The only way to wear a winter coat and see snow if you live in Los Angeles is to take a road trip since winter is a myth. The good news is that there is no shortage of places to go for a winter vacation in Los Angeles, whether you want to relax in a cabin or hit the slopes. Indulge in some much-needed me-time, or round up the crew for a social outing; either way, we’ve got you covered. We’ve compiled a list of the top cold-weather getaways from L.A. and estimated travel times to each location.
Hollywood Christmas Parade – An Annual Parade
This long-standing custom cannot be separated from Christmas Eve in Los Angeles. Santa will lead floats and a band down Hollywood Boulevard after the annual Thanksgiving parade. The parade kicks out promptly at 6:00 p.m. There are plenty of free vantage points along the route, and the grandstand seats that cost money. If you’d rather sit on the ground, there are bleacher seats between Highland Avenue and Orange Drive. The route will begin at Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Street and make a U-shape before heading east.
Book A Walking Tour With The Los Angeles Conservancy
Downtown Los Angeles is like a walking museum, with fascinating historical features lying in plain sight among its contemporary skyscrapers and numerous upscale businesses.
You need only know the right places to look. The Los Angeles Conservancy, established in the 1970s in response to plans to demolish the Central Library, now operates some tours open to residents and visitors. For instance, the Conservancy’s Art Deco Walking Tour transports visitors back in time to the Jazz Age with stops at colourful buildings like the Eastern Columbia Lofts and the Wholesale Jewelry Mart.
Union Station was “the last significant train station erected during the golden era of rail travel,” thus rail enthusiasts may find the trip particularly interesting.
Sing Along – A Fun Tradition
Everyone enjoys a good Christmas song, so if you’d want to join in on a massive public performance, you’re more than welcome to do so. Many well-known Christmas carols will be sung as a group, including “Jingle Bells,” “Silver Bells,” and “O Christmas Tree.” We’ll give you a lyrics sheet and have a band play along with you. It’s a contemporary take on a holiday tradition. Therefore, it’s one of the most exciting things to do in Los Angeles over the holiday season.
West Adams garden
Looking for some peace after the craziness of the holidays? There is no need to go so far from Los Angeles to experience the peace and New Age spirituality that places like Ojai and Joshua Tree offer.
On the other hand, the Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens are a verdant haven hidden behind a beaux-arts house in the middle of old West Adams and are well worth an afternoon of your time. The gardens were developed by the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, featured in a moving article by Times features writer Julissa James, who compiled a list of 21 activities and locations in Los Angeles that let you accept solitude.
As James puts it in his article, there is a certain aura of mystery about the Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens. The site’s historical significance will take you back in time.
To get some peace, James suggests taking a stroll around the travertine marble labyrinth inspired by the layout of the Chartres Cathedral in France. There are 16 water features, a koi pond, and peaceful spots to sit and think throughout the garden.
From 1 to 4 p.m., guests may stroll around the gardens and labyrinth. Every other week on Wednesdays and Sundays. Here you may purchase your $5 in advance tickets.
LACMA
The official portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama usually are only viewable by making a trip to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
However, as part of its five-city U.S. tour, you may see “The Obama Portraits Tour,” a collection of five works of art, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art right now.
The museum is displaying these portraits along with the exhibition “Black American Portraits” at LACMA, which has over 140 paintings and photographs spanning 200 years.
In her recent compilation of 15 activities for Christmas houseguests, Times features writer Jeanette Marantos recommended watching “Black American Portraits.” To accommodate the high number of people who want to see the Obamas’ portraits, Marantos said they are being shown together as the only paintings in a big room.
Don’t forget to bring your camera to LACMA and snap some pictures at popular attractions like the 25-foot-tall granite boulder in the “Levitated Mass” exhibit and the “Urban Light” cluster of streetlights. Marantos adds that if tourists stand in the appropriate spot on the trail below the boulder, they may fake hoisting the 340-ton rock over their heads for a picture. At LACMA, you may see the Obama portraits through January 2. There is a strict need for advanced ticket purchases, which you can find and do right here. To soak in the holiday spirit, a trip to Los Angeles throughout the holiday season is the ideal option.
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