Stay guide
Graduation weekend, the whole family together.
For a graduation weekend in Los Angeles, Vista Villa is a 4-bedroom pool home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, that sleeps up to 10 including children. It's about 20 minutes from UCLA and 25 from CSUN and about 35 minutes from USC and Loyola Marymount without traffic, so parents, grandparents and siblings can stay under one roof.
Updated September 2026
Drive times to campus.
- UCLA (Westwood)20min
- CSUN (Northridge)25min
- USC (University Park, near Downtown LA)35min
- Loyola Marymount (LMU) (Westchester, near LAX)35min
Typical drive times without heavy traffic; commencement days are busier. UCLA: over the 405 through the Sepulveda Pass; allow 30–60 minutes at rush hour. CSUN: north on the 405; allow 35 minutes or more at rush hour. USC: via the 405 and the 10, or the 101 and the 110; up to an hour in heavy traffic. Loyola Marymount (LMU): south on the 405.
Official commencement pages: UCLA · CSUN · USC · Loyola Marymount (LMU)
When to book.
Los Angeles college commencements typically fall between early May and mid-June. Check your school's official commencement page for this year's dates, tickets, parking and shuttles.
Graduation weekends fill early, so book as soon as the ceremony date is set.
Ceremony-day tips.
- Leave early on ceremony day: campus parking and the nearby freeways fill up. Your school's commencement page has parking and shuttle details.
- With 8 to 10 people, plan on two cars or an XL rideshare so everyone arrives together.
- Check-in is 4 PM and checkout 11 AM. If your ceremony is the day you arrive, ask Tim about an early bag drop; it depends on the cleaning schedule and isn't guaranteed.
- Grandparents: all four bedrooms are upstairs, and there are a few steps at the entrance.
A house for three generations.
- Four bedrooms with beds for 8: a king, a California king, a queen and two twins. Guests 9 and 10 use the downstairs sofas, which are regular sofas, not sofa beds.
- Two living rooms, a dining table for eight (ten with extra chairs), and a kitchen with cookware for ten for a family dinner in.
- A private saltwater pool (not heated) and a rooftop gazebo for the day after the ceremony.
- Parking for 2 cars in the garage, with free street parking nearby.
The home is for the family staying there: visitors must be approved in advance, and parties or events aren't allowed (City of Los Angeles rule). House rules
Vista Villa is not affiliated with any of these schools. Check each school's official commencement page for dates, tickets, parking and accessibility services.