The 22 best things to do in Hollywood

This gorgeous outdoor amphitheatre has been hosting concerts since the LA Philharmonic first played here in 1922. Since then, it’s welcomed everyone from the Beatles to Madonna to John Williams. Nestled in an aesthetically blessed fold in the Hollywood Hills, the 18,000-seat venue can bring out the romantic even in the terminally cynical. It’s the summer home of the LA Phil (and boozy picnics); as long as there’s no performance, it also doubles as a public park.

Time Out tip: While you can bring your own alcohol for LA Phil–presented shows, it’s not allowed for lease events, so check the guidelines for your concert before you head out. And don’t try driving to a show: There are fewer parking spots now, so you’ll want to opt for a shuttle instead.

It’s still a great place to catch a movie, but most people come to the Chinese Theatre, which Sid Grauman opened back in 1927, for the hand and foot imprints immortalizing around 200 Hollywood stars. The courtyard is usually choked with snap-happy tourists measuring their own extremities against the likes of John Wayne’s and Judy Garland’s, but you can avoid the crowds by catching a flick inside, where the auditorium is as stunning as the projection quality of its IMAX screen—the third-largest movie screen in the continent.

Time Out tip: The historic theater is attached to a six-screen multiplex; you’ll want to ignore those and splurge on the main theater (listed online as Auditorium 7), which typically shows a single blockbuster at a time. 

Originally created in 1923, the then-“Hollywoodland” sign was supposed to be up for only a year and a half, yet here it is over a century later. Getting close to the Hollywood Sign, though, is an often-contentious issue, thanks to pressure from local homeowners. From farther away, the archway at Ovation Hollywood has a pretty decent view of the sign. You can catch a dead-on glimpse of it on Beachwood Drive, or go farther up the hill near Lake Hollywood Park for our favorite all-around perspective.

Time Out tip: Looking to get even closer to the sign? Lace up for a trek along the closed-to-public-vehicles road on Mt. Lee Drive. You’ll end up directly above the Hollywood Sign, where you can experience a 360-degree view of the cityscape.

Any cemetery that houses the remains of such celluloid luminaries as Cecil B. DeMille, Jayne Mansfield, Rudolph Valentino and Mel Blanc was bound to become a tourist attraction. Aside from popular posthumous celebs, Hollywood Forever is also home to Cinespia’s excellent summer outdoor movie screenings, where picnicking Angelenos watch films projected onto the side of a mausoleum, as well as an annual Day of the Dead festival, art exhibitions and concerts both inside the property’s intimate Masonic Lodge and outside on the Fairbanks Lawn—it’s hands-down one of the coolest concert experiences in L.A.

Time Out tip: You can also practice open-air yoga on the Fairbanks Lawn (or inside the lodge in the cooler seasons) every morning of the week. Offerings range from kundalini yoga to silent disco vinyasa. Classes are donation-based, and parking is free.

Built by the same man who erected the Chinese Theatre and El Capitan Theatre, the Egyptian was the site of the first-ever Hollywood premiere—and it made our list of the most beautiful cinemas in the world. The theater was faithfully restored by the American Cinematheque in 1998, and the not-for-profit company continues to curate a wide range of screenings of classic and cult films, as well as Q&As with legendary filmmakers—even though the actual building is now owned by Netflix. The streamer, which oversaw a three-year restoration project, uses the space for premieres and special events on weekdays, while AC still programs weekends. The 516-seat auditorium is outfitted to screen digital, 35mm, 70mm and even nitrate—a format only used in four other theaters in the country.

Time Out tip: The theater also hosts a number of excellent themed mini-festivals each year, including its annual celebration of large-format film prints, Ultra Cinematheque 70 Fest, and the genre-film-filled Beyond Fest.

Just outside the Hollywood border, this hilly park is the home of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in L.A. Originally intended as a massive arts complex, the site still fulfills that role with exhibitions in a variety of different gallery spaces, including the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. In the summer, the park hosts a series of alfresco wine tastings and cultural events that bring out a nice mix of singles, couples and young families.

Time Out tip: Though the home’s striking exterior is iconic, experiencing it from within is a must: The exquisite wood detailing, long concrete hallways and geometric furniture are well worth the $12 tour. Saturday tours tend to sell out, so make sure to book in advance or try a weekday if you can.

Tucked away on the second floor of the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, the Spare Room is like stepping into another era: one where cleverly named cocktails and understated classics pour freely, and people make merry all night long. The big draw here, beyond the expertly made drinks, is the gaming. This bar sports an antique, two-lane bowling alley, which looks great with those George Esquivel–designed bowling shoes and argyle socks.

