SoCal is not just about The Hollywood sign or the walk of fame. It offers more than just hunting down the celebrities and going on a trip to Disneyland. So here are the things to visit if you’re not into crowded places:

Places to see

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park straddles eastern California and Nevada. It’s known for Titus Canyon, with a ghost town and colorful rocks, and Badwater Basin’s salt flats. North of the spiky salt mounds known as the Devil’s Golf Course, rattlesnakes live in Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. [1]

In this below-sea-level basin, steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley a land of extremes. Yet, each extreme has a striking contrast. Towering peaks are frosted with winter snow. Rare rainstorms bring vast fields of wildflowers. Lush oases harbor tiny fish and refuge for wildlife and humans. Despite its morbid name, a great diversity of life survives in Death Valley.[2]

In 1849 emigrants bound for California's gold fields strayed into the 120-mile long basin, enduring a two-month ordeal of "hunger and thirst and an awful silence." One of the last to leave looked down from a mountain at the narrow valley and said, "Good-bye, Death Valley."[3]

Slab City

Slab City, also called The Slabs, is largely a snowbird community in the Sonoran Desert located in Imperial County, California, 100 miles northeast of San Diego and 169 miles southeast of Los Angeles within the California Badlands, and used by recreational vehicle owners and squatters from across North America.[1]

San Diego

San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of California known for its beaches, parks and warm climate. Immense Balboa Park is the site of the renowned San Diego Zoo, as well as numerous art galleries, artist studios, museums and gardens. A deep harbor is home to a large active naval fleet, with the USS Midway, an aircraft-carrier-turned-museum, open to the public.[1]

Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach is a small coastal city in Orange County, California. It’s known for its many art galleries, coves and beaches. Main Beach features tide pools and a boardwalk leading to the paths and gardens of nearby Heisler Park. Aliso Beach Park is a popular surf spot. The waters off Crystal Cove State Park are designated as an underwater park. Trails meander through coastal canyons in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.[1]

Malibu

Malibu is a city west of Los Angeles, California. It’s known for its celebrity homes and beaches, including wide and sandy Zuma Beach. To the east is Malibu Lagoon State Beach, known as Surfrider Beach for its waves. Nearby is the Spanish Revival–style Adamson House, with local history displays in its Malibu Lagoon Museum. Inland, trails weave through canyons, waterfalls and grasslands in the Santa Monica Mountains.[1]

Venice Beach

Venice Beach is a district of LA and is best known for its boardwalk although there is a lot more to do than just stroll along the edge of the beach. The area was conceived in 1905 by Abbott Kinney who wanted to recreate Venice by building a complex system of canals,, today only a few of the original canals have survived. In the 50s and 60s the people from the art, culture and entertainment industry flocked here making it a hot bed of creativity, radical activism and liberal free thinkers. It remains an area of cultural diversity and creativity.[1]

Griffith Observatory

The Griffith Observatory is a facility in Los Angeles, California, sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest.[1]

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is open year-round. There are few facilities within the park's approximately 800,000 acres, making Joshua Tree a true desert wilderness just a few hours outside Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. About 2.8 million visitors come to the park each year to enjoy activities such as hiking, camping, photography, rock climbing, and simply enjoying the serene desert scenery. The busy season in Joshua Tree runs from October through May.[1]

The Getty Villa

The Getty Villa is one of two locations of the J. Paul Getty Museum. Located at the easterly end of the Malibu coast in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.[1]