Marilyn’s story is a classic LA success: born in the city and overcoming
a challenging childhood to find fame and fortune in Hollywood. Decades after
her untimely death at 36, Marilyn’s charm, wit, and star power still lights up
screens and hearts around the globe.
To honour her legacy, Los Angeles Tourism invites visitors to experience
the city through Marilyn’s eyes, from her favourite restaurants to fascinating
collections of Monroe memorabilia.
‘Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon’ is a new exhibition that will celebrate
Marilyn Monroe as a visionary actor and image-maker, examining the many facets
of how she created and shaped her public image in the context of the classical
Hollywood studio system.
Opening on 31 May 2026, the exhibition will display hundreds of original
objects, including posters, portraits, photographs, production documents,
letters, and rarely seen personal materials, many of which will be on display
for the first time, giving unique insight into her agency in becoming a
Hollywood icon.
2.
New immersive exhibition to celebrate Marilyn’s
100th birthday
The world premiere of ‘
Marilyn: The Immersive Experience’ comes to Hollywood for a limited 16-week
engagement from May 2026. Fans will be taken on a fully interactive, cinematic
journey through the life of Marilyn, built by fans, for fans. Experience her
most iconic moments, personal stories, and unforgettable style in a
spectacular, multi-sensory environment including never-before-seen photographs,
rare film footage, Marilyn’s personal memorabilia, and immersive, multisensory
rooms inspired by her iconic moments.
The landmark Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was Marilyn Monroe’s home for two
years, just as her modelling career began to take off. Monroe stayed in one of
the vintage 1950s Cabanas at the time of her first professional magazine shoot,
which took place at the Roosevelt’s famed Tropicana Pool. The 750 square-foot
Marilyn Monroe Suite features a loft-like open floor plan, kitchenette, and a
balcony that overlooks the pool.
Dedicated to the history and heritage
of Hollywood and the entertainment industry, the Hollywood Museum houses 10,000 showbiz treasures from over 100 years
of Hollywood history, making it one of the most extensive collections of
Hollywood memorabilia in the world. The museum includes Max Factor’s
world-famous make-up rooms, where Marilyn Monroe became a blonde and Lucille
Ball became a redhead. The museum’s Marilyn Monroe collection includes
everything from personal items and wardrobe to her limousine. Marilyn
Monroe’s million-dollar
honeymoon dress is one of the most memorable items on
display at the Hollywood Museum. Monroe wore it on her honeymoon when she
married Joe DiMaggio, as well as when she entertained troops in Korea in 1954.
Marilyn Monroe’s "dumb
blonde" persona was used to great comedic effect in films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953),
co-starring Jane Russell. Thanks to the film’s success, Monroe and Russell were
invited to put their signatures, hand and shoe prints into cement at the famed
Forecourt of the Stars at the TCL Chinese Theatre, then known as Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Marilyn’s Walk
of Fame star is just a block away at 6774 Hollywood Blvd.
Generations of celebrities and some of
the 20th century’s greatest writers have dined on classic steakhouse fare and
sipped the famous Martinis at Musso & Frank Grill. Opened in 1919, Musso's has appeared in numerous movies
and TV shows, from Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and Ed
Wood to Bosch, The Kominsky
Method, and Mad Men.
Guarded by a famously strict maître
d', the Back Room at Musso's opened in 1934 as an exclusive, private space
reserved for the Hollywood elite. In the ‘50s, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio,
Elizabeth Taylor, and Steve McQueen were just a few of the Hollywood legends
that enjoyed drinks and appetizers in the Back Room.
7.
Take a movie
studio tour
Most of Marilyn’s movies were created
at the historic FOX Studio Lot located in Century City. While this isn’t open to the public, visitors
can head to the nearby
Paramount Studio Tour for a look behind the scenes.
When young Marilyn (then Norma Jeane
Mortenson) lived in Los Angeles Orphans Home Society, it is said she would look
out her window at the water tower of RKO Studios (now Paramount Studios) and
dream of stardom – a wish that later came true. Although Marilyn didn’t film
directly on the Paramount lot, the studio tour offers a glimpse back at the
real history of Hollywood and the chance to spot live productions taking place
today.
The Formosa Café opened next to The Lot, a studio previously known as the Warner
Hollywood Studio, Samuel Goldwyn Studio and United Artists Studio. Billed as
the place "where the stars dine," the Formosa interior was lined
with hundreds of autographed photos of its famous patrons, a galaxy of
legendary stars that includes Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra,
James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, and Elizabeth Taylor. The Formosa
reopened in June 2019 after a stunning $2.4-million renovation.
Marilyn Monroe lived at the Beverly Hills Hotel several times during her career. Her last stay at the
“Pink Palace” was during the filming of Let’s Make Love (1960).
Monroe and her husband, playwright Arthur Miller - who re-wrote the script
without a credit - stayed in a bungalow adjacent to her co-star, Yves Montand
and his wife, Simone Signoret, who had just won the Best Actress Oscar
for Room at the Top. Monroe and Montand reportedly bonded during
the film’s troubled production, and a brief affair ensued. Monroe and Miller
divorced shortly before Monroe’s final film, The Misfits, premiered
in 1961.
10.
Pay your
respects at Marilyn’s final resting place
Pierce
Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park is the final resting place for a Who’s Who of pop culture,
including Marilyn Monroe, Ray Bradbury, Truman Capote, Farrah Fawcett, Jack
Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Dean Martin, Roy Orbison, Natalie Wood, Frank Zappa and
many more.
Monroe is interred in a pink marble
crypt (no. 24) at the Corridor of Memories. Hugh Hefner, who died in September
2017, was buried next to her. Her former husband Joe DiMaggio had a half-dozen
red roses delivered to her crypt three times a week for the next 20 years.
Posted by: Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Posted on: 23/03/2026