LA is a company town. Every neighborhood, park and graveyard has been lived, played and mourned in by the crazy performers and technicians who make our celluloid dreams. So if you’re getting attacked by the dirty Elmo outside Grauman’s, take heart: bits of movie history can be found on more scenic streets. And if there seems to be a preponderance of graveyards, sorry, but the closest you’ll ever get to many of your idols is when they’re six feet under.

Paramount Ranch: From 1927 to 1997, Paramount Ranch was home to many a prostitute, cowboy, gambler and sigh, the one and only Gary Cooper. Thousands of hours of film and television were filmed there, most recently that old favorite," Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman." The ranch is now a national park nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains. The original Main Street set is still intact and there are great hiking trails and plenty of open space for running and picnics. It is the perfect place to spend an afternoon with the kiddos.

2903 Cornell Rd., Agoura Hills

Hollywood Forever: In the 1920s silent stars had the delusion - probably aided by illegal liquor - that they were gods and goddesses. Hollywood Forever Cemetery, right behind Paramount Studios, is home to their eternal temples (literally, there is a Grecian temple in the middle of a man-made lake). A beautiful, tree-draped park, it is the final resting place of Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino, Cecil B. DeMille and Tyrone Power. Throw in an old Jewish and more recent Eastern European and Tibetan sections and you have the history of Los Angeles in one city block. It is also home to the hugely popular Cinespace series, where classic movies are shown on the side of a mausoleum while hipsters get drunk.

6000 Santa Monica Boulevard

El Cid: This Silver Lake mission-style staple was built by D.W. Griffith in 1900, and it is here that he screened many of his movies, including the infamous “Birth of a Nation.” It is now a lush, secluded and ultra-romantic restaurant and music venue. In the converted theater, expert Flamenco dancers perform while couples eat (the focus is on the show though). After dinner it becomes a trendy hot spot with live music, strong drinks and one of the best patios in Los Angeles.

4212 Sunset Boulevard

Forest Lawn: This mammoth Disneyland of a graveyard is so unreal, only stream-of-consciousness can do it justice. Three Cathedrals, an imitation chapel called “Kirk-o-heather,” a section called Babyland, a giant mosaic of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, secret gated plots where one must have a “key of remembrance” to get in, imitations of Michelangelo’s David, a stained glass version of the Last Supper, piped in music, Humphrey Bogart, Liz Taylor, and … Michael Jackson. Just go, OK!

1712 S. Glendale Ave., Glendale

Griffith Observatory: Los Feliz’ massive Griffith Park is an awesome place, home to many wonders, both natural and man-made. For the Batman fanatics, there are Bronson Caves where the opening sequence of the Batman TV show (along with countless other shows) was filmed. Hike up the side of the mountain and you will reach the beautiful Griffith Park Observatory, which includes a free museum and working planetarium with amazing views. It was also the location for the climactic shoot-out in “Rebel Without a Cause” and a statue of James Dean sits in front, honoring a different kind of shooting star.

2800 East Observatory Road

Pierce Brothers: This Westwood Cemetery, tiny, elegant and tucked away, is packed with more swinging movie stars than a Dean Martin Roast (and he’s buried there, too!). Peggy Lee, Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Farrah Fawcett, Mel Torme, Natalie Wood, Merv Griffin,  Billy Wilder, Eva Gabor, Donna Reed, Rodney Dangerfield and most famously, Marilyn Monroe.  Many of the stars have hilarious epitaphs that will make you laugh and warm your heart.

1218 Glendon Avenue