Los Angeles hides plenty in plain sight: a sunken neighborhood the city fenced off, a working Victorian office building you can wander into for free, a five-dollar Japanese garden open four days a month, and a decommissioned battleship you can climb through. Here are 15 spots checked against each venue's own site in July 2026, including the one that's currently off-limits and how to see it anyway.
The biggest change since this list last ran: Sunken City in San Pedro is officially closed to entry. The slide zone is fenced, trespassing draws citations, and rescues still happen when people climb in anyway. The LA City Council has funded safety upgrades but there's no firm reopening date, so we kept it on the list, it's still the most-asked-about hidden gem in the city, but rewrote the entry around the legal way to see it.
Everything else below is open and worth the drive. A few of these (El Matador Beach, Vasquez Rocks) also show up in our dedicated Malibu and hiking guides, so we kept the entries here focused on a different angle than those deep dives.
Coastal ruinsFree (view only)
Sunken City is the chunk of neighborhood that slid into the ocean when the bluffs gave way in the 1920s, leaving broken streets, foundations, and graffiti-covered slabs scattered down the cliffside. It's one of the most photographed ruins in the city and has turned up in music videos and films for decades, but it is not currently something you can walk into.
Know before you go: The slide zone itself is fenced and officially closed, people who climb in risk a citation and sometimes a rescue call. Walk the path through adjacent Point Fermin Park instead for a full, legal view of the ruins from above.
02
Venice Canals
Near Venice Beach
Historic districtFree
Developer Abbot Kinney built these canals in 1905 to echo Venice, Italy, and the footbridges and waterfront cottages still make for one of the quietest walks in the city, a few blocks from the boardwalk chaos. It's a residential neighborhood, not a park, so this is a stroll-through, not a hangout spot.
Know before you go: These are public walkways past private homes and docks, keep voices down and stay off residents' decks. Go at sunrise or sunset for the best light and the fewest people.
Abandoned zoo ruinsFree
The original LA Zoo operated on this site until 1966, and the leftover animal grottoes and cages are now a picnic area you can climb through and around, no ticket, no fence. It's an easy, flat walk from the parking lot and one of the better free things to do with kids in Griffith Park.
Know before you go: Griffith Park runs on regular park hours, roughly 5am to 10:30pm daily, and this area sits right off a paved path near the merry-go-round. No permit needed.
Stair climbFree
The Culver City Stairs climb 282 steps up to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, and the payoff is a 360-degree view that stretches from the ocean to downtown on a clear day. It's become a full-on fitness scene at sunrise, but it's still a workout, not a stroll.
Know before you go: Free and open daily, dawn to dusk, no permit. If the main staircase is packed with bootcamp groups, the overlook has a second, less crowded set of steps nearby.
Historic landmarkFree (lobby only)
Built in 1893, the Bradbury Building's atrium is one of the most photographed interiors in LA, all wrought iron, open-cage elevators, and a glass roof that floods the space with light. It's still a working office building, so this is a look-don't-linger visit, not a full tour.
Know before you go: Public access is the ground floor only, up to the first landing, free, during regular weekday business hours. Smartphone photos are fine, video and professional cameras aren't allowed without permission.
Beach$ parking
El Matador is the beach with the sea stacks and cave-like arches you've seen in a hundred Malibu photos, tucked below the bluffs off PCH with none of the boardwalk crowd of the more famous beaches. Whales and dolphins are a regular sight offshore during migration season.
Know before you go: A steep staircase gets you down the bluff, wear real shoes, and the small pay lot at the top fills by mid-morning on weekends. There's no elevator or ramp, so it's not a stroller-friendly beach.
Karaoke bar$$
Break Room 86 is an 80s-themed karaoke bar hidden behind an unmarked door inside The Line Hotel, complete with retro arcade games and karaoke rooms disguised as locker-room walls. It's the kind of place that feels like a secret even though everyone in LA nightlife knows about it.
Know before you go: Reservations are recommended for weekend nights, walk-ins can mean a wait. Look for the door that doesn't look like a door, that's the entrance.
08
Electric Dusk Drive-In
Glendale
Drive-in theater$$
Electric Dusk has been running LA's longest-operating drive-in since 2012, screening classics and new releases on a giant outdoor screen in a Glendale parking lot, sound piped through your car radio. It runs year-round, not just summer, and hosts themed nights and private screenings too.
Know before you go: Buy tickets through the venue's own site, not a resale app, and get there early, the lot fills before showtime. Watch for postponements on rainy nights.
09
Battleship USS Iowa
San Pedro
Museum ship$$
The USS Iowa is a decommissioned World War II battleship you can actually climb through, from the deck and gun turrets to the officers' quarters, with exhibits on naval history and life at sea. It's a full afternoon, not a quick stop, and one of the few places in LA where you can stand inside a piece of military history this size.
