Photo: Mike Dillon, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Perched in the foothills of Los Feliz beneath Griffith Park on a winding residential street is this massive Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house, constructed using textile blocks reminiscent of an ancient Mayan temple. The building is notable for its use as a filming location, appearing in numerous films and television shows including the 1959 House on Haunted Hill, the mansion in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and most notably in Blade Runner, as well as numerous commercials, fashion shoots, and music videos. Unfortunately, the house is only open for tours a handful of days each year, but both sides of its impressive exterior can easily be viewed from the street.
The Ennis House is a residence at 2607–2655 Glendower Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States. Designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the Mayan Revival style for the businessman Charles Ennis and his wife Mabel, it was completed in 1925 on top of a hill in Los Feliz. The house is the largest of four concrete textile block houses that Wright designed in Greater Los Angeles in the 1920s, the others being La Miniatura, the Storer House, and the Freeman House. The house has frequently been used as a filming location—appearing in films such as Blade Runner—in part because of its design and proximity to Hollywood. The Ennis House is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and California Historical Landmark, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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An outdoor amphitheater, opened in 1930 and so named because the stage is modeled after a Greek temple, set in Griffith Park and regularly used for concerts. Parking can be a problem as it is on a hill in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
A popular tourist attraction, this Art Deco landmark was built in the 1930s and has since appeared in many films, most notably Rebel Without a Cause, which is honored at the observatory with a statue of James Dean on the grounds. The outside offers a beautiful panorama of the city of Los Angeles, which is especially stunning at night, as well as some of the best views of the Hollywood Sign. Inside is an extensive array of space- and science-related displays, including a Foucault pendulum and a Tesla coil. The planetarium shows are entertaining, with a live narrator.
Founded by occultist Manly P. Hall, PRS describes itself as "a repository of multicultural wisdom sources and a center of learning." The organization operates a bookstore, event space, and Hall's collection also formed the basis for the PRS library of approximately 30,000 volumes, which is accessible to the public. PRS hosts a variety of eclectic events, from lectures and film screenings, to game nights and tarot readings.
A shady oasis tucked alongside one of the main entrances into Griffith Park, this naturalistic area has numerous ferns and tropical plants alongside a small stream, with a nature trail and a picnic area that makes it a wonderful retreat on hot summer days.
Metro: Vermont/Sunset
A small hill in East Hollywood with sweeping views of the neighborhood as well as an arts complex on top that serves the local community, with an art center that offers classes to adults and children, a community theater, the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, which holds changing exhibits of art from local artists, and Hollyhock House, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is open to the public. Hollyhock House is one of eight buildings by Wright to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
A 1/3-scale miniature railroad that offers rides along a mile-long track and that's very popular with kids.