L.A.‘s Sand Dune Park is a go-to recreational point for fitness buffs, professional athletes and hyperactive children. It’s also a reminder that the sand dunes once composed the majority of the city’s South Bay area. Ever since L.A.’s geography has changed to cater a sprawling city, the sand dunes remained intact, and began to attract a large following of amateur and professional athletes. Stretching 270 feet long and 115 feet wide over its sharply angled slope, the Sand Dune Park is the perfect spot for some hard-core open-air recreation. Just beware to ensure sustainability, a reservation is required beforehand.

While the eccentric beauty of the Watts Towers—almost 100 feet high—dazzles the eye, the story behind it all tugs at a heart string or two. A semi-literate Italian immigrant, by the name of Simon Rodia, built the whole structure using only his bare hands and foraged materials. Using passing trains to bend the metal and broken 7-Up bottles to decorate the cement, it took him a whopping 33 years to complete the towers in 1954, but bear in mind, it was all done alone and in his spare time.

The towers are a shining example of what can be achieved against the odds, and not only symbolically, with a couple of affiliated arts centers also on site explaining the process in definite detail. Watts Towers have survived vandalism, demolition attempts and even riots, so take a tour to learn more about its colorful past and hopefully rosey future.

Griffith Park, a decadent green space replete with hiking trails and plenty of opportunities for off-road exploration, is also the site of the current—and former—Los Angeles Zoo. Tucked away inside a perimeter enclosure, the old zoo can only be accessed by slipping through any discrete, unmarked entry point in the fence. The hilltop cluster of cages are shockingly small and testament to a time before notions of animal welfare and rights were instituted. Incredible behind-the-bars photo opportunities exist here, as well as copious eerie nooks and crannies in this legitimate ghost town.