La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
4.6(15K)google
4.2(1.3K)yelp
FossilsScienceEducationalPrehistoricFamily
Overview
Situated in Hancock Park, the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum represent a unique active paleontological research site right in the middle of urban Los Angeles. Natural asphalt has bubbled up from beneath the earth here for millennia, trapping and preserving prehistoric animals. Visitors can watch scientists excavate real fossils outside, then enter the museum to marvel at an exceptional collection of perfectly preserved ice-age skeletons, including saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and massive mammoths that once roamed California.
Practical Info
Suggested Duration1.5-2.5 hours
Best TimeWeekday mornings from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM are best. This allows you to explore the active outdoor excavation pits in comfortable temperatures before the afternoon heat intensifies the smell of the natural asphalt. Head inside after to watch paleontologists working in the Fossil Lab.
Getting ThereLocated directly adjacent to LACMA on Hancock Park. Drivers can utilize the museum's dedicated paid parking lot at the corner of 6th Street and Curson Ave. For transit, take Metro Bus Route 20 or 720 to Wilshire / Fairfax and walk east for 3 minutes.
Travel Tips
- The free outdoor park lets you watch bubbling tar pits all day, but perimeter fences have sticky residues, so do not lean over them or let pets near; the strong sulfurous smell means mask-wearing is recommended for sensitive people. LA County residents get free museum admission on weekdays after 3:00 PM with valid ID.
- The museum's on-site lot is expensive with a flat daily fee; parking at metered spaces along 6th Street or Wilshire Blvd is cheaper, but you must carefully read the red 'Clearway' signs during peak rush hours, as violators are towed instantly.
- General admission tickets only grant access to basic exhibition halls; the iconic 3D Ice Age Theater and specialized Excavation Tours are add-on fee items that must be selected online at checkout, as walk-up additions sell out quickly.
Reviews
Positive
- Seeing real Ice Age natural asphalt pits bubble in the middle of urban LA, with active ongoing archeological digs, is incredibly unique.
- The museum's Fossil Lab features transparent glass walls, allowing visitors to watch scientists clean mammoth and saber-toothed cat bones closely.
- The outdoor tar pits park area is completely free to the public, dotted with realistic prehistoric animal statues, making it a high-value educational walk.
- The indoor galleries are highly organized with interactive multimedia exhibits that inspire kids, backed by deeply passionate and helpful staff.
- Witnessing real tar pits bubbling in the bustling mid-city delivers stellar visual impact; the excavated mammoth fossils hold immense core educational value.
- The fully indoor air-conditioned gallery is tidy; watching scientists restore bones up close through the glass Paleontology Lab maximizes interactive fun.
- The internal accessible lifts and multilingual electronic directories work great; restrooms are swept frequently with rigorous safety backups.
- The outdoor public park perimeter features completely free entry, making it highly budget-friendly for families seeking a relaxed lawn stroll.
Heads up
- The outdoor tar pits emit a pungent, asphalt-like crude oil smell year-round, which can make odor-sensitive visitors feel dizzy or uncomfortable.
- The indoor museum is relatively small with limited galleries; paying a separate admission fee for its size can feel low value for money.
- The official on-site parking lot charges a flat, very expensive fee, while nearby street spots are heavily restricted and hard to find.
- On weekends or school field trip seasons, the museum gets packed with hundreds of kids, creating a very loud and chaotic environment inside.
- The indoor museum exige individual admission tickets but features a small gallery footprint that takes under an hour to finish, rendering value mediocre.
- Located in the busy Miracle Mile strip, its official parking structure charges high rates, and surrounding main roads encounter severe traffic blocks.
- During afternoon school field trip spikes, the narrow corridors face severe crowd density, with rowdy noise eroding the gallery quiet.