LA’s Best Urban Adventures to Safely Explore Now

With beautiful weather on the horizon, it’s time to get out and discover new places to safely explore near Circa. Los Angeles is bustling with urban adventures, from immersive drive-thru entertainment to Instagram-worthy outdoor art installations, gorgeous gardens, and even a decadent drive-thru Fair Food festival. Did you know the LA Zoo just reopened? Many of the animals are endangered species, and support for the zoo helps to save these creatures from extinction. You might even meet a meerkat or two. Please note that many venues require tickets to be purchased in advance. Check websites for details.

Jerry Moss Plaza urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

A Quiet Scene Installation The Music Center 135 N. Grand Ave. Los Angeles 90012

The Music Center is presenting a new public screening and sound installation exhibited on LED screens at the Jerry Moss Plaza, in collaboration with non-profit radio station dublab. The screening includes more than 100 short film finalists and winning entries from A Quiet Scene, an audio-visual project created by pioneering ambient music artists and brothers Roger Eno and Brian Eno. The video project arose from a public competition by record label Deutsche Grammophon in support of the brothers’ first collaborative studio album, Mixing Colours, which was released in 2020.

Stranger Things urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience ROW DTLA 777 Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90021

Attention all Stranger Things fans. It’s time to travel back in time to 1985 and become a Hawkins resident – in real life. Adventure calls, so gather your friends and drive to the Starcourt Mall. Immerse yourself in the thrilling world of Stranger Things, where you will take part in a drive thru experience like no other. Unlock the story of Hawkins in this unique format as you savor some of the best moments from this Netflix series, and maybe even witness some unforeseen and unusual occurrences.

Electric Mile urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Electric Mile Santa Anita Park 285 W Huntington Dr. Arcadia, CA 91007

Explore the Insomniac Worlds on your voyage through Electric Mile, a drive thru audiovisual adventure from the minds behind Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC). Journey through seven unique worlds of Insomniac’s most iconic festivals and brands, including EDC, Beyond Wonderland, Nocturnal Wonderland, Escape, and Countdown, complete with music, lights, art, visual effects, installations, and more, in a COVID-friendly environment.

LACMA Miss Forest urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

LACMA Outdoor Installations 5905 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036

Although LACMA’s indoor galleries are closed and the museum is undergoing a major renovation, three iconic, large-scale outdoor installations – Chris Burden’s Urban Light, Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass, and Yoshitomo Nara’s Miss Forest – are available to view. Miss Forest (LACMA Version) (2020), is Nara’s largest outdoor sculpture to date and the newest iteration in this series. Created for LACMA’s exhibition Yoshitomo Nara, the sculpture is currently installed at the southeast corner of BCAM along Wilshire Boulevard. More details HERE

LACMA Levitated Mass urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Levitated Mass by Michael Heizer

Located in LACMA’s backyard, this ginormous 340 ton chunk of a granite lies over a concrete trench that you can walk through to get a closer view, or stand under the oversized rock. The artist originally conceived of the art piece in 1969, but only recently did he find the right boulder to actualize his vision for this art installation. The boulder was found in Riverside and transported to LACMA in 2012, and has since become a “rock star” in the art world. It’s free to check during LACMA’s operating hours and is a great piece for “forced perspective” shots.

Museum of Dream Space urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Museum of Dream Space Beverly Center 8500 Beverly Blvd. #656 Los Angeles, CA 90048

​Museum of Dream Space (MODS) has reopened with special safety guidelines. MODS is the first museum mainly exhibiting digital art in the United States. The design concept of MODS is inspired by art design from renowned artist Yayoi Kusama (famous for infinite rooms) and the development of digital art. The aim of MODS is to provide an immersive, magical and unique art appreciative experiences to the visitors. The uniqueness of MODS is to break the limitation of physical media, extend the art by digital technology and to provide the largest freedom of visitors experiencing the arts, which realize the physical extension of the arts.

