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1. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- Adventure Calls
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- Museums
- South Central/Compton
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2. California Science Center
- Science Class was Never this Fun
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- Educational
- South Central/Compton
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3. Petersen Automotive Museum
- Celebrates L.A.'s Car Culture
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- Museums
- Miracle Mile/Fairfax District
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4. La Brea Tar Pits & Page Museum
- Ice Age Fossils on Display
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- Museums
- Miracle Mile/Fairfax District
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5. Fowler Museum at UCLA
- More than 750,000 artifacts
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- Museums
- Beverly Hills/Westside
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6. Autry National Center - Museum of the American West
- Western history
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- Museums
- Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Echo Park
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7. Los Angeles Maritime Museum
- Local nautical memorabilia
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- Museums
- Long Beach/South Bay
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8. Museum of Jurassic Technology
- One-of-a-kind museum
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- Museums
- Culver City
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9. The Fiske Museum
- 1,400 musical instruments
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- Museums
- Outside the City
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10. J. Paul Getty Museum
- Cultural Tour
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- Museums
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The Best of NileGuide
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Los Angeles has no shortage of museums! On this list the Getty stands in for a whole array of solid art museums (more are collected on this art museum list).
At the corner Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue is a cluster of museums, home to the Petersen Automotive Museum and Page Museum from this list, as well as the acclaimed Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Craft & Folk Art Museum. You really can get your fill of museum time here!
Similarly, the Exposition Park area near downtown is home to a cluster of cultural sites, including the Natural History Museum (dinosaurs!!) and the California Science Center (a large hands-on type of place with a SR-71 airplane in the parking lot and an attached IMAX).
If the history of the American West is of primary interest, a good place to start is the Autry National Center in Griffith Park. . . more historical sites and exhibits are collected on this history and heritage guide.
Out in Culver City is the eclectic Museum of Jurassic Technology with its cabinet of wonders approach. Right across the street is the Center for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI), featuring exhibits that explore aspects of the modern built environment.
Long Beach is represented here via the Los Angeles Maritime Museum. Once you are in the South Bay, there are a bunch of aquarium options to check out. These range from the large and spiffy Aquarium of the Pacific to smaller and more budget-friendly options like Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium (nearby in Manhattan Beach), and the offbeat Marine Mammal Care Center.
