Weekend

Weekend: The Academy Museum Is Here, Movie Fans

The artifact-packed repository of film amazingness will include screenings, talks, special events, and, yes, costumes galore.

Joshua White

What to Know

  • The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened on Sept. 30, 2021
  • Make advance reservations online; tickets are timed; children age 17 and under may visit for free
  • Wilshire and Fairfax on the Miracle Mile

Academy Museum opens: Like so many of the films it celebrates, the august institution that grandly debuted on the Miracle Mile on Sept. 30 was years in the making. Now the ultimate nexus of filmdom is welcoming guests eager to explore its permanent "Stories of Cinema" collection, the Hayao Miyazaki retrospective, a look at backdrop art, and the separately ticketed Oscars Experience. The Café at Fanny's soft-opened on opening day, and that 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater inside the Renzo Piano-designed sphere? The schedule of upcoming films is live.

Halloween Road: If you plan your whole October viewing roster around the classic fare shown on Freeform, and its "31 Nights of Halloween" offerings, then you surely have heard about the early-October pop-ups that celebrate all of the shows and movies to come. Fans will follow the "Halloween Road" to Heritage Square Museum where appearances by the Sanderson Sisters, characters from the Addams Family, and other pop culture odes will appear. This always sells out fast, so check online for tickets before making your way over to the Victorian-cool destination, which is just off the 110.

Pumpkin Patches Aplenty: Many of our region's haunted maze-laden locations debuted earlier in September, but several fall favorites are set to make an atmospheric roll-out over the first weekend of October. The huge (and we mean huge, with 40,000 pumpkins) Cal Poly patch opens in Pomona on Oct. 2, but you'll need to buy your ticket in advance. Hana Field, in Costa Mesa, opens on Oct. 1, but do buy your ticket, and get a parking pass, ahead of time (there are sunflowers as well as pumpkins, sweet). And even the Beverly Center has a photo-ready set-up for patch fans, just inside off 3rd Street. That opens on Oct. 1.

LAWineFest Returns: Chard, cab, pinot, something sparkling? Our region happens to be so very close to so many marvelous wineries, and getting to know the labels that call California home is on any local oenophile's must-accomplish list. How about swinging by a celebration that gives you a chance to try the wares of several vineyards, all in one fell and flavorful swoop? The spot is Harry Bridges Memorial Park in Long Beach, general admission is $80, and your designated driver's entry is $20. Food trucks will be on the grounds, as well as tables from several wineries, including Diniz Cellars, Pope Valley Winery, and several more.

Boo at the Zoo: Seeking a slice of the season that is outdoors and full of animal amazing-a-tude? The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is the place to circle on your map. Its annual Boo-ful bash is back, all October long, though do note that weekends have more activities, and the final two weekends of the month will include the chance to trick-or-treat around the world-famous animal park. Also something to watch for on the weekends? A few of the local critters will be given pumpkins to nosh on, so look on as they make a blissfully, oh-so-tasty mess o' seeds and pulp. Yum.

Contact Us