Have you ever just wanted to just get away from your every day life for a moment? Or have you ever wanted to jump on a plane and fly away to your favorite destination for at least a day? Oh, you know it crosses your mind from time to time. Even better, have you ever wanted to travel to the place where dreams are made of? Or have you ever wanted to meet a celebrity or have the opportunity of a life time and become one?

There is a solution to all of these questions: take a mini-vacation to Los Angeles. Los Angeles is the “city of angels”, but just like New York City it is where dreams are brought to life. Many people travel from all over the world to this one city just to have one chance at becoming famous or seeing someone famous. There are so many historical or modern places to tour and venture. You might even be able to catch a glimpse of a celebrity or two! Or maybe you could meet a celebrity. So, jump right on a plane and read on, because while you’re heading this way I will show you 20 places you can venture too within your 24 hour mini-vacation.

20 20. Los Angeles Airport (LAX)

Let’s start with the Los Angeles International Airport better known as: LAX. This is the airport you most likely will fly in to. According to TrippSavvy.com, LAX is the third busiest airport in America overseeing 85 million passengers a year. It is a giant airport covering 3,500 acres of land. Once you land on to the enormous runway you can hop off the plane and explore some of LAX before you start your adventure. LAX does not disappoint with views out of this world, such as the views at the Encounter Restaurant, or lounge areas, as you would see at the lounge in the Bradley Terminal. Be sure to check out the airport, buy souvenirs, and grab breakfast before you rent a car to hit the road.

19 19. Dockweiler Beach

Now that you have seen the airport, filled your tummy up with breakfast, and rented yourself a car it is time to begin your 24-hour adventure. A fresh start to any day would be to see the sun rise on the beach. You can drive on over to the Dockweiler Beach. It is only a few miles from the LAX Airport. This will give you a taste of what LA beaches are like. As you watch each wave wash up on shore, put your toes in the sand, and relax as you enjoy a peaceful moment after having been squished on a long flight from wherever you came from to Los Angeles. However, don’t spend too much time as you have a long adventurous day a head of you.

18 18. Venice, CA.

After having soaked up some sun from the morning sunrise, it is time to head on over to the next beach: Venice Beach. Although you just came from one beach and on to another, you will want to check out the Venice Canals first. The Venice Canals were an inspiration brought from Venice, Italy back in the early 1900’s. There are several canals you can view between multi-million dollar homes. The canals are gorgeous, but before you leave Venice Beach you will want stroll the Venice Boardwalk. The boardwalk has restaurants, spas, gyms, magicians, street entertainers, and skaters. To feel more like a local you can put on some skates and rollerblade through out the boardwalk.

17 17. Santa Monica

After you finish rollerblading through the Venice Boardwalk, you will want to head to Santa Monica to view the historic Santa Monica Pier. In fact, Route 66 ends at this historic pier and you can catch the best views of the waves here. Don’t forget to snap a picture with the most iconic Southern California neon gateway. You will be ready to shop till you drop after all the stunning views you have seen. So head on over to the Third Street Promenade to enjoy an all-star retail lineup including Lulu Lemon, Abercrombie & Fitch, and many more. The Third Street Promenade is a shopper’s paradise you won’t want to miss.

16 16. The Getty Center

Buckle your seat belt because you will have quite a drive to arrive at your next destination: the Getty Center. Ok, it’s only around a 20-minute drive, but it will give you some much needed rest time before you arrive at the Getty Center. The Getty Center looks like a modern city sitting at the top of the hills of Los Angeles. The Getty Center has stunning architecture you can view. It has beautiful gardens you can take a walk in. It has art pieces that are magnificent. All of this is at the top of Los Angeles where you will have amazing views of the city.

15 15. Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills is one of the most well known cities in Los Angeles. It is home to many Hollywood Stars. I’m sure as you thought of Beverly Hills your mind thought of Rodeo Drive. Rodeo Drive is only one of the most luxurious and fashionable streets that stretches to be two-miles long. It has luxurious fashion, entertainment, and one of the top Beverly Hills attractions. If shopping is not really your go-to “thing” then I highly recommend going to tour the Greystone Mansion and Gardens. The 55-room mansion sits on 16 acres of land and is a popular filming location. In fact, it was the Chilton Academy off of Gilmore Girls.

