Coolest Abandoned Places Near Los Angeles

Legend has it on September 3, 1970, Alan Wilson, guitarist for the band Canned Heat, died in this house on the eve of the bands' European tour. The cause of death was determined to be an overdose, though it ...

Tucked away in this iconic canyon is a storm drain that acts as a portal to a mystical grotto that is fed by springs running through Topanga. The tunnel is 20 feet down the road from the "SLIPPERY WHEN WET" ...

One of the coolest abandonments L.A. has to offer, the ruins of the old L.A. Zoo still stand even though the facility was closed and gutted in the mid '60s. Today, the old zoo with its old stone structures a...

This tunnel appropriately is placed above the Bridge to Nowhere and is one of the historic landmarks that is testament to the Cold War era. Construction started in 1956 when the government decided that peopl...

There’s enough tragedy and controversy wrapped up in the ongoing saga of Sunken City for a movie script plus a sequel. This stretch of beach contains the ruins of ritzy homes and streets that fell from a lof...

UPDATE: Sadly, 90% of this attraction has been torn down by the city. Still a fun hike, but not as many buildings to explore.

This beautiful canyon harbors an infamous past. In 1931, a group of Nazi sympa...

In the midst of the Cold War, right here in L.A., while surfers and sunbathers lazed the day away, the government kept a vigilant eye out for Soviets. Decades later, the Mulholland Drive facility is still pr...

Also known as Rosas Overlook, and reminiscent of the Sunken City in San Pedro and Hawaii's Pill Box ruins, the Topanga Fire Lookout sports similar graffiti stylings. Clamber up at your own risk and get prett...

Update: After being closed for 8 long years, the world famous Channel Street Skatepark is now open to the public!

Under the 110 Freeway right about where it terminates on its south end is the infamous sk...

A moderate 9-mile round trip hike with river crossings leads to the mysterious "bridge to nowhere" -- so-called because the roads which once led up to it is now washed away. Technically, though, it does lead...

Built by the Tagami brothers in 1917 this was one of the most popular beach resorts of its time especially among Japanese-Americans. It's demise has a sad, long, and sordid history to it and perhaps the ruin...

The Nude Bowl is your classic kidney bean-shaped pool and was a popular BMX and skateboarding haunt especially in the '80s and '90s. It was formerly a nudist resort called the "Desert Gardens Ranch" located ...

Even though Bombay Beach is a desolate place sitting on the equally desolate and putrid Salton Sea, it's quite the attraction for novice filmmakers and writers. It's hard to believe this bleak town was once ...

Also known as Angels Gate Bunkers, this battery was completed in 1919. It is one of several which protected the mainland USA from attacks by sea. Its distinguishing feature was a series of eight 12-inch mort...

Word is that, in 1970, an Apple Valley resident had plans to create a dino-themed miniature golf course but only got as far as constructing a few dinos. Nevertheless, they added a welcome touch of whimsy to ...

Los Angeles may be the epicenter of Southern California but Ventura County is where the idea of a county park system was conceived. Foster Park Bowl was one of the results of this philanthropic idea and was ...

It's hard to believe that this 800,000-square-foot space was once a booming center of commerce. Once a place where middle-class Hawthorne residents came to spend their disposable income on clothes and trinke...

This psychiatric institution was founded by Agnes Richards, a nurse determined to bring quality care to women. Built in the 1920s, the buildings and grounds were fashioned after a Spanish mission. Notable re...