Top 5 Museums to Visit in LA
Los Angeles has so many museums that it’s hard to figure out where to start. Here are our top 5 museums to visit if you’re visiting The City of Angels.
LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is considered the largest encyclopedic art museum in the western United States. Its collections encompass the history of art from ancient times to the present, and from all corners of the world.
The Getty Center
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 one of the top free things to do in LA, although there’s a fee to park.
The Broad
The Broad is a new contemporary art museum founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. The museum is designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and offers free general admission. The museum is home to the 2,000 works of art in the Broad collection, which is among the most prominent holdings of postwar and contemporary art worldwide. With its innovative “veil-and-vault” concept, the 120,000-square-foot, $140-million building features two floors of gallery space to showcase The Broad’s comprehensive collection and is the headquarters of The Broad Art Foundation’s worldwide lending library.
Griffith Observatory
The Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park 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.
Getty Villa
This stunning hill-top villa houses the J. Paul Getty Museum’s antiquities collection. They also have hands-on activities for kids and a variety of public programs and performances. Like the Getty Center, admission to the museum is free, but there’s a fee to park.
Natural History Museum of LA County
Who can resist massive dinosaurs, animated birds, gems and minerals, bugs and a Discovery Center where kids can get their hands on all kinds of furs and fossils? A museum expansion doubled the exhibit area, adding live animal exhibits, extensive garden habitats and an exhibit on the evolution of Los Angeles. The Natural History Museum is right next door to the California Science Center at Exposition Park.
