[Top 15] GTA 5 Best Places That Are Awesome

awesome locations in GTA 5
Michael, Trevor, and Franklin action shots


In this article I have compiled a list of the Top 15 locations in GTA V that any player, new or experienced, should check out. Maybe you’ve gotten bored of the ‘same-old’ activities in GTA 5. Or perhaps you’re looking for new places to check out with some friends. Regardless of the reason, this article is here to help you out, and add some excitement to your GTA 5 experiences. 

15. Partly Constructed Skyscraper     

This tower in downtown Los Santos is one that is hard to miss. There are several floors where you are able to explore or hide, a rooftop of good size that is easily accessible from the sky, and a giant crane that allows you to climb to the very top. Here are some of the main perks of this location:  

  • A giant climbable crane that can serve as a sniper overlook of the city.
  • Fun location to have a battle royale with friends.
  • Several floors that are available to explore and hide in.

This location is in downtown Los Santos, surrounded by the rest of the city’s towers. If you locate Maze Bank, which is the tallest tower in the city, the construction tower will be right across the street from it. You won’t be able to miss it!

14. Abandoned Mineshaft 

This mineshaft is a very secretive location that is basically impossible to come across if you aren’t looking for it. To access this spot you actually have to use an explosive to blow up the doors, but once you’re inside you’ll find that the mineshaft is quite deep. Some key takeaways: 

  • This is a fun location to visit with friends and maybe play hide and seek in the darkness.
  • Safe spot to hide from enemies if there is a bounty on your head.
  • Secret location that not many players know about.

To get to this location you need to go north through Rockford Hills starting at Eclipse Towers on Vinewood Boulevard. If you look at the map and go due north from Eclipse Towers you will see a snaky, S shaped road. Heading to this road, you will need to look into the cliffside, and you should see the doors of the mineshaft. Additionally, the attached video can be of great help in finding this location.

13. Rockford Hills City Hall Tower         

This tower in Rockford hills is actually fairly hard to come across. Your only option is to parachute in. But when you do it can prove to be a very awesome location to go to. It provides a great overview of its part of the city, as it's the only tall building in the surrounding blocks. Because of this it can serve as the next place to fight off the cops, or a location that really gives you the edge on enemy players. Here’s the main idea:

  • This location provides a wonderful view of Rockford Hills.
  • Great spot to fight enemies with lots of cover and a large field of view.
  • This is a hard location to get to; the only way in is to parachute.

The important part about making your way to this location is first you need to get a plane or a helicopter that you can parachute out of. Next, if you look at the map, the city hall is about a block southwest of the Los Santos Customs in Rockford Hills. Once you begin parachuting, it should be visible as it is the tallest spire in the area. 

12. Diamond Casino and Resort        

The casino is actually one of the later additions in GTA V, coming in the Diamond Casino and Resort update. This spot can be that next location where you and your friends have hours of fun. You’ll find that there is not a shortage of activities to engage in and this is a location that added a lot of life to the city of Los Santos. Some of the activities are listed below:

  • Feed a possible gambling addiction by playing blackjack.
  • Bet on the virtual horse races to complete the casino experience..
  • Buy a penthouse to access the high-end poker tables. 
  • Spin the prize wheel to win cars, money, or experience..

To get to the Casino in GTA 5 all you need to do is head for the northeast interstate leading out of Los Santos. Just before you leave town, you need to take the last exit off of the freeway, and the Casino will be on your right hand side. 

11. Casino Horse Track        

This location is the track that sits behind the casino. While it is not as large as some may wish, it is still an awesome location where you can have a lot of fun. Since it is secluded and closed off from the civilian characters you don’t have to worry about any cars being in your way except for your friends when you're trading paint. This is a simple, yet very entertaining location. 

  • Take a new car here to test out its speed and performance.
  • Have some friendly competitions and races with other players.

This location is very easy to find if you have already visited the casino. The horse track is simply located behind the Diamond Casino in northeast Los Santos. Just take the interstate heading out of town, but make sure to get off at the last exit still in the city. You should be able to see the casino on your right-hand side and you’ll find the track just behind it.

