After nearly two months of following Route 66 from the Chicago area to the Pacific Ocean, we finally reached Los Angeles. This stop marked the western end of our three-month Route 66 adventure that would eventually take us all the way back home to Chicagoland again.
Los Angeles is one of those cities where you could easily spend a week, or longer, and still leave with a list of things you didn’t get to see. Unfortunately, there are also the realities of big-city traffic, expensive attractions, and campground costs to consider. Because of that, we decided to keep our Route 66 Los Angeles stay relatively short. We spent just two full days in the city, but packed our itinerary with a mix of bucket-list attractions, Route 66 history, coastal scenery, unique museums, and a few classic Los Angeles experiences.
During our visit, we explored the Getty Villa, drove part of the Pacific Coast Highway, toured the beautiful Adamson House in Malibu, celebrated Route 66’s birthday at the Santa Monica Pier, visited a working movie studio, admired the views from Griffith Observatory, and saw the famous La Brea Tar Pits. Along the way, we also squeezed in roadside dinosaurs, beachfront camping, great food, and an unexpected reunion with friends.
If you’re planning your own Route 66 California road trip or looking for ideas for a Los Angeles itinerary, here’s how we spent our two days exploring the City of Angels, with plenty of tips for how to visit these places!
Where We Stayed RVing in Los Angeles
For our Los Angeles stay, we camped at Dockweiler Beach RV Park, which is owned and operated by Los Angeles County. What makes it especially unique is that it’s the county’s only RV campground located directly on the beach. If you’re expecting a spacious campground with lots of trees and privacy, this isn’t it. Dockweiler is definitely more of a parking lot-style RV park, and the sites are fairly tight. However, that’s not really why people stay here.
We decided to splurge on one of the beachfront sites, and for us, it was absolutely worth it. Our RV was parked just a few feet from a low wall holding back the sand. On the other side of that wall was the beach. The views were incredible, and beach access couldn’t have been easier. We could walk directly onto the sand or hop on the beach trail whenever we wanted. Watching the sunset over the ocean from our campsite was one of the highlights of our Los Angeles visit.
The campground offers full hookups, which is always a bonus during a busy sightseeing trip. That said, there are a couple tradeoffs to be aware of. Dockweiler sits near both a wastewater treatment facility and LAX, so occasional odors and airplane noise are part of the experience. You’ll definitely notice planes flying overhead throughout the day. For us, though, those drawbacks were easy to overlook. Being able to camp directly on the beach in Los Angeles is a rare experience, and the location made it easy to explore many of the Route 66 Los Angeles attractions and other things to do in Los Angeles that were on our itinerary.
How to Camp at Dockweiler Beach RV Park
Address: 12001 Vista del Mar, Playa del Rey, CA 90293
Website: https://beaches.lacounty.gov/dockweiler-rv-park/
Average Cost: $65-75/night
Wednesday: From Joshua Trees to the Pacific Ocean
After spending a few days exploring Joshua Tree National Park, Wednesday was our travel day back to Route 66 and into Los Angeles. While a travel day could have easily been just a long drive, we managed to squeeze in a few fun stops and a surprise meetup with a friend that made it one of our favorite evenings in Southern California.
Roadside Stop at the Cabazon Dinosaurs
Our first stop of the day was the famous Cabazon Dinosaurs. If they look familiar, you might recognize them from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, though they’ve appeared in plenty of other movies and TV shows over the years too. The two giant roadside dinosaurs have become one of California’s most iconic roadside attractions. Dinny the Dinosaur was built in 1964, while Mr. Rex followed in 1981. Visitors can actually go inside both dinosaurs, although access to Mr. Rex is now part of the property’s paid attraction. We decided to skip the paid area but did step inside Dinny, which now houses a gift shop. There’s just something incredibly fun about walking inside a giant dinosaur. It’s exactly the kind of quirky roadside stop we love finding along our Route 66 travels.
