Top Los Angeles Museums by Type

Best Los Angeles Museums by Category

Los Angeles is blessed with an abundance of outstanding art museums, but if you only have time for one, the Getty Center combines an outstanding collection of classic and modern art and photography with stunning architecture and one of the best views in town. It's also free, although there's a fee to park.
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 440-7300
www.getty.edu

If you visit the Getty Center (above) don't miss the architectural tour, but for a more intimate architectural experience, visit the Gamble House in Pasadena. Learning about this Arts and Crafts masterpiece designed by brothers Charles Greene and Henry Greene gives you a greater appreciation of the craftsman-style architecture sprinkled throughout LA's neighborhoods. 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 793-3334
www.gamblehouse.org

The La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles is one of the world's greatest sources of Ice Age fossils and many of them are on display in the on-site George C. Page Museum. You can also view scientists at work in the excavation pits and in the museum's "fish bowl" lab.
Visiting the Page Museum
5801 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-7243
www.tarpits.org

Most LA museums include special programs for children, but there are some designed just for kids, and among these, Kidspace in Pasadena is a gem. With indoor and outdoor learning and play environments, kids have so much fun they don't even realize they are learning.
In Brookside Park
Kidspace Museum Visitors Guide
480 N. Arroyo Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 449-9144
www.kidspacemuseum.org

The Griffith Observatory contains exhibits on planets, stars and the exploration of space via multiple super-powered telescopes for day and night viewing. There's also a planetarium show and super views of the Downtown LA skyline.
Visiting the Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory Photos
2800 East Observatory Road
Los Angeles, CA 90027
213-473-0800
www.griffithobservatory.org

It was hard to pick just one "best" in this category, which includes museums focused on cars, trains and military ships, but the Queen Mary won out due to its interpretive exhibits on its life as a cruise ship and military transport and the variety of tours available on different themes. You can also visit the Russian foxtrot submarine Scorpion at the same location.
Queen Mary Visitors Guide
Queen Mary Photo Gallery
1126 Queen's Hwy
Long Beach, Ca. 90802
(562) 435-3511
www.queenmary.com

This being Hollywood and all, there are plenty of museums and exhibits interpreting the history and culture of various facets of the entertainment industry from the tiny Hollywood Heritage Museum to the glitzy Grammy Museum, but the Hollywood Museum in the historic Max Factor Building is the richest glimpse into Hollywood movie history, from its restored hair-color-themed makeup rooms to the collection of movie sets and memorabilia, including an extensive Marilyn Monroe exhibit.
1660 N. Highland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 464-7776
www.thehollywoodmuseum.com

Greater Los Angeles is home to two original California missions as well as several ranchos that existed as part of the original Mexican land grants, but the easiest to access and most fun is El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Site, which includes the Avila Adobe, the oldest house in Los Angeles, and the Mexican Market on Olvera Street along with other historic buildings.
125 Paseo de la Plaza
Los Angeles, CA‎ 90012
(213) 485-6855
http://www.cityofla.org/ELP/
www.olvera-street.com