13 Museum Visits in Los Angeles to Build a Day Around

1.Petersen Automotive Museum Entry & Vault Access

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 264 reviews · 1 day · from $51Our pick

Tour 25 galleries across three floors, then spend 90 minutes in the Petersen Vault with 250 rare vehicles. Your ticket includes museum entry, self-guided Vault access, and a QR-code audio tour. The experience is self-paced, wheelchair accessible, and best for visitors age 10 and up.

“Fantastic. I go 3X a year. We would like to see a display titled "When Cars Were Art.> Very good restaurant.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Battleship Iowa Museum Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 249 reviews · 1 day · from $29

Walk the decks of Battleship Iowa in San Pedro on a self-guided visit. See the captain’s cabin, Roosevelt’s custom bathtub, armored flag bridge, huge gun turrets, and sailor spaces. Use the free Vicky the Dog scavenger hunt, bring headphones, and expect ladders and narrow passages.

“My wife and I took our Son (11) and Three daughters (10, 7, 5) and all of them loved it. The younger girls sought out Vicky and my son is a WWII history buff and could not have been happier had we had Disneyland to ourselves. We enjoyed the self-guided tour and were proud to be Americans. What an amazing piece of history!”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.La Brea Tar Pits and Museum Admission Ticket with Excavator Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 193 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $18

Use your mobile ticket to explore the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum for about two hours. See mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and ground sloths, watch paleontologists at work, and join the included Excavator Tour covering Project 23, the Fossil Lab, and the Observation Pit. Check tour times before visiting.

“Overall, the experience was fine, but you sold us a ticket for a tour on a date when they were not offering tours because it was the holiday, and all of the staff was off that provides the tours. You might want to double check with the activities that you’re offering to make sure what you’re offering is even available on the dates you’re offering it.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.La Brea Tar Pits Museum Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 137 reviews · 1 day · from $18

Spend a day at the La Brea Tar Pits Museum, where mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and dire wolves emerge from an active urban fossil site. Walk through Pit 91, see tar bubbling outdoors, visit the Fossil Lab, and explore the Pleistocene Gardens. General admission is $18 per person.

“The La Brea Tar Pits is a worthwhile educational trip that explains how ancient creatures fell victim to the tar pits, has many skeletons on display, and is a site still being actively excavated.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Hollywood Medieval Torture Museum Ticket with Ghost Hunting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 133 reviews · 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $31Top rated

Walk through Hollywood’s Medieval Torture Museum at your own pace with an English or Spanish audio guide. See historic torture and execution devices from Europe, Asia, and America, then use a ghost-hunting app. Plan on 45 to 90 minutes, though a fast visit may take less.

“Super cheesy, waste of money. It’s 3 to 4 rooms and it only took us 20 minutes to get through the whole thing. Definitely not worth 30 bucks.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Admission

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 111 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $18

Spend about three hours exploring LA’s Natural History Museum with mobile admission. See the Dinosaur Hall, 300-plus fossils, mammoth and whale skeletons, glittering minerals, native wildlife, Nature Gardens, and Becoming Los Angeles. Add Dinosaur Encounters or the temporary cat exhibit on site.

“We had a fun time at the Natural History Museum. Totally worth a visit. We were a bit shocked by the steep $20 parking fee, but public parking is super limited in the area. Overall, I would visit again, it was nice to get view all the exhibits.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Grammy Museum Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 105 reviews · 1 day · from $22

Use a reserved one-day ticket to explore the GRAMMY Museum in Downtown Los Angeles. Play with beat machines, microphones, and sound technology in Sonic Playground, revisit award-show moments, see music memorabilia, and check current displays such as Luther Vandross: Artistry and Elegance.

“it was nice, although, I expected the museum to be larger.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 84 reviews · from $25

Spend a full day at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures with access to three core levels, Stories of Cinema, special galleries, a temporary Level 4 exhibition, and the Dolby Family Terrace. Add Fanny’s restaurant, the Museum Store, and optional paid experiences to your visit.

“Loved all the exhibits..very well planned and executed..”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 47 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.)

Spend 2 to 3 hours exploring the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. See Oscar artifacts, film displays, temporary exhibitions, video programs, theaters, Fanny’s restaurant, the museum store, and Hollywood Hills views from the Dolby Family Terrace.

“This was an excellent experience. Very easy to use. Very user friendly. I will use you again. !!!!!!!”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Hollywood: Medieval Torture Museum Ticket with Ghost Hunting

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 35 reviews · 365 days · from $31

At Los Angeles’ 7,000-square-foot Medieval Torture Museum, you’ll follow an English or Spanish audio guide past wax scenes and historic torture, restraint, and execution devices. Use your charged smartphone and headphones for the included ghost-hunting activity, then explore at your own pace.

“The .Museum had a lot of interesting things to look at. However for the price the bathrooms were disgusting! No toilet paper and filthy.”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Holocaust Museum LA Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 30 reviews · from $15Best value

Visit Holocaust Museum LA in Pan Pacific Park for a survivor-founded account of the Holocaust. Use the English or Spanish audio tour narrated by Mayim Bialik, view rare artifacts, and speak with a holographic survivor. Free docent tours run weekends at 1:30 PM.

“It was so moving being there . It was my first time in the country and I was looking for activities to do for free. It was fascinating to see how the museum integrates the AI as part of the experience which leads you even to interact as in real life with one of the survivors asking her from simple to complex questions about what she went through. You can also see the exhibitions in the way you want, always listening a tour guide from the app you download and you get free wifi. I wish I had stayed longer to see it in more detail.”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Skip the Line: General Admission Museum of Tolerance Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 14 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.)

Spend about one to two hours at Los Angeles’ Museum of Tolerance, where exhibits examine the Holocaust, antisemitism, discrimination, and the Jewish diaspora. Your mobile ticket includes general admission. Bring your confirmation screenshot and allow time for security screening.

“The whole museum was wonderful. A little disappointed in the speaker. I thought the speaker was a true Holocaust survivor from the camps.”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Museum Row Tour The Fast & The Fossilized on Wilshire

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 1h 30m · from $34

Walk from the La Brea Tar Pits to four famous Museum Row stops with English-speaking guide Chris. See Ice Age fossils, LACMA’s Urban Light, Petersen’s lobby cars, and the Academy Museum exterior. Museum admission is not included.

“Chris our tour guide was very knowledgable, and very patient. we learnt so much about the different museums and the Miracle Mile during the fun filled 3 gours, thank you Chris! Oh, he takes good puctures too! we love his tour, but I feel very guilty i forgot to tip him at the end of the tour.”

Check availability →Read our full review