TOP 5 SCIENCE MUSEUMS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY
There are so many museums in Los Angeles County (and Southern California in general!) that it can be overwhelming trying to plan which museums to visit.
There is an abundance of museums in Los Angeles, including contemporary and modern art, natural history, and science museums.
Many of the museums in Los Angeles are more traditional, with the focus being art, culture, or science.
However, there are some truly wacky museums in Los Angeles, such as the Hollywood Wax Museum, Museum of Death, and the Museum of Jurassic Technology.
In this post we’re going to focus on the best museums in Los Angeles for science and natural history, including the best dinosaur museum and children’s museum.
We also have some discounted tickets for you to enter the museums and some tips for getting in for free.
First, we’ll briefly introduce the 5 best museums in Los Angeles and then describe them in further detail.
Pro tip: Visit these museums on a weekday to avoid the large weekend crowds
THE BEST MUSEUMS IN LOS ANGELES FOR SCIENCE
Each of the museums in this list is world class and together they combine to put Los Angeles on the map as a world class city for science, technology, engineering, and anthropology.
The museums on this list are not only great for kids, adults love them too!
Whether you’re visiting Los Angeles, or are a science loving Angelino, check out the best 5 science museums in Los Angeles:
Natural History Museum
California Science Center
Griffith Observatory
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Aquarium of the Pacific
A Brief Description of the Museums in Los Angeles:
The Natural History Museum is located at Exposition Park, the same place you can find the California Science Center (and the LA Memorial Coliseum and Banc of California Stadium), so why not hit both museums while you’re in the area?
The Griffith Observatory has an amazing free museum, which includes a Tesla Coil and a huge space dedicated to astronomy and space science.
The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum are a great place to learn about Prehistoric Los Angeles – you can even watch an active fossil dig where scientists continue uncovering thousands of bones of extinct animals!
If you like the Tar Pits, you should head over to the Aquarium of the Pacific to meet the ancestors of the Tar Pits victims. The Aquarium of the Pacific has a bunch of great exhibits focusing on the Pacific Ocean, including penguins, sea lions, sharks and jellyfish.
Read on for more details about each of these science museums in Los Angeles, including navigation information and local tips for each museum.
Natural History Museum
Find Discounted Tickets
900 W Exposition Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90007
http://nhm.org
Conveniently located on the Metro Train E Line, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is one of the best museums in the world with over 35 million items in its collection, making it the “largest natural and cultural history collection in the western United States.”
This is one of the best museums in Los Angeles for kids because of all the attractions. The most obvious exhibit that children love is Dinosaur Hall. You can literally walk through a hall of dinosaur skeletons, recreated in poses to show dramatic scenes of hunting and other dino-life.
The “Becoming Los Angeles” exhibit is great for native Angelenos and first time visitors to Los Angeles. The exhibit tells the story of the “diverse groups of people who made this city their home–drawn to the fertile soil, mountains, beaches, and endless sunshine – and then, over many generations, helped it become Los Angeles.”
Los Angeles has such an interesting history dating back to the pre-colonial period, that this exhibit is a must-see for anyone interested in Los Angeles history and culture.
Los Angeles is amazing because not only do we have some of the best sports franchises in the world, we also have the best science museums too. Los Angeles is brains and brawn, baby.
The Natural History Museum is located in Exposition Park, which is a giant park that includes the California Science Center and also the LA Memorial Coliseum and Banc of California Stadium, with the University of Southern California campus across the street.
California Science Center
700 Exposition Park Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90037
http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/
The California Science Center, also located on the Metro Train E Line in Exposition Park, is hands-down the best museum in Los Angeles for kids and families.
When you arrive at the Science Center, your scientific expiration begins immediately when you step onto the property. You’ll find yourself immersed in gardens showcasing Southern California’s biodiversity before you even enter the museum.
Permanent exhibits include an origins of life exhibit, a fire science exhibit, and an exhibit on air and space. This museum is where you can view the Endeavor spacecraft in its full glory. There are other aircraft on display as well, including the A-12 Blackbird spy plane.
The special exhibits are also world class and not to be missed. While it is technically considered a special exhibit and not permanent, the Endeavor Space Shuttle is probably the most high-profile exhibit at the Science Center.
While it is not technically permanent, the logistics for moving the spacecraft are so intensive that Endeavor will likely be calling Southern California its home for the foreseeable future.
They had over 100 people involved in the move from LAX to the Science Center, and technicians removed street lights and lifted power lines to clear the path through the streets of Los Angeles.
It was truly an epic event and roughly 1.5 million people came out to watch the spacecraft crawl from LAX to its current location.
Griffith Observatory
2800 E Observatory Rd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
https://griffithobservatory.org/
The Griffith Observatory is one of the most iconic landmarks in Los Angeles, and it is the most visited public observatory in the world.
It offers incredible views of the Hollywood Sign and the Los Angeles basin and on a clear day you can see the ocean sparkle from Santa Monica all the way to downtown and east towards Pasadena.
The Griffith Observatory has more than just epic views of the city. It also has one of the best museums in Los Angeles, and it’s totally free!
There are exhibits all over the interior of the observatory, focusing on physics and astronomy, which are very engaging for children and adults alike.
Check out the Foucault Pendulum in the Central Rotunda, the Tesla Coil demonstration in the Hall of the Eye, and head downstairs for the Depths of Space exhibit.
The Griffith Observatory is a great place to be amazed at the science of the stars.
We highly recommend the parking at the Fern Dell parking lot for free and taking a short hike up to the observatory.
Spend the afternoon taking in the sights, the Hollywood Sign, the sprawling metropolis, and the insanely cool exhibits inside.
Grab a quick bite at the Café at the End of the Universe before heading back.
La Brea Tar Pits
675 S Curson Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
https://tarpits.org/
One of the best museums in Los Angeles for science is the La Brea Tar Pits. The museum is located at the site of an “Ice Age-fossil excavation site” that is still actively uncovering prehistoric fossils.
The La Brea Tar pits are a very exciting place for children to explore.
Directly in front of the building is an existing tar pit, with a statue of an elephant-like creature stuck in the pits. It’s quite a sight for children to see. Take the kids to the Fossil Lab to see what happens after a fossil is uncovered in the tar pits.
For over 100 years this site has been actively studied, and millions of plants and animal remains have been uncovered.
According to the Tar Pits website, the Tar Pits are “the world’s most complete record of what life was like at the end of the Ice Age.” You can even watch the live excavation from site 91 if you’re lucky!
LA County residents get free admission to the museum from 3-5pm every day.
Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802
http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/
Rounding out our list of the best museums in Los Angeles is the Aquarium of the Pacific, the largest aquarium in Southern California.
The mission of the aquarium is to “instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems.”
The Aquarium of the Pacific is great for kids. They have interactive exhibits where you can touch jellyfish, sting rays, amd feed birds, all while learning about marine biology and ocean conservation.
What is really interesting about this aquarium is that there are indoor and outdoor tanks. You can wander around the complex, inside dark corridors with illuminated tanks showing colorful fish, or head outside to the stingray petting area.
To be completely honest, this museum is fantastic for kids, but might leave adults wanting a little more. Interestingly, they do sell booze at the Aquarium, but you may feel a little uncomfortable drinking around hoards of children.
That’s where the Night Dive comes in. Night Dive is a recurring adults-only event with live bands rocking out next to the fish, cocktails, and food trucks.
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