Los Angeles Museums and Galleries

The Norton Simon Museum has the most impressive permanent collection in LA, including a great wing of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. They also have a lovely sculpture garden with a couple of pieces by Rodin contemporary Aristide Maillol—it’s a nice place for a glass of wine between galleries. 

While the Arts District gets buzzier by the day, the arrival of Hauser & Wirth, the massive new spin-off of the Swiss gallery, has transformed the neighborhood. Here, occupying a block-wide stretch of 19th-and 20th-century buildings that previously served as a flour mill complex, the space feels anything but a traditional white-box gallery. Look for pieces by important local artists like Paul McCarthy, Mark Bradford, and Richard Jackson. Through the end of the year, catch a survey of Austrian painter Maria Lassnig. The multi-use space also includes an education center, ARTBOOK shop, and even a community garden.

Since the early 1900s, L.A.'s Natural History Museum has been playing host to millions of artifacts from the past five or so billion years—and the collection keeps growing. (In 2011, they opened Dinosaur Hall.)

The Skirball Cultural Center, a Jewish cultural institution that offers everything from exhibits to readings to recitals, is also home to architect Moshe Safdie's Arc, an incredible installation that occupies an 8,000 square foot gallery. Kids can climb aboard the wooden ship and interact with the animals, crafted with everything from rope, to recycled newspaper, to keyboards, and vegetable steamers. Make reservations well in advance.

Honor Fraser Gallery is one of LA's premier galleries for contemporary art.

While there are a handful of Frank Lloyd Wrights in L.A., all but Hollyhock House are closed to the public. That shouldn’t deter you, though, as there are several “Textile Block” homes on the list, including Ennis House, which you’ll likely recognize from Bladerunner. The house is composed of ornately stamped blocks inspired by Mayan temples that are so stunning, you won’t care that you don’t get to go inside. Use the Barnsdall Foundation's convenient google map to track them all down.

Overlooking the Hollywood Hills and crowned by Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House, built in the early ‘20s for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, this park draws locals and tourists alike for art classes, outdoor movies, and Friday afternoon wine tastings.

If you're an artist in LA, one of your goals is probably to get a show at Blum & Poe, one of, if not the, best LA galleries for contemporary art. It's a wonderfully big and airy space, and there's always something interesting showing.

Expect modern art in all forms of media, particularly photographs and videos, in this utilitarian space.

Any artist shown at this particular Gagosian has to compete with the clean, sleek architecture of this four-room space. Its opening parties are particularly wonderful.