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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Tours to La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum reviews
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The fossils were cool to see but the pits were underwhelming maybe the drought is having an affect. The Lake Pit was the best of the four. The rest looked like mud holes.
The fossils were cool to see but the pits were underwhelming maybe the drought is having an affect. The Lake Pit was the best of the four. The rest looked like mud holes. more »
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We visited the Le Brea Tar Pits in down Los Angeles this week. The Tar is actually asphalt that seeps up to the surface. The museum's displays were interesting and informative. The dig sites were...
We visited the Le Brea Tar Pits in down Los Angeles this week. The Tar is actually asphalt that seeps up to the surface. The museum's displays were interesting and informative. The dig sites were... more »
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Definitely an interesting place to visit with you have kids or just want some quiet time in the middle of a urban park. The museum itself is not very large but there are enough pieces (including skeletons and casts) that make it worth visiting. The park surrounding the area is very lively with people enjoying the sunny weather, kids in soccer practice, couples enjoying a picnic, etc. The "pits" themselves are interesting although not particularly remarkable. The replication of a scene where an animal is trapped in a pit is a good illustration about what happened before (even though the current tar pit is a recreation based on oil exploration decades ago). Overall, plan on spending between 90 and 120 minutes there.
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My nephew had a ton of fun reading all the information that was available on all the displays. Loved everything that was being exhibited. Had tons of fun exploring outside and finding all the tar coming up from the grounds. Absolutely loved the garden. He learned a lot and loved seeing people working on cleaning up new found bones. It was quite impressive, even for us adults. We will definitely go back again.
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