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La Brea Tar Pits and Museum

Los Angeles, United States
4.6 (25,576 reviews)
215 visits
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Ice Age–fossil excavation site with an adjacent museum, plus a re-created prehistoric garden.

At a glance

#75 of 126 Tourist attractions in Los Angeles #32 of 43 Museums in Los Angeles

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.60

5.6 km from the center of Los Angeles

Rating breakdown

  • 5 ★70%
  • 4 ★22%
  • 3 ★6%
  • 2 ★1%
  • 1 ★1%

What reviewers talk about

Share of 16 recent reviews that mention each topic.

  • Price & value31%
  • Cleanliness19%
  • Waiting & crowds13%
  • Location6%
  • Service & staff6%
5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
tarpits.org
(213) 763-3499

Photos of La Brea Tar Pits and Museum (119)

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La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Los Angeles – photo 1
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La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Los Angeles – photo 10
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Los Angeles – photo 11
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Los Angeles – photo 12

Quick facts

What is the rating of La Brea Tar Pits and Museum?
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is rated 4.6 out of 5 based on 25,576 reviews.
How does La Brea Tar Pits and Museum rank in Los Angeles?
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is #75 of 126 Tourist attractions in Los Angeles by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is La Brea Tar Pits and Museum located?
5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 — 5.6 km from the center of Los Angeles.
What do visitors mention most about La Brea Tar Pits and Museum?
Most often: price & value, cleanliness, waiting & crowds (from 16 recent reviews).
How can I contact La Brea Tar Pits and Museum?
Phone: (213) 763-3499 · Website: tarpits.org

Reviews (16)

Millie F
Millie F 2024 Mar 15
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La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
There is so much to see at the Tar Pits and Museum. Great place to visit. A lot of information and history. It was a great day to walk around in the park, too! We got in early, so there was no wait, but if you are going toeards afternoon, I would purchase tickets in advance as it did get busy. Definitely add this to your visit if you are in the area!
Steven Schiavone
Steven Schiavone 2024 Mar 11
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La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
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La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
This was all the fun of a museum but also an active dig site. I will say the pits looked a little unlike I expected (land before time) but we went after it had rained so the water was on top of the tar. You can go see the pits for free but the museum you pay for. So be careful though the tar is deceptively sticky and can bubble up in unexpected areas. Staff is good about marking the tar and putting up cones or fences. We also got to see the active pit being excavated which was really neat and not what I expected.
TheDarkWolf86
TheDarkWolf86 2024 Mar 11
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
The museum provided decent historical information. I particularly enjoyed the dire wolf exhibit with 400 skulls and the mammoths, as I've always liked elephants. It wasn't bad for a one-time visit.
Amy Tryon
Amy Tryon 2024 Feb 20
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
This museum is educational. My favorite part was the outside area which is free. I enjoyed seeing real tar pits. The museum inside, which is paid entry, was nice but I did feel like the price for our entire family was a lot for the small size of the museum. I do understand though that they are funding research which is important. We did pay and go inside and saw some interesting and educational exhibits. Overall this was a great stop for our family. There are bathrooms in the museum. There is a movie that costs extra. Just don't miss out on all the interesting things to see around the grounds.
GooseTavo LDB
GooseTavo LDB 2024 Feb 16
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Real interesting place to spend a solid hour. Talk a walk looking at the tar pits bubbling which is pretty fascinating. A lot of space and open grass fields, great for picnics or to read a book which I saw plenty of. That was just the outside. Parking was $18 and entry was $15. Completely worth it but next time I’ll plan to pay the meter and walk there.
Barry Sullivan
Barry Sullivan 2024 Feb 05
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
I haven't been there since I was a child.
Great memories of it.... It lives up to them!
The tar pits themselves are mysterious and forbidding.
The museum, with displayed fossils is informative.
And the walk to various outdoor sites is very pleasant, in a park like setting.
Great place for families.
Mike Greenwell
Mike Greenwell 2024 Jan 28
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
We took our two kids here during an extended layover. I was here several years ago and it is as awesome as I remember. The (asphalt) tar pits are still bubbling away and my kiddos were in awe the whole time. The place is a bit sleepy from an activity standpoint when we visited, but both kids (2y and 8y) had fun.

