Beverly Hills Sign, Los Angeles, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

The Beverly Hills Sign is a lit, arching welcome sign standing beside a lily pond at the Beverly Drive end of Beverly Gardens Park, on Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. It is one of the best-known photo stops in the city, and it marks the point where a long public park meets the town's busiest streets.

The story behind it

A Beverly Hills sign of about 40 feet is said to have marked this spot since the town's earliest years. The Beverly Hills Historical Society dates the sign and the pond to 1907. Over the decades the original fell into disrepair and vanished.

What you see today is a re-creation of that historic sign, restored together with the pond for the city's centennial in 2014. In front of it stands a bronze figure of a rabbit playing a drum, a sculpture called The Drummer by the artist Barry Flanagan. It is one of the artworks the city has placed around the sign and the pond.

What to look for

• Look at the sign's arching shape and the lettering, which is a modern re-creation of the original from the early 1900s.
• Find the bronze drumming rabbit in front of the sign, a playful piece by Barry Flanagan.
• Notice the lily pond stretching out behind the letters, which gives the sign its classic reflection-and-garden setting.
• Come back at dusk to see the letters lit while traffic streams along Santa Monica Boulevard beside the park.

Tips for your visit

• The sign stands in an open public park, so you can walk up to it, though check current conditions if you plan a specific visit.
• Ten to fifteen minutes is enough for photos and a look at the sculpture. Allow longer if you want to stroll the park.
• Dusk is a lovely time, when the lit letters stand out against the sky. Morning is calmer for pictures without crowds.
• Beverly Gardens Park runs along Santa Monica Boulevard, and the shops and streets of central Beverly Hills are a short walk away.

See it on a quest

The Oz Escape in Los Angeles passes the Beverly Hills Sign as one stop on a longer walk through the area. You reach it on foot, the app tells you about the place when you arrive, and you solve a puzzle right in front of it. One ticket covers the whole group.

Kid Quest: Solve the case of the lost senses in Los Angeles is a good pick for families, with a detective theme. You walk to the sign as part of the route, hear about it on the spot and work out a puzzle with what is around you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Ghost Hunt in Los Angeles suits anyone who likes a spooky theme with their sightseeing. The route brings you to the Beverly Hills Sign on foot, the app tells you about it as you arrive, and a puzzle makes you look closely at the setting. One ticket covers the whole group.