What to See in Glendale, United States: Free Audio Guide

Glendale, California, is a city in Los Angeles County where historic buildings, performing arts, museums, religious landmarks, and film history come together. The best things to do in Glendale include exploring its downtown cultural landmarks, discovering its Victorian and architectural heritage, and learning about the communities that have shaped the city. Neywo has a free audio guide for Glendale with 15 narrated places, available in 11 languages.

What to See in Glendale

Alex Theatre

The Alex Theatre is one of Glendale’s most recognizable cultural landmarks. Built in 1925 as a movie palace, it later became a venue for concerts, theatrical productions, film screenings, television tapings, and special events.

The theatre can accommodate 1,400 people and underwent a major restoration in 1993. Its historic importance was recognized when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Look above the building for its distinctive 100-foot neon tower, designed by S. Charles Lee in 1940.

Museum of Neon Art

The Museum of Neon Art, or MONA, offers one of the most distinctive things to do in Glendale. Founded in 1981, the museum focuses on neon signs, electric art, and kinetic art.

Its collection includes signs associated with the Brown Derby and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. These works show how commercial signs and familiar images can become part of the history of visual art in Southern California.

Roslin Art Gallery

Roslin Art Gallery is another cultural stop in Glendale. Its distinctive purpose adds to the city’s varied artistic landscape and gives visitors another place to consider during a walk through Glendale.

DreamWorks

Glendale is also connected with the history of DreamWorks, the American film studio and distribution label associated with live-action cinema and animation. The company was created in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen; the initials SKG come from the surnames of its three founders.

DreamWorks’ history includes the success of Shrek in 2001, which won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The studio and its animation division later followed separate paths, while ownership and distribution arrangements changed over time.

Glendale Transportation Center

The Glendale Transportation Center, officially known as the Larry Zarian Transportation Center, brings together rail and bus services. It serves Glendale Beeline local buses as well as Amtrak Thruway and Greyhound Lines inter-city buses.

The station building is also worth noticing for its Spanish Colonial Revival and California Churrigueresque design. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Ard Eevin

Ard Eevin is a historic mansion whose name means “beautiful heights” in Scottish Gaelic. Built in 1903 for Daniel Campbell, the house was designed by architect Nathaniel Dryden.

The mansion offers a glimpse of Glendale’s earlier history and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 2006.

Doctors House

In Brand Park, Doctors House is one of Glendale’s few remaining Victorian-style houses. Built in 1888, the home provides a direct link to the city’s earlier character.

Doctors House is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Glendale Register of Historic Resources and Historic Districts. It is maintained by Glendale’s Parks, Recreation, and Community Services division.

Armenian American Museum

The Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Armenian Americans. Located in Glendale, it represents an important part of the city’s cultural identity. Construction is anticipated to be completed in late 2026.

Religious landmarks

Glendale’s religious buildings reflect the city’s long and varied community history. Holy Family Catholic Church, founded in 1907, is Glendale’s oldest parish. The site also formerly hosted an all-girls high school.

Incarnation Catholic Church and School has parish roots dating to 1927, with the school founded in 1937. The present church was completed in 1952.

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church has served Glendale since 1893, while its first recorded services took place in August 1888. Its pipe organ was built in 1929 by Ernest M. Skinner as Opus 774 and acquired by the parish in 2009 with help from the Ahmanson Foundation.

The city is also home to the Chabad Jewish Center and Temple Sinai of Glendale, two Jewish places of worship.

Peace Monument of Glendale

The Peace Monument of Glendale stands in Central Park near the Glendale Public Library. Also known as the Korean Comfort Women Statue, it is an exact replica of the original Statue of Peace, a memorial connected with the history of comfort women and the human rights issues surrounding their remembrance.

The monument was funded and built in 2013 by the Korean American Forum of California, a nonprofit human rights organization. Its presence gives this Glendale site a connection to a wider memorial tradition.

San Fernando Valley

Glendale lies within the San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley. This large urbanized valley in Los Angeles County includes city neighborhoods, incorporated cities, and unincorporated areas north of the Los Angeles Basin.

For a broader trip through the region, Glendale can be combined with other stops in California, or placed within a wider itinerary across the United States.

Explore Glendale with a Self-Guided Walking Tour

Neywo’s Glendale self-guided walking tour, “Neon, Stage and Steeples: Downtown Glendale,” covers 4.25 km in 97 minutes and includes six narrated stops:

• Holy Family Catholic Church
• Museum of Neon Art
• Alex Theatre
• Incarnation Catholic Church and School
• St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
• Temple Sinai of Glendale

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Download Neywo’s free Glendale audio guide and explore the city while its landmarks come to life around you.