Rainy Day Fun in Los Angeles!
Wow… it is raining and pouring. We don’t hear anyone snoring… though how can you with the thundering water falling from the sky? This is LA, land of sunshine and now, apparently, rain. Good news is, that the hills are gorgeous and all this rain is really helping the extreme drought California has been facing. While that fact might only make residents feel better, if you are visiting LA during this wet and wild time, we do have some great INDOOR locations for you to visit while you are here. And if you want to dance down Hollywood boulevard like you are Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, you can do that as well – just remember to bring your umbrella. Here are 5 of our favorite indoor places to visit.
The GRAMMY Museum
Located in Downtown LA, The GRAMMY museum boasts 4 floors and various exhibits. If you start on the 4th floor, you will find Janis Joplin’s psychedelic porsche, which has been restored to its original fun and funky condition. Or you can delve into the creative process of some of these musical geniuses by checking out the original lyrics that they wrote to famous songs like Taylor Swifts “Tim McGraw” and John Lennons “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”.
The museum is also an interactive experience as it has sensitive touch-screens where you can look at photos and listen to music from various genres. You can also learn what it is like in the different stages of producing commercial soundtracks inside another interactive exhibit and you can record your own track and remix it. The GRAMMY museum also holds live performances and seminars at the Clive Davis Theater as well as public programs with award winning musicians.
California Science Center
Did you ever want to be an astronaut or do you love everything to do with space? Then the California Science Center is the place to go. Admission is free, which great on the pocket book. While there you can view The Space Shuttle Endeavour up close and see the images and artifacts associated with this incredible space shuttle. You can also check out The World of Life and examine how people, plants, animals and the tiniest living cells all perform the same life processes to survive. Then of course there are the jets. You will have a tough time keeping the “Top Gun” theme song from running through their heads while viewing one of the military jets on display including the SR-71 Blackbird and F-4’s. But that’s not all, parents won’t mind reaching into their wallet to pay for an experience in the 3D IMAX theater, which plays movies with a scientific or nature bent. While admission to the center is free, you need to make a reservation to see the Endeavor with a small fee (usually $2).
Natural History Museum
After you go to the California Science Center, you can go over to the Natural History Museum. Your kids will love the dinosaur encounter where realistic T. rex and Triceratops large-scale puppets capture the imaginations of audiences in performances each week. Plus, there are over 300 real fossils and 20 complete skeletons, including three Tyrannosaurus Rex showing them at different life stages. You can also go on an indoor African safari, see the extensive spider pavilion. And now, you can check out the Butterfly Pavillion which has over 40 species of live butterflies.
Peterson Automotive Museum
If you like to go like “Greased Lightning” or glide through the night like “Batman” or just want to see these famous movie cars in person, then The Petersen Automotive Museum is the place to go get out of the rain. Focusing on the automobile and its impact on American life, this 300,000 square foot facility has over 150 rare and classic cars, trucks and motorcycles. Founded in 1994 by magazine publisher Robert E. Petersen, and his wife Margie, the $40-million Petersen Automotive Museum is owned and operated by the Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation and is housed in a historic department store that was designed by Welton Becket. The vehicles are on display in 25 galleries. And, if you are really lucky (and meet the age requirements), then you can visit the “Vault” on the basement level. Currently the Vault houses the spectacular one-of-one 1925/34 “Round Door” Rolls-Royce Phantom I Aerodynamic Coupe, a Ferrari given to Henry Ford II by Enzo Ferrari, a rare Jaguar XKSS formerly owned by actor Steve McQueen, a Mercedes used by Sadam Hussein and a 1939 Bugatti given to the Shah of Iran as a wedding present. Tours last over an hour and photography is not permitted. Temperatures in the vault can be low, so its good if you keep your warm clothes on – which in this weather is not a problem!
Tour with us
Navigating a new city is hard enough without it raining. It can be aggravating when you get lost and you don’t want to have to get out of the car and trek a long way from your parking space to check out LA in the rain. This is where LA Insider Tours comes in. All of our vehicles are extremely comfortable. Our guides are experts on LA and can show you the best places to go and things to see. We know where to park and the best way to get to all of your desired destinations. Our goal is to keep you comfortable while exploring this great city.
All of our tours are private and fully customizable and our vehicles are very comfortable. Our fun, friendly and knowledgable guides will show you LA in a way you will never forget! Call us today to book and see all of the amazing sites of Los Angeles!We have had a 5-star rating on TripAdvisor since 2011 and all of our tours are completely private, custom tours with just you and your family — like your friend in LA taking you around town.
Call us at 800-549-6625 or email us today to book!