Museums and galleries in Los Angeles

703 museums and galleries in Los Angeles, from the big collections to small independent spaces.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first. Showing the top 40 of 703.

Photo: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 2.5 (licence)

SeeMuseumWilshire
Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits
An excellent museum that displays fossils of animals – including saber-toothed cats, dire wolves and mammoths – that got stuck in tar pits during the Ice Age 10,000 to 40,000 years ago. Visitors can watch fossils being prepared and learn about the natural and human history of the tar pits. However, the real highlight is just outside the museum in Hancock Park, where you'll find a Pleistocene Garden and the tar pits themselves, with life-size replicas of extinct mammals and where you can witness the ongoing excavation of the pits.
Open now · closes 5 pmAdults $12, youth (13-17)/seniors (62+)/college students (w/ ID) $9, children (3-12) $5, children under 3 free. Free general admission for everyone 1st Tu of the month, except July and August · Wheelchair accessible
SeeObservatoryNorthwest
Griffith Observatory
A popular tourist attraction, this Art Deco landmark was built in the 1930s and has since appeared in many films, most notably Rebel Without a Cause, which is honored at the observatory with a statue of James Dean on the grounds. The outside offers a beautiful panorama of the city of Los Angeles, which is especially stunning at night, as well as some of the best views of the Hollywood Sign. Inside is an extensive array of space- and science-related displays, including a Foucault pendulum and a Tesla coil. The planetarium shows are entertaining, with a live narrator.
Open now · closes 10 pmAdmission to grounds and building is free; planetarium shows $7 adults, $5 seniors/students, $3 children · Wheelchair accessible
SeeModern art museumWilshire
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
LACMA
This huge museum features a vast array of works on display from around the globe, with particularly strong collections of Asian, Latin American and American art. You'll want to devote the better part of a day to seeing this place, as the museum is spread out across several buildings. The collection is incredibly varied: iconic pieces of modern art sit a floor removed from artifacts of ancient Greece and Rome. Among the many highlights you'll find are a marvelous pavilion devoted to Japanese art, a remarkable collection of pre-Columbian art from Latin America, and the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) with its many large-scale and innovative installations. On the grounds (and viewable to all for free) are several massive installation pieces, including Chris Burden's photogenic Urban Light, a veritable forest of working street lamps arranged in front of the Wilshire Blvd entrance, and Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass, a huge boulder perched over a walkway behind the museum. LACMA also hosts many special exhibitions, the subjects of which are often just as varied as the museum's permanent collection.
Open now · closes 8 pmAdults $15, students and seniors $10, children under 18 free. Free general admission for everyone on the second Tu of each month. Special exhibitions require extra fee · Built 1910
SeeMuseumWilshire
Petersen Automotive Museum
Has a great display of more than 150 rare and classic cars, trucks and motorcycles amidst its four floors and. The first floor traces the history of the automobile, the second floor has five rotating exhibits of cars, the third floor is a hands-on Discovery Center, and the top floor is an all-glass penthouse conference center that is used primarily for special events. The intersection outside is the site of the Biggie Smalls murder. The exterior of the building sports a striking array of steel ribbons that wrap around the structure.
Open now · closes 6 pmAdults $15, seniors and students $12, children $7, children under 3, active duty military, personal care and educators free
SeeHistoric siteHollywood
Hollywood Museum
Countless pieces of memorabilia from films and Hollywood stars of old, housed in a beautiful Art Deco building that was the home of the business of Max Factor, "the Make-up King" of Hollywood.
Open now · closes 5 pm$15 adults, $12 seniors/students, $5 children ages 5 and under · Built 1916 · Built 1913
SeeHistory museumDowntown
Japanese American National Museum
A museum devoted to the Japanese-American experience, with a particular emphasis on the Japanese internment camps of World War II, including numerous artifacts and historic photographs. Besides the permanent collection, the museum also holds changing exhibits on Japanese-American art and history.
Open now · closes 5 pm$12 adults, $6 students/seniors/youth 6-17, free for children 5 and under; free admission Th evenings 5-8PM
SeeArt museumHollywood
Madame Tussauds Hollywood
The Hollywood location of the popular chain of wax figure museums, with numerous wax replicas of Hollywood celebrities.
