One thing you have to know about Los Angeles is that its museum-game is really strong. The Los Angeles museums are world-class and contain within them impressive treasures of art and history. You simply cannot go to Los Angeles and not see at least one of their several mesmerizing museums.
I have always been a museum buff. I love going to them not just to look at their collections but because I feel like I learn something every time I step through their doors. Whether they be an art, history, science, or any other kind of museum, the learnings you can glean from them make them worth a visit.
So today, I’m going to go over every visit-worthy museum in Los Angeles that you should definitely add to your LA itinerary. Hopefully this will encourage you to book that LA dream trip you’ve been wanting to go on.
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The Getty
Situated in the Santa Monica mountain range, The Getty is Los Angeles’ premier art museum. I don’t particularly like the art presented here as it’s mostly pre-20th century religious art, but the grounds of the Getty more than make up for it. It’s without a doubt the prettiest museum in Los Angeles, and one of the most aesthetically pleasing museums in the world.
Funded and operated by J Paul Getty, The Getty’s grounds are so beautiful they were featured in the television show “The Good Place” as a stand-in for heaven. You read that right: this place is so beautiful it stood in for the afterlife, and for good reason. Its white marble walls and floors, as well as its gardens and water features, give the whole area a sophisticated yet tranquil feel. It also has incredible views of Los Angeles. You simply cannot go to Los Angeles and skip The Getty.
The Getty Villa
The sister museum of the Getty, The Getty Villa is a history and art museum located in Malibu, California. Featuring Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art and set in a seaside roman villa, The Getty Villa is as gorgeous as The Getty. While I still prefer the grounds of The Getty, the collection at The Getty Villa is (and this is a personal take) more interesting and culturally relevant compared to the collection housed in The Getty.
Just like The Getty, The Getty Villa is free to enter. Be sure to take as much time exploring the grounds as you would exploring the museum itself. The collection isn’t as big as the one in The Getty, but I think, like I said, that it’s the more interesting collection of the two. It’s a bit out of the way, but definitely worth a visit.
LACMA
Another art museum, LACMA or the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is most known for its Urban Lights installation. Urban Lights is a free, public art installation consisting of retired lampposts that used to light the city of Los Angeles. They have since been collected and repurposed into this art installation, and it’s a different experience visiting it in the morning as against visiting it at night.
As for the museum itself, they have a pretty interesting and eclectic collection of art. It’s mostly modern art, with the works of the likes of Andy Warhol and Roy Liechtenstein on display. If you have time I would pair a day here with a visit to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and the nearby Grove and Farmers Market.
The Broad
Another free to enter museum in Los Angeles, the Broad is a modern art museum created and funded by Eli and Edythe Broad. Currently in the midst of an expansion, the Broad is most known for being home to one of Yayoi Kusama’s infinity mirror rooms. It also has pieces by Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly and has pieces ranging from sculptures to paintings and everything in between.
While the Broad is free, it still requires a timed entry ticket. You can reserve a visit time on the Broad’s website. Reservations for the Yayoi Kusama room drop for the month of your choice on the last Wednesday of the month prior. You’re also only allowed in the room for a minute, however, and tickets run out quickly. If this is a priority for you, be on the website right as they drop to ensure you get an entry time for your visit.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
You can’t visit LA and not go to this museum. A tribute to both the Oscars and the art of filmmaking, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is a must do when in LA. Set right in the heart of Hollywood, the museum features permanent exhibits and rotating exhibitions all centered on movies.
The Stories of Cinema galleries feature props and costumes from different movies from Star Wars and Alien to Casablanca and La La Land. They also chronicle the history of the academy awards and include iconic red carpet looks and have a bunch of Oscars on display. There are also temporary exhibits featured throughout the year. On my first visit there was an amazing Studio Ghibli exhibition. As a movie buff, this is my personal favorite museum in LA, and I would highly recommend it as moviemaking is the backbone of the identity of LA.
La Brea Tar Pits
Did you know that Ice Age mammals got stuck in the tar pits around Los Angeles, which resulted in them being preserved underground for thousands of years? It’s true, and you can see them on display at the La Brea Tar Pits. This is one of the more unique museums in LA and is very distinct to LA. While it doesn’t display any dinosaurs, the La Brea Tar Pits has other prehistoric animals on display such as mammoths, all of whom were trapped in the local tar pits.
The museum is geared more towards kids, but its research facility is pretty cool to see and they have a lot of interesting facts about the tar pits and the animals found in them on display. In that way it’s both a zoological and historical museum. If you have extra time and are done with LACMA and the Academy Museum early, I would recommend visiting this museum.
Los Angeles Museums Conclusion
These are just some of my personal favorite museums that I visited in LA. You may not have the time to visit all of them, so hopefully this post helps you decide which ones to go to!
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