Day Trips® from Los Angeles is packed with hundreds of exciting things for locals and vacationers to do, see, and discover not far from Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles County has 9.8 million residents, and more than 60% of all visitors to Santa Barbara—a big part of this book—are from Los Angeles County! Trips are listed geographically, starting closest to downtown Los Angeles and radiating outward. Despite Southern California’s car-crazy reputation, this guide includes car-free options where applicable.

* Do something star-studded: Explore Hollywood, Burbank, and Universal City & Universal Studios.

* Do something sunny: Visit Malibu, twenty-three miles of sun, sand, and surf; Santa Catalina Island, a world away twenty-six miles out to sea; or Marina Del Rey/Venice Beach, quintessential So Cal.

* Do something kid-approved: Get a taste of Buena Park/Knott’s Berry Farm, or visit the Happiest Place on Planet Southern California, Anaheim/Disneyland.