Opens daily at 10AM; closing times vary by season, check website$29.95 adults, $22.95 children (discount if purchased online)
SeeMuseumHollywood
Hollywood Wax Museum
The Hollywood Wax Museum is the longest running wax museum in the United States, with more than 45 years of continuous operation by the same owners since 1965 and featuring over 180 figures of celebrities.
Open now · closes midnight tomorrow$16.99 adults, $14.99 seniors 55+, $9.99 children 5-12, children 5 and under free; discount if purchased online
SeeWest
Hammer Museum
A UCLA-affiliated institution which houses changing exhibitions of contemporary, modern, and classical art, with a particular focus on Los Angeles-based work. The basis of the museum's collection is a set of significant European works collected by the institution's founder, Armand Hammer. The museum also holds many free public programs, including lunchtime "Art Talks" every Wednesday at 12:30PM.
Open now · closes 8 pmFree
SeeSouth
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
A crown jewel of Los Angeles' museums and a national leader in exhibitions, education and research, this museum dates back to 1913 and was L.A.'s first cultural institution to open its doors to the public. It's the largest natural and historical museum in the Western United States, safeguarding more than 35 million spectacular, diverse specimens and artifacts. Exhibits on display include lots of dinosaur and ancient mammal skeletons, taxidermy figures, a gallery on the history of Los Angeles, a gem and mineral hall, interactive exhibits for children, and an outdoor nature garden.
Open now · closes 5 pm$18 adults, $14 teens (13-17)/college students/seniors (62+), $7 children (3-12), free for children under 3; special exhibitions require extra fee
SeeSouth
Watts Towers of Simon Rodia
A notable example of non-traditional vernacular architecture and naïve art, the Watts Towers are a series of 17 interconnected structures, two of which reach heights of over 99 feet (30 m). All of the structures were built using salvaged materials and embedded with found objects, such as glass, ceramic tiles, and seashells, often arranged in elaborate displays. Next to the towers is a small museum and a cultural center. Guided tours are available for a fee and at limited hours, but you can always view the towers from the outside for free.
Tours available Thu-Fri 11AM-3PM, Sat 10:30AM-3PM, Sun noon-3PMGuided tours $7 adults, $3 seniors/teens (13-17), free for children 12 and under
SeeHistory museumHollywood
Hollywood Heritage Museum
Housed in the Lasky-DeMille Barn, which was built in 1901 and served as one of Hollywood's first film studios (Cecil B. DeMille had an office in this building) before being moved to its current site, this museum has a collection of photographs and memorabilia from old Hollywood.
Closed · opens noon tomorrow$7 adults, free for children under 12
SeeMuseumHollywood
Museum of Death
A museum that was founded, according to its website, to "fill the void in death education in the USA." The collection includes such items as serial killer artwork, crime scene photos, replicas of execution devices, and a coffin collection. The self-guided tour lasts approximately an hour, "but those who can stomach it may stay as long as they'd like." There is no age limit but the museum is recommended for mature audiences.
Open now · closes 8 pm$20 (+$1 for credit cards)
SeeNorthwest
Barnsdall Art Park
Metro: Vermont/Sunset
A small hill in East Hollywood with sweeping views of the neighborhood as well as an arts complex on top that serves the local community, with an art center that offers classes to adults and children, a community theater, the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, which holds changing exhibits of art from local artists, and Hollyhock House, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is open to the public. Hollyhock House is one of eight buildings by Wright to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Daily 5AM-10PM; Municipal Art Gallery Thu-Sun noon-5PM; Hollyhock House Thu-Sun 11AM-4PMFree; Hollyhock House tours $7 adults, $3 students/seniors (tickets sold online only)
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Museum of Tolerance
Focusing on the history of the Holocaust, this museum contains many interactive exhibits designed to challenge visitors to assess their own levels of tolerance. Many of the exhibits are meant to engage kids (about 10 and older), and you may find your kids asking you about things such as racial and economic tensions. A highlight of the museum is live testimonies by Holocaust survivors who serve as museum volunteers.