How to Visit the Cabazon Dinosaurs
After our dinosaur detour, we continued west toward Los Angeles and checked into Dockweiler RV Park. Operated by Los Angeles County, the campground sits right along the beach, making it one of the most unique places we’ve stayed during our Route 66 California adventure. Our campsite was basically steps from the sand, so after getting settled in, we immediately headed out for a walk along the beach. One of the things we quickly learned while planning our Route 66 Los Angeles visit is that accommodations near the coast can be expensive, which made Dockweiler a pretty special find. Watching planes descend toward LAX while walking along the Pacific Ocean definitely wasn’t a typical campground experience.
Dinner at Wurstküche
Earlier in the week, I had seen our good friend Erica sharing photos from Los Angeles on Instagram. I messaged her, fully expecting that she’d be leaving right as we arrived because that’s usually how our timing works. Somehow, though, we actually ended up being in Los Angeles at the exact same time for a few days. That almost never happens for us. To celebrate our unexpectedly perfect timing, we met up for dinner in Venice Beach that evening. We ate at Wurstküche, a restaurant Erica’s sister had recommended, and it ended up being a great choice. The atmosphere was fun, the food was excellent, and the menu featured all kinds of unique sausage flavors you don’t see every day. Instead of each ordering our own meal, we grabbed several different sausages and shared everything so we could sample a variety of flavors. It was the perfect way to end our first evening in Los Angeles before diving into more Route 66 sights and things to do in Los Angeles over the next couple of days.
How to Eat at Wurstküche
Thursday: Pacific Coast Highway and Route 66 Landmarks
Thursday was our one full day in Los Angeles, and Josh had taken the day off work so we could make the most of it. There are honestly so many things to do in Los Angeles that narrowing down an itinerary was difficult. Between the history, architecture, museums, beaches, and iconic Route 66 sites, I could easily spend a week exploring the city. Since we only had a short time, though, we had to prioritize a few places that were highest on our bucket list.
Getty Villa
We started the morning at the Getty Villa. While the Getty Museum is probably the better-known of the two Getty properties, I specifically chose the villa because I was just as interested in the architecture as the collection itself. Josh isn’t much of an art museum person, but he does appreciate great architecture, so it felt like a good compromise for both of us.
The Getty Villa was designed to resemble an ancient Roman country house, and wandering through the courtyards, gardens, and colonnades was easily my favorite part of the visit. The building itself felt like a work of art. While the collection focuses on Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities, I found myself spending more time admiring the architecture and landscaping than the artifacts. To be honest, antiquities museums can make me a little conflicted since so many artifacts were originally stolen from their places of origin. The museum also displays a mummified person, and personally, I don’t think human remains belong in museum exhibits without consent.
How to Visit the Getty Villa
Driving the PCH in Malibu
From there, we headed north along the Pacific Coast Highway. We didn’t have enough time to do the full scenic drive we would have liked, but we wanted at least a small taste of one of California’s most famous roads. Even a short stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway was enough to remind us why it’s on so many road trip bucket lists.
For lunch, we stopped at Malibu Seafood and shared one of their seafood combo platters. Every single thing we tried was delicious. Fresh seafood with ocean views is pretty hard to beat.
How to Eat at Malibu Seafood
Adamson House Tour
After lunch, we visited one of my favorite stops of the day: the Adamson House. This California State Historic Park sits right along Malibu Lagoon and is famous for its incredible tilework. The house was built by the family behind Malibu Potteries, and nearly every surface is decorated with colorful handcrafted tiles.
We joined a guided tour of the home, although photography was only allowed outside. Even without photos of the interior, it’s one of the most beautiful historic homes we’ve toured. Every room seemed to have another incredible tile detail to discover. The location is just as impressive as the house itself. The Adamson House sits beside Surfrider Beach, one of Malibu’s most famous surfing spots. During our tour, our guide shared the story of the real-life Gidget, who spent time surfing here and helped inspire the books, television series, and movies that introduced surfing culture to mainstream America.
How to Visit the Adamson House
The End of the Route: Santa Monica Pier
That evening, we made our way to one of the most iconic Route 66 Los Angeles landmarks: the Santa Monica Pier. April 30 was the actual birthday of Route 66, so there was no way we were going to miss visiting the End of the Trail sign on such a significant day.
