5 Family Fun Museums in Los Angeles
Vacationing in Los Angeles with your family is a lot of fun what with heading to the beach or going to one of the many amusement parks within driving distance. However, L.A. does offer something more. So when you are filled up on thrill rides and sand castles and you have toured Hollywood and checked out the stars, take some time to visit The California Science Center, Natural History Museum, The Peterson Automotive Museum, The Getty Museum or The La Brea Tar Pits. Fun and affordable, both parents and kids will enjoy this different kind of thrill ride.
The California Science Center
Did you ever want to be an astronaut or do you have kids who love everything to do with space? Then the California Science Center is the place to go. Admission is free, which great on the pocket book. While there you can view The Space Shuttle Endeavour up close and see the images and artifacts associated with this incredible space shuttle. You can also check out The World of Life and examine how people, plants, animals and the tiniest living cells all perform the same life processes to survive. Then of course there are the jets. Parents will have a tough time keeping the “Top Gun” theme song from running through their heads while viewing one of the military jets on display including the SR-71 Blackbird and F-4’s. But that’s not all, parents won’t mind reaching into their wallet to pay for an experience in the 3D IMAX theater, which plays movies with a scientific or nature bent. Build Your Own Tour with us and we can take you to The California Science Center!
Natural History Museum
After you go to the California Science Center, you can go over to the Natural History Museum. Your kids will love the dinosaur encounter where realistic T. Rex and Triceratops large-scale puppets capture the imaginations of audiences in performances each week. Plus, there are over 300 real fossils and 20 complete skeletons, including three Tyrannosaurus Rex showing them at different life stages. You can also go on an indoor African safari, see the extensive spider pavilion. And now, you can check out the Butterfly Pavillion which has over 40 species of live butterflies.
The Peterson Automotive Museum
Calling all car lovers! If you like to go like “Greased Lightning” or glide through the night like “Batman” or just want to see these famous movie cars in person, then The Petersen Automotive Museum is the place to go. Focusing on the automobile and its impact on American life, this 300,000 square foot facility has over 150 rare and classic cars, trucks and motorcycles. The museum also contains galleries with state-of-the-art displays of race cars, classic cars, vintage motorcycles, concept cars, celebrity and movie cars, and auto design and technology. No wonder this museum is located in LA, where everyone uses their vehicles to get around!
The Museum of Flying
Exhibiting the history of aviation, specifically aviation history in Southern California, The Museum of Flying in Santa Monica is a great way to experience what flight is all about. The Museum exhibits the history of aviation, focusing on aviation history in Southern California. The museum features nearly 2 dozen aircraft chronicling the beginning of flight including a replica Wright Flyer. You will also be able to check out an awesome collection of aviation art, artifacts and items from famous aviators. And if you are really adventurous, you can hop in the flight simulator and barrel through the sky like a real pilot.
The La Brea Tar Pits
Do you have kids who love pre-historic animals? Then you have come to the right place. The tar pits are natural asphalt which has seeped from under the ground for tens of thousands of years, trapping animals and preserving their bones. You can walk around the tar pits and check out the George Page Museum which is dedicated to researching the tar pits and displaying specimens from the animals that died there. The museum is full of exhibits including a full skeleton of a giant Colombian Mammoth. There are also still pools of tar that the kids can see live and up close. And now on the weekends you can discover more about these ice age animals in the “Ice Age Encounters” 15 minute multimedia show that features a life-sized saber tooth cat puppet that will will think is the real deal. This is truly a place where the past meets the present in the most fantastic ways! *Hint, if you take our Teens & Tweeners tour, you can discover the La Brea Tar Pits with us!
There is so much for families to do in L.A., come discover it and so much more on a tour with us!