Santa Fe Springs, CA Indoor Activities

What was once the personal collection of Pasadena residents Bob and Arlene Oltman is now a three-story institution with more than 10,000 square feet of gallery space. The Pasadena Museum of California Art features art, architecture, and design from all over the state and aims to explore cultural issues that are unique to California.

Since its inception in 1979, The Museum of Contemporary Art has devoted itself to post-1940 artwork, a focus that sets it apart from all other Los Angeles museums. Its permanent collection harbors more than 5,000 art objects, encompassing media from video installations and documentary photography to pop art. Works from renowned artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Diane Arbus share gallery space with pieces from up-and-coming artists across the museum’s three facilities.

To complement its permanent collection, the museum hosts rotating temporary exhibits, such as the current Amanda Ross-Ho exhibit, Teeny Tiny Woman, which incorporates architectural elements and large-scale paintings. The museum staff also augments these displays with events, such as their summer concert series in Geffen Plaza, which explores the intersection of music and art like a guitar decoupaged with pages from DaVinci’s journal.

If you've ever stood on the second floor of the Los Angeles Central Public Library and marveled at the explosion of color within the rotunda or the 12 adjacent murals depicting California history, then you have the Los Angeles Conservancy to thank. When the library was scheduled for demolition in the mid-1970s, concerned citizens formed the Conservancy to save the rotunda, the exterior limestone sculptures, and the library's many other architectural treasures. The group finally convinced the City Council to preserve the library in 1983, after years of public discussion, debate, and book-sniffing sit-ins. Ever since, it has advocated for greater Los Angeles's historic sites and educated people about the city's architectural heritage. The Conservancy is responsible for saving and revitalizing landmarks such as the former Cathedral of St. Vibiana, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House, and the world’s oldest remaining McDonald’s restaurant.

To accomplish its mission, the membership-based nonprofit offers a number of ways people can experience these beautiful and storied places. The Last Remaining Seats series earned a Reader Recommendation for Best Film Series and Best Downtown Event in the Los Angeles Downtown News' 2012 poll, in which the conservancy’s walking tours also earned the title of Best Downtown Tour. But the organization does more than save grandiose public buildings: increasingly, it also focuses on smaller community projects such as garden apartments and sites that reflect the area's rich Latino culture.

Executive director and 20-year Conservancy veteran Linda Dishman explained to Patt Morrison of the Los Angeles Times, "People are becoming more vocal. …That's one of the great secrets about Los Angeles: People really identify with their neighborhoods." The Conservancy also presents annual preservation awards to honor the efforts of individuals who fight to save places such as Pann’s Coffee Shop and Griffith Observatory.

Salsa dancing is an art that relies on cooperation. The owners of LearnSalsa.com take that to heart, collecting an ensemble of talented teachers to lead each of their dancing boot camps. These instructors help as many as 100 students at a time master the basic steps of salsa or bachata. Backed by heart-pumping tunes, they fill entire gymnasiums with the swiveling hips and shuffling steps of aspiring dancers attempting to hone their technique or to build up enough static charge to jump-start a car battery.

The GRAMMY Museum aims to immerse guests in a historic and melodic experience with four floors devoted to American music. The 30,000-square-foot museum celebrates the American musical tradition with concerts, lectures, and exhibits on genres ranging from classical and jazz to rock and hip-hop. The Clive Davis Theater sits at the center of the museum, ready and waiting for the gold-plated performances of tiny GRAMMY trophy orchestras. A rooftop terrace hides atop the building for special programs and private events. In the interactive exhibit space, visitors can peer into musical time capsules with stage outfits that once belonged to Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

As the founder of Body Lingo, Sabrina Moxie proves exercise and fun don't have to be mutually exclusive. As a personal trainer and former student at the LA Conservatory for Fine Arts, she is well-equipped to lead her small-group fitness classes through dance styles such as Bollywood fusion, Zumba, hip-hop cardio, and even hula-hoop aerobics. Though each session is already held in a small group, Sabrina and her staff invite extra-shy clients to break out of their shells in a comfortable private environment during one-on-one dance lessons, personal-training sessions, or two-person pistachio-eating contests. To supplement the caloric burn produced in class, the Body Lingo crew also offers stress-relieving guided mediation, as well as nutritional tips and tricks.