Fall in Los Angeles is such a lovely time to explore the city. The summer crowds have left and it cools off a bit to perfect temperatures. The rain and wind usually do not come until wintertime. Fall in Los Angeles offers tons of cheap things to do on a budget. I have spent my entire life living near Los Angeles and it has some awesome and unique events during the fall season.
Want a guided tour to start out your trip and get acclimated to the city? Then check out Guru Walks for a free guided tour. You can book online to reserve your spot and pay what you wish when you get there. Check out the tours in Los Angeles here.
US Ghost Adventures is an awesome company that offers a variety of guided tours and haunted experiences across different cities in the United States. Visitors can learn the compelling history and stories of the paranormal and the city’s darker side. Make sure to check out the variety of tours offered in Los Angeles here. They are very affordable too!
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Where to Stay in Los Angeles
TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best Los Angeles hotels here!
Los Angeles can be a very expensive place to stay, so expect to pay a minimum of $150 per night. I recommend staying in the Downtown area as it does have a ton of amazing hotels right in the middle of everything.
Some of the best Los Angeles include the following. *means it is one of my favorites.
- Hilton Checkers Hotel
- The Westin Bonaventure Hotel*
- Hotel Figueroa
- Freehand Los Angeles
- Omni Los Angeles
- Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown
- DoubleTree by Hilton Los Angeles Downtown
- Biltmore Los Angeles*
- The Hoxton, Downtown LA
GoCity Pass
GoCity offers a ton of different sightseeing passes for cities around the world. These passes allow you to visit the best of each city for one low price, rather than paying individually for each attraction. I have used it in several cities around the world and would recommend getting a GoCity pass! Check out the options for the Los Angeles GoCity pass here.
Things to do in Fall in Los Angeles
Visit a Botanical Garden to see the Fall Colors
Cost: Free to $25
Botanical Gardens are not just for springtime! Fall in Los Angeles makes for an enjoyable season to stroll through the gardens. Many of the gardens around Los Angeles offer some amazing fall foliage. It is well worth visiting and spending some time walking around the gardens. Some of my favorite options are the Huntington Library and the Descanso Gardens. Many botanical gardens offer a free day each month, thus making it a fun and cheap activity. Make sure to check the websites for more information.
Attend a Dodgers Game
Cost: $17 and up
Dodger Stadium is one of the coolest baseball stadiums in the United States. It is situated at the top of a hill overlooking Los Angeles. It also has one of the best viewpoints of Los Angeles. Make sure to grab a Dodger dog and garlic fries while rooting on the home team. You can even catch a shuttle from Union Station if you do not have a car.
Go to a USC Football game and Tailgate
Cost: $35, but can sometimes be found for cheaper
Fall in Los Angeles means football season! USC and UCLA are two of the major college football teams in Los Angeles. Head to the USC campus for a tailgate before a USC game at the Coliseum. You can opt to tailgate on campus or right outside the stadium. Just make sure you get a permit online beforehand or register to join a sponsored tailgate. This makes for an enjoyable day and a fun experience cheering on the home teams.
Grab Drinks at a Rooftop Bar
Cost: $12+
Fall is my favorite time to hang out at rooftop bars that overlook Los Angeles. In the summertime, it can sometimes get too hot and crowded. There are a ton of rooftop bars scattered all over Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood. Three of my favorites are Mama Shelter (Hollywood), Perch (DTLA), and Broken Shaker (DTLA). Mama Shelter offers awesome views of the Hollywood sign and they also serve food too. Perch overlooks Pershing Square and is conveniently located near a Metro stop. Broken Shaker gives you a nice glimpse of the downtown buildings, especially in the evenings, and has the comfiest chairs.
Take in the Views from Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory
Cost: Free
Fall in Los Angeles brings about the perfect weather for Griffith Park and Observatory. Griffith Observatory is a popular spot for sunset. There are tons of scenic viewpoints perfect for overlooking the city. Griffith Park offers 49 different trails that range from 1-11.8 miles. It is one of the largest urban parks in North America and the second-largest in California. Several of the trails offer views of the Hollywood sign or you can hike the 6-mile trail up to the top of the sign.
Hollywood Bowl
Cost: $1 and up depending on the event
The Hollywood Bowl is always a favorite of mine during the fall in Los Angeles. The nights are cool and they put on a ton of cool events. From concerts to movie screenings, there are events for everyone at the Hollywood Bowl. I have seen Katy Perry and Sara Bareilles in concert there. I also love the LA Philharmonic nights where they screen movies while the LA Phil plays the music to go along with it. During October, they usually show Halloween Movies and have several Nightmare Before Christmas nights!
Hike to the Hollywood Sign
Cost: Free
If you love hiking, you will love the hike to the top of the Hollywood Sign at the top of Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills. There are two trails to take you to the top. I recommend the shorter 4-mile trail. To get there, but Brush Canyon Trailhead into Google Maps. There is a small parking lot, so plan to get there early before the lot fills up.
At the trailhead, there is a nice map that shows you how to hike up to the sign. From the lot, just follow the trail as it winds around the mountain. Once at the top, you will see the back of the Hollywood sign and the most amazing 360-degree views of Los Angeles. For a more challenging hike, you can also take the 6-mile trail from Griffith Observatory. Fall in Los Angeles is the perfect time to do this hike as the weather will be cool enough but it should not be too cloudy.
