May calls for open-air adventures.
We’re in the heart of spring, which means it’s the optimal weather to spend as much time exploring the great outdoors before the relentless summer heat is upon us. With cases reaching zero for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic and California moving swiftly into the least restrictive Yellow Tier, our wanderlust has officially been reignited and the open road beckons.
From beachfront shows to brunches with adorable countryside escapes, here are some of the most wonderful things to fill your calendar with this month.
1-10. Go On A Hunt For Wildflowers At These 10 Stunning Locations In SoCal
11. Immerse Yourself In The Vivid Visualizations Of Mikael B. At Maddox Gallery
Contrast the bleakness of 2020 with the vivid large-scale creations of Danish L.A.-based artist Mikael B. Step out of your mind and get lost in a universe of color explosions contained within a mix of organic lines and 3D geometric shapes with ‘Flow State.’ The solo exhibition will open at the Maddox Gallery from May 1. While the show is completely free, limited viewings are available and you’ll need to make a reservation here.
12-13. Experience An Enchanting Candlelight Concert At An Open-Air Oasis In L.A.
This dreamy Candlelight concert series is ever-evolving and never ceases to dazzle audiences. This spring you’ll find incredible performances happening at stunning outdoor locations, bathed in flickering candlelight. From Oscar-winning scores to Beethoven, you’ll get to listen to top talent performing curated pieces in a range of genres. Here are concerts to catch this season:
14. Brunch Your Way Through The Best Of The Beatles-At This Bottomless Mimosa Experience On The Beach
Enjoy 2 hours of flowing mimosas on a sand-covered Abbey Road at SeaLegs and get into the groove with iconic Beatles songs performed live by The Nowhere Men. There’ll be ten curated brunch offerings to purchase on the day, including breakfast burritos, tacos, avocado toast and French toast sticks. You could also feast your way through “Strawberry Fields Forever” with fresh fruit & yogurt parfait. Whatever you choose, the entire experience is guaranteed to be electric. Book your spot here.
15. Laugh Out Loud With Comedy On The Beach
L.A.’s legendary live comedy scene has been dormant for about a year now but it’s finally back with this Comedy On the Beach experience from the creators of the Venice Comedy Compound Ahmed Ahmed & Jason Rogers. It combines all of the things we love most about L.A. in one evening: an iconic beachfront setting, hilarious national headlining comedians and delicious offerings. Tickets sell out fast, so don’t wait. Book your spot here.
16-20. Enjoy A Gourmet Feast And Pet Therapy In The Santa Monica Mountains
The idyllic 29 Oaks Ranch is known for pairing delicious farm-style food and quality time with adorable farm animals. When it comes to creating irresistible experiences you didn’t know you needed, there is simply nothing that matches it. Here are 3 blissful outdoor experience to do:
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Exotic Tea Tasting Afternoon with Goofy Goats at 29 Oaks Ranch
- Happy Hour & Tarot Reading With Friendly Farm Animals
- Whiskey Tasting with Wacky Goats at 29 Oaks Ranch
21. Soak Up The Sun With Fresh Beats And Cocktails At This Memorial Day Rooftop Experience
Take in the finest views of Los Angeles this Memorial Day at Skybar. This open-air, ivy-covered pavilion perched above the Pool at Mondrian Los Angeles will have everything you need from custom dishes, craft cocktails and sexy house music all day long feat Sam Blacky and friends. In partnership with Wicked Paradise this will be a ticketed-only event, exclusively sold here, with very limited capacity so get your tickets today! Book your tickets to this exclusive pool party here.
22. Roll Into The Concert Season With A Grammy Award-Winning Artist War In Venture
See the timeless musicians live on a 360-degree stage at Ventura County Fairgrounds on May 29! They’ll be performing all their greatest hits, including “Low Rider”, “The World Is A Ghetto”, “Why Can’t We Be Friends”, and many more. This is a safe, in-your-car, outdoor “in the round” live stage performance like you’ve never experienced before. Book your tickets and get ready to experience the electric energy of live music again.
