The beauty of the city of angels is indescribable. The warm sunny weather with golden beaches and sunbaked hills, nestled amongst that is the sprawl of suburbs. Los Angeles truly gives you the feeling of being young and alive. Whether you are in LA for two days or a week, you will, without a doubt, have the time of your life.
But in and among the movie studio tours, the beaches and the neighborhoods are some world-class museums that you and your kids will love. What kids wouldn’t love to see a saber-toothed tiger or a space ship.
Saber-toothed Tiger – Labrea Tar Pits Museum
Los Angeles Museums
Los Angeles is perceived as a fast, modern city that lacks culture. People visit the city for the rush and for its cosmopolitan surroundings. What’s surprising is that a city which is ridiculed for being uncultured and just known for its exterior beauty boasts over 800 museums.
It is a shame that Los Angeles does make the lists showcased by famous tabloids for the best cities in the world for museums. The only U.S. cities that are listed are New York City and Washington, D.C. Even on the list with a lot of major American cities, Los Angeles falls behind.
Despite being snubbed by these lists, this city has a really rich culture to offer. Few people must be aware of the fact that Los Angeles is a museum capital. With over 840 art galleries and museums, L.A. has more museums per capita than any other city in the world.
Many of these museums are free or have free days each month, also read 11 Free Museums in Los Angeles for Every Type of Traveler.
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The Case for Museums
If you are visiting Los Angeles with your family, make sure you visit a museum. Visiting the museums for leisure needs to revive. It is such a pleasurable experience and enjoyed by everyone in the family. At a good museum, kids have a great way of learning knowledge while being entertained
Museums offer a dynamic opportunity to understand, connect with, and explore feelings, perceptions and innovative thoughts. They inspire us to be creative and hands us the power to reflect. This is literally a place where time stands still. Whether you feel like taking a peek at the past or catch a glimpse of the future. You get a thorough understanding of the past and the evolution of so many things.
While you are visiting a museum, learning becomes interactive. You are out there with your family and there might be people with you who might have actually lived through a certain age or a period. You will get to learn about so many stories, episodes, and historic events. Stories will lead to imagination. Imagination will give birth to so many questions and there is no better way to gain information than being in a museum and visually understanding the history.
Visiting an art gallery or a museum with your family will never go in vain. Chances are, you might discover your field of interest. Especially with children, it is imperative that you take them along and make them aware of the world that used to be. Exposure to museums will surge curiosity in children. It opens the world of exploration and imagination. Creative and critical thinking gets better. There is nothing more enriching than experiencing the welcoming environment of the museums and art galleries.
Los Angeles offers you the world of museums. This experience is one of a kind. From the well-known Los Angeles County Museum of Art (the largest art museum in the western United States) to the Getty Center (part of the larger J. Paul Getty Trust, the world’s wealthiest art institution). You must visit the museums in L.A.
Best Museums for Kids and Families in Los Angeles
California Science Center
Location: 700 Exposition Park Dr. Los Angeles
The California Science Center also called California ScienCenter) is a museum run by the state. It is located in Exposition Park in Downtown, Los Angeles. It is West Coast’s largest science center. It was founded in 1951 as the “California Museum of Science and Industry”, the Museum was renamed in 1998 as the “California Science Center”. The museum hosts the California State Science Fair every year.
The kids especially will absolutely love the tour of the Space Shuttle Endeavor which demonstrates eminent spacecraft and aircraft. There is a mini aquarium as well where the kids can even touch the fish. You can participate in special activities like wall climbing, high-wire cycling, etc.
You have access to IMAX movies where you and your kids can enjoy movies in 3D. The price of the ticket for kids is $6.75 and $8.95 for adults.
Kidspace Children’s Museum
Location: 480 N Arroyo Blvd. Pasadena
Featuring more than forty exhibits and hosting a huge number of events and programs every month, Kidspace is an indoor-outdoor museum. As the name suggests, this museum is exclusively for kids. It is located next to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. It was established in 1979. The museum promotes the power of curiosity in a child, it helps in mental and physical development of a child. Fun interactions like these will help the kid in expressing his or her mind.
The museum has over 400,000 visitors every year. Your kid can be a part of so many fun activities as well like crossing a rope-bridge, climbing towers, going on mini treks. To top it all, there is a mini beach as well.
Natural History Museum
Location: 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles
Established in 1913, The Natural History Museum is the largest history museum in the western United States. Welcoming over 1,000,000 visitors every year, the museum is home to nearly 35 million original natural samples, illustrations, and artifacts that cover 4.5 billion years of history.
Prepare to be amazed by state-of-the-art multimedia stations making information fun and interactive.
This spectacular museum will, without a doubt, keep you hooked with its giant animal dioramas and the famous dinosaur hall will give you all the information you need. The museum also has wonderful nature gardens and laboratories that can be visited with your kids.