Spend an afternoon at a Pumpkin Patch
Cost: $5+
What is fall without a visit to a pumpkin patch? Fall is Los Angeles offers a ton of different pumpkin patches to go to. One of the most popular pumpkin patches, Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch, offers tons of activities outside of pumpkin picking, including food and entertainment.
Another popular stop is the Corn Maze at Tapia Bros. Farmstand. This epic maze takes up the entire lot next to the pumpkin patch. They also have a fresh farmer’s market!
Street Food Cinema
Cost: $17
During the summer and fall in Los Angeles, Street Food Cinema puts on movie nights. At the event, there are a plethora of food trucks to enjoy a bite to eat. Sometimes there are special guests that go along with the showing of the movie. The location moves throughout the city each weekend, so check their website for more information. I went to a showing of Mean Girls and they had Jonathan Bennett, the actor who played Aaron Samuels, there for autographs.
Go to a TV Show Taping
Cost: Free
Fall in Los Angeles is a great time to try to score TV show taping tickets. The productions are just starting back up for the season. Especially if it is a newer show, there are usually plenty of tickets available. Check out websites like 1iota and TV Tickets to find tickets. Some of my favorites are The Talk, The Ellen Show, and Jimmy Kimmel. Remember that shows mostly tape during the week, so keep that in mind when planning your trip.
Watch a Sunset from the Santa Monica Pier
Cost: Free
The beach during the fall in Los Angeles is absolutely gorgeous. The summer crowds will have dwindled and the weather will be the perfect amount of cool. The Santa Monica Pier offers a gorgeous view of a California sunset. You can also opt to ride one of the many rides on the pier or shop along the third street promenade.
Attend Harvest Season at a Winery
Cost: Free to $$
Wine tasting is always a good idea, especially during the fall in Los Angeles. California does have some of the best wine regions in the United States. During the fall season, wineries will harvest their grapes to make that year’s wine. There are some wineries that accept volunteers to help harvest which can make for a super fun weekend. Many wineries are located just outside of Los Angeles near Malibu. If you want to make a weekend trip out of it, head along the coast to the Santa Barbara, Los Olivos, or Paso Robles wine regions.
Other Things to Do in Fall in Los Angeles
Although not necessarily cheap, these events make for a great addition to your fall in Los Angeles.
Dia de Los Muertos at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Cost: $30
Every year, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery puts together a huge Dia de Los Muertos celebration. Everyone is encouraged to dress in Dia de Los Muertos attire. Mexican food is served and there are tons of stalls selling Dia de Los Muertos crafts. The event includes a traditional procession, hundreds of altars set up around the cemetery, various performances, and arts and crafts.
Knotts Scary Farm
Cost: $40
Although not technically in Los Angeles, it is less than an hour’s drive away to Knotts Berry Farm. During evenings in the fall season, Knotts turns into a reign of terror. With creepy clowns, monsters, and more waiting to scare you throughout the park, plan for a night where you may pee your pants at any second. There are usually at least 10 different mazes you can opt to walk through as well. The mazes may change each year or are updated with new scares. The majority of the rides and food stalls are also open during this time. If you get the least bit frightened at anything creepy, I do not recommend Knotts Scary Farm.
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights
Cost: $100+
For those who love being terrified, Universal Studios puts on Halloween Horror Nights this year. A step above Knotts Scary Farm, Universal will literally scare your pants off. Only offered during fall in Los Angeles, there are several special mazes open throughout the park as well as the normal rides and attractions. In the evening the studio tour turns into the terror tram with crazy things happening along the way. In the past, maze themes have included Stranger Things, Ghostbusters, Frankenstein, and Killer Clowns.
Fall in Los Angeles has so many fun and cheap things to do. It is a great time to be outdoors and soak up the last rays of sunshine before wintertime in Los Angeles. Have more time to spend in California? Then why not take a California Road Trip or head over to Arizona for a road trip.
16 thoughts on “Fall in Los Angeles: 15+ Cheap Things to Do on a Budget”
What a great list!! We’re both from Southern California and still haven’t done all of thses things! We definitely need add these to our Fall Adventure list!! Thanks for sharing!
There are so many hidden gems around SoCal!
Fall must be beautiful in SoCal!! it seems like such a perfect time to be outside. Pinning for future reference. Can’t wait to get back!
Fall is super pretty in So Cal… when we don’t have the fires!
I really hope to make it to Los Angeles some day. Such a great list. Visiting a proper pumpkin patch is a dream of mine.
There are so many fun things around LA that people don’t realize.
Fall is my favorite season and I bet it is amazing in LA! I really hope to be able to go back one day!
I love fall too! The weather is my favorite.
I LOVE fall but more have experience with the east coast so this is helpful! Never thought Cali in the Fall Can be so pretty.
Right!? East coast fall is awesome but there is still quite a bit to do in Cali as well!
Love all these ideas! I’d love to visit the botanical gardens there + I’ve yet to hike to the Hollywood sign!
The Hollywood sign hike is awesome!
This is such an amazing list Francesca! I love the LA area because there is so much to do. I’ve hiked to the Hollywood sign, but there is so much more I have to do. Also I love all of the fall fun! 🙂
LA seriously has so much to do that people don’t realize!
These are such great recommendations! I went to LA in February last year and loved it there. I bet fall must be cool there, especially if you visit a pumpkin patch! 🙂
Fall in LA is such a fun time but I like it in the wintertime too.