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Maximize Your LA Experience
ASLA is here to help guide your trip with tips and recommendations from the 2026 host chapter, Southern California ASLA.
Click each section below to explore the host chapter map, must-see designed landscapes, insider local tips, neighborhoods, and dining recommendations.
SoCal ASLA's hand-picked favorites across the city—restaurants, parks, designed landscapes, and neighborhood gems—all in one interactive map. Click the map below to open it in Google Maps.
Open full Host Chapter Picks Map in Google Maps →
LA is a living portfolio of landscape architecture. These are the sites every attendee should try to visit—many are reachable directly by Metro from the Convention Center.
The Getty Center Central Garden
Robert Irwin's living artwork cascades down a canyon inside the Getty's travertine campus. LA's most sophisticated designed landscape—ever-evolving with the seasons. Admission to the grounds is free; parking is $25.
🚇 E Line → Santa Monica → Metro Micro uphill
Exposition Park Rose Garden
Seven acres of 20,000+ rose bushes in symmetrical beds, free to the public, directly adjacent to the Natural History Museum. One E Line stop from the Convention Center. Peak bloom typically extends into September.
🚇 E Line, one stop to Expo Park/USC
Tongva Park, Santa Monica
James Corner Field Operations' award-winning coastal park with sculpted hills, drought-tolerant native planting, and sweeping Pacific views. Steps from the E Line western terminus at Downtown Santa Monica.
🚇 E Line → Downtown Santa Monica Station
The Lawrence Halprin Sequence
Four interconnected public spaces along Hope Street in Bunker Hill: Bunker Hill Steps, Maguire Gardens, Grand Hope Park, and Crocker Court—all by Lawrence Halprin. A walkable downtown design tour, 10–15 minutes from LACC.
🚶 Walk ~15 min north from Convention Center
Grand Park & The Music Center
A 12-acre civic park connecting City Hall to the Music Center, designed as the centerpiece of the Grand Avenue reimagining. Free, always open, spectacular at night with the Walt Disney Concert Hall glowing next door.
🚇 A Line to Civic Center/Grand Park
LA River Restoration — Taylor Yard G2
Witness one of the country's most ambitious river restoration projects in progress. Taylor Yard's G2 parcel has been revegetated with native riparian habitat as LA reimagines 51 miles of historic concrete channel as a living waterway.
🚇 A Line to Lincoln Heights/Cypress Park
Griffith Park & Amir's Garden
One of North America's largest urban parks at 4,300+ acres. Don't miss Amir's Garden—a volunteer-built oasis on a fire-scarred ridge, demonstrating community-driven landscape stewardship at its finest. Bring water.
🚇 B/D Line to Vermont/Sunset, bus to trailheads
The Huntington Library & Gardens
A world-class 207-acre botanical collection: Desert Garden, Japanese Garden, Chinese Garden, Rose Garden, and native California garden. A pilgrimage site for every landscape architecture professional—reserve tickets in advance.
🚇 A Line to Sierra Madre Villa, bus 264 west
💡 Tip: The Metro E Line gives you access to several of these landscapes for $1.75 each way.
These are the things locals know that don't make it into tourist guides—shared by SoCal ASLA members who live and practice in Los Angeles.
September weather is LA at its best
Average highs in the mid-70s°F, low humidity, and reliably sunny. Morning marine layer often burns off by noon. Bring a light layer for evenings near the coast—it can drop 15–20 degrees after sunset in Santa Monica.
Tacos over hotel restaurants, every time
LA has the best Mexican food outside Mexico. Leo's Tacos Truck (multiple locations, open late), Mariscos Jalisco in Boyle Heights, and any taqueria along Olympic Blvd in Pico-Union (a short walk from LACC) are all outstanding. Eat where you see lines of locals.
Sunrise hike before morning sessions
Griffith Park trails open before dawn. The summit of Mount Hollywood offers a panoramic city view and, on clear September mornings, you can see Catalina Island and the San Gabriel Mountains. Take Metro B/D Line to Vermont/Sunset, then rideshare to the trailhead. Allow 2 hours round trip.
Arts District = design field trip
Five Metro stops from the Convention Center. Dense with murals, adaptive reuse projects, plant shops, galleries, and studios. Walk the Sixth Street Viaduct—a major recent infrastructure design project—then explore the neighborhood on foot. Half a day minimum.
Venice Canals: the hidden landscape gem
Most visitors go to the Venice Boardwalk. Locals know the 1905 Abbot Kinney-designed canal system two blocks inland—now a quiet, beautifully maintained residential landscape. Walk the canal paths, cross the footbridges, appreciate the planting. Free and uncrowded in the early morning.
Grand Central Market for lunch
Downtown LA's 100-year-old market hall (317 S Broadway) has 40+ vendors under one historic roof. Outstanding food from Eggslut to Valeria's tamales to Wexler's Deli. A 12-minute walk from LACC or one A Line stop to Pershing Square. Arrive before noon to beat the crowd.
Echo Park Lake — restored urban ecology
The recently restored Echo Park Lake is a beautiful example of urban stormwater management and habitat restoration. Guided by Proposition O, the project added wetlands for water quality improvement and native bird habitat. The lotus beds peak in late summer. Take the B Line to Echo Park or DASH Route 2.
Natural History Museum is one stop away
The NHM's California garden on the south side of the museum is a hidden gem—a dense, beautifully maintained native planting demonstration that punches well above its modest size. The Nature Lab inside is also excellent. One E Line stop south of Pico Station; the Exposition Park Rose Garden is steps away.
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LA is a city of distinct neighborhoods—each with its own character, design culture, and food scene. Here's where to direct your conference downtime:
💡 Most of these neighborhoods are accessible by Metro from the Convention Center for $1.75.
At the Convention Center
The Los Angeles Convention Center offers several café outlets to provide attendees a wide variety of culinary choices. Café outlets are scheduled based on event activity, and minimums may apply.
In addition to these café outlets, portable food options are also available throughout the Convention Center.
Near the Convention Center
Worth the Metro Ride
Note: Conference runs Wednesday–Friday. Sunday Smorgasburg is a great pre-conference option on September 13 or 20.
More ways to plan your time in LA: