expected on weekends. There are nearby restaurants and shops. Also lookout for the Queen Mary near by.\n\n\n☞ Queen Mary admission — $32 USD\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe famous Long Beach attraction, Queen Mary, is a luxury ocean liner that started service in 1936 and ended in 1967. With its black-and-white hull and 3 large orange funnels, it is a sister ship to the Titanic. The Queen Mary is 200 feet longer than Titanic. After it was retired in 1967, the City of Long Beach purchased the ship, turned the cabins into a hotel, and made the restaurant and chapel popular for weddings. The ship’s museum is open to visitors, giving you a taste of a maritime museum.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHaunted tour guides tell ghost stories\n\n\nUnlike the Titanic, we can’t visit the inside of the ship, but the Queen Mary offers a way to experience that time. The ghost stories of the ship are very famous and it considered a haunted ship which makes the Haunted Tour the best option.
There are stories of how the ship collided with other vessels during WW2 and of soldiers who were hurt and died while the ship was at war. On Halloween, the ship has an event called Dark Harbor which is a haunted house on the ship. It's for people who are brave enough to go. To get a hotel or to get a tour of the ship, you can go to their website. The Aquarium of the Pacific is also nearby and is a great way to spend a few hours with the kids.
Inside the Queen Mary
Newport beach whale watching - 49 USD
Harbor Breeze Cruises, Long Beach: whale watching or harbor cruise - 55 USD
Boat trips are a great way to see the coast of Southern California. There have been many dolphin sightings on the trips to Catalina Island, but whale sightings are just a matter of luck. Even in summer, make sure to bring enough warm clothes, especially if you are prone to seasickness to sit outside on the deck.
MUSEUMS, GARDENS, AND SCIENCE CENTERS
California Science Center IMAX Film - 8.95 USD
The California Science Center is a great option for those parents who are looking to have a somewhat educational experience with their children. The museum is even great for people who do not have a particular interest in science.
Natural History Museum - 15 USD
California Science Center
George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits - 15 USD
Don’t let the La Brea Tar Pits, which do not look very glamorous, fool you. They are both a California Historical Landmark and a National Natural Landmark.
Next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art are the pits, which are natural asphalt deposits. Leaves, dust, and water may obscure the surface and trap animals, leading to an enormous accumulation of bones and fossils over the centuries. The George C. Page Museum studies the tar pits and displays some of the specimens found there. Even on weekdays, the lines can be quite long, and visitors often take advantage of the wait to look at LACMA’s Urban Light installation.
Urban Light at LACMA
The highly photographed installation, Urban Light
☞ The Huntington Library and Gardens — $29 USD
The Huntington, located in San Marino, is well known for its lovely gardens, especially the Japanese and Chinese gardens, as well as the European art of the 18th and 19th centuries and American art of the 17th to 20th centuries. It has also frequently been featured in American film and television as a stand-in for Asian locations. Although the art collection is significant, most guests come for the gardens to enjoy a stroll and to take pictures.
☞ Battleship IOWA Museum — $19.95 USD
☞ Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens — $21 USD
This is yet another popular family destination combining the animal kingdom and gardens in a single excursion.
☞ Grammy Museum — $15 USD
Grammy Museum
The Grammy Museum is a history museum with a focus on interactivity and education. It covers the history of the Grammys, different genres of music, and the winners of Grammy awards.
Music lovers will enjoy this and it is very easy.
Grammy Museum
▶︎ Other Attractions
☞ Pacific Park, Santa Monica Pier — $32.95 USD
Santa Monica Beach is one of the more well-known tourist beaches in Los Angeles, and Pacific Park has a variety of rides for children, including a notable Ferris wheel. Although this may not be an attraction worth spending money on, if you have been able to complete the major inclusions on the Go LA Card, it serves as an appreciated extra.
▶︎ Special Recommendation
☞ OUE Skyspace — $33 USD