Time Out tip: Be sure to sit for a spell in the hotel’s historic lobby, and head outside for some fresh air at Tropicana Bar and the pool, which sports a mural by artist David Hockney himself.

We’ve spent enough time in Hollywood to know that you probably don’t want to put your hands on those grimy bits of star-dotted sidewalk. But if you can stomach the suspect superheroes, claustrophobia-inducing crowds and never-ending line of gift shops, tattoo parlors and lingerie stores, there’s actually a lot of old Hollywood history to discover along the Walk of Fame. The immortalized names on those famous five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars run from the Walk’s western extreme at the Hollywood and La Brea Gateway, past the Dolby Theatre (home of the Academy Awards) and over to the W Hollywood hotel and Pantages Theatre at Gower, with additional stars on Vine from Yucca down to Sunset, near where the original movie studios sprang up a century ago.

Time Out tip: It’s not all movie stars—the music industry is represented on the Walk of Fame too. At the Capitol Records Building on Vine, you’ll fittingly find stars belonging to each of the Beatles, plus Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and Neil Diamond.

Yearning to relive your childhood and indulge in a Disney flick? El Capitan’s your spot—the lavish 1926-built theater (which hosted the premiere of Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane back in the day) today screens Disney’s most current features along with classics in between new releases. Tickets are indeed pricier than what you’ll pay at other nearby cinemas, but then again, where else do you get to dine at a classic soda fountain and see a 2,500-pipe Wurlitzer organ played before the feature presentation? 

Time Out tip: Before or after your screening, head downstairs to see props and costumes that were used onscreen in the movie.

You’re bound to find something worth listening to just about any night of the week in Hollywood. The Fonda and the Hollywood Palladium are the go-to picks for touring acts, while Avalon and Academy L.A. specialize in DJ-fueled dance parties. For a more laid-back evening, catch singer-songwriters at the Hotel Café or intimate outdoor shows at the Ford, just up the canyon from the Hollywood Bowl.

Time Out tip: Formerly the Music Box Theatre (est. 1926), the Spanish Colonial Revival–style Fonda is one of my favorite musical venues in the city. Be sure to step out onto the rooftop patio before the headliner goes on for views up and down Hollywood Boulevard.

This overlook in the Santa Monica Mountains has fantastic views of the Hollywood Sign to the Downtown skyline all the way to the ocean and Catalina Island—and it’s right above the Hollywood Bowl. It’s a prime place to be on a clear day—as evidenced by the tiny parking lot overrun with tour buses—so get there early (it’s also technically not open in the evening).

Time Out tip: If you’re after more scenic views, you can keep following Mulholland Drive to find about a half-dozen other overlooks that face the Valley side of the city, including the Universal City Overlook, with its view of the theme park’s giant Minion.

This 160-acre park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains has one main loop, plus a bevy of dirt hiking trails. The sea of buff trainers and their sleek, sweaty clients can get to be too much during the busy morning and weekend workout traffic, but you’ll be rewarded with some of the best views of the city (and, if you’re lucky, a chance to gawk at power-walking celebs).

Time Out tip: The southern entrance of the canyon is at the end of Fuller Avenue in Hollywood, but if you want to cut out most of the hiking and just beeline it to the top, use the northern entrance off the 7300 block of Mulholland Drive.

As streaming services have erased CDs from our collective memory, the L.A. branch of San Francisco’s Amoeba Music could easily be seen as a mausoleum to actually leaving the house to buy music. But this, one of the largest independent record stores in the country, is very much alive (albeit at a new location on the corner of Hollywood and Argyle). Shopping here feels like a vibrant celebration of physical media, with a mind-blowing variety of stock (vinyl, CDs and DVDs, both new and used, plus posters and memorabilia). 

Time Out tip: Keep an eye on the store’s calendar for a lineup of live shows and signings slated around major record releases. Paul McCartney even played a free gig at Amoeba once.

Just about every Broadway show that comes to town—from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to musicals like Hamilton and Wicked—sets up inside of this gorgeous Art Deco auditorium (a few productions have runs at the nearby Dolby Theatre, as well). Theater super-fans might want to spring for a mini package, which gets you early access to tickets and discount pricing for a selection of 4+ shows. 

Time Out tip: Opt for the first few rows of the mezzanine for the best seats in the house.

