Fun Things to Do in Los Angeles

Fun things to do in Los Angeles are not few in number. Nor are they ordinary. Consider such fantasies as spending a night in the Barbie House in Mailbu or spending a weekend as if you are a celluloid celebrity, complete with clothing, stylists and paparazzi. The City of Angeles is also the City of Dreams. For those looking for fun things to do in Los Angeles, these are some of the latest looks at that there is to see and do in LA. 

For starters, Los Angeles is rising fast from the quiet pandemic days of recent years. The city is reporting a robust recovery reaching 91% of 2019 visitation levels with 46.2 million visitors to Los Angeles. Improvements in infrastructure include vast improvements to LAX, often the point of entry for most visitors. Among the $15 billion in developments is a much anticipated People Mover or monorail that is set to open next year and move flyers from rapid transit connection points and parking to all terminals around the airport. 

Fun Things to Do in Los Angeles

New hotel projects are numerous with three new properties opening in just the past three months. The Moxy & AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles are two brands under the Marriott moniker that opened in one impressive high rise last April in the bustling downtown area near the Los Angeles Convention Center and LALive. 

The two hotels offer a total of 727 guestrooms and an unprecedented 13 dining and entertainment options, including Level 8, a collection of restaurants, bars and lounges that highlight the neighborhood’s diverse cultures and cuisines opening this summer. The property also features a Miami-meets Copacabana pool deck and over 13,000 square feet of flexible meeting and social events space with a design inspired by DTLA’s industrial heritage.

Reflecting the bold, adventurous spirit of California, Moxy Downtown Los Angeles is a haven for modern nomads in LA’s creative epicenter. Moxy channels the forward-thinking energy and multicultural heritage of the neighborhood with playful design, four outdoor terraces, a pool deck overlooking the spectacular LA skyline and tech-centric spaces. 

AC Hotel Downtown: Fun things to do in Los Angeles

Meanwhile, AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles provides a haven with both freedom and versatility amid the dynamic streets of DTLA. Blending the AC Hotel brand’s timeless Spanish heritage with the neighborhood’s artistic soul, AC Hotel DTLA will provide a streamlined, serene place to stay, work, create and recharge with a warm bar and lounge joined by an intimate library and rooftop terrace.

The Delphi Hotel (formerly The Standard), also opened in April with 207 guest rooms, suites, and penthouses in a 1950s setting featuring minimalist decore and economical rates in a busy part of the city’s downtown business district. 

The Palihotel Hollywood also opened this spring as a charming hideaway in the heart of Hollywood with 74 rooms and suites, a guest-exclusive café and bar, and a courtyard pool. 

Fun Things to Do in Los Angeles: Fun things to do in Los Angeles

Fun things to do in LA are often “only in LA experience (often at only in LA prices),” but can be booked and planned to fit any vacation purpose. Consider The Actor Experience at the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. In this three-day package guests are invited to fulfill their dreams of becoming an actor through a partnership with Supergiant Studios. 

It begins upon arrival with a paparazzi entry and a stay in a newly renovated specialty suite including flowers, champagne, and designer clothing options. The next day, guests will enjoy hair and makeup services by Hollywood stylists before luxury transportation brings them to the studio to film a custom-written short film alongside a Hollywood celebrity — the edited short is delivered following the experience. This three-night package starts at $200,000 and requires a minimum 15-day advance booking. For inquiries, email reservations.bev@fourseasons.com

Other fun things to do in Los Angeles include, of course, a tour of Warner Bros. Studios. To celebrate the Studio’s centennial anniversary and the studio tour’s 50th anniversary, a new exhibit explores 100 years of Warner Bros.’ impact on storytelling, recognizing a range of classic and contemporary productions, including Casablanca, DC Comics, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Abbott Elementary, and beyond. The new exhibit is located in the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Welcome Center, which is open to the public, offering guests a photographic exploration of where it all began.

