Follow the Holiday Trail to LA's Famous ‘Gingerbread Houses'

Gingerbread houses?

Chances are as strong as a gumdrop is chewy you've encountered one of these classic cookie casas in recent days, either inside a store window, at a friend's place, or within your own fragrant, flour-covered kitchen.

You may have even visited "The Science of Gingerbread" exhibit, at either Discovery Cube OC or Discovery Cube LA, and seen a bevy of edible buildings made out of sugar, spice, and a few other nice ingredients, including the all-important candy-cute flourishes.

But there are more gingerbread-inspired sights to see in Southern California, and even if these wonders aren't put together on a baking sheet and slipped into an oven, you can appreciate them from a sidewalk or street.

For we're talking about our area's gingerbread houses, those whimsical homes that seem as though they should be fully covered in candy canes and peppermint puffs.

But you'd need a truckload of candy to deck these adorable abodes, for several of LA's gingerbread houses stand at two stories or more.

Friends of Residential Treasures: LA, a group devoted to spotlighting Southern California's most splendid and historical architecture, has created a merry map, one that celebrates a collection of homes that seem as though they should be slathered, from the base to the top turret, in frosting.

The Gingerbread Houses And More: 10 Fanciful Residences that Resemble Candy Confections Holiday Trail is $50, and your purchase helps FORT: LA continue to find and feature our region's most notable buildings.

Victorian is the main vibe with this sweet style, meaning, on the whole, that these gingerbread-y gems are more than 100 years old. The colorful Hale House at Heritage Square Museum is one stunning example, as is the Doctors House Museum in Glendale.

The trail is self-guided, so you'll go on your own, in your own vehicle, at your own pace.

Call this December-delightful outing a lovely complement to any storybook house tours you've taken around town (yes, storybook or witch houses are something rather different than the gingerbread house, though the fanciful forms have plenty in common, spirit-wise).

Whatever your architectural fancy happens to be, you're in a city that has embraced a host of wonderfully whimsical, slightly outlandish styles, including one that looks as though it could be eaten, if it boasted a bit of icing and some artfully placed cinnamon candies.

Find out more about this special holiday trail now, then stock your car with actual gingerbread goodies to snack upon as you go in search of these ultra-darling dwellings.