Culver City, California

The Wende Museum is an art museum and historical archive that was founded in 2002 by Justinian Jampol as a repository of items related to the Cold War and the former Soviet Union. The nonprofit museum, which is named for the German word for "turning point," holds a collection of more than 100,000 artifacts related to the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc, including significant collections donated by activists Alwin Nachtweh and Ulrike Wolf. Collections and exhibits showcase the political and cultural histories of former Eastern Bloc countries such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and East Germany, including expansive collections of Cold War-era artworks by Eastern artists. Significant collections furniture, textiles, clothing, and multimedia holdings are also showcased in cutting-edge technological exhibits.

10808 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230, Phone: 310-216-1600

The Museum of Jurassic Technology is an acclaimed and unique museum located in Los Angeles' Palms District, originally founded in 1988 by David Hildebrand Wilson and Diana Drake Wilson. The museum is an extension of Hildebrand Wilson's cultural curiosities collection, showcasing eccentric exhibits on a variety of topics and oddities in the vein of Ripley's Believe It Or Not museums, including collections of micro-miniature sculptures and outdated pseudoscientific medicinal remedies and information on fringe psychological and biological theories. Though the museum's presentations strain scientific credibility at times, it is acclaimed as a unique examination of the experience of knowledge-gathering and museum culture, receiving the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship award in 2001.

9341 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: 310-836-6131

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook offers stunning views of downtown Los Angeles from a height of more than 500 feet, located just southwest of the city's downtown area. The peak is accessible from either a visitor trail that spans approximately a mile walk uphill or the 282-step Culver City Stairs staircase. Stunning views of the city's most famous sights are offered from its peak, including the famed Hollywood Hills, the San Gabriel Mountains, and the Pacific Ocean coastline. A state-of-the-art visitor center is offered at the trail's entrance, showcasing exhibits related to the area's mining and drilling history and renewed future outlook on conservation. Seasonal displays of wildflowers are also showcased along the trail, which offers opportunities for bird and wildlife watching.

6300 Hetzler Rd, Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: 310-558-5547

Recommended Activities for Families

Culver City Park is a 41-acre recreational park that is open to the public daily, featuring a high-profile children's playground developed by Danish company KOPMAN that offers a Scandinavian-style jungle gym and playspace. Traditional playground spaces with swings and slides are also offered, along with a basketball court, softball field, and skate park area. Visitors may also make use of the park's walking and jogging paths, along with its covered picnic area and dog-friendly Pooch Path.

9910 Jefferson Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: 310-253-6650

STAR Eco Station is an environmental science museum in Culver City, originally opened to the public in 1997 by Erick and Kayta Bozzi and their two children. The museum works in cooperation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal environmental organizations to offer rehabilitation services for abandoned exotic wildlife, with a focus on illegally-trafficked exotic animals. It strives to preserve and conserve through education, offering a wide variety of educational programming teaching ecology and biology to students in hands-on environments. Students and visitors have the opportunity to interact with rare birds, wildcats, reptiles, and marine life in a tropical jungle habitat, with discovery station exhibits crafted by the organization's partners. A second STAR Eco Station facility is also offered in Sacramento.

10101 Jefferson Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: 310-842-8060

Sony Pictures Studio Tour lets visitors step back in time to the heyday of Hollywood's Golden Age, offering a chance to explore the studios and sound stages behind the production company's famed gates. All tours traverse popular filming locations and sound stages for acclaimed films from The Wizard of Oz to Men in Black and offer a chance to see the sets for hit game shows such as Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Tours last approximately two hours and are offered for visitors ages 12 and older, conducted Mondays through Fridays at four times throughout the morning and afternoon hours. A two-hour Twilight Tour is also offered on Thursday evenings throughout the summer months, offering a chance to see sets and studios at dusk.

10202 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: 310-244-8687

Attractions for Couples

Milla Chocolates is an award-winning chocolatier company founded by Christine Sull Sarioz, hailed by international publications such as Martha Stewart Living, The Los Angeles Times, and TimeOut as one of California's premiere craft chocolatiers. The company is known for its high-quality single-origin chocolates, which are crafted from beans sourced from Peru, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. High-quality chocolates include the company's Hazelnut?Praliné?Bar, which has received gold medals at the International Chocolate Awards. Delicious bonbons are sold in flavors such as hazelnut, raspberry, and sesame caramel, accompanied by high-quality chocolate-covered caramelized almonds in unique flavors such as raspberry with pink sea salt. Other delicacies include chocolate-covered orange chips, pistachios, and hazelnuts.

9414 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: 323-515-2346

Culver Boulevard Bike Path is a Class 1 bicycle path that spans 2.1 miles throughout Culver City, accessible for bikers, runners, joggers, and wheelchair users. The path begins near Huron Avenue and continues underneath the San Diego Freeway before terminating at Braddock Drive in Del Rey. It was constructed along the path of the former Pacific Electric interurban trolley line that formerly connected Redondo, Manhattan, and Hermoso Beaches and El Segundo to the city. Street parking is available at many locations throughout the path, with parallel bike and pedestrian lanes offered. Benches and open grassy spaces are also available along the route for cyclist and pedestrian use.

Platform LA is a high-end retail complex in Culver City that was opened to the public in 2006. The boutique retail center is home to a variety of upscale designer retailers, fitness studios, and restaurants within a repurposed industrial space, serving as a launching pad for fashion and culinary entrepreneurs. Upscale and boutique fashion retailers include Bird Brooklyn, Janessa Leone, Shades of Grey, and Magasin, with beauty products, accessories, and home goods available from retailers such as Aesop, Freda Salvador, and Poketo. Restaurants include the acclaimed boutique coffee shop Blue Bottle Coffee, neighborhood cafe Hayden, which is helmed by James Beard nominated chef Ari Kolender, and authentic taqueria Loqui.

8850 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

Sitting peacefully near the top of Blair Hills is the Stoneview Nature Center, a beloved urban sanctuary that features spectacular views from the Hollywood Hills to the Santa Monica Mountains. The Stoneview Nature Center features five beautiful acres and is an irreplaceable part of the “Park to Playa” Trail which will eventually connect city parks, bounties, and even states, via one long recreational trail starting at Baldwin Hills and ending at Playa Del Ray. At this nature center, guests can enjoy a range of activities from mountain biking, cycling, hiking, and walking trails. Regular fitness programs are also held in the Stoneview Nature Center as well as nutrition classes and other similar programs in dedicated fitness zones.

5950 Stoneview Drive, Culver City, California 90232, Phone: 310-202-3002