23-42. Sip On Cocktails At One Of These 20 Lush Rooftops With Incredible Views
Nothing elevates happy hour like the sweeping views of the twinkling city lights or magical pink-and-orange sunsets (courtesy of the smog), punctuated by beachside palaces and palms. If there’s one way to take in Los Angeles it’s from the top floor, shrouded in plants and dotted with fairy lights. Find a list of our favorite spots here.
43. Book Your Tickets To This Incredible Bansky Exhibition Coming To L.A.
Take in over 100 works from one of the most influential (and controversial) creators of our time in LA this summer! Explore the iconic street artist’s most important pieces at this incredible multimedia installation, along with clues to his cleverly masked identity & even a VR element so you can immerse yourself in his legendary work like never before. You’ll want to grab your tickets before they sell out!
44. Cruise Into A Breathtaking L.A. Park To Enjoy Movies, Music And Food Truck Fare
The top-voted outdoor film series ‘Drive In At The Park’ is about as scenic as outdoor experiences get. Set in two visually stunning locations (Kenneth Hahn Park and Santa Clarita), you’ll enjoy a vibrant evening of films, live DJs, incredible food trucks and more. Find out more here.
45. Go On A Mouthwatering Adventure Through A Huge Candy-Filled Wonderland Before It Closes
The creators of the sold-out Haunt’Oween and WonderLAnd drive-through experiences are bringing you a delicious new experience—but with a sweet twist! The snowflakes and cobwebs have been swept away and replaced with countless sweet installations, oversized props, art displays, unique parade floats, whimsical sets, curated photo ops, safe performances, immersive tunnels, geodesic domes, and multiple candy-powered interactions. But this time you get to step out of your car and inhale the fresh air in a lush, open-air oasis that boasts 40,000 square feet of pure candy heaven. Book your tickets to the immersive Sugar Rush experience here.
46. Step Inside The Mesmerizing ‘Immersive Van Gogh’ Exhibition
This month you’ll finally get to step into a floor-to-ceiling world of paintings at ‘Immersive Van Gogh’ — if you’re lucky enough to have tickets already, that is. We’ve all been enjoying the art world vicariously over the last year, burying our faces in the social feeds of those lucky enough to live in cities hosting this “blockbuster” Van Gogh exhibition. Now we finally get to experience it in real-life from May 27, when the immersive exhibition lands in L.A. Tickets sold out almost instantly, so if you haven’t got your for this year there are still some left for January 22. Find out more here.
47-53. Go On A Surreal Escape Less Than 3 Hours Away From L.A.
Credit: @sacredsandsjoshuatree
We all need a little change of scenery every now and then, but luckily Angelenos don’t have to travel too far for it. As much as we love L.A., with some of our favorite things out the picture, there’s simply no better time to get to know the surrounding lands and discover (or rediscover) all its hidden gems. Here are some dreamy weekend escapes, less than a 3-hour drive from L.A., that will make you feel like you’ve stepped into another world.
54. Go To One Of C.A.’s Incredible Themeparks
It’s been so long since our favorite theme parks first closed, we can hardly remember what rides are like outside of VR headsets. With vaccinations moving swiftly along and our shiny new Yellow Tier status, we finally have a reason to eat an excessive amount of themed candy and explore California’s fantastical entertainment parks. You can check out Disneyland’s newly renovated Haunted Mansion
55. Go Down A Rabbit Hole And Immerse Yourself In A World Of Allure, Illusions And Decadent Cocktails
Step into the shadows of this hidden, ornate theater, a magical world is conjured where you’ll be immersed in an experience orchestrated to entertain and beguile. The Black Rabbit Rose is bringing the Houston brothers’ signature brand of allure and spectacle to an outdoor space. Cocktails are specially crafted for the sole purpose to satisfy, amuse… and of course, enchant. Book your ticket here.
56. Wander Through 17,000 Square Feet Of Alternate Dimensions At Madcap Motel
Head to this magical motel where mysterious tales unfold in an immersive, fantasy world. You’ll choose your own adventure through 18 different retro sets with actors drawing you into an exciting narrative. Get ready to check-in and explore the wild and whimsical oddities at this restored roadside destination, find out more here.
