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Location
Visitor tip
Don't miss the outdoor Hancock Park areas and active excavation sites - they're FREE to explore even without museum admission, and you can see volunteers and researchers actively working on fossil removal and preservation in real-time
Best time
Parking is very limited - consider parking at the nearby Petersen Automotive Museum and walking over, or visit during weekday mornings to find easier parking options
Visitor tip
Bring kids ages 4-11 for the best interactive experience - the museum has numerous hands-on exhibits specifically designed for this age group, and outdoor tar pit exploration is sensory-rich and engaging for families
About La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Prehistoric-fossil excavation site. Ice Age–fossil excavation site with an adjacent museum, plus a re-created prehistoric garden.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Natural History Museum
- Location
- Hancock Park, Los Angeles
- Highlights
- Ice Age fossils, dire wolves, mammoths, active excavations
- Current Status
- Indoor museum closed for renovation; outdoor areas and Insider Tours open
What visitors say
The La Brea Tar Pits was something that made a core memory in my child hood, growing up in Southern California - we would come here every few years growing up. While on a trip to Southern California, I took my Boyfriend to the La Brea…
I recently visited the La Brea Tar Pits, and overall it was a pleasant, low-key outing—especially if you’re already a member of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, since admission is included. One of the best parts is…
I've dreamt of visiting this place since I was a kid fascinated with Sabertooth Tigers and Wolves, so this was a dream come true to say the least. The smell of the tar pits wasn't as smelly as you'd think it'd be. Inside the museum has…
From 15,317 Google reviews Read all reviews
Did You Know?
- La Brea Tar Pits is the only publicly visitable tar pit in the world, making it a unique geological and paleontological site
- Over 400 dire wolf skulls have been discovered and are displayed on a single wall at the museum, making it an exceptionally large concentration of this Ice Age predator
- The museum features an active fossil laboratory visible to the public where scientists actively work to preserve and excavate specimens from the tar, including ongoing excavation of a Mastodon skull and tusks
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