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La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Los Angeles

4.4

#3 of 7 in Childrens Museums in Los Angeles

Natural History Museum Science Museum

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At the only active Ice Age excavation site in the world, La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, you can see ancient fossils that have been discovered below the museum itself, right in the heart of Los Angeles. Plants and animals, like dire wolves, mammoths, and saber-tooth cats, are on display. You can also witness paleontologists at work in the Fossil Lab. While the height of excavation at Rancho La Brea occurred in the early 20th century, scientists are still uncovering more fossils at this site, and the museum continues to grow and educate the public on its discoveries and methods. A visit to La Brea Tar Pits and Museum represents just the start of the adventure when you use our Los Angeles route planner to plot your vacation.

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La Brea Tar Pits and Museum Reviews

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

3,143 reviews

Google

4.5

facebook

4.5

97 likes

• By barkus1968

  The grounds are informative and make a wonderful park. The museum is fascinating, reasonably priced and manageable. The building of the museum is art in itself.  more »

• By sherryscheline

  I loved the Tar Pits. It was a completely unexpected delight. First they let me in FREE because I am a librarian. Museums should always let librarians and teachers in for free. :)  more »

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Google

• By J. Victor Ryckman

  I have not been here since high school. There have been some amazing changes. Seems there are plans to rebuild...so stop in soon before construction begins. You can even vote on the plan you think best for the community. This green space is free, but the inside exhibits do have a reasonable charge. If you live near by why not get a membership. If they ask tell them Joe sent you...They will say Joe Who.. that's me

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• By Ankur P

  We had a great time here on a sunny Sunday morning this summer. We had a leisurely walk through the park, visiting all the tar pits and open air displays. The museum was also pretty good, quite different from the usual stuff. They had staff who would let us touch and feel a lot fossil replicas and talk about it in detail. It was also exciting to see volunteers cleaning stuff they had dug up from the pits. Kids thought it was fun.

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