Hollywood & Highland is one of the quirkiest, busiest, and most entertaining neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Ready to explore it?
Last updated: September 23, 2024
Hollywood and Highland: The Heart of Los Angeles’s Hollywood Culture
Welcome to Hollywood and Highland, the most visited block in Los Angeles! Busy and entertaining from early morning until evening and especially on weekends, the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue is a symbol of Hollywood culture.
And the movie industry does play an important role in making the area the hot spot of all visitors traveling to Los Angeles from all over the world.
From iconic pink stars encircled by golden edges on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to wax museums where wax celebrities look as good as in real life and plentiful gift shops where you can get your own Oscar, the streets near Hollywood & Highland are the epitome of the quirkiest Southern California culture. Places to see, shop, explore, and eat here are uncountable. Things to do on and near Hollywood Boulevard are endless.
Ready to see it for yourself? Then let’s take a walk starting at Hollywood & Highland and later, if we still have time, jump on a Hollywood tour bus that will drive us past homes of some of the biggest Hollywood stars.
THE BEST THINGS TO DO ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD (HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND)
1. Walk along the Hollywood Walk of Fame
First thing first, you can’t visit Hollywood without taking a walk on the world-famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. The main attraction of the area, the Walk of Fame is a sidewalk embedded with terrazzo-and-brass stars with the names of the biggest American actors, musicians, directors, producers, and fictional characters. Nearly 2,800 stars span the walkways of 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and 3 blocks of Vine Street.
If finding your favorite celebrity’s star and taking a picture of you sitting, standing, or doing all kinds of gymnastic poses next to it (there is plenty of inspiration to draw from) don’t fulfill you, strike a pose with some of the real stars. Ok, they are not real. Just beginner actors that disguise themselves as celebrities to make ends meet while waiting for their big roles.
- Open: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Admission: Free
2. Tour the TCL Chinese Theatre
For all fans of Cinema history, taking a tour at the TCL Chinese Theatre is a must-do activity when visiting Hollywood Boulevard. Located within a short walk from Hollywood/Highland subway station, the theater gathers the biggest celebrities for premieres of their new movies.
With the celebrities usually come interesting stories and fun facts. And all of them are available to you during an exclusive 30-minute Walking. Ticket prices range. Group tours are available.
- Address: 6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
- Time: Tours are offered 7 days a week excluding special events.
- Availability: Call or email to tours@chinesetheatres.com to book the tour.
READ MORE: 13 Asian Destinations in Los Angeles: Asian Sites and Culture
3. Check out Hollywood Handprints and Footprints
If you visit the Hollywood & Highland area on short notice and don’t have time to book a tour, don’t skip the visit to the Chinese Theater yet. A theatre forecourt features nearly 200 Hollywood celebrities handprints, footprints, and autographs engraved in the cement and available to all visitors to explore for free.
4. Meet Wax Celebrities at Madame Tussauds Hollywood
No visit to Hollywood Boulevard is complete without seeing some celebrities, real or wax. While movie premiers and Oscar award ceremonies don’t happen every day, the Madame Tussauds Museum has a steady supply of the biggest stars.
More than 100 unique wax figures reside in the premium wax museum in Hollywood. More statues join their ranks regularly. Needless to say, some of these “stars” look very, very realistic.
- Address: 6933 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
- Open: Operating hours vary, normally 10 or 11 am to 6 or 8 pm
- Admission: Starting at $34.99
5. Watch a Walt Disney’s Premier at El Capitan Theater
Hollywood has a strong connection with the magical world of Walt Disney. While Hollywood movies attract mostly adults, the Walt Disney pictures make the world of its little viewers a lot better.
So if you plan to spend a day in the Hollywood & Highland area with kids, make sure to step inside the El Capitan Theater. Originally opened in 1926, it serves as the venue for many Walt Disney Pictures’ premieres.
- Address: 6838 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
6. Shop and Dine at Ovation Hollywood
Formerly known as the Hollywood and Highland Center, Ovation Hollywood is the favorite shopping center in the heart of Hollywood, at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. The center has more than 70 designer shops, 25 restaurants, a bowling alley, and a nightclub. Apart from it, it shelters such Hollywood heavyweights as the TCL Chinese Theatre and Dolby Theater.
- Address: 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
- Open: Daily, 10 am – 10 pm
- Parking: On-street and parking garage
7. Visit Dolby Theater
The Dolby Theater is famous throughout the world. Not many of its “devotees”, however, know the name or how this large auditorium looks like in real life. Yet the event it hosts yearly is on everyone’s lips as early as the first week of February. This colossal Dolby Theater has been the venue of the annual Academy Awards ceremony since 2001.
When the place doesn’t host the Oscars, it serves as a beautiful venue for ballets, concerts, and comedy shows. Furthermore if you are a person who prefers to plan her day activities on Hollywood Boulevard in advance, you can book a tour and sit in the same seats that the celebrities shared a few weeks or months before.
- Address: 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
- Tours: The tours are normally available at least one month in advance.
- Admission: $25 per adult, children under 3 – free
8. Learn about American Cinema at the Hollywood Museum
The Hollywood Museum is another great place to learn about the history of American cinematography. From hundreds of costumes and displays to posters and photographs, the place presents the most extensive collections of Hollywood memorabilia in the world.
- Address: 1660 Highland Ave, Hollywood, CA 90028
- Open: Wed-Sun, 10 am – 5 pm
- Ticket: Adult – $15, child – $5
9. See More Wax Figures at Hollywood Wax Museum
There is really a matter of choice when it comes to striking a pose with wax celebrities at the Madame Tussauds Museum or the Hollywood Wax Museum. While the first gained its popularity in recent years, the latter has been entertaining Hollywood visitors since 1965. It
- Address: 6767 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
- Open: Daily from 9 am to 12 am
- Admission: Regular – $29.99 to $34.99, children (ages 4-11) – $19.99, children (ages 3 and under) – free
10. Hop on a Tour Bus
More than a decade ago, Ferras verbalized one notion that was on the minds of generations. His song Hollywood’s Not America became an instant hit. For travelers it has also been a guideline for planning their American itineraries for years.
And so while Hollywood is not America, it’s also not the entire Los Angeles. One of the most convenient ways to see the city beyond its bustling neighborhood is to hop on a tour bus. The tour coaches have different routes and take its riders to some of the famous landmarks of Los Angeles as well as show LA’s homes of some of the biggest Hollywood stars.
You can select a perfect Hollywood and LA bus tour online and sign up at Starline Tours Kiosk at the TCL Chinese Theater.
- Open: The kiosk is open daily from 8 am to 10 pm.
11. Hike in Runyon Canyon Park, Hollywood
Last but not least, escape the madness of the busiest neighborhood of Los Angeles and go for a hike in Runyon Canyon Park, nestled within a walking distance from Hollywood Boulevard. The park is one of the most popular hiking places in the area.
And similar to other locations in the Hollywood – Highland area, Runyon Canyon is a place where besides good hiking trails and amazing city views you can spot some celebrities (again). So, make sure to dress to impress as you don’t know who you might be sharing the trail with.
READ MORE: 10 Least Crowded Hiking Places in Los Angeles
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