57. Wine And Hike Your Way Through The Malibu Mountains
Malibu Wine Hikes offers a 2-mile loop through the historic surroundings where you’ll get to interact with exotic animals like horses, buffalo and llamas. Then to end it off, you’ll be introduced to Saddlerock’s amazing grapes with wines to-go. Adding to the rich history of this land, you’ll find incredible Chumash Native American cave paintings that date back to the Portola Expedition of 1769—which is another stop along your hike. Find out more here.
58-66. Visit One Of These 9 Museums
After being starved of in-person arts for a year, you can finally get your cultural fix at one of these fine institutions. While some of L.A.’s major museums and galleries are yet to reopen date, you can already explore these:
- Petersen Automotive Museum
- Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
- Hammer Museum
- Getty Museum
- Hammer Museum
- The Broad
- The Huntington
- Hauser & Wirth
- MOCA
- Skirball
67. Gaze Up At This Month’s Super Blood Moon
Yes, we’re getting another super moon this month and this time it’s actually going to be red! On May 26, the largest and brightest supermoon of the year will brighten the sky and give us a spectacular display as it moves into a total lunar eclipse. You can catch the eclipse from2:45 a.m. PDT to 5:52 a.m. PDT and 4:11 a.m. PDT to 4:26 a.m. PDT.
68. Take Advantage Of Your Vaccination Perks With Discounted Tickets For Dodger Games
There’s an ever-growing list of reasons to get vaccinated and now you have one more. Krispy Kreme, adding some normalcy to our home office situation, but this is on a whole new level. The Dodgers first introduced “fully vaccinated” seating zones for the April 24th game against the Padres and now more seating has been added with a 20% discount off ticket prices. Find out more here.
69. Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month By Exploring This Exhibition In Chinatown
In time for AAPI History Month, the curators at The Huntington and LFLA have created a stunning exhibition called “Stories and Voices from L.A. Chinatown.” The first community in North America to be planned and owned by people of Chinese descent was Los Angeles’ Chinatown and in this stunning exhibition, photographs, documents, illustrations, restaurant menus, and maps drawn from The Huntington’s and LAPL’s collections have been used to tell the story of the various people, businesses and history that shaped it. This online exhibit is divided into six themes and the in-person display is made up of 50 feet of visual that can be seen at Chinatown at 942 N Hill Street.
70. Feast On This Theatrical Dining Experience With Craft Cocktails And Breathtaking Views Of Hollywood
Get a taste of blazing gourmet cuisine with a vintage garage twist at the ‘Torched’ dining experience! While the hospitality industry has been a little quieter than usual, Gastro Garage has been reigniting the scene at W Hollywood with a culinary spectacle that’s keeping the night skies aglow. The rooftop’s already-popularTorched’ pop-up experience serves up dinner and a show as chefs (or “gastro mechanics”) cook your meal in front of you using industrial-sized torches! Find out more here.
71-72. Head To Rooftop For A Dazzling Night Of Films Under The Stars
- Rooftop Cinema Club: The beloved movie club is back at Santa Monica Airport this month with a 52-foot outdoor screen and they’re finally back in their natural habitat—a rooftop in El Segundo. There’ll be all classic movies like “Dazed and Confuzed” along with all sorts of delicious concessions to snack on at these unique alfresco locations. Find out more here.
- Poolside Dinner & Movie At JW Marriott’s Rooftop: Enjoy bottomless popcorn and a film under the stars at the glossy, 54-story building in the heart of Downtown L.A. Head up to the rooftop pool deck on the fourth floor and you’ll find that the hotel is putting on some entertainment of their own. Every Friday and Saturday, from April 16 until May 24, the hotel will be hosting a poolside dinner with a movie. Find out more here.
73-74. Dine Above The World At One Of The Two Highest Rooptops In L.A.
When you will only settle from a view from the 69th floor or above then you can direct your gaze sky.ward towards these two havens in the sky. Whether it’s after-work cocktails with friends or date night, it’s hard to wrong with sweeping views of the city. Here are two of the highest rooftops to sip on mouthwatering drinks and take in sunsets.
75. Wander Through A Pavilion Of Butterflies At The South Coast Botanic Garden
The South Coast Botanic Garden’s new exhibition “SOAR” features hundreds of incredible tropical butterflies. You’ll be able to see butterflies at every stage of the life cycle in the natural habitat. Find out more here.
Featured Image: Malibu Wine Hikes