10. Rooftop of Maze Bank        

Maze Bank sits at the top of the Los Santos skyline, and it is a building that is impossible to miss, from the ground or sky. This is a great location that provides overview of the whole city beneath you. Whether you’re looking for a good view or trying to get away from other players, this is not a location you’d want to miss out on. Some key points:

  • This is the top of the highest tower in Los Santos.
  • Only accessible through parachute or helicopter and not many players will bother you here. 
  • Provides an overview of the whole city and a nice view for the whole map in general.

The important thing about reaching this location is you want to get a helicopter, that way you can land on the rooftop landing pad. Once you have a helicopter just fly towards downtown, and the tallest building there will be Maze Bank. 

9. Ron Alternates Wind Farm        

This is a fairly simple location but can provide a good bit of laughs for yourself and some friends too. The wind farm has several nice hills that can give you some serious air if you hit them right. Some of them even line up with the wind turbines and can send your car flying across the map!

  • Great ramp spots here to have a ton of fun.
  • You can even climb on one of the turbines.

To get to this location you simply need to make your way out of Los Santos on the northeast interstate; not the east interstate. If you drive as if you are going to Sandy Shores, you will soon see the massive wind turbines on your right-hand side. There are some access roads that will aid you in getting to the turbines. 

8. Underground Subway Tunnels         

The subway tunnels under Los Santos are vast, and you can spend quite a large amount of time exploring them all. You can walk your way down or take a car through some access points. This is a great location to hide from the police, enemy players, or your friends. You may even come across the tram while you’re down here! The main ideas:

  • Good place to hide and lay low from enemy players or the authorities.
  • Accessible both in a car or on foot and not a difficult location to come across.
  • You can even ride the subway tram if you happen to come across it. 

To access the subway tunnels there are actually many different entrances around the city of Los Santos. Most of them happen to be the civilian subway entrances, and these you can either enter on foot or with a motorcycle/dirt bike. There is an entrance to fit your vehicle in though that lies in the side of the interstate running west to east through the middle of the city just south of Rockford Hills. If you make your way to this interstate, right when you get to the downtown area if you look to the south there is a gaping hole in the wall that leads to the tunnels.

7. Hidden Cove                 

This location is one that took myself many hours of playing the game to come across. Looking at the map, you’d see nothing special about this area of the shoreline. But if you take a boat out here you’ll find that there is a vast cove that’s very hidden and only accessible by boat. Whether you need to lay low for a little while, or hang out with some friends without being bothered, this is a location you should definitely check out. 

  • This is a very secretive location on the coastline that you need a boat to reach.
  • Not many people know about it, so you don’t have to worry about being bothered.

Finding this cove can prove to be quite a challenging task but it is worth it in the end. If you open your map and look at where the wind farm is, you want to move due east towards the coastline. There will be what looks like a small, but sharply-angled cove visible from the map. However, if you go there you will realize the cove is actually much deeper than the map makes it out to be. 

6. Summit of Mount Chiliad        

Mount Chiliad lies in the northern region of the map, just south of Paleto Bay and serves as one of the most epic landmarks in GTA V. If you choose to tackle the climb you’ll find that it is quite difficult to reach the peak, and more than likely will contain with a funny moment or two. Once you reach the summit, you’ll have an amazing view of the whole map. The way down can be just as much fun as the way up if you choose to take the tumble in your car. Here are some key points:

  • You’ll have a lot of great laughs trying to get to the top.
  • Great view of the whole map; it's the tallest location.
  • Driving your way back down is as much of an adventure as driving up.

To get to Mount Chiliad, you want to get on the northeast interstate leaving Los Santos and head north towards Sandy Shores and Grapeseed. After going all the way to Grapeseed you will definitely have noticed the massive mountain coming up on your left-hand side, and if you approach the base of the mountain, there will be small trails you can get on that will take you all the way up to the top.

5. Benny’s Mod Shop         

Benny’s serves as the premier spot to modify a new personal vehicle. The high-end customizations you can find here do not come cheap however they are very worth it if you can save enough money. After leaving this location you won’t even be able to recognize the car that you brought in 10 minutes ago. 