Know before you go: Open daily, 10am to 4pm. Ticket pricing has changed a few times in recent years, check the site before you go rather than budgeting from an old number.
BookstoreFree to browse
The Last Bookstore fills a converted 1914 bank building with new and used books, book-tunnel sculptures, and an upstairs vault of rare finds locals call the Labyrinth. It's technically not a secret anymore, it shows up on every LA bucket list, but it earns the hype and still feels like a discovery the first time you walk in.
Know before you go: The upstairs Labyrinth section keeps shorter hours than the main floor and closes earlier, so go there first. Weekends get crowded fast, especially early afternoon.
11
Vasquez Rocks
Santa Clarita Valley
Natural areaFree
Vasquez Rocks is 900-plus acres of dramatically tilted sandstone formations in the high desert, famous as a filming location for everything from Star Trek to countless westerns, and still carrying petroglyphs left behind by the region's earlier Indigenous inhabitants. It's a striking day trip that feels nothing like the rest of LA County.
Know before you go: The park itself is free and open dawn to dusk; the nature center keeps its own, shorter hours, so call ahead if that's part of your plan. It's an hour-plus drive from most of the city, pack water, there's little shade.
12
Employees Only
West Hollywood
Speakeasy bar$$$
Employees Only brought its Prohibition-era, New York speakeasy formula to Santa Monica Boulevard, with a psychic on hand for readings and a cocktail menu built by one of the country's best-known bar programs. It's dark, a little theatrical, and still one of the better dressed-up nights out in West Hollywood.
Know before you go: Closed Mondays. Open from 5pm, until 1am Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, and until 2am Thursday through Saturday, kitchen closes at 11:30pm.
13
The Comedy & Magic Club
Hermosa Beach
Comedy club$$-$$$
This Hermosa Beach club has hosted big-name comedians for decades, including Jay Leno, who still drops in unannounced for surprise sets on top of the regular touring lineup. The room is small enough that even the back tables feel close to the stage.
Know before you go: It's 18 and up, and tickets are only honored if bought directly through the club's own site or Etix, resale sites aren't accepted at the door.
Country bar & BBQ$$
Buckle & Boots is a country-and-western bar and BBQ joint in the Antelope Valley, with live music, line dancing, and a menu built around smoked meat, a full swing from the rest of this list. It's a proudly local hangout that most Angelenos an hour south have never heard of.
Know before you go: Live music and dance nights draw a crowd, call ahead for a table if you want to sit and eat rather than stand at the bar.
15
The Japanese Garden
Lake Balboa
GardenFrom $5
Tucked inside the Sepulveda Basin next to the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant, this traditional Japanese garden has koi ponds, footbridges, and a bamboo grove that feels miles from the 405 running nearby. Its limited open days keep it genuinely quiet compared to LA's bigger gardens.
Know before you go: Open Monday through Thursday plus the second Sunday of the month, 9:30am to 3:30pm (last entry 3:15pm), closed after rain. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for kids and seniors, groups under 10 can walk in without a reservation.
A few more worth knowing
- Angels Gate Park in San Pedro, right by Sunken City, has the giant Korean Friendship Bell and open harbor views, and it's almost never crowded.
- Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades is a free, walk-in meditation garden with koi ponds and a houseboat, typically closed Mondays.
- Angel's Point in Elysian Park is a quieter alternative to the Griffith Observatory crowds for a Hollywood Sign view.
- Grand Central Market's original 1917 escalators and upper-level seating are worth a look even if you're not there to eat.
Frequently asked
Is Sunken City in San Pedro open right now?
No. The slide zone itself is fenced and officially closed to entry as of 2026, with no confirmed reopening date. You can still see the ruins legally from the bluffs at adjacent Point Fermin Park.
Is the Bradbury Building free to visit?
Yes. The ground-floor lobby is free to enter during regular weekday business hours. It's a working office building, so upper floors are private and off-limits to visitors.
Do I need a reservation for the Japanese Garden?
Not for groups under 10, you can walk in. It's open Monday through Thursday and the second Sunday of each month, 9:30am to 3:30pm, and admission is $5 for adults.
Is Employees Only 21 and up?
It's a full bar, so bring ID. It's closed Mondays, opens at 5pm the rest of the week, and closes at 1am Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, 2am Thursday through Saturday.
Is El Matador Beach hard to get to?
There's a steep staircase down the bluff and a small pay lot that fills fast on weekends, but no permit is required and it's open to everyone, every day.
Which of these are good for a family day out?
The Old LA Zoo ruins, Venice Canals, Vasquez Rocks, Battleship USS Iowa, and the Japanese Garden all work well with kids. Break Room 86, Employees Only, and The Comedy & Magic Club are nightlife spots with age restrictions.
