5 great neon signs in Los Angeles

One of the few museums in the world devoted exclusively to neon, this beautiful museum showcases electric and kinetic art and historic neon sign preservation. The collection includes the famous Brown Derby rooftop sign from the restaurant’s Hollywood & Vine location.

You’ve maybe seen this 32-foot-tall neon clown before. When Cher gets mugged in the film Clueless, she’s standing in front of it. Since 1960, the clown has towered over Burbank Boulevard, shining like a beacon for those seeking the Valley’s numberone- rated liquor store.

Today this design complex lights up Venice Boulevard with a relic from the building’s history as an industrial bakery. Before it closed in 1969, Helms’ fresh-baked bread was a staple in the Southland; it was also the official bread of the 1932 Olympic Games. The animated neon sign that shines on harkens back to that history.

This is the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a great concentration of grand movie theaters and their fabulous neon-drenched marquees. Efforts from several preservation organizations have restored many of the theaters and relit the gorgeous neon signs.

Perched atop this beautiful 1926 movie theater is a three-story neon sign announcing its name to the city below. It’s a marker for the neighborhood and though the building has been under rehabilitation for years, the sign is unlit. Still, it is impressive.