La Brea Tar Pits and Museum

La Brea Tar Pits and Museum in Los Angeles offers a rare window into Ice Age Los Angeles. Natural asphalt seeps have trapped and preserved animals for tens of thousands of years, yielding one of the world’s richest fossil records. Visitors can watch active excavations, see bubbling tar pits, and explore museum exhibits featuring saber-toothed cats, mammoths, and the ongoing science behind their discovery. Located in Hancock Park along Museum Row, it’s a compelling stop for families and science enthusiasts interested in paleontology, urban geology, and how scientists reconstruct past ecosystems from fossils found beneath a modern city.