Are you looking for things to do in Downtown Los Angeles? Our 3-hour self-guided walking tour and scavenger hunt will take you around downtown to every major site. You will have challenges to solve every step of the way. Meanwhile, you will also be exposed to the area’s history and many local tips.
- Union Station
- City Hall
- Calle Olvera
- Walt Disney Music Hall
- Bradbury Building
- MOCA
- The Broad
- Grand Park
We visited Downtown L.A. and completed this scavenger hunt in July 2017. This allowed us to optimize it with many extra features you will discover along the way!
- Starting Location: Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA
- Distance: 3.2 km / 1.98 mi
- Time: 2-3 hours.
- Method: Walking.
- Needed:
- A fully charged Smartphone with a data plan (LTE, 4G or 3G – Wifi is insufficient).
- Suggested:
- Bottled water.
- A local street map.
History of Downtown Los Angeles:
Known by its initials L.A., Los Angles is Spanish for The Angles. The city was founded in 1781 by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It was part of Mexico from 1821 after the Mexican War of Independence (from Spain) until 1848 at the end of the Mexican-American War.
When first founded, the city’s full name was “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora Reina de los Angeles sobre el Rio Porciuncula”. This translates from Spanish to “the town of our lady queen of the angels on the Porciuncula River”. The Porciuncula River has since been renamed the Los Angeles River.
Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the United States after New York City, with almost 4 million people living here. However, when you consider the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the population goes up to 18.7 million! The city covers an area of 469 square miles.
Indeed, Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district for the area with only 58,000 residents and over 500,000 jobs. Moreover, the city’s roots start in this neighborhood. Finally, it is also the hub of the city’s Metro transit system.
