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La Brea Tar Pits/Page Museum
La Brea Tar Pits/Page Museum
Beverly Hills
view website5801 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036+4596
323-934-7243
Good-for-Kids Rating
Babies
Toddlers & Pre-K
School-Age KidsPre-Teens & Teens
La Brea Tar Pits/Page Museum Description
A bit of prehistoric history still exists right in the middle of L.A. at the La Brea Tar Pits, a sticky pool of natural tar that has yielded over a million fossils. Some of these, including wooly mammoths and saber-tooth cats, are displayed in the small adjacent museum. There's also a window into the working laboratory on the premises, where scientists are restoring and cataloging fossils (the finds are still ongoing). But truth be told, every kid's favorite part of the La Brea Tar Pits is the big grassy hill that abuts the museum: it's a lot of fun to roll down.
Science & Nature Museum
Kid Tips
Toddlers & Pre-K: There's a little garden in the center with fish and turtles to wow the little ones.
School-Age Kids: Even kids who aren't science buffs will like the mammoth and giant ground sloth exhibits.
Pre-Teens & Teens: Budding paleontologists may be inspired by watching college-aged kids working in the tarry pits during the summer, as they painstakingly excavate, clean, and track fossils.
Planning Notes
- Go in the afternoon, or save it for the weekend. This is a favorite field trip destination during the week.
- Decisions, decisions. There's no restaurant on site, but there are picnic tables if you want to bring a lunch. While this area is not particularly scenic, there is a grassy area where the kids can run around. Koo Koo Roo, a healthy chicken restaurant chain popular with families, is nearby.
- Leave the tuxedo at home. Make sure your kids wear clothes that can survive grass stains -- the hill in front is that much of a draw. (You might very well see kids in their school uniforms rolling down over and over again).
- Visit LACMA while you're at it. The Los Angeles County Art Museum is adjacent to the Tar Pits and shares the same campus. Free programs for kids and families are available every Sunday.
Just the Facts
Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., weekdays; 10 a.m.-5 p.m., weekends and holidays
Fees: Under $10
Recommended Time: 1 to 2 hours
Reviews of La Brea Tar Pits/Page Museum
Stinky -- But Interesting!
By StJenna January 17, 2008 | Los Angeles, CA
Babies
Toddlers & Pre-K
School-Age Kids
Pre-Teens & Teens
What we loved:
The girls saw something brand new
What we didn't love:
They held their noses the whole time
My nieces couldnt get over the fact that the lake of tar in front of the Page Museum was bubbling with geological processes theyd yet to learn of in schools -- either that or it was biological processes being emitted by the faux mammoths floating in the roiling brew. But they did enjoy the quick peek at the live, ongoing excavation in one of the research pits, as well as the ginormous life-size rodents spread about the campus. We spent less than an hour here, but it was pretty hot and we didnt have time to actually go indoors. Still, it was worth a pit stop, since they didnt believe me that such primeval forces are still at work in the middle of a metropolis. Read More
