It’s hard to believe that this 87-acre, flowering and fruiting, sprouting and sprawling blast of life (we’re talking around 2000 species) was reclaimed from former landfill. Plant shows and sales take place year-round. Themed gardens include Mediterranean, rose, drought-friendly (always an issue in California), herb, Japanese and more.
South Coast Botanic Garden
South Bay Beaches
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
23.26 MILES
With eyes on both the galaxy above and palm-flanked boulevards below, the Griffith Observatory hovers above LA like a hulking spacecraft. This is one of…
20.38 MILES
What started as a simple berry farm is now a sprawling 160-acre operation with rides, live shows and lovable Peanuts characters roaming the grounds. Knott…
15.99 MILES
Prepare for a sensory overload on Venice's Boardwalk, a one-of-a-kind experience. Buff bodybuilders brush elbows with street performers and sellers of…
17.86 MILES
Once the very end of the legendary Route 66 and still the object of a tourist love affair, this much-photographed pier dates back to 1908 and is the city…
Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
27.38 MILES
One of the most delightful, inspirational spots in LA, the Huntington is rightly a highlight of any trip to California thanks to a world-class mix of art,…
19.48 MILES
From the instant it opened in September 2015, the Broad (rhymes with 'road') became a must-visit for contemporary-art fans. It houses the world-class…
21.68 MILES
In its billion-dollar, in-the-clouds perch, high above the city grit and grime, the Getty Center presents triple delights: a stellar art collection …
24.49 MILES
Dodge dinosaurs, hang with Homer Simpson and morph into a Minion on the sometimes hair-raising, always entertaining attractions at Universal Studios…
Nearby South Bay Beaches attractions
2.19 MILES
Among the 'residents' of this cemetery is Charles Bukowski, buried in plot number 875 of the Ocean View section.
3.29 MILES
The most stunning non-natural attraction on Palos Verdes was built by Lloyd Wright (son of Frank) in 1951, and no matter where you stand among the great…
3. Abalone Cove Shoreline Park
3.44 MILES
The best place to hunt for starfish, anemones and other tide-pool critters is in and around this rock-strewn eco-preserve. The walk down to the beach gets…
4.26 MILES
Redondo Beach is a working-class beach town, the largest in the South Bay and the most ethnically diverse. As it wanders inland it bleeds into neighboring…
6. Point Vicente Interpretive Center
4.64 MILES
Binocular-toting whale watchers gather north of the adjacent lighthouse between December and April when Pacific gray whales embark on their fascinating…
4.67 MILES
Watch the earth curve and the sea crash on the Point Vicente bluffs while leaning against the gleaming-white 1926 lighthouse, which was staffed until 1971…
8. Fort MacArthur Military Museum
4.75 MILES
Just north of Point Fermin and west of the Korean Friendship Bell, this rambling, 20-acre facility was an LA harbor defensive post until 1945, as well as…