Dear Adventure Avenues, 
My uncle and I visited The Getty Center in Los Angeles California the first weekend in October 2026. After visiting the Getty Villa, I knew I also wanted to check out the Getty Center. Unfortunately we just happened to pick the hottest day of the year to go. (Not kidding, it was at least 95 if not hotter all day).
We got there about 20 minutes before the museum opened and parked in the underground parking. Parking is the only thing you have to pay for ($25); entry to the museum is free. Reservations are STRONGLY recommended. I had reserved us for the first time slot at 10am.
It felt a little like Disneyland because we had to wait for the train tram to come and pick us up to take us to the top of the hill where the museum is.
One “perk” of it being so incredibly hot was that the views were spectacular! We could see all the way to Catalina Island.
After taking in the view from the top, we started heading down the path to the gardens.
The gardens were beautiful. There was a water feature all the way down the path that led to this maze-like pattern in a small wading pool. The flowers were in bloom, adding spots of color everywhere.
After walking through the gardens, we checked out the sculpture garden and the view from there.
Then we walked over to the Cactus garden which you don’t actually get close enough to it to walk in it, but it is a nice view.
After we did all the outside things (before it got even hotter), we went and admired the art.
I loved the 1700 and 1800s artwork they have here!
By this point it was around 1pm, so we went to look for a place to eat. We had debated the restaurant but nothing really spoke to us (and it seemed expensive for what you were getting). The cafe under the restaurant didn’t have very good vibes, so we went to eat outside at the Trellis Bar & Lounge.
We split the Mini Cobb salad which was quite good, and my uncle enjoyed a refreshing mai tai.
We sat in the one little section of complete shade. The restaurant was to my right and every time the door opened, a nice breeze of air conditioning swept our way.
After eating, we went to the Stendahl’s World: Marketing Ancient Mexico and Modern Art in Los Angeles. He was not the greatest guy and often lied about if pieces were real or not, not to mention his methods of obtaining them were questionable.
We also enjoyed the Lost. Found. Returned. Exhibit that was all about a piece of art that had been lost during World War II and then later found and returned. It was interesting to learn about the curation process.
We then looked at Odilon Redon: Otherworldly Visions which was interesting and a little creepy.
We also found some French furniture and decorative arts that I quite enjoyed!
We breezed through a photography exhibit and then decided to head out. There were a couple of buildings that were closed, so we were not able to visit the exhibits in there.
The tram felt faster heading down the hill to the parking garage.
The museum was definitely a great place to beat the heat if you don’t have air conditioning in LA. I definitely enjoyed all the exhibits I saw and would love to go back again to do their afternoon tea.
Until next time,
A
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