It's Your Birthday! Fun Things to Do On Your Birthday

You say it’s your birthday? From cool bars to fancy restaurants, there are destinations across Los Angeles that will make your birthday party unforgettable no matter what decade you're celebrating.

You've finally turned 21, and it's impossible not to feel festive when you’re sipping a Hurricane or housemade Sarsparilla and bourbon at Sassafras, the atmospheric Southern saloon located on Vine. There’s Southern comfort food too, including fried chicken sliders with sweet potato waffle. On any given night you might be treated to a burlesque performance, live band or even Drag Bingo. Call ahead if you want a table.

You may have been born too late for the disco era but you can still feel the groove at World On Wheels, which reopened in the summer of 2017. The modernized WOW, featuring a refurbished floor, private lounges, and VR games, is a collaboration between nightclub manager Tommy Karas and rapper Nipsey Hussle. You can book a Bronze, Gold or Platinum Birthday Package that includes a party host, table or private party room, admission and skate gear for guests, pizzas and non-alcoholic beverages.

Beyoncé, Jay Z and a group of their friends went skating at WOW on a Friday night in August 2017. An onlooker said Beyoncé was a "great skater" and she even did a couple of splits! Find out how to live like Queen Bey with our guide to Beyoncé's Los Angeles.

In case you're looking for more of a daytime thing for your 21st birthday, you can't beat the Weekend Drag Brunch at Hamburger Mary’s in WeHo. After all, what goes better with bottomless mimosas and red velvet French toast than drag queens? On Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. gorgeous performers bring dazzle and delight to your birthday party - frequently featuring live vocal powerhouse Vicki Vox, L.A.’s sassiest bio-queen Wendy Ho, and RuPaul's Drag Race favorites like Tammie Brown. Be sure to make a reservation, and/or arrive early to get a good seat. You can also make a reservation via their website.

Looking for more fabulous drag queen events? We've got you, darling.

Modeled after a vintage jewelry box, the new Beauty & Essex at Dream Hollywood is the perfect combination of glamour and cool. Guests enter through a pawn shop. Then it’s on to the stunning dining room with its soaring ceiling, sparkly jellyfish-esque chandeliers, and handsome wood tables. The menu is free ranging: poke tacos, chicken tandoori, chilaquiles. And they just debuted brunch. Oreo pancakes are a must for the table. A special note to the girls in the group: on busy weekend nights, they often set up a Champagne bar with complimentary pours in the ladies restroom lounge. Now that's the good life. Afterward, you can dance the night away at local clubs like Avalon, Sound or Station1640 - always fun places to celebrate birthday parties with a group of good friends.

Now that you're 30, you're way past your shots and beers days. And there's no better place for your Dirty 30 bar crawl than Downtown L.A., where early 20th-century architectural gems are being reborn as basement bars, dance clubs, and jazz lounges. Discover Downtown L.A.’s finest in subterranean drinking, dining and dancing for your Dirty 30 festivities.

You've reached your prime earning years, so for your 40th birthday you deserve a dinner made by a Top Chef Master. Australian culinary king, Curtis Stone has long been a fixture on the small screen with his appearances on talk shows, reality TV competitions and as host of Top Chef Masters. Located in Hollywood, Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant is a collaboration between Stone and his brother Luke and it's a very personal restaurant, named for their maternal grandmother and reflecting the brothers' early years working in a butcher shop. Though there are many great places to celebrate a special occasion this is one of the best restaurants for birthdays in L.A.

Stone's fellow Top Chef Master, tattooed French chef Ludo Lefebvre is another favorite amongst L.A.'s gourmands. The five-course tasting menu at Trois Mec changes frequently and to enjoy it, you have to make prepaid reservations. The restaurant also hosts events called "2 Chefs," when Chef Ludo joins forces with one of his pals for a six-course menu. Those events also require a prepaid reservation. Meanwhile, Petit Trois offers a set menu and doesn't take reservations, making it a more accessible way to experience Lefebvre's French-inspired cuisine.

One of L.A.'s most exciting neighborhoods, Koreatown is home to incredible Korean BBQ, acclaimed restaurants like Here's Looking At You, and vibrant nightlife that's perfect for a birthday party. Finding Break Room 86 is an adventure in itself. The entrance is on the west side of The Line Hotel. Once the bouncer waves you in, make your way through a corridor in the back end of the hotel to this 80s wonderland complete with walls of lockers and cassette tapes, retro arcade games, and vintage vending machines. Throw in the occasional performance by break dancers or a Michael Jackson impersonator and you may start wondering if just maybe there is such a thing as time travel. If you want one of the private karaoke rooms, book in advance.

If you're not in the singing mood, stop by The Normandie Club at the Hotel Normandie for expertly made craft cocktails in a sophisticated lounge setting.

Nothing says "birthday party" L.A.-style like the lovingly restored Highland Park Bowl, the oldest functioning bowling alley in the city. It opened in 1927 and features the original pin mechanisms. But there’s far more than eight lanes here - there are two bars and the kitchen turns out authentic Neapolitan pizzas. On Friday night, two burlesque dancers do their thing - Miss Ashley Hayward and company definitely turn up the temperature.

Located on the Mezzanine level of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, The Spare Room offers a bowling experience that's unlike anywhere else, featuring two circa 1940s maple and pine wood lanes that were discovered in Texas. An attendant keeps score on an old-fashioned chalkboard. Local designer George Esquivel crafted the bespoke bowling shoes. In the gaming lounge, challenge your friends to Connect 4 that's fashioned from walnut, or perhaps Jenga or Monopoly. There’s an impressive drink menu featuring a long list of spirits as well as grown-up punch bowls for your party. Find the secret photo booth and capture your birthday night with a photo strip.

Looking for more bowling options? The Dude abides.

Open in Hollywood since 1919, Musso & Frank Grill has been a favored destination for generations of celebrities, from Charlie Chaplin to Johnny Depp. Some of the 20th century’s greatest writers were Musso’s regulars, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner and Raymond Chandler. The extensive menu features classics like flannel cake, grenadine of beef and welsh rarebit, and daily specials like the famous chicken pot pie. Even more than these favorites, a must-order at Musso's is the classic gin Martini, served with an olive garnish and a small carafe with the remaining cocktail on the side.

The spinning salad bowl with dressing dramatically poured from on high and glistening beef carved tableside from gleaming silver carts never lose its allure. Opened in 1938, Lawry’s The Prime Rib is one of those timeless restaurants for birthdays that never get old. People dress up. The offerings are decadent: Yorkshire pudding, creamed corn, and of course that prime rib. Be sure to mention you are celebrating a birthday when you make your booking (and it doesn’t hurt to remind your server). The kitchen will send out a complimentary slice of English trifle.

Mid-life crisis? Not when you’re behind the wheel of the latest model Porsche 911, 718, Cayenne or Panamera. At the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles, you and your guests each choose your preferred vehicle, in consultation with your 1:1 staff instructor, who will also be your passenger. All driving sessions last 90 minutes. And because the outdoor track can accommodate up to 24 vehicles, there’s no need to take turns. You can all burn rubber together. (Okay, maybe not exactly burn rubber.) Afterward, head upstairs to Restaurant 917. There are dynamite views of the track, a private dining room that can accommodate up to 24, and the pretzel rolls are served with butter sculpted into tiny Porsche 911s. If the full driving experience is a bit too spendy, they also rent out their simulator room, with five simulators, by the hour.