Sun-Fri 10AM-5PM (closes at 3:30PM Fri in winter), Thu 10AM-9:30PM; last ticket sold an hour and a half before closingAdults $15:50, seniors $12.50, students/youth (ages 5-18) $11.50
SeeHistory museumHollywood
Los Angeles Fire Department Hollywood Museum
This museum is in the old Los Angeles City Fire Station 27, opened in 1930. It is fully restored to how it appeared in 1930 and contains a historic fire apparatus.
Closed · opens 10 am tomorrowFree · Heritage listed
SeeSouth
California Science Center
A huge science museum with lots of interactive science exhibits and a rather impressive air and spacecraft collection. The museum's large exhibit galleries cover technology and biology, with highlights including a high wire bicycle, a surgery simulator, an aquarium with a kelp forest and a touch tank, and fighter jets and other aircraft on display. The highlight of the museum's spacecraft collection is the Space Shuttle Endeavour, one of only three remaining craft from the retired American space shuttle fleet (free timed reservations are required). The museum also holds an IMAX theater and travelling exhibitions. Best times to visit are weekdays after 1:30PM or weekends, since weekdays before 1:30PM are often busy with school groups.
Open now · closes 5 pmPermanent exhibition galleries free; separate fee for IMAX theater
BuyBookshopDowntown
The Last Bookstore
California's largest used/new book and record store in downtown LA. In a downtown LA loft totaling, it has over 250,000 used and new books and 10,000 records for sale on 2 floors with a yarn gallery, arts and rare book annex and a small art gallery. Events like book reviews, book signings and open mic nights are held here as well.
Open now · closes 11 pmLimited wheelchair access
SeeNorthwest
Autry Museum of the American West
A combination art/history museum, with continuing and changing exhibitions of art from the American West, a major collection of Native American art, and historical artifacts of the West, including a permanent firearms gallery. A unique highlight of the museum is an exhibit on cowboys in popular culture, with many costumes and film props from popular Westerns and their Hollywood stars.
Open now · closes 4 pm$10 adults, $6 seniors/students, $4 children, free for active military personnel, veterans, peace officers and park rangers
SeeSouth
California African American Museum
It focuses on enrichment and education on the cultural heritage and history of African Americans with a focus on California and the western United States.
Open now · closes 5 pmFree
SeeMuseumDowntown
Grammy Museum
History of music, with listening posts.
Open now · closes 5 pmAdult $18, senior/military $15, ages 5-17 and students $12, ages 4 and under free · Wheelchair accessible
SeeWilshire
Craft & Folk Art Museum (CAFAM)
Hosts exhibitions of traditional folk art and contemporary craft. Also offers classes and workshops where participants can create their own works of art.
Tue-Fri 11AM-5PM, Sat Sun noon-6PM, first Thu of every month 6:30PM-9:30PMGeneral admission $7, students and seniors (65+) $5, veterans, active military and children under 10 free. Su pay what you want
SeeWest
Fowler Museum
A cultural museum that hosts changing and permanent exhibitions featuring art and archaeological artifacts, with a particular focus on non-Western cultures. A number of striking artifacts from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas are on regular view, including tribal masks, religious figurines, headdresses, and a Chinese hand puppet.
Open now · closes 5 pmFree
SeeEastside
Heritage Square
A collection of historic houses and buildings from the late 19th century moved from other parts of Los Angeles to a museum on the Arroyo Seco. Features guided tours of those buildings, often by people in Victorian dress.
Fri-Sun and Mon holidays 11:30AM-4:30PM$10 Adults (13-64), $8 seniors (65+), $5 children (6-12)
SeeWest
Skirball Cultural Center
In the hills above Sepulveda Pass is this expansive contemporary facility devoted to Jewish heritage. Among its libraries, classrooms, conference rooms and gardens is a museum with a permanent collection of historical artifacts, artwork, and interactive exhibits on Jewish history and culture, with an emphasis on the Jewish-American experience. A highlight of the museum is a large children's area modeled after Noah's Ark, with animal puppets and figurines that kids can play with.