Another highlight of this museum is the theatre where informative movies are played in 3D. Definitely a memorable experience for your child.
If you are visiting this museum in spring or summer then do not forget to visit the Butterfly Pavilion. A beautiful experience to learn about the stunning winged creatures. The Butterfly Pavilion turns into Spider Pavilion during fall so you can learn more about the spiders in California.
Griffith Observatory
Location: 2800 East Observatory Rd. Los Angeles
One of the most popular educational facilities, The Griffith Observatory is a Los Angeles landmark. It was established in 1935. The observatory has more almost 2,000,000 tourists visiting it every year. The location is absolutely perfect as it gives some of the most spectacular views of the Hollywood Sign, the Pacific Ocean, the Los Angeles Basin, and downtown.
This beautiful observatory has all the answers to your space-related queries. Everything about planets and other celestial bodies and the entire universe is displayed through illustrations and demonstrations.
You have access to varieties of telescopes and can watch the stars and planets. You and your kids will surely have a wonderful experience. You can even visit the planetarium and get information through their astounding shows.
Although parking is a bit tough. The walk to the observatory will give you absolutely breathtaking views. The access to the observatory is absolutely free.
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Location: 5801 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles
This natural, age-old pit of pure wonder is a huge tourist attraction. Tar pits are more than 50,000 year old. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is one of the world’s most fecund and famous fossil sites. Kids will undoubtedly love these pits. Not only the bubbling tar pits, but the entire environment is bound to get your kid excited. There is a huge grassy area with little grass-covered- hills which your kids can climb and roll down. There are big animal figures all over the park which can be climbed by your kids. This park is informative and adventurous at the same time.
It is equally exciting when you enter the Page Museum, which has an Ice Age theme.
Illustrations, artifacts, fossil, giant Mammoths and Mastodons, animal figures of saber-toothed cats and dire wolves from the glacial age will, without a doubt, amaze the little ones.
Discovery Cube LA
Location- 11800 Foothill Blvd. Los Angeles
With over a hundred science exhibits, Discovery Cube truly believes in its motto: Inspire, Educate, and Impact. They have made education and learning experience thoroughly fun and interactive. The museum encourages a child’s curious mind and its critical and creative thinking skills. This is a great way to help a child learn about science and the way the world works.
Some of the highlights of Discovery cube are the Aquavator, Planetary Research Station, 3D Theatre, Science of Hockey, Discovery Market, Inspector training course, and Park Science.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Location: 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum).
LACMA was established in 1910. Although purely an art museum, it can be visited by all age-groups. Attracting almost 2,000,000 visitors every year, it is the largest art museum in the western United States. The museum presents the art and culture of world. Different cultures can be sensed and seen in the museums be it European, American, or Asian. LACMA showcases only the crème de la crème of artworks of all times. It has displayed art and objects from 9th century B.C. to 21st century. Chris Burden’s masterpiece- urban light is a total show stopper.
Another highlight of LACMA is that its concert and film series. Although it seems like a museum for grown-ups, there are a lot of fun activities for children as well. They can visit the Boone Children’s Gallery and draw, paint, and enjoy art. Kids will absolutely love the Korean art gallery and storytime. It will be great to see your kid explore their artistic bent of mind. You can ask about their views and impressions about the artwork present in the gallery.
The GRAMMY Museum
Location: 800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Who does not like music? Who wouldn’t want to learn more about music? Established in 2008, on the occasion of Grammy Awards’ 50th anniversary. The museum was established in honor of the history of Grammy Awards and the winners. It is an educational museum with many interactive exhibits. It is treating each and every member of your family.
The museum has amazing recording and instrument booths, videos, original records, visual recordings outfits and instruments from the Grammy Awards held all these years. These classic artifacts which are the product of legendary artists are showcased in the museum. Do check out the hand-written lyrics by maestros.
This is a great way to introduce the musical legends of all times to the kids. From statues to acceptance speeches, your kids will be awe-struck. The evolution of awards and statues is quite interesting to witness.
The fourth floor of the museum is absolutely perfect for music lovers; you have access to more than 160 genres of music. The music listening station will be a hit among teens.
From Amy Winehouse to Adele, you can sit back, relax, and watch the best Grammy performances of all times.
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by Paulo PP
Paulo PP is a marketing manager at Rapid Shuttle 247, in California - an industry-leading in professional, courteous, affordable and private transportation services.One Response to “8 Best Museums for Kids and Families in Los Angeles”
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Tags: los angeles, museum
Lucila De Oliveira
Says:June 22nd, 2020 at 4:18 pm
We re all about finding the best of everything in LA for kids—from the newest arts-and-crafts studio  to iconic family-friendly restaurants. Of course, we couldn t leave out museums, and this city has plenty to choose from. Whether you want to introduce your tykes to modern art or you re looking for a space where they can learn