La Brea Tar Pits and Museum

La Brea Tar Pits and Museum Closed the first Tuesday of every month, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Hart Museum in Newhall, CA.
(6275)

Rancho La Brea is one of the world’s most famous fossil localities, recognized for having the largest and most diverse assemblage of extinct Ice Age plants and animals in the world. Visitors can learn about Los Angeles as it was between 11,000 and 40,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age when animals like saber-toothed cats and mammoths roamed the Los Angeles Basin. At the glass-walled Fossil Lab

, visitors can watch bones being cleaned and repaired. Outside the Museum, guests will find several active fossil excavations, where new discoveries are made every day. The La Brea Tar Pits Museum is part of a Family of Museums that includes the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County downtown in Exposition Park and the William S.

Another exciting season of Adventures in Nature Day Camp is nearly here! With just 3 weeks to go, don’t miss your chance...
06/03/2026

Another exciting season of Adventures in Nature Day Camp is nearly here! With just 3 weeks to go, don’t miss your chance to register your child for the remaining open sessions:

🐚 July 13 - 17 | Pod Patrol
🦇 July 20 - 24 | Nocturnal Neighbors

Tailored for kids in grades K through 5. Made possible with support from Los Angeles Department of Water & Power.

Waitlist opportunities for sold-out sessions are available. View all details and register today: https://go.nhm.org/adventures

For nearly a century, La Brea Tar Pits has fascinated visitors across the globe as the world’s only active Ice Age fossi...
05/29/2026

For nearly a century, La Brea Tar Pits has fascinated visitors across the globe as the world’s only active Ice Age fossil sites where discoveries are still made daily. From towering mammoths and giant ground sloths to millions of tiny microfossils, most of these finds are cared for inside the Museum.

But after nearly 50 years since the Museum opened, we’re running out of room!

La Brea Tar Pits is a uniquely L.A. experience that blends science, surprise, and discovery. For nearly a century, this site in the heart of Los Angeles, in ...

🐾 Meet Pebbles, a rare Ice Age puma whose 32,000-year-old skull offers a glimpse into L.A.’s wild past.As one of the few...
05/24/2026

🐾 Meet Pebbles, a rare Ice Age puma whose 32,000-year-old skull offers a glimpse into L.A.’s wild past.

As one of the few puma fossils found at the , Pebbles helps scientists understand how these predators lived alongside saber-toothed cats and dire wolves, and what it took to survive in Ice Age L.A.

Learn more about Pebbles' discovery at TARPITS.org/stories

05/22/2026

🤞 The countdown continues...

Mark your calendars and make some memories before the makeover! La Brea Tar Pits closes for its two-year renovation beginning July 7, 2026. Have you planned your visit yet?

Tag and share your biggest moments, epic hill rolling, and favorite photos—we’d love to see 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 history with the !

05/20/2026

From bears to mountain lions, specimens right out of our Collections help uncover shocking discoveries.

Stream "Dire Wolf v Tar Pit," now available on our YouTube Channel.

🦣 Home to a million stories of Ice Age L.A.! What's your favorite memory?
05/18/2026

🦣 Home to a million stories of Ice Age L.A.! What's your favorite memory?

05/12/2026

How familiar are you with nature’s stickiest traps?

Through vintage animations and behind-the-scenes interviews, uncover new discoveries about iconic Pleistocene predators and the role humans played in “Dire Wolf v Tar Pit,” now streaming on YouTube.

🖤 To those who stick with you through every moment, mammoth-sized or small. Happy Mother's Day!
05/10/2026

🖤 To those who stick with you through every moment, mammoth-sized or small. Happy Mother's Day!

05/08/2026

🐾💜 Saber-toothed cat spotted on the purple carpet!

Big thanks to for inviting Cali over for the Metro D Line Extension Grand Opening Celebration! Plenty of smiles and smilodon sightings all around.

Wilshire runs deep and so does L.A. pride! When will you be taking your first ride?

Friday, June 12, step into the Ice Age (and onto the dance floor) at a free, all-ages Summer Nights party with KCRW and...
05/07/2026

Friday, June 12, step into the Ice Age (and onto the dance floor) at a free, all-ages Summer Nights party with KCRW and the !

Enjoy the Museum after hours, groove along to sets from DJs Novena Carmel and Francesca Harding, grab a bite from food trucks, and more.

Don’t miss your chance to make some memories before our mammoth makeover begins! Free to RSVP: https://go.nhm.org/kcrw-summer-nights

Address

5801 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
90036

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5pm
Friday 9:30am - 5pm
Saturday 9:30am - 5pm
Sunday 9:30am - 5pm

Telephone

(213) 763-6300

Website

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