La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles

The La Brea Tar pits is a great place for kids, they get to see elephants,dinasours, lions, and many other dinstinct animals. It was a great time with my niece and nephews. Only drawback, pricing could be a little lower.

There is simply no other place in the world like this: a garden of primoridal ooze in the center of a metropolitan business district. It's not a theme park. The unrefined tar is real, the methane emissions that bubble and bloop emerge from deep underground. And the smell! It evokes a past chronicled only by fossils dug from the goo. Hancock Park is situated around the pits, so there's no cost to view them, nor to watch paleontologists work in pits during the summer months (when the tar is more supple). Watch your step along the path or as you kneel beside the small stream to catch a look at the crayfish! The pits are not the only places tar seeps from the ground. There is a small charge for the Page Museum, but it's well worth it. It has some hands-on exhibits, dioramas, and a massive collection of fossils ranging from spores to sloths removed from the pits. Dire wolves especially enjoyed feasting on animals trapped in the tar. An entire wall is filled with a display of their skulls. At certain times of the day, expert and amateur paleontologists can be observed in a sort of glass tank, cleaning away the accumulations from fossils.

the La Brea Tar Pit's atmosphere is very very good, very nice to walk around with friends, feel comfortable, especially at night time restaurants are good

I happened to visit the Pits only recently, thanks to a visit from a friend out of state. I wanted to show my friend why Los Angeles is so special so I dragged him from one great museum to the other. While visiting Lacma, I recalled that I only passed by the La Brea Tar Pits, many times, without properly visiting the museum. It was a blast!

The history of it all! The kids like finding out about the prehistoric animals, the time they lived and their demise. The animals look realistic and gives you a sense of being there at that time. Again GREAT place for the kids!

Why La Brea Tar Pits you ask? Sound tacky..... Seriously, this is well placed for other sites, so it can be worked into other stops during the day. The grounds are pleasant enough for a picnic, very helpful staff, the kind of displayed suited for children and adults alike, some of which are interactive. Next door is one of the finest museums around: The 'Los Angeles County Museum of Art'. Close to Hollywood, Westside shopping, great restaurants, good public transport access, and centrally located to whatever else you fancy in the southland.

The La Brea Tar Pits is one of the most fun and best values for a family in the Los Angeles area. With their hands on exhibits and larger than life dinosaur skeletons it is an excellent place to spend the day with your family. If you are able to take the time to read all the information available at each exhibit you will spend the better part of the day in the museum. Outside the museum you can see the actual tar pits that captured many of the fossils exhibited in the museum. Take a picnic lunch and enjoy the beautiful grassy area that also surrounds the museum. Bring a frisbee or a football and have fun in the outdoors with your children. By the end of the day everyone will have enjoyed their adventure at the La Brea Tar Pits and the kids will likely be ready for an early bed time allowing mom and dad some much deserved quiet time in the evening. Don't miss the the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum for an educational and fun adventure back in time for the whole family.

This is a definite see while in LA. When I was a child my Aunt and Uncle took me. I was amazed at being where prehistoric animals had once been. As my children grew we went several times. Now I have taken all of my grandchildren. The displays are interesting to all ages. Another plus is that there are other museums close by. Parking is readily available. A great place to visit that never gets old.

IT is such a great place to go to see the history of so many things. Always loved the dinosaur excavations. Cant wait to go again

It is so funny to see the Dinos and the Tar.. A very neat place to take the kids!It has a jurassic park feel to it. Small kids may be scared though...