It won't take you out of town but it will take you in a circle and that's essentially the same thing (and for a fraction of the cost of Hawaii). Griffith Park's Travel Town of miniature trains has been in operation since the mid 1970s and in addition to the 1/4th and 1/3rd scale models of five locomotives and 21 passenger coaches, there's also a Buck Rogers-esque retro futuristic simulator on the premises. According to the official site, the railroads carry nearly 600,000 passengers every year, and weather-permitting, the trains operate 364 days a year, closing only for Christmas. more ›

It all started with the ostriches. Well, not really, but don't you think it should have? In fact, Griffith Park started with a curse. When the original owner of Griffith Park, Don Antonio Feliz died of small pox in 1863, he left his extensive land holdings to Don Antonio Coronel. Subsequently, his blind, destitute 17 year old niece, Dona Petronilla, cursed the land -- great misfortune would come to whoever owned it. more ›

The brush fire in Griffith Park near Travel town, first reported at approximately 2 p.m. today, is now 60% contained and has no active hot spots, according to an LAFD alert. 300 firefighters from multiple area agencies were on scene and about 50-60 acres have burned so far. The fire is expected to be totally contained by midday tomorrow. Fortunately, there have been no injuries so far. more ›

The Los Angeles Fire Department is responding to a small brush fire in Griffith Park near Travel Town. Park Rangers called in the report of a fire covering "approx 3 acres of medium brush" according to d'Lisa Davies of the LAFD. On Thursday we learned that "Fire weather" was back in California, as hot, dry air is spreading up the west coast and into Canada. more ›

Yesterday's 25-acre brush fire in Griffith Park forced the evacuation of nearby zoo patrons as well as animals from a breeding facility, like the endangered Condors. more ›

A five acre brush fire broke out near Travel Town and the LA Zoo this afternoon around 12:45 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. 32 LAFD fire companies reported to the scene with help from LA County, Burbank and Glendale fire departments totaling approximately 200 firefighters on the ground. As of 2:00 p.m. no injuries, evacuations or damaged structures were reported and a knockdown had not been declared yet. "It's not progressing in a way that's it's blowing through the brush," LAFD Spokesperson Ron Myers told LAist on the phone. He said they are making progress on perimeter control. more ›