A scooter tour, mystery picnic and biking adventure — there is certainly no shortage of outdoor activities in LA. Ever since COVID hit, Kevin and I have been hitting the streets of LA and exploring neighborhoods we’ve rarely (if ever) visited. I guess we need to go somewhere since we haven’t been doing our usual international jaunts.
Missing our international explorations. But one day we’ll get abroad again.
We’ve done countless hikes around LA — taking the twins along in our new fancy baby backpacks. Our boy Aidan certainly loves hiking. Our girl Ava? Let’s just say, she might be more of a spa girl than a hiker.
Ava lets her feelings known. Hiking isn’t quite her thing!
Hiking with our boy Aidan, who is all smiles and giggles. Though, he smiles for just about anything.
So whether you’re looking to mix things up, or feel more like our baby girl Ava, here are some of the 3 best outdoor activities in LA that don’t involve hiking.
3. Get Lost On A Mystery Picnic Through Malibu
What exactly is a mystery picnic? And why is it one of the best outdoor activities in LA? In short, who doesn’t love to eat and solve mysterious clues? While you could plan a mystery picnic of your own, who has the time? That’s the thinking behind Amazing Company’s mystery picnic adventure. They do all the work for you, mapping out your adventure and arranging all the food along the way. Each clue solved will lead you closer to your next picnic food pick up. Even better yet? The mystery picnic is available not just in Malibu, but in cities all across the United States and even around the world. You can find an entire list from the Amazing Company website here.
Food we picked up along our Malibu mystery picnic.
The tour company lists the adventure taking on average anywhere from 3 to 4 hours to complete. However, it took Kevin and I more than 5 hours to complete. Oops! I’d like to think of us as not so average (i.e. the positive spin on it!). All and all, it’s an incredible day in Malibu — all 5+ hours of it!
The entire mystery picnic starts at $90. So it isn’t exactly cheap, but it does include all the tastings, interactive clues and riddles as well as fun games and conversation starters that made the time fly by while in the car driving to our next mystery spot. The only things I’d recommend bringing separately is a picnic basket, a blanket (if you’re going to sit on the ground), plastic utensils and cups and any other special treats.
Wrapping up on our final stop in Malibu. We celebrated with some cake!
2. Pedal From West Hollywood To The Beach
Bikes and Hikes LA offers what just might be the best way to explore LA — by bike and by foot. We were especially excited to join their LA in a Day Bike Tour, a six hour ride taking us from West Hollywood to Santa Monica and riding through many of LA’s most famous addresses in between such as Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air and more.
Outside Bikes and Hikes LA.
LA in a Day Bike Tour is the ride that put the company on the map. Shop owner Danny Roman came up with the tour after his large family from New York City visited LA and wanted to see the celebrity homes, beaches and everything in between. But they pretty much spent most of their time in traffic, exhausted and miserable after sitting inside a crammed vehicle all day.
It is exactly the experience that my family had when they visited us for our wedding a few years ago and signed up for one of those double decker bus tours of LA. When I asked my niece what she thought of the bus tour, she simply responded, “I wish we had just stayed at The Grove!” Clearly, our family had the same experience.
Our guide Erik (right) gives us an overview on what to expect for the day.
Believe it or not, Los Angeles is a wonderful place for biking. One of the most painful parts of living in LA — pandemic or no pandemic — is the getting around. Plus, it’s a breeze on the electric-powered bikes. If you get tired of pedaling, just switch that bike into “Turbo Mode.” Okay, I might have switched it on more than necessary. But I was just enjoying the scenery too much — and did an early morning pilates class so my legs were already tired. I know, excuses!
Outside the Witches House in Beverly Hills.
As locals, we loved this trip through our city. There is just something exciting about hitting the open road and feeling the energy of Los Angeles from a bike. Tours depart daily in the morning. Cost: $162 per person. To book a tour, go directly to the Bikes and Hikes LA website.
1. Zip Your Way Through Hidden LA On A Scooter Tour
Enjoying an afternoon scooter tour in LA with Day Scoot Tours.
Los Angeles is known for its car culture and notorious traffic (pre-pandemic). So we say ditch the car and hop in a scooter where you can zip around and see some of its best sites. Sunny Day Scoot offers a wide range of themed tours from a sunrise ride (riding in the early morning hours before most are awake) to a red carpet tour (it’s LA after all) to the ride that we did, the Discover Tour (their most popular ride).
Hitting the roads in celebration of our friend’s birthday. A scooter tour makes a perfect group activity.
Even though we didn’t do the red carpet themed tour, we still felt like movie stars as other drivers honked and waved as we scooted by them.
Zooming down the streets and having a blast.
The Discover LA tour has a little bit of everything — showcasing LA’s natural beauty to the glitz and glam of the entertainment industry. As locals, Kevin and I often think we’ve seen and heard it all. But we were both shocked at how many fun things we learned along the way — such as seeing the location where they filmed one of the most famous scenes from Pretty Woman. And getting the intel on where Hollywood stars play, including the location of Adam Sandler’s holiday party (when there isn’t a pandemic). And of course, no visit to LA is complete without seeing the studios. You’ll get to scoot past Warner Brothers as well as Walt Disney Animation.
Passing by the ‘mouse house,’ Walt Disney Animation Studio.
Finally, you’ll make your way through Griffith Park. Now here is a fun fact — Griffith Park is nearly five times the size of New York’s Central Park. It’s massive so you’ll have plenty of space to rev your engines as you scoot past the LA Zoo, the Gene Autry Museum and Travel Town Train Museum. We also had the opportunity to get out of the scooters and explore some of its hidden sections, including the historic carousel, which inspired Walt Disney to create his famed theme park to the original LA zoo with cages that you can still explore today.
Climbing inside one of the cages in the original zoo in Los Angeles.
We’re having such a blast, exploring Griffith Park.
Your guides will take you around so it’s perfect even for the directionally challenged (guilty!). Tours depart daily and can be booked directly on the Sunny Day Scoot Tour website. The Discovery LA tour costs $280 per car (which seats 2 people).
Looking for other fun ideas in Los Angeles as a local? Check out our full list of recommendations for your next Los Angeles staycation in downtown LA, as well as 5 secret spots in LA you (probably) never knew existed (but should!). Is the beach more of your speed? Be sure to read our feature on the Malibu mystery picnic, the perfect birthday outing idea for adults. Or if you’re feeling like staying at home these days, we have recommendations on the best virtual activities you can do from a drag show with sangria making to a virtual pottery class.
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