We also had memberships to our local science museum and they allowed us free entry, so be sure to ask and bring proof of membership!
Maria Madriz
Maria Madriz 2024 Jan 02
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Came here with my kiddos on New Year’s Day. The museum was closed. But we did enjoy seeing the tar pits! My kids had a blast seeing the bubbles come out of the pits and learning about fossils. They love the mammoths statues around one of the pits. The kids enjoyed playing on the grass fields as well. Definitely recommend for anyone to come even when it’s closed. We had a great time.
Phillip Wilson
Phillip Wilson 2023 Oct 22
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
We really enjoyed the museum and surrounding grounds. It was my wife, myself and our son. The museum had lots of interactive displays and we all were impressed with seeing the paleontologists cleaning bones. The outdoors spaces with the pits and active dig was very cool as well. Would highly recommend this especially on a day where you want to stretch your legs.
Eff Dee
Eff Dee 2023 Oct 14
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
This is a cool museum that is right in the heart of Los Angeles. Probably not downtown, maybe not even Central LA. But you're in the city. Apparently, this is a pet cemetery for extinct species that has been visiting Southern California for the past 50,000 years. Greatest hits include ground sloths, dire wolves, woolly mammoth and mastodons, as well as even beetle legs. It's 15 bucks a person which isn't bad. There's actually interesting stuff outside if you're a cheepo and can't afford the 15 bucks. I have been wanting to come here since I was a little boy in the '80s and read about this please. So, a little boy's dream has come true.
Melanie Pellegrino
Melanie Pellegrino 2023 Sep 05
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Wonderful museum!!! The statues, fossils, and other replica displays really help to visually bring the extinct animals to life. Plus, it was exciting to see the on-going lab work and digs onsite. My husband and I had never been here before, despite living in California our whole lives, and decided to bring our young boys. It was exciting not only for our kids, but also for us to learn about the geology of the Los Angeles region. Our 3-year-old son has been talking about it non-stop for weeks after our visit, and now has to watch the movie Ice Age all the time and tells everyone he sees about how the "Wooly Mammoths got stuck in the gooey stuff." There is a short 3D movie exhibition too, which costs about $6/adult, which I thought was worth it. Tours are offered as well, and educational for all ages, especially preschool and elementary aged children!!!
Delwys Glokpor
Delwys Glokpor 2023 Sep 04
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
As far as museums go, this was the most paleontology oriented that I have visited. The tar pits are far from being the main attraction. In between the reconstructed fauna of the late pleistocene, I particularly loved the glass-off cleaning laboratory with real scientists at work on display. I also really appreciated the guided tour (and the guide) and would recommend it. I went on Sunday and it wasn't too crowded but if you buy a ticket online for just $15 you can skip most wait lines anyways. It's not a bad deal.

One caveat: they have parking but I don't think it's worth it especially if you only want to spend a few hours. There are some street parking nearby if you are lucky.
Melissa NB
Melissa NB 2023 Jul 29
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Joined the Summer Nights event, which allows free entry from 5pm-8pm. On the lawn, there's a bar, food trucks and d.j. Make sure to bring a picnic blanket as the picnic tables are limited. Recommend booking in advance.

Great learning experience! Lot's to see and do and enjoyed that you could see actual pits! It was awesome to see both scientists and paleontologists in action. I don't really understand the indoor garden, but it was peaceful to walk through.

The skeletons were interesting to read about, but I would have liked to known where and when they were found. I also didn't see a lot of information on the marine life.

The excavation tour was interesting, though I was crushed to find the dramatic looking lake pit was just dirty water and asphalt and not gooey tar 😂 The Observation Pit is closed, but I'd definitely want to explore if it ever reopens.
Brock Haylock
Brock Haylock 2023 Jul 06
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Really fun little area right in town to spend a few hours. Lots of great fossil displays and the free guided tour was quite informative. It's surprising this is right in town so if you're up for some good education while in the city it's definitely worth the visit. Be sure to keep an eye out for the green cones around the area to see active tar popping up to the surface.
R Len
R Len 2023 Jul 01
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
We had such a great learning experience. The exhibits were interactive and so interesting. I'm a science buff, so it was right up my alley. The place is huge and there is so much to see and do. We spent a lot of time walking the grounds before going inside. We enjoyed playing around with the codes to scan to create pictures and videos of the dinosaurs.
The museum inside was excellent, and we got to see and learn so much. It is a must go, especially if you have children and adults who love history and learning about the tar pits
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