The Huntington Library Chinese Garden urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Huntington Botanical Gardens 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, CA 91108 

New views await in the The Huntington’s Chinese Garden. Visitors can now explore an additional 13 acres of gardens and pavilions in the newly expanded Liu Fang Yuan, the Garden of Flowing Fragrance. In 1903 Henry E. Huntington purchased the San Marino Ranch, a working ranch with citrus groves, nut and fruit orchards, alfalfa crops, a small herd of cows, and poultry. Today, the estate is home to 16 spectacular themed gardens spread across 120 acres, including Desert Garden, Camellia & Rose Gardens, Japanese Garden, Jungle Garden, and Herb Garden. The gardens are open but galleries remain closed. All visitors including members must reserve tickets online in advance.

Lita Albuquerque Red Earth urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Lita Albuquerque Red Earth Huntington Botanical Gardens1151 Oxford Road San Marino, CA 91108 

As part of its Centennial Celebration, The Huntington commissioned an art installation by Los Angeles-based artist Lita Albuquerque. Installed near the southern entrance to the Japanese Garden, Albuquerque’s Red Earth features an approximately six-by-four-foot rock slab coated with bright red pigment and surrounded by bamboo stalks affixed with copper-colored bands. The work contrasts dramatically with the cool greens of the shady bamboo grove and is intended to mark its specific location in time and space. Red Earth incorporates color and light to convey motion and stillness “because only through stillness can we discover the motion of the cosmos,” says Albuquerque.

Fair Food Fest urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Fair Food Fest Rose Bowl Drive Through 1001 Rose Bowl Dr. Pasadena, CA 91103

Fair Foodie Fest is hosting their free drive through event at the Rose Bowl Stadium every weekend through February. Customers can enjoy free admission to a safe no contact drive thru fair experience featuring all of your crave-able fair food favorites for purchase including giant turkey legs, Krispy Kreme donut cheeseburgers, roasted corn, Hawaiian teriyaki chicken pineapple bowls, taco plates, BBQ, and more. Attendees who register and claim their free car entry ticket will receive a free mini powdered sugar funnel cake (limit 1 per car, while supplies last). Free tickets are available HERE  

LA Zoo urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens 5333 Zoo Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90027

The LA Zoo is back. And lots of adorable babies were born last year, including a litter of meerkat pups, a baby gorilla, a cute condor chick, and a sweet little bighorn lamb. Come and see how these young ones are growing and thriving. Many of the animal are endangered species, and support for the zoo helps to save these creatures from extinction. Throughout the closure, the zoo continued to provide the 1,400 animals with world-class care, even without visitors and the critical revenue they provide. Advance timed-entry reservation is required for all guests including members.

Photo credits:

Photo #1: Stranger Things

Photo #2: The Music Center

Photo #3: Stranger Things

Photo #4: Electric Mile

Photo #5: LACMA

Photo #6: Levitated Mass Photo by Tom Vinetz

Photo #7: Museum of Dream Space

Photo #8: Huntington Botanical Gardens

Photo #9: Huntington Botanical Gardens

Photo #10: Fair Food Fest

Photo #11: LA Zoo

Get Your Halloween Scary On

Halloween is always a thrilling time of year, with spooky events and creepy outdoor activities unfolding under the night sky. But this year’s celebration will be even more special, because a blue moon will illuminate the sky on the evening of October 31. Start your spirited adventure with an audio tour of DTLA’s most ghostly buildings. Relish a ghoulish dinner at a haunted Vicitorian mansion or feed your fears at an eerie Halloween food crawl. Discover the traditions of Día de los Muertos as you stroll through Grand Park. Immerse yourself in a multimedia horror show from the safety of your own vehicle. For residents of Circa, there’s no end to the fiendish fun when you get your Halloween scary on. 

Secret Los Angeles Haunted Dinner & Cocktail Experience near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Haunted Dinner & Cocktail Experience 1725 N Hudson Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90028

Welcome hungry guests! A night of horror awaits you in a graveyard at L.A.’s oldest haunted house. Drop your candy basket at the door and step into this historic, three-story Victorian mansion where you’re promised a thrilling night, Confirm your seat at the dinner table and make your way through various scenes and experiences. There’ll be eerie encounters, with the eyes of demons, vampires, and witches on you at all times. Once you’ve made your way out of the maze of cobwebs and hallways with creaking floors, you’ll be treated to a dinner in a wonderfully macabre outdoor area — a graveyard. The ghostly hosts will feed you a menu that is simply “to die for” so make sure you come with an appetite.

