Taking a walking tour through old Los Angeles is an amazing way to explore the city’s history. It is both inexpensive and extremely educational. From Los Angeles Union Station you can walk to eight museums. To me, this entire area is a museum, but there are eight actual museums you can walk in to. This is a historic part of Los Angeles, so this area is a living museum.
In post-COVID times, the museum hours have been scaled back, so it’s best to check their website prior to visiting so you can try and see all eight on the same day. Coming out of Union Station, what I would do is to first check out The Old Plaza Firehouse.
This is the first building the city built to house an all volunteer fire fighter crew. You can see the type of equipment that was used back in the late 1800s on how fire was fought. This was an actual fire station that has been converted to a museum. It’s a very small building, so even though it might not take too long to explore, it’s still remarkable to see just the same.
Immediately around the corner, is the Garnier building built in 1890. The Garnier Building was named after Philippe Garnier from France. It was originally used to house the growing Chinese settlers in the area. Many important community associations for Chinese Americans were also located in this building. The Garnier building is the last standing building from the original Chinatown. Most of the original Chinatown was destroyed to build Union Station. A portion of the Garnier building was also demolished for the Hollywood 101 and Santa Ana 5 freeway. Today, the portion of the Garnier building that remains is home to the Chinese American Museum which showcases their experience in the United States.
Heading northwest, you will pass the Pico House, named after Pio Pico. The Pico House was considered the finest hotel in Los Angeles. Today, it is a California Historical Landmark.
Across the street from the Pico House is LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is dedicated to Mexican American culture in Southern California. The museum contains both permanent exhibits along with rotating exhibits upstairs and special evening events and music.
From there you can walk back across the street again and cut through El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument towards Olvera Street. Olvera Street is considered the oldest part of Los Angeles and close to where the city was first founded.
The first museum you will come across is the Museum of Social Justice. The museum showcases the overlooked stories of the diverse people that made up Los Angeles. The exhibit rotates roughly every 4-6 months. The museum is inside the United Methodist church and the entrance can be a bit tricky to find. The entrance is immediately next to the first gift shop.
On Olvera Street, you can visit Adobe Avila, the oldest house in Los Angeles which is now also a museum. The house was built in 1818 and you can walk around the grounds to see how the first settlers lived.
Walk up Olvera Street and there is another museum called Sepulveda House. Originally a 22 room Victorian house built in 1887, the Sepulveda House showcases the transition from a purely Mexican tradition to a blend of Mexican and American architecture. Currently, there isn't much you can see, and the exhibits are behind glass.
As seen in the photo above, next door to the Sepulveda House is the America Tropical Interactive Center. The highlight of the museum is the controversial mural that was whitewashed soon after completion in 1932. The mural depicted the exploitation of Mexican workers. The mural has been slowly restored over the past decade.
Rounding out the museums along Olvera Street is the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles. The museum entrance is on Main St, and it highlights the contribution of Italians in Los Angeles. As you enter the museum, you'll immediately walk upstairs to the open room showcasing their permanent exhibits. They have a few room off to the left with additional exhibits including rotating exhibits.
Of course, we can’t forget food on this day trip. Even grabbing lunch around this area can take you back in time.
If you stay on Olvera Street, there are various restaurants and quick eats. Some like Cielito Lindo, a small taquitos have been opened since 1934.
Heading north a couple blocks into Chinatown is Philippe The Original. The restaurant was first opened in 1908, however, they had to relocate because of the Hollywood 101 and Santa Ana 5 freeway expansion. They have been in their current location since 1951. The debate in Los Angeles is who invented the first French dipped sandwich. On Philippe’s website, you will see they claimed to have inadvertently created the sandwich. However, about 1mi south is Cole’s French Dip. They also make claim to have invented the French dip sandwich. Regardless of who is right or wrong, it appears to be clear that the French dip was invented in Los Angeles.
If you’re looking for something fancier, you can head over to Traxx in Union Station for lunch. Although the restaurant is not historic, the train station is. Los Angeles Union Station is the largest rail station in the Western United States and considered the last great rail station in the US. It was completed in 1939.
Below you can find can admission costs to each museum. This is a very inexpensive and fun way to explore the histories of Los Angeles.
Admission to each museum
The Old Plaza Firehouse FREE, donations accepted
Chinese American Museum FREE, donations accepted
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes FREE, donations accepted
Museum of Social Justice FREE, donations accepted
Adobe Avila FREE, donations accepted
Sepulveda House FREE, donations accepted
America Tropical Interactive Center FREE, donations accepted
Italian American Museum FREE, donations accepted
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