14 14. Sunset Strip

You will want to take one of the world’s most famous streets from up-scale Beverly Hills to urban streets of downtown Hollywood. The Sunset Strip has plenty of shopping places you can stop at along the way, or you can just soak up the scenes of the hills you will drive by. Either way, you won’t want to miss out on driving down this famous street. Maybe stop at the Chateau Marmont. This hotel was built in 1929, but is most known for a famous comedians drug overdoes. Why would you want to tour a hotel where someone died? Well, the hotel itself is a beautiful piece of history. It is shaped like a castle. Rather, you can stop and see the Rocky and Bullwinkle statue, the Comedy Store, Sunset Plaza, or many more famous places along the way.

13 13. Hollywood Wax Museum

The wax museum is a one-of-a-kind stop that you won’t want to pass up. This museum has wax figures of famous celebrities. If you haven’t seen a celebrity on your tour yet then now is your chance to see some and get selfies with them. Also, the museum will teach you fun facts about the celebrities such as their pets, pet peeves, and or accomplishments. You can even walk the red carpet with the celebrities, and you can use your family or friends (if you brought your family or friends) as paparazzi. Also, if you’re brave enough you can sing along side of your favorite celebrity.

12 12. Hollywood

Similar to Beverly Hills, Hollywood is amongst the most famous and world known cities in Los Angeles. You won’t want to drive past the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is where celebrities, actors, singers, and more were honored. You can search for your favorite entertainer’s star on walkoffame.com to see where you will need to stop to take pictures with it. I’m quite sure you are tired of driving around so why not stretch your legs for a little bit and take a walking tour of Hollywood while you are here to enjoy all the historic sights to see, or you can take a bus tour. After your tour you can go to the Dolby Theatre to enjoy a live-performance.

11 11. Hollywood Sign

The Hollywood sign was put up as advertisement back in 1923 for local real estate development. However, the sign was never torn down and it became an American landmark and cultural icon. The Hollywood sign has been in countless movie and television shows. People come from all over the world just to get a picture with the 44-foot tall sign. If you stopped at the Dolby Theatre, you can see the Hollywood Sign directly behind it. You can hike up to the sign and get a close up, but since time is lacking grab a quick picture and head on to the Griffith Observatory.

10 10. Griffith Observatory

If you were not able to get an amazing view of the Hollywood sign from the Dolby Theater, you can enjoy an incredible view of the sign from the Griffith Observatory. The Observatory overlooks downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. The Griffith Observatory is Southern California’s gateway to the cosmos. Admission is free for you to enter. According to Griffithobservatory.org, there have been more people look through the telescope here than any other telescope around the world. This facility is an amazing learning experience for you to learn about the sky.

9 9. Griffith Park

If the stunning views from the Griffith Observatory weren’t enough you can go to the Griffith Park to enjoy a horse back ride. However, I heard rumors that the park was closing down the stables so if that option is not available anymore then you can always enjoy the animals at the LA Zoo and Botanical Gardens. The LA Zoo and Botanical Gardens is right behind Griffith Park. It’s definitely a hidden gem containing wild animals such as giraffes, elephants, lions, 29 endangered animals, and more. The gardens have over 800 different plant species and 7,400 individual plants for you to see.

8 8. China Town

After visiting the LA Zoo and Botanical Gardens, your tummy must be rumbling. Drive over to China Town to grab some lunch. China Town is a festive destination for dining and shopping. You will see traditional style restaurants, pagoda-style buildings with red lanterns, bakeries, dim sum houses, and the Taiost Thien Hau Temple. There are even two schools and a branch library located here. The architecture and the food are out of this world. China Town will make you believe that you have completely left Los Angeles. It is a gorgeous town with delicious food and amazing sights to see.

