Summer Is Heating Up with Plenty of Fun Things to Do in LA
There are rooftop movies, shows at The Bowl, and more things to do in Los Angeles right now.
Summer is almost halfway over, with the Halloween decorations already taking over Costco, so it’s time to get out there and do all that sweet summery stuff you haven’t gotten to yet. Here are 13 ideas in LA (and beyond) to get you started. Now close your laptop and go have some fun. And for more ideas on how to live your best life, check out our weekend guide.
Food & Drink in LA
Poolside bars in LA
Ongoing
Various locations, Prices vary
We’re in a city with an inordinate number of swimming pools, so if you don’t have one in your backyard, no big deal, as you can likely toss a bottle of SPF 50 and hit a glimmering oasis nearby. For a dose of vacation vibes, sidle up for a sipper at a poolside hotel bar. You can grab a creative cocktail at Downtown’s Freehand Hotel at the acclaimed rooftop pool-adjacent bar Broken Shaker. And as a non-hotel guest, you can also luxuriate on a chaise lounge chair and go for a swim if you spend $65 on food and drink (which won’t be all that hard, given adult beverages are $18 a pop). At the nearby historic Hotel Figueroa, the two-story cocktail lounge LaCasita overlooks the property’s cool coffin-shaped pool and offers lots of tequila-based concoctions as well as Baja-inspired bites like ceviche and chicken al pastor tacos, with poolside DJs spinning Saturday and Sunday afternoons and Friday and Saturday nights. Fresh off a renovation, Viceroy Santa Monica’s restaurant and bar Sugar Palm is a fine place for some post-beach imbibing with cocktails centered around fresh produce like the vodka-based Rose Moon done with strawberry-habanero syrup and basil.
Wine tastings in LA
Ongoing
Various locations, Prices vary
The LA area may not be an international destination for oenophiles, but there are plenty of good options for Angelenos who want to spend the day sipping local juice. The Sunday Funday hotspot Malibu Wines & Beer Garden in West Hills serves its wines by the tasting flight, glass, or bottle, and they also have local craft beer, plus pizza on weekends. They’re also offering tours if you want to break a sweat while you sip. And Angeleno Wine Company continues to push boundaries with natural wines sourced from local grapes in interesting varietals like Godello, Loureiro, and Treixadura. There are also plenty of wine tastings and pairing dinners around town from enthusiasts like Clink and Westside Winos, and if you’re up for a longer trip, Temecula Valley, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo are awash in wineries and well worth the drive.
Farmers markets in LA
Ongoing
Various locations, Prices vary
LA’s farmers markets are more abundant than ever, giving Angelenos daily opportunities to stock their fridges with fresh produce, pantry items, and desserts. Come summer, the bounty is better than ever, with offerings like perfect peaches, super sweet corn, and uber-juicy tomatoes. If Downtown Santa Monica’s massive market is too much to take on right away, work your way up with a visit to Culver City’s farmers market on Tuesdays from 2 to 7 pm or head to The Original Farmer’s Market at 3rd and Fairfax (open daily) early to beat the rush. If you’re up early on a Saturday, the Crenshaw, East LA, and Torrance farmers markets are great, less crowded options. Downtown, the L.A. City Hall Farmers’ Market runs from 10 am to 2 pm every Thursday.
Arts & Entertainment in LA
August 11–13 and 18–20
Palm Springs, $195 and up
Part music festival, part pool party, the back-to-back Splash House weekends are an ode to EDM in Palm Springs’ blazing desert heat. Luckily, festival goers get to take in the tunes from the cooling waters of hotel pools. This year—Splash House’s 10th anniversary—expect sets by acts including CID, J Worra, Flight Facilities, LB Giobbi, Vintage Culture, Wax Motif, and Ship Wreck, which will take place at the colorful (and always Instagrammable) Saguaro hotel in addition to the Renaissance and Margaritaville resort, with shuttles running between them. Come evening, the fest moves to the nearby Air Museum with an afterparty running until 2 am.
Through September 17
Montebello, $26.90 and up
Jumping on the immersive pop-up bandwagon, Bubble World is a wild and whimsical sensory experience filled with everything from soap bubbles to ball pits to mega-size bubbles to hot air balloon simulators spread out over 10 rooms, so great ready for some photo ops. The whole shebang lasts about an hour … and is a great go-to for an AC-heavy activity on a hot afternoon.
Ongoing
Universal City, $109 and up
Yep, we’re talking about the much-anticipated Super Nintendo World—a dream come true for gamers but also a lot of fun for the rest of us. The biggest attraction is the tech-heavy Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge ride, where you compete to win the Golden Cup. While perusing the park, you’ll also get the chance to interact with characters, including Mario and Luigi and hear old-school video game music that’s sure to become an earworm. And make sure to grab a bite at the Toadstool Cafe, where you can nosh on Super Mushroom soup and a Princess Peach cupcake.
