Venice Canal Historic District

On our list of the best activities in Los Angeles.

Abbot Kinney dug more than a dozen canals here in 1905, modeling the layout on Venice, Italy, and naming them after stars — Grand, Aldebaran, Venus. The city filled in most of them in 1929 to make way for roads, and the six that survive sat neglected until a 1990s renovation replaced the sidewalks and seawalls. Arched footbridges cross the water between houses in a mix of styles, and waterbirds are common along the paths; swimming, boating and kayaking are all off-limits since the canals are private residential waterways.