Lancaster

Located 61 miles north of Los Angeles, the Mojave Desert town of Lancaster is home to two distinctly California flora: Joshua trees and the state flower, the poppy. But the High Desert hub (meaning it sits between 2,000 and 4,000 feet elevation) also offers Hollywood history, local wine, and one of the quirkiest drives in America.

Things to Do in Lancaster

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

For a lot of visitors, a first stop is the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, where the state flower blooms in droves, from as early as mid-February until as late as May. Prime time comes in April and the two-day California Poppy Festival (located near the reserve), with live music, exotic animals, a petting zoo, and a car show. Outside of poppy season, hike the reserve’s 8 miles of trails and keep an eye out for meadowlarks, hawks, plenty of lizards, and sometimes even bobcats or coyotes. Or explore Saddleback Butte State Park and Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park, both of which are home to Joshua trees; in early spring, see the blooms that make the trees part of the lily family.

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Antelope Valley Winery

Year-round, you can experience another local crop: wine. Antelope Valley Winery offers tastings of wines made with local grapes, tours, and vineyard picnics. Pair a bottle of red, white, or rosé with fruits, nuts, and baked goods procured from the seasonal farmers' market, or the grass-fed buffalo and game meats of Leona Valley farms.

Explore Downtown Lancaster

Spend some time in downtown Lancaster where the main shopping area, The BLVD, offers dining, shopping, attractions (like the 19th-century Western Hotel Museum), and special events like September’s professional go-kart race, the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix. This walkable, revitalized stretch of Lancaster Boulevard is entirely free of chain restaurants, instead lined with locally owned eateries, boutiques, and galleries, along with colorful murals from the Pow Wow public art movement. 

Art lovers can spend an hour or two at the Museum of Art and History (MOAH), which showcases rotating exhibits from local Antelope Valley and nationally recognized artists across its main building and Cedar annex. The nearby Lancaster Performing Arts Center rounds out the district's cultural offerings with touring Broadway shows, concerts, and community productions. 

When it's time to unwind, the district also has a movie theater, escape rooms, and a bowling alley and arcade for a casual evening out, plus shaded plazas and interactive fountains that make The BLVD an easy, walkable stop any time of day.

Lancaster’s Musical Road

Before you leave town, be sure to drive down Avenue G between 30th and 40th streets West, the first-ever Musical Road. Originally created by Honda for an advertising campaign, the road has grooves that play the finale of the “William Tell Overture” once you reach 55 miles per hour.

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Restaurants in Lancaster

Lancaster's restaurant scene stretches well beyond The BLVD, and one local institution is well worth the detour: Crazy Otto's Diner, famed for cooking up the Biggest Omelette in the World (a record-setting 1,364 square feet). Thankfully, the regular breakfast and lunch menu sticks to more manageable portions—choose from options such as a classic Denver, the Crazy Otto's Burgermeat Omelette, or the Scotty's Chili Cheese Dog Omelette. 

Beyond Crazy Otto's, the city offers a wide range of everyday dining, from casual Mexican and Chinese spots to classic American diners and drive-thrus, making it easy to fuel up before a day exploring the Antelope Valley's poppy fields, aerospace history, or high desert scenery.

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Lancaster’s Kill Bill Cameo

Lancaster has its share of Hollywood history, too. Judy Garland once lived here, Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon both ate at Crazy Otto’s, and the local Sanctuary Adventist Church was featured in the infamous wedding scene in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill (and returned for an encore in Kill Bill: Volume 2). Take some selfies or a guided tour—just be mindful that on Sundays, it’s still a working church—and yes, it is available for weddings.