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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 · Hidden Gem · Science Museum
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

FROM $49 BOOK WITH VIATOR Los Angeles Hop-On Hop-Off Double-Decker Bus Tour
3.8
Duration: 2 hours
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FROM $259 BOOK WITH VIATOR Los Angeles Highlights Full-Day Guided Tour
5.0
Duration: 7 hours
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FROM $259 BOOK WITH VIATOR Private Luxurious Tour of Los Angeles
4.8
Duration: 6 hours
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FROM $72 BOOK WITH VIATOR Hollywood Bike Tour
5.0
Duration: 3 hours
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FROM $83 BOOK WITH VIATOR Go Los Angeles Explorer Pass with Hop-on Hop-off Bus and Warner Bros Studio Tour
1.0
Duration: 60 days
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FROM $199 BOOK WITH VIATOR Hollywood Tour
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Tours from $199 »
FROM $153 BOOK WITH VIATOR La Brea Tar Pits Tour by Segway
Duration: 2 hours
Tours from $153 »
FROM $154 BOOK WITH VIATOR The Grand Walking Tour (Hollywood - Saturday Only)
Duration: 4 to 5 hours
Tours from $154 »
FROM $247 BOOK WITH VIATOR 3-Hour Private Hollywood City Tour with an Emphasis on Studio History
Duration: 3 hours
Tours from $247 »
FROM $306 BOOK WITH VIATOR Private Hollywood and Beverly Hills Tour Departing from Downtown Los Angeles
Duration: 4 hours
Tours from $306 »
FROM $244 BOOK WITH VIATOR Los Angeles, Hollywood and Beverly Hills Private Sightseeing Tour
Duration: 3 hours
Tours from $244 »
FROM $325 BOOK WITH VIATOR Private Sightseeing Tour of Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills
Duration: 4 hours
Tours from $325 »

La Brea Tar Pits and Museum reviews

Rate this attraction
TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
3,170 reviews
Google
4.5
TripAdvisor
  • By Mamjensen
    We had a great time at the museum and park. It is amazing what they have pulled out of the ground here and are still extracting! The museum is excellent and small enough to visit in an hour or so...  more »
  • By mrk4th
    I’ve been fascinated with the tar pits since I was a little kid and had a plastic model of a woolly rhino sinking while a condor tears out a chunk of its flesh, but this was my first visit in...  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
  • 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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