7 7. Downtown L.A.

After you fill your rumbling tummy, head on over to Downtown Los Angeles. Downtown L.A. was not always a touristy location. In fact, it has a lot of catching up to do. However, there are some museums and beautiful buildings to see. You can stop at Walt Disney’s Concert Hall if you enjoy musical concerts or you can stop at the Broad. The Broad is a new contemporary art museum. It is home to Eli and Edythe Broad’s 2,000 post-war works of art. Or you can enjoy the Grand Park found in Downtown LA. There are several destinations for you to see in Downtown LA, but watch your time as your only here for 24-hours.

6 6. Korea Town

I know you all ready ate in China Town; however, visiting Korea Town will be worth the drive. You won’t want to miss out on this cultural hub in Los Angeles. You can stop at the Line Hotel, which has some of the best lounge areas in Los Angeles. If you don’t want to relax in a lounge you can stop at The Wiltern and enjoy the theatre. Also, you can immerse yourself in to the Korean Culture by visiting the Korean American National Museum. Whatever place you decide to visit here in Korea Town, you will be transported from America to Korea and it won’t disappoint.

5 5. Paramount Studios

You will definitely want to make time for a tour of the Paramount Studios. This famous studio allows tours of its historic backlot sets and prop warehouse. You can explore over 100 years of history, and an intimate behind-the-scenes experience. This studio has been the production site to thousands of notable movies and television shows. The Paramount Studios has not stopped producing yet so you will get a chance to see on-going production scenes. There are a whopping 65 acres of land and 30 stages to be able to produce some of the most notable movies and television shows.

4 4. LACMA Way

After soaking up the history at the Paramount Studios, head over to the LACMA Way. The LACMA Way is an art museum that collects art spanning from history and geography of Los Angeles. According to LACMA.org, it is the largest museum in the western United States. The museum has over 135,000 objects that magnify over 6,000 years of history from Los Angeles. The museum attracts over 1.5 million visitors annually. This museum has stunning art you will want to see before you leave Los Angeles. The most popular artwork on the campus is the Urban Light. It is comprised of restored streetlights from the 1920’s and 1930’s. It is a beautiful sight to walk through especially at night.

3 3. Museums Near Hollywood

I know your day is ending quick and you are probably exhausted now, but if you still have energy there are so many more museums you can check out near Hollywood.You can tour the Hollywood Heritage Museum, Museums of Illusions, the Hollywood Museum, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, and many more. I know you have already toured one wax museum, but you would not want to miss touring Madame Tussauds Museum in Hollywood. It is a huge tourist attraction located on Hollywood Boulevard. You can meet the famous and the infamous from movie sets here, singers, and more celebrities.

2 2. Dinner In Marina Del Rey

Now that the sun is quickly fading away, it is time for dinner! You can catch a cruise ship for a starlight dinner in Marina Del Rey. The cruise will give you the perfect view of the sunset, or if it is already past dark the cruise will give you a great view of the moon reflecting off the water top and the stars dazzling in the sky. If you are like some and get sea sick, you can eat dinner at Salt. Salt has one of the best views of the marina in Marina Del Rey. It is located in the Marina Del Rey hotel. Salt offers a one-of-a-kind view of the boats as they cruise by and the ocean. Their menu ranges from fish and chips to lobster pasta.

1 1. Luxurious Hotel For The Night

If you are like me and enjoy spending more than 30 minutes to an hour at each location listed above, then I suggest picking a few out and touring them. Each spot is a hot spot for tourist attractions, historical markers, and more. After the day you just had you will surely want a nice hotel to stay in now. Since you finished your dinner at Salt I suggest staying at the Marina Del Rey hotel, because it is newly revamped and it will give you the perfect views of the sunrise on the beach before you have to catch your flight in the morning. The hotel is only 17 minutes from the Los Angeles Airport (LAX). I hope you enjoy your stay and have a wonderful mini-vacation in the City of Angels.

References: tripsavy.com, hollywoodsign.com, lazoo.org, lacma.org