  • This is the highest level of car customization you can find.
  • Tons of different upgrade options; your car won’t look the same when you’re finished.

To find Benny’s Mod Shop, you will want to head to the south side of Los Santos specifically near Mors Mutual Insurance headquarters. Once you get there you just want to get on the next street running north to south, and look for an alleyway leading behind a white building with red brick. Benny’s is located in this alley, and once you’re close, you should be able to find his icon on the map. 

4. Fort Zancudo             

Fort Zancudo is the most heavily guarded location in the map, and for very good reason. Upon making your way into the military base, you have the opportunity to steal a jet out of a hangar or find a tank to highjack. This will prove to be a challenge however with the full force of the military bearing down upon you. 

  • Opportunity to steal a jet or tank, some of the most powerful vehicles in the game. 
  • Race with friends up and down the runways while trying to avoid the authorities.

To find this location, you are going to take the Highway on the west coast of the map and head north. This will be quite a drive but eventually you will cross a lengthy bridge with a tunnel on the other end. When you exit the other end of this tunnel, there will be a hill that you can use as a ramp to get over the fence of the military base. Other options are of course to drive straight through the entrance, but this won’t get you too far before you’re killed. 

3. Los Santos International Airport    

This location is the best if you’re looking for somewhere to find a plane or helicopter to get around the map quickly. It is not hard to gain entrance and once you do there's several different planes and helicopters to choose from. In addition to this the runways provide a great spot to drag race with friends and prove who has the better cars. A nice perk is that unlike the military base, you don’t have to worry about the police bothering you once you’re inside, if you are playing online. Here are the main takeaways:

  • Access to several different types of planes and helicopters.
  • Another great spot to race with friends, with an absence of police.
  • Aircraft hangar that has plenty of rooms to explore, which is also a great location to lay low.

Getting to the airport is not too difficult of a task at all. If you open the map in GTA V and look at the bottom southwest region of the city you can notice all of the hangar and runway patterns. It is on the coast of the city and there is nothing else besides the ocean beyond it. When you get to the entrance the gates will be shut, but there is a really easy ramp just next to the entrance that will let you in. 

2. Vespucci Beach                   

Vespucci Beach is one of the best spots to go to have some fun. With a skatepark to provide for any of your BMX bike needs, a ferris wheel and rollercoaster to kill some time, and easy to find jet skis, the possibilities are endless. Not to mention this is a beautifully designed area of Los Santos. You will never regret spending time at the beach! 

  • There’s a skatepark to try some tricks on a BMX bike.
  • There’s a whole carnival on the pier along with the ferris wheel and rollercoaster. 
  • It's not hard to find a boat or jet ski here.
  • Vespucci mask shop to add some flare to your character.

This location isone of the easiest locations on this list to find and get to. As the word beach suggests, it is on the west coast of the city and accessible from many different roads. Once you make it there the pier and skatepark are all easy to find.

1. Vinewood Sign            

And taking the number one spot on this list is the iconic Vinewood sign. Serving as the replacement of the real life Hollywood sign, this location embodies GTA 5 and the city of Los Santos. While making your way to this location you get a very scenic drive through the hills on the way up, and a gorgeous lookout of the whole city beneath you from the top. 

  • This is probably the most iconic location of the city serving as the substitute of the ‘Hollywood’ sign.
  • Overlooks all of Los Santos with an amazing view of the city.
  • Not a difficult location to find with a nice drive through the hills to get there. 

The Vinewood Sign can be found by going north-northeast through the Winewood Hills of Los Santos. Once you approach the north hills of the city, you should see the sign, and if you follow the curvy roads towards it you will eventually make your way to the top.

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With hundreds of hours under his belt, Eric is here to share his tales of video game experiences.
Gamer Since: 2010
Favorite Genre: FPS
Currently Playing: Terraria, Call of Duty: Warzone, Grand Theft Auto V
Top 3 Favorite Games:Grand Theft Auto V, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Fallout 4


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