Who could resist an entry on the Sportsmen’s Lodge?  This Studio City hotel is a Hollywood Legend that was originally a restaurant and trout-fishing lake (Hollywood Trout Farms), where people came to catch and eat their own dinners. The hotel officially opened in 1962, but the lodge has been around since the 1880s!

In those days, the San Fernando Valley was only sparsely populated, and the area was more of a natural retreat away from the city. The natural, artesian springs originally drew the Spaniards to establish the Camino Real here, and travelers were able to find water among the otherwise dry, chaparral-covered hills.  There’s a good, detailed article on the Lodge’s history on the Museum of San Fernando Valley’s blog HERE.

Later, Hollywood cowboys from Republic Studios unwound in the bar and lounge of the lodge.  Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne (who taught his kids to fish in the trout lake), Clark Gable and Betty Davis were regulars, and the Patio Cafe has old movie posters and signed photographs of them and other stars all over the walls.  The lobby and cafe have a very old-time feel, with circular, white booths and furniture.  There’s a big fireplace and bar in the lobby, with lots of dark wood.

Rooms in the hotel have had some upgrades, but are pretty basic. Maybe best of all is the Olympic-size pool surrounded by palm trees and comfy chairs.  Waitstaff still come out to see if you need a drink, and it’s a very glamorous place to lounge.