Most of California is celebrating the resumption of business as usual today — including dozens of parks, museums and other attractions listed below — but several attractions remain closed indefinitely:
- Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. Director Ed Krupp said that if the state sticks with plans to ease restrictions Tuesday, the observatory should be able to reopen “well before the end of summer.”
Reasons for the continued closures vary widely, but new announcements on their status are expected soon.
The safety of young bats is a factor in Pinnacles’ Bear Gulch Cave. Managers at Hearst Castle and Griffith Observatory have said they’re working to put in place higher health and safety standards in historic structures that get heavy foot traffic, often in enclosed spaces.
Meanwhile, eight other popular California destinations are reopening in the next month — including, in the next two weeks, Pasadena’s Gamble House, downtown L.A.’s Disney Hall and Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood.
Most capacity limits are expected to expire as the state moves toward reopening this week. Also, Californians who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 will be able to stop wearing face masks in most situations, unless a business or venue decides to keep mask-wearing mandatory.
Visitors should check the linked websites before planning a visit; many destinations will adjust their schedules and offerings in days and weeks to come.
All of California’s national parks are open, but details vary. Some seasonal mountain roads are still closed by snow, but Yosemite’s Tioga Road opened May 27.
All but four of California’s 280 state parks are open, but many of their campgrounds are not, so check individual sites.
Opening soon, by date
Gustavo Dudamel conducts the L.A. Phil during rehearsal May 12 at the Hollywood Bowl.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Pasadena’s Gamble House, a showcase of Craftsman architecture, resumes interior tours Tuesday.
The Mount Wilson Observatory is reopening Tuesday for guided weekend tours.
Disney Hall in downtown L.A. reopens June 26 with a free concert by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for invited guests and ticket giveaway winners. (The ticket giveaway is open only to people who have been vaccinated.)
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood reopens June 26. The tours will be open to families with children 5 and older.
The Exploratorium on San Francisco’s Embarcadero reopens July 1.
Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, an open-air venue in Topanga Canyon, will present three plays July 10 through Nov. 7, including “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Julius Caesar.”
The Hollywood Bowl set five free concerts for healthcare workers, first responders and essential workers, with one more in June, and kicks off a 14-week season beginning July 3. Seating in most sections will require that guests show proof of vaccination.
Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters will run July 7 through Sept. 3. The summer tradition features “living pictures” on an amphitheater stage. Tickets are on sale.
The Pantages Theater in Hollywood said it will resume the run of “Hamilton” on Aug. 17.
The Dolby Theater in Hollywood has scheduled a production of “My Fair Lady” beginning Oct. 7.
Open now
Pinocchio and Tinker Bell greet Disneyland guests on Feb. 27, 2020, shortly before the pandemic shut down the park.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Alcatraz, part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is open, though access to some areas is still restricted.
Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Big Basin Redwoods State Park, closed after the CZU Lightning Complex Fires, partially reopened May 29.
Bodie State Historic Park is partially open.
Bowers Museum, Santa Ana
The Broad museum, L.A.
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
California African American Museum, Los Angeles
California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento. Weekend 45-minute train rides are open; walk-through train cars and children’s area remain closed.
Anacapa Island, part of Channel Islands National Park, features a lighthouse completed in 1932.
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Channel Islands National Park
Cold Spring Tavern, outside Santa Barbara, has reopened for dining but no live music yet.
De Young Museum, San Francisco
Death Valley National Park
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Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park
French Laundry restaurant, Yountville
The Getty Center in Brentwood and the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades
The Great Park Balloon, Irvine, resumed its tethered flights May 6. The Great Park’s visitor center is open, as its sports complex (for participants, not observers) and the Great Park Gallery. The carousel, under renovations, is expected to reopen in fall.
Highway 1, which has been closed for repairs between southern Monterey County and Big Sur since late January, reopened April 23. With that option open, Southern Californians regain a scenic coastal route to Big Sur and points farther north.
Bixby Creek Bridge, completed in 1932, spans Bixby Canyon on the Big Sur coast along Highway 1.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino is partially open, including select galleries, many gardens, store and cafe
Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles
Joshua Tree National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum, Los Angeles
La Purísima Mission State Historic Park, Lompoc
Lassen Volcanic National Park is open except for Bumpass Hell Trail.
Legoland California Resort, Carlsbad. On May 27, the park opened a new area, The Lego Movie World, with six rides and attractions on 2 acres. Reservations are required.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Maritime Museum of San Diego, including historic bay cruises
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego
Musso & Frank Grill, an iconic Hollywood restaurant, reopened May 6 and is accepting reservations.
Nepenthe restaurant, a Big Sur landmark
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley
The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena.
The Old Globe theater in San Diego’s Balboa Park resumed outdoor presentations June 4, with full-scale indoor productions to follow in fall.
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway has resumed daily service.
Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, a restaurant and bar near Joshua Tree, is open indoors and out. Live music is limited.
Pinnacles National Park
Raging Waters Los Angeles. San Dimas
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley
Redwood National and State Parks
The Downtown San Luis Obispo Thursday Farmers’ Market
Sacramento History Museum and Old Sacramento Underground Tours
Star of India, San Diego Maritime Museum, Harbor Drive, San Diego.
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Gorgonio Wilderness, San Bernardino National Forest. Parts of the wilderness within Sand to Snow National Monument have reopened, including South Fork, Lost Creek, Aspen Grove and Fish Creek trailheads. Also, the Falls Picnic Area, Big Falls Trail and Vivian Creek Trail in the Forest Falls area reopened.
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Santa Monica Pier‘s Pacific Park amusement area has reopened.
Sequoia National Park
Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia
Skirball Cultural Center, Brentwood
Yosemite National Park’s Wawona Hotel reopened June 10.
Yosemite National Park is open, but requires advance reservations even for day trips, through Sept. 30. The park’s Upper, Lower and North Pines, Camp 4, Wawona, Bridalveil Creek and Tuolumne Meadows campgrounds will be open for the summer, advance reservations required for all. The Ahwahnee, Curry Village and the Yosemite Valley lodge are open too, with some restrictions. There’s no shuttle bus service. Also, visitors in cars won’t be able to reach the sequoias of Mariposa Grove, which was closed to traffic after a January wind storm. But you can hike or bike to the trees on the Washburn Trail (four miles round trip from Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza).
