Los Angeles spreads its museums the way it spreads everything else, across freeways and postal codes, so this list is for the visitor who would rather choose well than tick boxes. The range is wide: a natural history museum dating from 1913, a library and art museum in San Marino dating from 1919, a contemporary art museum in Downtown that dates only from 2015, a music museum, and a car museum on Wilshire Boulevard. Wilshire alone carries three of these picks, and Pasadena and San Marino deserve an afternoon of their own. Plan around the hours: several of these institutions close on one weekday, and that day is not always the same one, and the late evenings are spread across the week as well, so read each entry before you set out. The list suits people who would rather spend a long morning in one great building than sprint through five.
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1 Getty Center
Getty Center Drive 1200A whole campus that holds the Getty Museum along with other programs of the Getty Trust
The Getty Center has stood at 1200 Getty Center Drive since 1997, and it makes far more sense as a campus than as a single museum: it holds the Getty Museum along with other programs of the Getty Trust. Resist the habit of treating it as a quick photo stop between the beach and Hollywood. The place pays back a full, unhurried day, with lunch and then a second loop through whatever caught your eye on the first. Check the official site at getty.edu before you go, arrive with a short list of what you want to see, and let the rest find you. The worst Getty visit is the one squeezed in between two other plans.
Dates from 1997
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2 J. Paul Getty Museum
Saturday hours that run from 10:00 to 20:00
From 10:00 on Saturdays the J. Paul Getty Museum stays open until 20:00, its longest day of the week. Tuesday to Friday and Sunday it runs 10:00 to 17:30, and Monday is not on the schedule, so a Monday plan here goes nowhere. The institution dates from 1974, and the plain description, an art museum in Los Angeles, undersells it. Skip the midday rush. Locals know Saturday evening is the calmer slot, when the galleries thin out and you can stand in front of one painting for as long as it holds you. Come with time to spare rather than a checklist.
Dates from 1974
Hours: Tu-Fr,Su 10:00-17:30; Sa 10:00-20:00
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3 Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire BoulevardFriday hours that run to 20:00
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, has hours that catch first-timers out: it is closed on Wednesday. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday run 11:00 to 18:00, Friday stretches to 20:00, and the weekend opens earlier at 10:00 to 19:00. Skip the weekend crush if you can. A Friday evening visit gives you the collection with more room to step back, and that counts in a building this size. It is an art museum in Los Angeles, large enough that picking two or three galleries and ignoring the rest is not a concession but the sensible approach. If lacma.org does not answer your question, the museum's line is +1 (323) 857-6000.
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4 La Brea Tar Pits
A protected area rather than a gallery building
Pinned at roughly 34 degrees north and 118 degrees west, the La Brea Tar Pits are classed as a protected area rather than a gallery. That distinction matters: this is ground to walk and look at, not a building to file through, and in our view the ground itself is the reason to come. Resist the urge to rush it as a roadside curiosity. Give the La Brea Tar Pits an unhurried hour and read what is in front of you. Opening times and current programmes are posted on tarpits.org. Check there before you go, because we could not verify posted hours for this listing.
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5 Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
250 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012-3007Thursday opening until 20:00
Thursday is the evening to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, when doors stay open until 20:00. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday it runs 11:00 to 17:00, the weekend extends to 18:00 with the same 11:00 start, and Monday it is closed. The address is 250 S Grand Ave, in the 90012-3007 postal area, and the museum has been operating since 1979. Skip the trap of treating contemporary art as a box to tick. Go with one question in mind and let the work argue back. For details, see moca.org or call +1 (213) 626-6222.
Dates from 1979
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6 The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108A library and an art museum under one name, open 10:00 to 17:00 every day except Tuesday
Dating from 1919, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens at 1151 Oxford Road in San Marino, CA 91108 is, as the name tells you, a library, an art museum, and a set of gardens all on the same visit. It opens 10:00 to 17:00 every day except Tuesday, and we'd say arrive at opening, because the day fills up faster than you expect. Don't try to squeeze this into a Downtown afternoon. Locals treat it as a day of its own: library and galleries in the morning, gardens after lunch. Check huntington.org before you set off.
Dates from 1919
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7 Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire BoulevardA museum devoted to the automobile, open 10:00 to 18:00
You do not need to love cars to get something out of the Petersen Automotive Museum at 6060 Wilshire Boulevard, which dates from 1994 and runs a straightforward 10:00 to 18:00. In Los Angeles, of all places, a museum about the car reads as social history as much as machinery, and it works well for a mixed group where not everyone wants another painting. Give it a couple of hours and let whoever loves engines lead. Plan ahead at petersen.org.
Dates from 1994
Hours: 10:00-18:00
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8 Norton Simon Museum
411 West Colorado BoulevardAn art museum in Pasadena with Friday and Saturday hours to 19:00
The Norton Simon Museum, 411 West Colorado Boulevard, is an art museum in Pasadena dating from 1942, and the hours need a moment's attention before you go. It does not open until 12:00. Monday, Thursday, and Sunday run 12:00 to 17:00; Friday and Saturday stretch to 19:00; Tuesday and Wednesday it is closed. Locals prefer a late Friday visit, when the rooms are quieter and you can move at your own pace. If your trip depends on seeing one particular room, call ahead on +1 (626) 449-6840.
Dates from 1942
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9 Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007A building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, open daily from 09:30
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County opens at 09:30 every day at 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007 and closes at 17:00, so arriving on time gives you the full run of the building. It dates from 1913 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the architecture deserves your attention as much as the cases inside. We'd steer clear of the mid-afternoon hours, when energy fades and the day is nearly done. Arrive early, go slowly, and plan to leave before closing. Check nhm.org for current details.
Dates from 1913 · National Register of Historic Places listed place
Hours: Mo-Su 09:30-17:00
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10 The Broad
South Hope Street, Los Angeles, 90012A contemporary art museum in Downtown Los Angeles, open until 20:00 on Thursday
Thursday is the late night at The Broad on South Hope Street, when doors stay open until 20:00. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday the hours are 11:00 to 17:00, the weekend runs 10:00 to 18:00, and the museum is closed on Monday. A contemporary art museum in Downtown Los Angeles that dates from 2015, it sits in the 90012 postal area. Skip the selfie circuit: slow down in front of fewer works and let them do their job. Details are at thebroad.org or on +1 213-232-6200.
Dates from 2015
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11 Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd.Los Angeles, CA90024A museum open 11:00 to 18:00 from Tuesday to Sunday
The Hammer Museum at 10899 Wilshire Blvd, in the 90024 postal area, runs 11:00 to 18:00 Tuesday through Sunday and is not open on Monday. It dates from 1990, it is a museum in Los Angeles, and its website is hammer.ucla.edu. Drop the assumption that a worthwhile museum visit needs to fill a whole day. A collection you can move through properly in an unhurried afternoon is a pleasure in its own right, and you leave with energy to spare.
Dates from 1990
Hours: Tu-Su 11:00-18:00
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12 Grammy Museum
800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015A music museum in Los Angeles
The Grammy Museum at 800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015 has been here since 2008 and is a music museum. Hours run 11:00 to 17:00 on most days, with 10:00 to 18:00 on Saturday, and Tuesday is closed. If a quiet afternoon with paintings is what you're after, give this one a miss. Come for the sound, the stories behind the records, and the pleasure of arguing with a friend about who deserved the award. Call +1-213-725-5700 before you visit.
Dates from 2008
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