Ongoing
Hollywood Hills, Prices vary
Few amphitheaters are more magical than The Hollywood Bowl, nestled in the Hollywood Hills. Yes, getting in and out is never fun, but once you get there (right as the sun is setting), indulge in a gourmet picnic and a few bottles of wine, and then catch an amazing act, and you’ll have forgotten all about that LA traffic ... until it’s time to head home, at least. The season is still in full swing, running through the end of September currently, but be on the lookout for October additions. Portugal. The Man, Boy George and Culture Club, The Lumineers, John Legend, and more are on the calendar, plus that annual Angeleno rite of passage Sing-a-Long Sound of Music.
Outdoor Movies in LA
Ongoing
Various locations, Prices vary
Starry skies, balmy air, and the big screen. You can’t let a summer go by in LA without seeing a movie at one of our many outdoor theaters. Rooftop Cinema Club offers rooftop movies practically every night of the week right now atop Downtown’s Level Hotel as well as at shopping and dining complex ROW in the nearby Arts District and on the top level of a parking structure in El Segundo—all with deckchairs, personal headsets, lots of food and drink options, and even dedicated dog-friendly screenings. Upcoming flicks include everything from Casablanca to Clueless. On the roof of WeHo’s E.P. & L.P. Melrose Rooftop Theatre screens a mix of pop classics (heavy on the ’80s and ’90s flicks like Coming to America, Top Gun, and Dirty Dancing), where guests can get snacks and cocktails delivered directly to their seats and have the option to add a pre-movie rooftop dinner. And Cinespia’s fabled outdoor movie series at Hollywood Forever Cemetery is happening on Saturday nights, with flicks like Scarface, Kill Bill, and Poltergeist.
Ongoing
East Hollywood, $7
Though the majority of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed properties are located in the Midwest and on the East Coast, we have an iconic piece of his architecture right in our backyard that also happens to be open to the public. The legendary architect designed the Hollyhock House, a 5,000-square-foot Mayan Revival-style home set on a hilltop for an oil heiress nearly a century ago, and the structure underwent a complete restoration a few years back. The property (which made the UNESCO World Heritage List) is open Thursday-Saturday for self-guided tours (though you’ve got to book a ticket ahead online). Bring a picnic to take down before or after in the adjacent Barnsdall Park now that the weather’s cooperating.
Museums in LA
Ongoing
Various locations, Prices vary; CAAM and the Hammer Museum are always free
Sometimes you just want a chill day of wandering through museum halls and learning a thing or two at our city’s outstanding cultural institutions. After a summer hiatus, the California African American Museum (CAAM) reopens on August 4 with an evening reopening party starting at 7 pm. At LACMA, you can catch Light, Space, Surface: Selections from LACMA’s Collection, which explores the art of light and space in addition to related works with highly polished surfaces often referred to as “finish fetish,” and runs until October. In July, the Hammer Museum unveiled Kara Walker: Selections from the Hammer Contemporary Collection, which explores notions of racial supremacy, drawing inspiration from depictions of the antebellum South to create some compelling narratives. Catch it now through September 3.
More Fun Things to Do in LA
Beaches in LA
Ongoing
Various locations, free
Everyone who doesn’t live in California imagines everyone who does is chilling at the beach most days of the week and maybe even taking a slow-motion Baywatch-style run along the water’s edge once in a while. Prove them right by actually setting foot on the sand and looking at that big blue thing better known as the Pacific Ocean at some point this summer. If you simply can’t sit still, sign up for a surf lesson, rent a standup paddleboard, pedal the bike path, take an oceanfront yoga class, or get in on a beach volleyball game.
Ongoing
Griffith Park, $22 and up
Whether or not you’ve ever even thought about going to see blue-eyed black lemurs, western lowland gorillas, Nigerian dwarf goats, and southern hairy-nosed wombats, now is the time because all of the above—along with around 270 other species of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians—are currently living their best lives at the LA Zoo, which is right in our own backyard. If you’re looking to catch the residents after hours, hit up LA Zoo Friday Nights through August 18, when you can see what the animals are up to during twilight while taking advantage of live musical performances and other fun stuff like family-friendly interactive education stations and (un-family friendly) full bars with cocktails for purchase.
Volunteering in LA
Ongoing
Various locations, free; donations accepted
Volunteering gets a lot of buzz around the holidays, but nonprofits focused on making the lives of our fellow citizens better need help all year round. Established and successful nonprofits are always looking for volunteers—Homeboy Industries or 826LA, for example. Also consider the LA Mutual Aid Network, a collection of people doing direct, street-level service for others on a weekly basis. The City of LA also has its own portal, VolunteerLA, to help connect people with opportunities to get involved.