Museums in Los Angeles and Its Vicinity

Museums seem to be the backbone of Los Angeles. You can visit museums with almost any type of display from dinosaurs to Airplanes. Some are free while others can be quite expensive. It would be impossible to visit all the museums in a day or even a week because their displays and the distance.

1. J. Paul Getty Museum

1200 Getty Center Drive Los Angeles, CA 90049 or
17985 Pacific Coast Highway Pacific Palisades, California 90272

Admission is free, but the Malibu Getty requires a timed ticket. It is not as large as the Los Angeles museum.
When you arrive at the Los Angeles Museum, you have to take a tram to the top of a huge hill.
Parking is $8 at each site.
Admission is free, but the Malibu Getty requires a timed ticket. It is not as large as the Los Angeles museum.

Hours: L.A.-Tuesday-Sunday-10-6pm open until 9 pm on Fridays and Saturdays

Malibu- Thursday-Monday-10 am to 5 pm, Wednesdays only in July

The Los Angeles Getty is one of the most spectacular places to visit. There are multiple buildings, but the landscape is also art. There is even a cactus piece, and a maze on the grounds. Food is a little more upscale. It does not necessarily seem to be for young children.

2. California Science Center
700 Exposition Park Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90037

Admission is free to general exhibits. Special exhibits have a charge. For example the Body Worlds 3 is running $18.95 for admission. You are not required to see the paid exhibit.

Parking: $6, buses and large vehicles, $10

Hours:10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

If you like science this will be your heaven. It is a hands-on experience and designed for kids. You can experience an earthquake, lie on a bed of nails, check your hearing, and so much more. This is an all day experience, even with out the special exhibit. There are common vendor's onsite like McDonalds. They also have one of the best IMAX theatres in the city. It is located on the campus of USC.

3. African American Museum

600 State Drive
Los Angeles, Ca 90037

Admission is Free

Parking: $6

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM-5 PM; Sunday, 11 AM-5 PM

They have a diverse collection of art that is supposed to represent the black experience or ideal. It is broad in its focus since the exhibits do not really belong to one time period or style. There are lots of school tours and hands on opportunity to make a genealogy.

4. Natural History Museum

900 Exposition Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90007

Admission: $9

Parking: $6

Hours: 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Holidays

If you like sharks and mammals, then this is the museum for you. Located on the beautiful USC campus, you will never get bored with the display. There are lots of school tours, so plan accordingly.

5. Museum of Contemporary Art

A. (Main) 250 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012

B. 152 N Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90013

C. MOCA Pacific Design Center 8687 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Admission: Main/B($10) Free after 5 pm on Thursdays. Pacific is free

Hours: Main: Pacific; 11-5. All open late on Thursdays.

The MOCA, as it is called in L.A. is one of this most contemporary and eclectic exhibits. Each of the museums has a different focus, sometimes just one continuous piece.

6. Los Angeles County Museum of Art

5905 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Admission: $12; ay what you wish after 5 pm

Parking: $7

Hours: 11-8, closed Wednesdays

This is the largest museum in the West. It is a few days worth of looking if you want to see all 7 buildings. The range is from ancient to current, so there is something for all tastes.

7. The Paley Center for Media

465 N Beverly Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Admission: Free, suggested $10

Parking: Free for first two hours.

Hours: Wednesday-Sunday-Noon to 5 pm

One of those well kept secrets. This is the Television and Radio museum. All the commercials, shows, after school specials, and even some current day shows can be watched in this museum. They also have many events that show movies or shows according to a theme or they bring out the cast and crew of a show to share.

8. Travel Town Museum (located on zoo grounds)

5200 Zoo Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Admission: Free

Parking: Free

Hours: M-F, 10-4, Weekends 10-5

This is an outdoor museum with trains of all types. It is located in the beautiful Griffith Park near the Los Angeles Zoo. You can even take a ride on a miniature train.

9. Page Museum/La Brea Tar Pits.

5801 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Admission: $7

Parking: $6 with validation

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:30-5:00

If you saw the movie "Volcano" then you saw this museum, although the movie did try to make the tar pits seem like they were somewhere else. This museum focuses on the finds that were discovered in the tar pits located out of their front door. It is a busy place with school tours.

10. Petersen Automotive Museum

6060 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, Ca 90036

Admission: $10

Parking: $8

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10-6

If you are a car lover then Petersen has your car. They have the kind of cars that show up at car shows, from antiques to muscle cars. It is the ultimate place to take the man who can look, but not necessarily buy.

Resources

http://www.nhm.org

http://www.getty.edu/museum/

http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/

http://www.caam.ca.gov/index.htm

http://www.moca.org/index.php

http://www.tarpits.org/index.html

http://www.lacma.org/

http://www.petersen.org/

This is just a snippet of the museums available in Los Angeles, but this collection can keep the greatest museum fan busy for weeks.