Open since 1919, the Musso & Frank Grill is Hollywood’s oldest restaurant, a steak-and-cocktails joint formerly favored by Charlie Chaplin and Raymond Chandler (and seen onscreen in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood). With its many obscure dishes and individually priced sides (and salad dressings!), the menu can be daunting. However, some dishes are fail-safes: The grilled meats are excellent and a safe bet. And every table gets a half-loaf of house-made sourdough bread, the perfect accompaniment to the joint’s iconic dry martini.

Time Out tip: Even though it’s primarily thought of as a steakhouse, don’t sleep on the crêpe-thin flannel cakes—served with syrup or whipped cream and fruit—or the daily specials (think chicken potpie and corned beef and cabbage).

Believe it or not, Paramount is the last major studio to keep its headquarters located in Hollywood—and the only studio there to open its doors to the public. Inside the famous wrought-iron Bronson gate (made famous in Sunset Boulevard), you’ll be treated to a guided tram tour through soundstages and a sizable New York back lot with different neighborhood backdrops, plus a stop at the prop warehouse.

Time Out tip: For a more interactive experience, download the Paramount Studio Tour app, which lets you scan props and costumes to unlock exclusive behind-the-scenes content from Paramount hits.

Multiple publications have tried to deem this L.A.’s coolest neighborhood in recent years, but a single block of entertainment office spaces and high-end restaurants doesn’t exactly constitute an entire neighborhood in our eyes. That said, there’s undeniably an impressive assortment of dining and shopping options along this block of Sycamore Avenue, south of Romaine Street, including Tartine Sycamore, Mr. T, Sightglass Coffee, record store Supervinyl and luxury concept store Just One Eye. 

Time Out tip: For a dose of culture, check out the always-interesting art exhibitions at former MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch’s gallery. (It’s technically one block over on Orange Drive, but you can park off Sycamore.)

Good Times at Davey Wayne’s takes us back to the 1970s via garage. Walk past the knickknacks to find the portal to this booze-fueled time machine: an old refrigerator. Step through its door and you’re instantly transported to a house party in the era of hard rock, sideburns and shag carpeting. Vintage beer cans and retro tchotchkes surround the tufted bar, where staff whip up craft cocktails with forgotten spirits and serve draught beer in cans and novelty mugs. There’s a groovy live-music lineup too.

Time Out tip: If it’s hot out, head to the back patio, order some barbecue and cool off with a boozy snow cone.

If you keep driving up Beachwood Drive in search of the Hollywood Sign, eventually you’ll hit a dead end at Sunset Ranch Hollywood’s cluster of horse stables. The ranch offers a variety of daily trail rides through Griffith Park, and you can book ahead on their website. Pricier and longer rides include treks to the top of the park or Mt. Hollywood, but even the basic one-hour ride ($75–$99) lets you snag a close-up look at the Hollywood Sign along with sweeping views of the hills and L.A. cityscape below.

Time Out tip: See the city’s skyline light up as the sun starts to dip with an evening tour, where you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree views ($175–$185). For $50 more per person, you can even book a private evening tour for two.

With endless celebrity photos and numerous “best of” lists on the walls, this Thai Town restaurant is one of the city’s cult favorites. If perusing the lengthy menu leaves you feeling dazed and confused, the crispy morning glory salad—a flavorful mix of crunchy, deep-fried Chinese watercress, plump shrimp, red onions, cilantro, red cabbage and bell peppers marinated in the spicy house dressing—is a good place to start on the extensive list of fiery Northern and Southern Thai specialties.

Time Out tip: Arrive on the earlier side of the evening to avoid a long wait for a table at the popular strip-mall joint.

Speak the secret phrase to the owl sculpture in the lobby of this private club (we’re serious here), and the rest—well, we don’t want to ruin the surprises in store for visitors at this magical institution. The mansion that houses the Magic Castle is over a century old, but since 1963 it’s been the home of the Academy of Magical Arts, an exclusive organization made up of roughly 2,500 magicians from around the world. Sorry to be cryptic, but if you can bag yourself an invite, you’re guaranteed to have a night you’ll never forget.

Time Out tip: If you can’t find a member of the Academy to tag along with, stay at the adjacent Magic Castle Hotel for access. The Magic Castle also periodically hosts live stage shows off-site, but buying tickets will score you an invite to the mansion itself.

Built as a private art museum in the 1920s, this Japanese palace-like restaurant is a spectacular structure with extraordinary views of Hollywood. As for the food… hey, those views are nice, right? That being said, the Japanese-leaning fusion menu is decent enough if you lower your expectations. Make a reservation well in advance to try and snag a coveted window seat.

Time Out tip: During your visit, snap a pic of the 100-year-old bicycle and the 600-year-old pagoda from Japan, which is currently the oldest structure in the state.