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The nondescript façade of this Victorian-era office building doesn’t do justice to the magical courtyard within. Muted light filters in through a soaring glass roof while open-cage elevators take you up floors hemmed in by lacy banisters. Commissioned by the mining and real estate magnate Lewis Bradbury and completed in 1893, architect George Wyman allegedly found inspiration for some of his designs in Edward Bellamy’s 1887 novel, Looking Backward .

Housed in a modern building designed by Frank Gehry, this aquarium offers plenty to do apart from viewing marine life in its 34 saltwater tanks. Memorable experiences include observing newborn jellyfish in the aquatic nursery, listening to whale sounds, and viewing prickly urchins and sea stars in tidepools accessed through the short Cabrillo Coastal Park Trail.

Though small, this facility offers an entertaining introduction to life in Southern California’s ocean waters. The playful yet educational exhibits are ideal for children. The staff also organize various activities, including guided tide pool walks, a marine laboratory workshop, and even “sleepovers with the fishes,” when kids can “camp” out in the aquarium under staff supervision.

One of the world’s leading scientific research centers and a pioneer in earthquake science and molecular biology, CalTech counts 29 Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and faculty, including biologist and current president, David Baltimore. The institute evolved from an arts and crafts school founded in 1891 by the famous Amos G. Throop, changing its focus to science after astronomer George E. Hale became a board member in 1907.

Located in Exposition Park, this interactive museum makes learning about science and technology a fun experience. Feel a simulated earthquake, watch chickens hatch out of eggs, design your own car, and marvel at the inner workings of a 50-ft (15-m) long robotic doll named Tess. The adjoining Air and Space Gallery in a separate building teaches the principles of flight and space exploration.

LA’s strikingly modern Roman Catholic cathedral looms above the Hollywood Freeway that has been likened to a “river of transportation.” Opened in 2002, the adobe-colored structure is entered through giant bronze doors cast by LA sculptor Robert Graham and guarded by a statue of Our Lady of the Angels. The soaring hall of worship, which seats 3,000 people, is bathed in soft light streaming in through alabaster windows. It is the first Catholic cathedral to be constructed in the western US in over a quarter century.