La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
Google lists this as temporarily closed. Check the official site before you go — we surface this the day Google reports it, but we have not re-verified it ourselves.
Los Angeles, CA
~$18 adult / $7 child
By Simir Shah
Updated September 13, 2026
★★★★★4.6(15,455 Google reviews)
From our editor — we've been
This is an absolutely amazing place. It's a real pause to see how much they've found and how little of the whole area has actually been excavated. Understanding how these incredible animals met their fate, and then seeing entire skeleton structures pulled out of the ground, is genuinely breathtaking. Everyone should visit — there's so much to learn.
💡 Local tip: Heads up: the indoor museum closed in July 2026 for a two-year renovation and isn't expected to reopen until around 2028. The outdoor tar pits and the active excavation site are still open to walk in the meantime.
What parents say
AI summary of 5 Google reviews — not a first-hand visit. How we write these
Parking is very limited; one reviewer parked at a neighboring museum and walked over. The outdoor pits and lawns are free to walk and smell strongly of tar. Indoor exhibits are interactive and suit roughly ages four to eleven, but the museum is small. A remodel closure is coming, so check.
An active Ice Age fossil site where mammoths and saber-tooth cats were once trapped in bubbling asphalt, and where paleontologists still dig today. The indoor museum building closed in July 2026 for a major renovation expected to last roughly two years, but the outdoor pits and the Project 23 excavation site remain open to the public, with occasional ticketed behind-the-scenes tours.
Plan your visit to La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
Researched from the venue and public sources, not a first-hand visit. How we write these
- Best time to go
- The indoor museum is closed for a renovation expected to wrap up in 2028, so visits now center on the outdoor pits in Hancock Park. Construction moves through the park in phases, so some areas may be fenced off.
- Parking & getting there
- The museum's own lot on Curson Avenue is currently open only to Insider Tour ticket holders. Use the nearby LACMA, SAG-AFTRA or Petersen Automotive Museum structures, or street parking (watch the signs, since Wilshire has rush-hour tow zones). The Metro D Line Wilshire/Fairfax station is next to the park.
- Best ages
- Kids who like dinosaurs and digging can watch the bubbling Lake Pit and see paleontologists working on the Project 23 fossil boxes outdoors. With the museum closed, there are no indoor exhibits to fill out a visit.
- Food
- The Original Farmers Market and The Grove, about half a mile away, are the easiest places for a family meal.
- Rain or heat plan
- With the museum building closed, the site is outdoors only. On a rainy or very hot day, the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park, run by the same museum group, is the indoor fossil alternative.
Pair it with
Common questions
Is the La Brea Tar Pits museum open?
No. The museum building closed in July 2026 for a two-year renovation expected to finish in 2028. Many outdoor areas of Hancock Park, including the pits and excavation sites, remain open.
Can you still see the tar pits during the renovation?
Yes. The outdoor pits stay open, and paleontologists keep excavating on site. A paid Insider Tour offers a closer behind-the-scenes look.
Where do you park for the La Brea Tar Pits now?
The on-site lot is reserved for Insider Tour ticket holders, so use the LACMA, SAG-AFTRA or Petersen garages, street parking, or the Metro D Line to Wilshire/Fairfax.
Good for
- Ages 0–2
- Ages 10+
- Stroller-friendly
- Works for a wide age range
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Map
What visitors say
- R Edmondson★★★★★
Unforgettable, Smelly, and Weirdly Satisfying! Visiting the La Brea Tar Pits has been on my bucket list since I was a little kid. If I'm being completely honest, my childhood dream wasn't necessarily to look at fossils—it was just to play in the sticky tar with a stick. While I did finally get to live out that dream and poke around a bit, be warned,the staff heavily discourages it nowadays! The indoor museum gives a quick but incredibly thorough history of how these asphalt pits came to be and how they were discovered. It is packed with interactive exhibits, making it absolutely perfect for families with kids between the ages of 4 and 11. Once you step outside, you can walk around several active, bubbling pits. And yes—the smell is exactly what you’d expect (which is to say, not great!), but it’s all part of the authentic, prehistoric experience. It is a fascinating, sensory trip back in time right in the middle of Los Angeles. Just leave the sticks alone if you want to stay on the staff's good side! Quick reminder and they will be closing soon for a remodel.
2 months ago
- Jonathan Reed★★★★★
We went during Free For All Museum Day and it has a sizable collection on display with many skeletons of past animals fallen into the nearby tar pits. The theater was closed the day we went (may be due to the crowds for the free day admission). The museum can be seen as quick or slow as you like, and the surrounding outside tar pits were also fun to find around the grounds. All the outside tar pits and grounds around the museum are free to walk through even if you're not planning to enter the museum. The viewable pits are fenced off and do bubble up which you can actually smell from the pits when up close. Thank you for allowing free admission for this year's Free For All Museum Day. We are so appreciative for you welcoming us to the museum ☺️
7 months ago
Showing 2 of 5 Google reviews · Read them all on Google Maps
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