Super Nintendo World: Fun things to do in Los Angeles

Then there is Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood nearby. This is a new visual spectacle of vibrant colors and architectural ingenuity located within a newly expanded area of Universal Studios Hollywood, sweeping guests into the 360-degree world of Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach. Guests begin their adventure by passing through the iconic green pipe and entering Peach’s Castle before venturing into the colorful Mushroom Kingdom. Super Nintendo World features the groundbreaking “Mario Kart™: 

Bowser’s Challenge” ride seamlessly fusing augmented reality with projection mapping technology and actual set pieces to take guests through creative courses inspired by the popular Mario Kart™ video game series in a repeatable attraction with a variety of outcomes. 

Other Fun Things To Do

Other fun things to do in Los Angeles include visiting Lady Gaga, or her likeness, as a new feature of Madame Tussauds Hollywood. Or one can step into the ring with Muhammad Ali in a new immersive exhibition inspired by his journey from celebrated athlete to humanitarian. 

A fun thing to do in Los Angeles for the younger set puts them into the World of Barbie through this fall. The World of Barbie is making its US debut at Santa Monica Place, allowing fans to explore a life-size Barbie Dreamhouse, try out several Barbie careers displayed in various interactive rooms, and even sit behind the wheel of a full-size Barbie Camper Van. Visitors will be inspired to imagine the endless possibilities of following in the footsteps of Barbie to become a scientist, designer, music producer, astronaut and more. The visually stunning production will also feature a bespoke Barbie exhibit where guests can see how Barbie, her Dreamhouse and her various vehicles have evolved over the years.

Fun things to do in Los Angeles can also skew educational and edifying. Here is a snapshot of passing museum exhibits to catch. 

Women Defining Women in Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond

Through September 24, 2023

This exhibition presents 75 works by women artists who were born or live in what can broadly be termed Islamic societies. Their powerful narratives are embedded in their art, expressing both personal and universal concerns.

Light, Space Surface: Selections from LACMA’s Collection

Through October 1, 2023

In the 1960s and 1970s, various Southern California artists began to create works that investigate perceptual phenomena: how we come to understand form, volume, presence, and absence through light, seen directly through other materials, reflected, or refracted. Light, Space, Surface draws on LACMA’s deep holdings of this material, revealing the vibrancy and diversity of this aspect of American art history.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure (Downtown LA)

Through July 31, 2023 | The Grand LA

Organized and curated by the family of Jean-Michel Basquiat, this new exhibition at The Grand LA will feature over 200 never-before-seen and rarely shown paintings, drawings, multimedia presentations, ephemera, and artifacts telling the story of Jean-Michel from an intimate perspective, intertwining his artistic endeavors with his personal life, influences, and the times in which he lived.

Maya: The Exhibition at the California Science Center (Exposition Park)

The California Science Center presents Maya: The Exhibition, a display of over 250 authentic artifacts highlighting the rise, fall, and legacy of the Maya civilization of Mexico and Central America. From a majestic sculpture of a jaguar warrior to an ancient limestone panel, many of the rare pieces on view in the 13,000 sq. ft. exhibition space are on tour outside of Guatemala for the first time ever. The exhibition is accompanied by screenings of the “Mystery of the Maya” movie in the Science Center’s state of the art IMAX Theater.

The Natural History Museum Butterfly Pavillion (Exposition Park)

Through August 13, 2023

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) will open its seasonal Butterfly Pavilion for the spring and summer months starting Sunday, March 5. Visitors are able to walk among hundreds of butterflies, from eggs to caterpillars and chrysalises, in NHM’s outdoor, open-air netted enclosure. The experience also features colorful native plants and plenty of natural light to help you see these creatures flutter and fly. Museum educators and animal care specialists will also be onsite to share what makes these animals so special.

Shakira, Shakira at the GRAMMY Museum (Downtown LA)

Through Winter 2024

With a career spanning more than three decades, multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Shakira has firmly established herself as an artist, dancer, and global icon. To showcase Shakira’s enduring creative legacy, the GRAMMY Museum® proudly presents Shakira, Shakira: The GRAMMY Museum Experience, on display in the Museum’s permanent Latin Music Gallery. Shakira, Shakira explores the artist’s musical evolution, from her origins as a Latin rock-loving singer-songwriter in Barranquilla, Colombia, to a global superstar whose catalog spans multiple genres from bhangra and bachata to rock and reggaetón.