One of our favorite things to do is go out for brunch and walk along the strand. We recommend Uncle Bill's in Manhattan Beach or Good Stuff in Hermosa Beach 🍳 We also recommend checking out the Redondo Beach pier (the marina often has sea lions for wildlife lovers 🦭) as well as Santa Monica's pier and 3rd Street Promenade for an amusement park feel and shopping. Our favorite spots to eat in Santa Monica are the Misfit, True Food Kitchen, and BIBIBOP. If you stop by Venice Beach, you can check out the famous Muscle Beach 🏋️‍♀️ and skate park, as well as walk along the Venice canals.

If you enjoy museums, we recommend the Getty Center for its art, the Getty Villa for its gardens and architecture, and the California Science Center. Our favorite gardens are at the Huntington Library in Pasadena, but it's a drive. If you enjoy driving, Sunset Boulevard from Hollywood all the way to the coast is a beautiful (and famous!) drive. For the quintessential LA concert experience, don't miss the Hollywood Bowl in the shadows of the Hollywood sign. For movie buffs, catching an IMAX movie at the Chinese Theatre on the Hollywood Walk of Fame or a Disney movie at El Capitan Theatre is a must. For hiking and outdoor enthusiasts, there are popular trails to the Griffith observatory and Hollywood sign, although they will be hot in September so we recommend getting an early start.

If you're here for a longer stay, you may enjoy a day trip to Catalina island, Laguna Beach, Disneyland, Universal Studios, Solvang (a cute Danish town with excellent wine tasting 🍷), or Hearst Castle. There's a lot to do in LA, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! :)

We've made a map of all these locations and others (including recommended parking lots) that can be found here: Mandy & Greg's wedding map