6 Things to Do at The Grove Los Angeles

At The Grove Los Angeles you can watch a fountain show, ride a trolley, eat at the Original Farmers Market and walk to the museums on Wilshire Boulevard. Food is a big part of the day, and the city has many more food tours in Los Angeles if you want to eat your way through other neighborhoods.

1. Watch the dancing fountain at the heart of The Grove

The fountain is the first thing to see, and it puts on a show every hour on the hour. The Grove says the fountain dances to songs by Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and others. It also plays festive medleys during the holidays.

The fountain sits in front of the theatre, at the center of the property. WET Design built it, the same company that built the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Arrive a few minutes before the hour and you will see the whole show.

A good day out in a big city is usually one place done well.

2. Ride the double-decker trolley to the Original Farmers Market

The trolley is the easiest way to get between The Grove and the Original Farmers Market. It runs along First Street, and The Grove says it is built on the undercarriage of a 1950s Boston streetcar. It runs on electric power.

The Grove lists the trolley daily from 1 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., with a note marked by an asterisk. It stops to recharge from 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. The page does not say what a ride costs, so ask at the concierge desk.

3. Eat at the Original Farmers Market next door

The Original Farmers Market is the best place at The Grove to eat on foot. It opened in July 1934 at 3rd and Fairfax, according to the market's history page. It sits at 6333 W. 3rd St. and is open daily.

The market lists these hours.

The market has stalls for groceries, specialty foods and restaurants. Do the market on your own if you know what you want to eat, since entry is free and you can order by the stall. A tour is worth it if you do not know where to start: the guide picks the food and tells the stories, and it costs more than a snack. The Original Farmers Market food and history tour is a 2.5-hour walking tasting tour, from €97.92 per person, run by Melting Pot Food Tours. The group has up to 12 people, and the meeting point is a parking lot at 6333 W 3rd St. The listing says the guide will validate your parking ticket for up to two hours. It includes the guide and the tastings. It does not include hotel pick-up or tips, and the listing names no group it is unsuitable for. It showed free cancellation on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

The tour has a 5.0 rating, but from only 4 reviews, so there is little feedback yet. Things to Do in Los Angeles' count of GetYourGuide listings on 22 October 2026 found eight guided food tours in the Los Angeles area, from €62.31 to €155.78 per person. If this one does not fit, see our other Los Angeles food tours.

Pro Tip Come to the market on a weekday before the dinner rush. It opens at 9 a.m. Monday to Friday, which is an hour earlier than The Grove's stores.

4. Shop and sit down for a meal

The Grove has stores such as Nordstrom, Apple, Zara, Nike and Barnes & Noble, and sit-down restaurants such as The Cheesecake Factory. It is open seven days a week, 365 days a year, rain or shine. Its stores open at different times than the market. The Grove lists these regular hours.

Shops and restaurants may keep their own hours. The Grove tells guests to call its concierge at 323.900.8080 for a specific store or restaurant. Its directory lists stores such as Nordstrom, Apple, Zara, Nike and Barnes & Noble. For a sit-down meal, it lists The Cheesecake Factory, Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill, Alma Cocina de Mexico and American Beauty Steakhouse.

Key Takeaway The Grove opens at 10 a.m. on most days and the market at 9 a.m. on weekdays, so eat first and shop second.

5. See a movie at AMC The Grove 14

The Grove has its own cinema, AMC The Grove 14. The directory also lists MacGuffins Bar at AMC Theatres.

Showtimes and tickets are on AMC's site, which we did not open. The Grove's page only confirms the cinema is there. A movie is an easy plan for a hot or rainy afternoon.

6. Walk over to Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard

Museum Row is the closest group of major sights to The Grove. It lies on Wilshire Boulevard, and the stops are the La Brea Tar Pits, LACMA, the Petersen Automotive Museum and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. We found no walking time from The Grove on these sites, so check a map app for your route. Plan on a rideshare if it is hot.

Here is what each stop says about itself.

For a guide, the Museum Row guided walk takes 1.5 hours and costs from €39.17 per person. It is run by igniTours and starts at 5802 Wilshire Blvd. It covers the Tar Pits outdoors only, the LACMA outdoor exhibits and Urban Light, the Petersen lobby and the outside of the Academy Museum. Museum tickets are not included. The listing showed free cancellation on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

For one museum only, pick the Petersen. Petersen's own site says parking costs $18 for the first two hours with admission, and its parking entrance is on Fairfax Avenue. A Petersen Automotive Museum admission ticket is from €19.58 per person, rated 4.8 from 848 reviews, and is run by the Petersen Automotive Museum. The listing showed free cancellation on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

For the Tar Pits and LACMA in more depth, read our guide to the La Brea Tar Pits and LACMA.

How to choose your plan at The Grove Los Angeles

Pick the plan by how much time you have and what you like. The table matches each plan to a visitor.

If you only have one hour, do the fountain and a market snack. If you have half a day, add a tour or a museum.

Getting to The Grove and parking

Without a car, ride Metro's D Line to Wilshire/Fairfax and finish the trip with a trip planner or a rideshare. The Grove is at 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Its visit page gives driving directions from the north, west, south and east. It gives no public transit directions, so there is no official Metro route to The Grove to quote. Metro's D Line stops at Wilshire/Fairfax, which LACMA names as its own station. No official page we opened gives the distance from that station to The Grove, so use a trip planner for the last stretch. Metro charges $1.75 a ride, and you pay at most $5 a day with a tap card or phone, according to Metro's fares page. For the full picture, see how to get around Los Angeles without a car.

If you drive, The Grove has a parking structure. You can enter off Fairfax Avenue on Farmers Market Place, or on The Grove Drive between Beverly Boulevard and 3rd Street. You take a ticket at the gate and pay by scanning the QR code on it. The lot is open from 4 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily.

No, parking at The Grove is not free. It is one flat rate, and shopping or eating does not lower it. The Grove says the preferred parking rate on Level 2 is not subject to validation or discount, and it does not change with purchases or time spent. The page does not give the dollar amount, so call the Grove Parking Office at (323) 900-8050 for the current rate. Valet runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. For rideshare, the Grove's preferred spot is on The Grove Drive, next to Circle Valet.

When The Grove is the wrong stop

Store and restaurant lists change often, so check The Grove's directory on the day. The Grove is a shopping center, not a major sight. If you want big landmarks, plan a day at Universal Studios Hollywood or the Hollywood Sign instead.