Open now · closes 5 pm$12 adults, $9 seniors/students/teens, $7 children, children under age 2 free
SeeSouth
Leimert Park
A famous center for Los Angeles' African-American culture, this neighborhood (just south of Crenshaw/Martin Luther King- accessible by bus) is a must-see if in the area, with shops, restaurants, art galleries, and performance venues catering to the city's African-American population. A quick sidetrip into nearby Baldwin Hills offers beautiful views of Downtown Los Angeles and a nice peek at lifestyles in the "Black Beverly Hills".
SeeMuseumHollywood
Ripley's Believe it or Not
A museum that focuses on the odd, the unusual and the unbelievable. Features interactive illusions and a gallery.
Open now · closes midnight tomorrow$17.99 adults, $11.99 children; discount if purchased online
SeeNorthwest
Travel Town Museum
A free exhibition of historic trains from Southern California, including locomotives, cabooses, passenger cars, and streetcars, as well as model trains and an exhibit hall with old automobiles. Train rides for children on a miniature railroad are also available.
Mon-Fri 10AM-4PM, Sat Sun 10AM-5PM (open until 6PM on summer weekends)Free; train rides $2.75
SeeMuseumHollywood
Guinness World Records Museum
Held in the historic Hollywood Theater building, this museum showcases various world records.
Open now · closes midnight tomorrow$16.99 adults, $14.99 seniors ages 55+, $9.99 children ages 5-12
SeeArt museumDowntown
Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising
FIDM
Gorgeous campus of FIDM and ongoing free exhibits make this a pleasant way to kill a couple of hours.
SeeSouth
USC Fisher Museum of Art
USC Fisher Museum of Art, formerly USC Fisher Gallery, which is affiliated with the University of Southern California, is the first art museum established in the city of Los Angeles. Founded in 1939 by Elizabeth Holmes Fisher, she donated 29 paintings at the beginning. When she died in 1955, the collection had grown to 74 paintings, drawings and sculptures by European and North American artists.
SeeNorthwest
Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum
Run by a local group of railroad enthusiasts, this museum is essentially a large scale model railroad, with miniature train rides for children and a few historic train cars. Most notable among the historic exhibits is the actual workshop owned by Walt Disney that he used to make his backyard model railroad (only open on the third Sunday of each month, when volunteers from a local historical society are available).
Sundays only, 11AM-3PMFree, donations accepted
SeeLibraryWilshire
Los Angeles Public Library
A multi-floor library with several museum-style exhibits in between.
Open now · closes 5:30 pmWi-Fi · Built 1926 · Wheelchair accessible
SeeMuseumDowntown
Geffen Contemporary
A branch of MOCA tucked away inside a former warehouse in Little Tokyo, regularly used to host large installations too big to be housed in the MOCA on Grand. Same opening hours and shared tickets as MOCA on Grand.
Open now · closes 5 pm
SeeNorthwest
Ferndell Nature Museum
A shady oasis tucked alongside one of the main entrances into Griffith Park, this naturalistic area has numerous ferns and tropical plants alongside a small stream, with a nature trail and a picnic area that makes it a wonderful retreat on hot summer days.
Open now · closes 10 pmFree
SeeEastside
Los Angeles Police Museum
Located in the former Highland Park Police Station, it displays the history of the LAPD from its 1869 beginnings
Mon-Fri 10AM-4PM, third Sat of the month 9AM-3PMGeneral (13-61) $8, seniors (62+) $7, children (under 13) free
SeeEastside
Lummis House
Arroyo stone house and gardens designed and built by Charles Lummis, author/journalist of the American West and founder of the Southwest Museum. Listed on the NRHP.
Open now · closes 4 pm
SeeEastside
Southwest Museum
Extensive collection of American Indian art and artifacts. It is a subsidiary of the Autry Museum and undergoing major renovations.
Closed · opens 10 am tomorrowFree
SeeDowntown Not mapped
Downtown Art Walk
A monthly celebration of Downtown's art scene, this self guided tour of local art galleries and museums is held on the second Thursday of every month.
SeeArt galleryWilshire
Fahey/Klein Gallery
Home of some great photographers, such as Herb Ritts.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Los Angeles (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Place data from Overture Maps. Some descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).