Atlas Obscura, L.A. Tourism Dept. Partner on Explorer’s Guide to LA
Photo by Venti Views on Unsplash

Atlas Obscura, L.A. Tourism Dept. Partner on Explorer’s Guide to LA

The Los Angeles Tourism Department partnered with curiosities and travel website Atlas Obscura for a first of its kind digital interactive map of L.A. County’s top attractions, just in time for the summer influx of tourists.


Visitors to L.A. – or locals looking for a fun reason to leave their apartments – can scroll the interactive map on a browser or download the app.

Image courtesy of the L.A. Tourism Dept.

The “Discover Los Angeles” map can be broken down by neighborhood or by a series of “guides,” which all feature as part of the larger promotional campaign roll-out known as the Explorer’s Guide to L.A

Atlas Obscura and the Tourism Department also published a hardcover edition of the Explorer’s Guide, along with several other speciality breakout guides, including the Meeting Planners Guide, artistic Visitor’s Map and, for those with more expensive tastes, the L.A. Luxury Guide to the city’s pricier pursuits. The paper versions of the guides have QR codes for travelers to scan and take information with them on the go.

This year’s collaboration with Atlas Obscura gives the Tourism Department’s previous guide a much-needed update – it was previously a whopping 136-page PDF document created in 2020.

The Explorer’s Guide includes a mix of places you’d expect to see on the map, like Griffith Park and the museum at the La Brea Tar Pits. It also has some unlikely spots sourced from Atlas Obscura’s network of local explorers who recommended their favorite places to visit: the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Venice Canals or the Watts Towers, a stunning, monumental public art exhibit of mosaic steel towers that was built by one Italian immigrant over a 34-year period.

30 neighborhoods are discussed in the guide, from classic tourist destinations like Hollywood and beach cities like Santa Monica and Venice to lesser-known but still exciting enclaves like Leimert Park, Frogtown and Little Ethiopia. There’s also several maps for specific interests – taqueria lovers will find new spots to nosh with the taco map, and there’s also a map of the Downtown Arts District, spots to stargaze and sports venues.

“For myself and the writers and editors on this project, many of them L.A. natives, getting to write and curate the official visitors guide to the city of L.A. was an absolute dream,” Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras said in a statement. “We hope that these guides will inspire all the curious travelers arriving in L.A., to try new things, as well as providing new adventures for longtime L.A. residents. There is really no limit to what L.A. has to offer.”

https://twitter.com/samsonamore
samsonamore@dot.la
ADHD and Dyslexia Often Aren't Caught Until It's Too Late. Santa Monica-Based Polygon Wants to Change That.
Courtesy of Polygon

Here’s how Jack Rolo describes his childhood: He was good at chess, and bad at spelling. He was good at math, and bad at reading. Rolo went on to study physics at Durham University in his native England—and despite often struggling in his courses, it wasn’t until after he graduated that he was diagnosed with dyslexia, a common language processing disorder that affects reading.

Rolo’s experiences informed his founding of Polygon, a Santa Monica-based diagnostics startup that emerged from stealth on Friday with $4.2 million in funding, and the goal of better diagnosing dyslexia, ADHD and other learning-related disabilities. The funding includes a $3.6 million seed round led by Spark Capital, as well as $600,000 in pre-seed funding led by Pear VC.

Read more Show less
Keerthi Vedantam

Keerthi Vedantam is a bioscience reporter at dot.LA. She cut her teeth covering everything from cloud computing to 5G in San Francisco and Seattle. Before she covered tech, Keerthi reported on tribal lands and congressional policy in Washington, D.C. Connect with her on Twitter, Clubhouse (@keerthivedantam) or Signal at 408-470-0776.

https://twitter.com/KeerthiVedantam
keerthi@dot.la
LA Tech Week 2026: Sunday’s Event Lineup

🔦 Spotlight

LA Tech Week 2026 closes Sunday with one final day of events across Los Angeles. We have organized the remaining lineup by neighborhood so you can finish the week with a few last conversations before everyone returns to their regularly scheduled inboxes.

ARTS DISTRICT

CARSON

12:00 PM

CULVER CITY

9:00 AM

  • Women in Cleantech & Sustainability Hike and Network: See Details Here
    Women in Cleantech & Sustainability

6:00 PM

  • Founders pitch competition: See Details Here
    Biomorphix solutions, Nightingale regenerative

HOLLYWOOD

10:00 AM

4:00 PM

  • AI International: Film, Music Video & Micro-Drama: See Details Here
    AI International Film Festivals

MID CITY

1:00 PM

OTHER

12:00 PM

  • ORGANIC LIFE LABS™ PRESENTS THE ALIGNMENT LAB: The Science of human performance: See Details Here
    The Blue Room Collective

SANTA MONICA

8:00 AM

1:00 PM

6:00 PM

SOUTH LA

2:00 PM

  • Future Builders : Family STEM Day: See Details Here
    Black L.A. Tech Week (Community Collective)

VENICE

10:00 AM

12:00 PM

  • How to Raise Funds to Fund Any Business Using Digital Products.: See Details Here
    DN Events

VIRTUAL

5:00 PM

WEST HOLLYWOOD

3:00 PM

Each session provides unique opportunities to gain insights, network, and explore various fields of tech innovation. For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

Download the dot.LA App

Read more Show less
RELATEDTRENDING
LA TECH JOBS
interchangeLA