Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Gets kids in touch with their wild sides at this playground of the ferocious and woolly.

by Kim Cooper at Citysearch

Tykes clamoring to get up-close views of bones and bugs weave between replicas of dinosaurs and bison at this popular museum which is one of several important cultural centers located in Exposition Park. The adjacent rose gardens can provide much needed downtime after a day in the boisterous museum. Exhibits range from old-fashioned dioramas of hippos against painted backdrops, to a lively insect zoo where kids can pester the Madagascar Hissing cockroaches until they hiss.

06/12/08

First Fridays Event-Something Different

by 80sGalPal at Citysearch

I used to come here as a kid, brings back a lot of nostalgic feelings. Check out the website for their First Fridays Events! It's the first friday of every month, a chance for adults to visit the museum, listen to some cool music, and eat...oh yeah and there's booze too! Something different if you're not looking for the same clubbing scene.

• Pros: In general, great place to visit day or night
• Cons: First Fridays is off for the summer, but they'll be back...

04/05/07

Fabulous wedding location

by blazin_chick79 at Citysearch

I went to a wedding here a few years ago and it was the most interesting venue I have atteneded yet. They set up the reception so romantically with numerous candelabras and dim lighting that the surrounding displays made you feel like it a was a fantasy forest, not a museum.

05/02/06

Great Museum Experience!

by csqamary at Citysearch

I return here about once a year to see the new exhibits. The layout of the museum is beautiful and it's next door to the California Science Center and the IMAX theatre so I can really make it a day. Exhibits are extensive and offer a ton of variety: incredible animal history collection, dinosaurs, bog people (short time only), etc. I can spend many hours here. Even saw Jude Law and Sean Pertwee there! Definitely worth visiting.

• Pros: Large Collection, High Quality, Easy Parking

03/11/03

Great for kids

by knopfile at Citysearch

Take the kids. My parents first took me sixty years ago. It still holds up, and well. Best on Saturday and Sunday, except when there's a football game going on in the coliseum next door.

• Pros: exhibits

07/12/02

Dinosaurs galore

by jerry_watkins at Citysearch

Where can you see dinosaurs, mummies, and rare artifacts all under one roof? Well at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles! Where else? I went to many field trips here over the years! And I enjoyed every single one! The dinosaur bones are gargantuan! Real great ambience here. Hvae lunch outside and then come back for a second viewing! There's another museum right next door aswell as the IMAX theater not to far off in the distance. This is a great area if you want to spend a day of your life learning about things you've always wondered over. I recommend this Museum to anyone and everyone!

06/24/02

Pavilion of Wings!

by dawnmariesmith at Citysearch

Check this out. They have setup and outdoor natural environment for hundreds of species of Butterflies. It is a small but beautiful exhibit. The kids really enjoyed it. No touching though and the small kids need to be in a child backpack or something since they do not allow strollers. This exhibit is only through September so make plans to check it out. Kids under 5 are free and Adults only $3.00 and kids $1.00. Worth for the kids and educational too. The docents show them the stages of the butterflies.

05/21/02

Dig it!

by JSchwartz_Citysearch at Citysearch

Any dino-obsessed kid will love the Natural History Museum. The dinosaur exhibits are interesting, and there's even a paleontologist on-site who lets kids brush off dust from real fossils. The stuffed animal exhibits are a little creepy though, the bird case scares my 2-year-old, so we run for the discovery center on the second floor.

• Pros: beautiful building, near Science Center, lotsa dinos
• Cons: needs a facelift