Visit Los Angeles: La Brea Tar Pits & Museum

Despite living in Los Angeles for four years, and having visited numerous times, it wasn't until my  most recent trip did I visit the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum.  I can't believe I waited so long, because it turned out to be such a fascinating place to visit!

La Brea Tar Pits is a unique site, where asphalt seeps are amidst towering buildings and car-filled streets.  Excavations from the tar pits give us a peek into what life was like 50,000 years ago, as fossils from large Ice Age creatures, as well as microfossils of small plants and animals, are discovered and researched. 

Within the Museum are fossils, tactile displays, interactive exhibits, and even a Fossil Lab.

My kids thought the poop-identifying exhibit was funny, and they all enjoyed the exhibit which gave them an idea of what it was like to be trapped in tar (it's quite an unnerving feeling to know that animals were helplessly trapped in the substance).

In the museum we could feel the skulls of a Dire Wolf and a Sabertooth Cat.

A display of hundreds of Dire Wolf skulls was a mesmerizing depiction of how enormous numbers of the pack-traveling wolves found themselves victims of the inescapable tar.

Outside of the museum are the La Brea Tar Pits.

It's just incredible that these tar pits are in the middle of an urban city!

Excavations never cease, as the discovery of fossils is ongoing.

If you have time, I highly recommend watching the film Titans of the Ice Age 3D. It's a great visual explanation of how creatures of the Ice Age became trapped in the Tar Pits.

We learned so much about the La Brea Tar Pits, and I loved that there were so many engaging exhibits for the kids.

La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
5801 Wilshire Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90036
(213) 763-3499

Mahalo to La Brea Tar Pits & Museum for hosting our visit!