Grand Park Día de los Muertos Altars near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Día de los Muertos Altars Grand Park 200 N. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Experience the traditions of Día de los Muertos as you stroll through 11 altars located throughout Grand Park, curated by Self Help Graphics in collaboration with their Noche de Ofrenda series of programs. The exhibiton includes the annual Community Altar created by Maestra Ofelia Esparza and her family. All personally and culturally relevant to Los Angeles, the 10 main large-scale altar installations represent the losses and causes of this past year. The altars are created by artists and community partners and focus on the youth from the East Los Angeles Women’s Center, and workers and tenants from Community Power Collective.

Haunted Tour of DTLA near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Self Guided Audio Tour of Haunted Downtown LA

Downtown Los Angeles has its share of ghost stories. The backdrop of noir novels and real-life crimes, the city’s Beaux Arts buildings have seen their share of chilling events. This Halloween, you can see them for yourself, by taking an immersive, self-guided walking or driving tour of Haunted Los Angeles. When you arrive at each stop on the tour, trigger the audio to hear a bit about the eerie history of the location – and about the ghosts that are said to still haunt the hallways to this day. Words by James Bartlett and narration by Bill Kates.

Stranger Things Drive-In near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Stranger Things Drive-In ROW DTLA 777 Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Attention all Stranger Things fans. It’s time to travel back in time to 1985 and become a Hawkins resident – in real life. Adventure calls, so gather your friends and drive to the Starcourt Mall. Immerse yourself in the thrilling world of Stranger Things, where you will take part in a drive thru experience like no other. Unlock the story of Hawkins in this unique format as you savor some of the best moments from this Netflix series, and maybe even witness some unforeseen and unusual occurrences.

Makers Mess Halloween Kits near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Makers Mess Halloween Kits ROW DTLA 777 Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Halloween is not canceled and Makers Mess has fall kits ready to be picked up. Grab your pumpkin decorating kit and shop their mini pumpkin patch at ROW DTLA. Or just stop by to take a selfie. Makers Mess is a creative art studio that offers art and design classes for all ages. They support artists by cultivating opportunities for them to share their knowledge with individuals, groups and companies. 

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride 120 Via Verde Dr. San Dimas, CA 91773

This year Los Angeles Haunted Hayride is taking the hayride off the trail and bringing it to you in the safety of your own parked vehicle. A first of its kind immersive experience from the creators of LA’s favorite Halloween event, this is an original haunted show featuring a multimedia story displayed on a 40 foot screen, as well as horrifying sets and characters from Midnight Falls that surround the theater and bring the story to life. Tickets are extremely limited and will sell out nightly.

The Bite LA: Halloween Food Crawl & Creature Safari near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

The Bite LA Whittier Narrows 750 S Santa Anita Ave. South El Monte, CA 91733

The Bite  LA: Halloween Food Crawl and Creature Safari snakes its way around eerie Legg Lake and through immersive environments, where sinister specters offer up delicious bites of seasonal grub, all from the safety of your own car. Bites vary from savory to sweet and will include vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options for certain items. Bring a flashlight from home and scan the surrounding darkness from the safety of your car, in a hunt for the shadowy and monstrous creatures that roam the abyss. Can you find them all before they find you?

Pumpkin House at Descanso Gardens near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Halloween at Descanso Gardens 1418 Descanso Dr. La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011

Throughout the month of October, explore Halloween at Descanso. Guests are invited to safely wind their way through socially-distanced, pumpkin-themed displays in the most popular sections of Descanso Gardens. Highlights include the pumpkin house and hay maze, wooden jack-o’-lanterns, pumpkin arch, and pumpkin mandalas. Descanso Gardens is an urban retreat of year-round natural beauty, internationally renowned botanical collections, and spectacular seasonal horticultural displays. Advance tickets are needed for non-members. Descanso Gardens members can enter anytime.

Photo credits:

Photo #1: Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

Photo #2: Secret Los Angeles 

Photo #3: Grand Park

Photo #4: Los Angeles Magazine

Photo #5: Stranger Things Drive-In

Photo #6: Makers Mess

Photo #7: Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

Photo #8: The Bite LA

Photo #9: Descanso Gardens