Exploring LA County 2024

[u/WhisenPeppler]

1. Autry Museum
2. Museum of Neon Art
3. Columbia Memorabilia Space Center
4. The Rubel Castle
5. Petersen Automotive Museum
6. Funko Hollywood
7. McDonald's @ Downey
8. USS lowa
9. Mattel HQ @ El Segundo
10. Wilson Observatory
11. Warner Bros Studio tour
12. Western Museum of Flight
13. Space X HQ @ Hawthorne
14. Old Travel Town
15. American Military Museum
16. California Science Center
17. Blackbird Airpark @ Palmdale
18. The Proud Bird near LAX
19. Paramount Studios tour
20. Sony Pictures studios tour

[u/emilyogre]

What da hell. I live in LA and have never visited a lot of these places LOL

[u/WhisenPeppler → u/emilyogre]

There’s a lot to see in LA as long as you’re willing to put up with traffic.

[u/_its_a_SWEATER_ → u/WhisenPeppler]

There goes my social life.

[u/casey-primozic → u/WhisenPeppler]

Probably best to use public transit for the ones on the routes at least

[u/book1245 → u/emilyogre]

Silver lining of the pandemic era was that it inspired/pushed me to finally go explore so many LA sites that had been in the back of my mind for years. Never too late!

[u/tiny-rabbit → u/emilyogre]

I’m at 3/20 and have also lived here my whole life. All 3 were elementary school field trips lol

[u/9Implements → u/tiny-rabbit]

I’m at 4 and half we’re basically just because I knew somebody.

[u/9Implements → u/emilyogre]

Most people probably haven’t.

[u/westondeboer]

There we go a proper post

[u/DoucheBro6969]

What's the deal with the Downey McDonalds? I've been to the one in San Bernardino, which is now an unofficial McDonalds museum, but I don't know anything about the Downey one.

[u/WhisenPeppler → u/DoucheBro6969]

One in San Bernadino is the first McDonald’s in the world. Downey one is third or fourth McDonald’s and is the oldest McDonald’s that’s still operating in the world.

[u/Glittering-Panic-131 → u/WhisenPeppler]

And one of the only ones in the US that still serves the apple pies the correct way – fried.

[u/DoucheBro6969 → u/WhisenPeppler]

Cool

[u/Pluckt007]

1 a month. 2025. Let's go!

Edit: post saved

[u/WhisenPeppler → u/Pluckt007]

Some of these places are really close to each other that you can visit a some of them at once. For instance, Autry Museum and Old Travel Town are only like 2-3 minutes by a car and they are all in Griffith Park.

[u/aguywithnolegs]

Thanks for sharing the list OP

[u/cyberspacestation]

Neat how at the California Science Center you were able to get the space shuttle in the background. That must've been a while ago, because they've built much of the surrounding structure already.

[u/WittyClerk]

Good shots! So happy you checked all this out. Hope you had a great time. Southern California is a truly amazing place. <3

[u/SoarsBelowMyWaste]

Based on your interests, check out the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino. Technically not in LA County, but still worth a visit.

[u/Ellisrsp]

You seem to enjoy militaria. There's an SK Gasoline station on the corner of Sawtelle and National Blvd. and the owner is a bit of a collector. At the gas station (and you can see it on Google Maps) is Sherman tank, an M3 or an M5 tank, an M41 tank, a couple of rotting DUKW landing craft, a couple of old cabover trucks, and Ahrens Fox fire truck from, like, the early 1930s and a couple of other automotive odds and ends hanging around.

There's a small LAFD museum near the Iowa (actually across the street from the Maritime Museum) that packs a lot of history into a very small space. And a small railroad museum located in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Lomita.

[u/WhisenPeppler → u/Ellisrsp]

That’s really good to know!

[u/hit_it_steve]

Thanks for sharing these! I’ve been to four on your list and I’d love to hit a few more of those spots someday! (Visitor from NorCal)

[u/BratS94]

OP, you visited a lot of great spots! I was actually surprised to see you made it to Palmdale. They don’t get much recognition since they’re pretty far north in LA county.

[u/WhisenPeppler → u/BratS94]

I like airplanes and it’s still LA.

[u/djmattyd]

The Rubel Castle is pretty incredible. Went to a movie screening there and the inside of it really highlights what a huge accomplishment it was to construct something like this.

[u/kitafloyd]

Is Rubel Castle open to the public again?

[u/WhisenPeppler → u/kitafloyd]

It was when I went there. I signed up for a tour on their website.

[u/pollology]

Museum of neon art is one of my fave rooms in all of Los Angeles County.

[u/THCrunkadelic]

Great job! But all these planes and I’m surprised you missed the Reagan Presidential Library!

[u/WhisenPeppler → u/THCrunkadelic]

I did go there! But that’s in Ventura County!

[u/THCrunkadelic → u/WhisenPeppler]

😂

[u/Uda880]

20 years in LA and I still haven't been to some if the spots on this list

[u/davidromro]

Columbia *Memorial Space Center

[u/WhisenPeppler → u/davidromro]

Thanks for correcting it. I knew I made some typos but didn’t know where it was.

[u/saidtheCat]

Someone loves transportation!

[u/awesometown3000]

Old Travel Town implies the existence of a newer, more modern travel town somewhere else

[u/c0de_m0nkey]

Thanks for posting again!

[u/aasturi2]

I used to drive past that McDonald’s on my way home from work everyday on my hour 20 minute commute.

[u/reagsters]

So the 19th one is on the paramount lot, and the last time I checked (2017) they had no idea what movie the purple Frankenstein in the top center is from.

Is that still the case? Any Reddit sleuths know anything about it?