There was supposed to be a larger Route 66 Centennial satellite event taking place at the pier, although it seemed like some of the planned celebrations never fully materialized. We noticed that a few Route 66 Centennial events across the country seemed to have similar issues. Still, a Route 66 convergence group had gathered at the sign, and there were speeches, celebrations, and plenty of fellow Route 66 travelers to chat with. Even without the larger event, it felt special to celebrate the Mother Road’s birthday at its western terminus.
How to Visit the Santa Monica Pier
Mel’s Diner
To finish the day, we had dinner at Mel’s Drive-In near the original western end of Route 66. After a day spent exploring historic homes, coastal scenery, and famous California landmarks, ending with burgers and milkshakes in a classic diner felt perfectly on theme. The retro atmosphere made it a fun final stop before heading back to our beachfront campground.
How to Eat at Mel’s Diner
Friday: Three Los Angeles Bucket List Stops
Friday was our final day in Los Angeles, and honestly, I had spent weeks going back and forth trying to decide how to use our limited time. There were so many places on my Los Angeles bucket list, but with only two days in the city, a limited budget, and the reality of LA traffic, I knew we couldn’t do everything. In the end, I focused on a few places that felt uniquely Los Angeles, and it ended up being one of my favorite days of the trip.
Warner Brothers Studio Tour
I decided to use some of my Christmas money to book a studio tour at Warner Bros. Studio, and I am so glad I did. Over the last few years, I’ve really gotten into movies, so visiting a working studio had been high on my list for a long time. I looked into several different studio tours before our trip. I’d love to do all of them someday, but I kept reading that Warner Bros. offered one of the most active working studio experiences. Since we were only going to do one, that seemed like the best choice.
The tour ended up being incredible. We got to see actual sets, soundstages, props, costumes, and filming locations from many of our favorite movies and television shows. I took well over 200 photos during the tour, which should tell you how much I enjoyed it. Narrowing them down for this post was not easy, so I’ll just share a few of my favorite highlights.
How to Take a Warner Brothers Studio Tour
Griffith Observatory
After leaving the studio, we headed to another longtime bucket list destination: Griffith Observatory. One of the things I find most fascinating about historic places is the stories behind how they came to exist. Griffith Observatory was funded through land, plans, and money donated to the city by Griffith J. Griffith. Ironically, part of his motivation for philanthropy may have been improving his public reputation after a highly publicized incident in which he drunkenly shot his wife.
The observatory itself is beautiful. The Art Deco architecture alone makes it worth visiting, but there’s also plenty to see inside. One of my favorite exhibits was the historic Tesla coil, which is still demonstrated regularly. Between the exhibits, the architecture, and the panoramic views, it’s easy to see why this is one of the most popular free things to do in Los Angeles. Of course, the views are a major part of the experience. From the observatory grounds, you can look out across the city, see the Hollywood Sign, and get a perspective on just how massive Los Angeles really is.
How to Visit Griffith Observatory
La Brea Tar Pits
Our final stop of the day checked off yet another Los Angeles bucket list item: the La Brea Tar Pits. The tar pits are one of the most significant fossil sites in the world, with more than 3.5 million fossils discovered here so far. Even before entering the museum, the site itself is fascinating. We walked around the grounds viewing the active tar pits and excavation areas, and I was surprised to find small patches of bubbling tar appearing in random places throughout the lawn. It’s a strange reminder that the process that trapped all of those Ice Age animals is still happening today.
Inside the museum, we got to see some of the incredible fossils that have been recovered from the site. One of the most memorable displays was an entire wall filled with dire wolf skulls. Seeing hundreds of them together really drives home just how many animals have been preserved here over thousands of years.
How to Visit La Brea Tar Pits
By the end of the day, I felt like we’d managed to fit a surprising amount into our short Los Angeles visit. Between a working movie studio, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, and a world-famous fossil site, it was the perfect way to wrap up our time exploring Route 66 California before continuing our journey home.
More of Our Route 66 Trip
Find all our Route 66 trip recaps, campground reviews, activity guides, and more:
