By Forster Jones International
The cultural destinations in and around Beverly Hills impress at every level. The Wallis Annenberg Center stages world-class theater inside a landmark 1930s post office. The Paley Center preserves over 160,000 radio and television programs spanning more than a century of broadcast history. Greystone Mansion has appeared in dozens of major Hollywood productions and opens its doors to the public every month.
These are the entertainment spots Beverly Hills has built into the fabric of daily life here.
Key Takeaways
- The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts: Beverly Hills' premier performance venue, built around the city's landmark 1933 Italian Renaissance post office on Santa Monica Boulevard
- The Paley Center for Media: A one-of-a-kind media archive and cultural institution on North Beverly Drive preserving over 160,000 television and radio programs
- Greystone Mansion & Gardens: A 55-room Tudor Revival estate completed in 1928 that hosts tours, film screenings, and public events on its 18.3-acre grounds
- The Hammer Museum: A UCLA-affiliated contemporary art museum on Wilshire Boulevard in adjacent Westwood offering free admission and a year-round roster of public programs
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
The Wallis Annenberg Center opened in 2013 as the first dedicated performing arts center ever built in Beverly Hills, transforming a full city block on Santa Monica Boulevard into one of Southern California's most architecturally distinctive cultural venues.
- Dual-building design: The complex incorporates the city's landmark 1933 Italianate-style Beverly Hills Post Office alongside the contemporary 500-seat Bram Goldsmith Theater, with the original mail sorting room converted into the flexible 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater
- WPA murals: The post office lobby's eight original fresco murals, created under the federal Works Progress Administration and depicting Depression-era scenes, represent one of the most significant surviving examples of New Deal public art in California
- Acclaimed acoustics: The Goldsmith Theater's sound treatments in American walnut create an enveloping sculptural ambience, and Broadway legend Patti LuPone has described the venue as one of the best in the country for the intimacy it creates between artist and audience
The Wallis has earned its place as a genuine cultural institution in the decade-plus since its opening.
The Paley Center for Media
The Paley Center for Media is one of the most distinctive entertainment spots Beverly Hills has to offer, dedicated entirely to preserving and making accessible the history of television, radio, and emerging media.
- Interactive archive access: Visitors can view or listen to selected programming at individual consoles, with a collection spanning comedy, drama, sports, news, documentary, animation, and children's programming across nearly every decade of broadcast history
- Physical exhibits: The lobby and gallery spaces regularly feature free exhibits showcasing costumes, props, and set pieces from iconic productions, including items from shows and films that define Hollywood's cultural memory
- Paley Archive at Beverly Hills Public Library: The Paley Center has established its West Coast archive at the Beverly Hills Public Library, making the full collection accessible to families, students, scholars, and the creative community in a dedicated cultural space
Given its address in the heart of Beverly Hills, the Paley Center is a uniquely fitting institution for a city that sits at the center of the American entertainment industry.
Greystone Mansion & Gardens
Completed in 1928 for Edward L. Doheny Jr., Greystone Mansion is a 55-room Tudor Revival estate set on 18.3 acres of formal gardens on Loma Vista Drive.
- Self-guided interior tours: The first floor of the mansion and the recently restored Greystone Theatre are open on the first weekend of each month from January through November, with timed tickets available at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, and 2pm
- Greystone in the Movies program: This recurring series showcases films that used the estate as a filming location, including Spider-Man, The Big Lebowski, and There Will Be Blood
- Gardens and grounds: The 18.3-acre estate's formal terraces and lawns are open as a public park year-round and provide one of the most architecturally remarkable outdoor environments anywhere in Beverly Hills
The combination of Hollywood history, Tudor Revival architecture, and rotating public programming makes Greystone genuinely inexhaustible as a cultural destination.
The Hammer Museum
The Hammer Museum at 10899 Wilshire Boulevard in adjacent Westwood sits less than two miles from the heart of Beverly Hills.
- Free admission: the Hammer has maintained a permanent free admission policy since 2014, making its full roster of exhibitions, film screenings, performances, lectures, and panel discussions available to anyone who walks through the door
- Open-air courtyard and bookstore: the museum's courtyard features a full-service restaurant, and its bookstore is widely considered one of the best in the city
- Year-round public programs: the free programming calendar includes film screenings, artist talks, readings, and panel discussions on current social issues
The Hammer's combination of institutional ambition, genuine accessibility, and proximity to Beverly Hills makes it one of the most valuable cultural resources available to residents of this market.
FAQs
Are the entertainment spots Beverly Hills and its neighbors offer suitable for families with children?
The Wallis hosts monthly Sunday Funday family events with live music and dance, and its Lovelace Studio Theater includes dedicated children's programming and a theater school for young people. Greystone operates as a public park with rotating public events, and the Paley Center's interactive archive consoles and rotating exhibits make it particularly engaging for families with an interest in television and media history.
How close together are these entertainment destinations?
The Wallis and the Paley Center are both in the heart of Beverly Hills, within easy reach of each other on Santa Monica Boulevard and North Beverly Drive. Greystone Mansion is a short drive north on Loma Vista Drive, and the Hammer Museum sits less than two miles west on Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood.
How do the cultural offerings near Beverly Hills reflect the character of the real estate market here?
Beverly Hills attracts residents who expect the highest standard of living across every dimension of daily life, and the cultural infrastructure around the city reflects that expectation.
Contact Forster Jones International Today
Beverly Hills is one of the most culturally rich residential markets in the world. Living here means having immediate access to the entertainment spots Beverly Hills and its surrounding neighborhoods have built over generations.
Reach out to us at Forster Jones International and let's talk about finding a home in Beverly Hills that places you at the center of one of the most extraordinary living environments in the country.
Reach out to us at Forster Jones International and let's talk about finding a home in Beverly Hills that places you at the center of one of the most extraordinary living environments in the country.
