LACMA Urban Light & La Brea Tar Pits

The LACMA and La Brea Tar Pits campus on Wilshire Boulevard offers one of the most unique family experiences in Los Angeles, combining world-class art, iconic outdoor installations, and an active paleontological site where Ice Age fossils are still being excavated. The best part: the most family-friendly elements are completely free.

Urban Light is the iconic installation that most families come for first. Created by artist Chris Burden, it consists of 202 restored vintage cast-iron street lamps from the 1920s and 1930s arranged in a grid on the museum's front lawn. The installation is accessible 24/7 and free.

At dusk, when the lamps illuminate against the darkening sky, it becomes one of the most photographed spots in LA. Kids love weaving through the lamp forest, and the even grid creates stunning perspective photos from any angle.

Directly across the lawn, the La Brea Tar Pits are one of the most significant paleontological sites in the world. For over 50,000 years, natural asphalt has seeped to the surface here, trapping animals from mastodons to saber-toothed cats. The Lake Pit -- visible from the sidewalk and free to observe -- features life-size fiberglass mammoths depicting a family being pulled into the tar, while real asphalt bubbles continuously at the surface.

Kids can see and smell the actual tar seeping through cracks in the ground throughout the park, making the Ice Age feel tangibly real.

The Tar Pits museum is currently undergoing a major renovation and expansion (check the website for reopening dates). When open, it will feature reimagined exhibits showcasing the over 3. 5 million fossils recovered from the site.

In the meantime, the outdoor park and observation areas remain accessible and free. Active excavation pits behind the museum allow visitors to watch researchers carefully remove fossils from the asphalt -- when work is in progress, volunteers at the viewing deck explain what is being uncovered.

LACMA itself is the largest art museum in the western United States. While the full collection appeals more to adults and older teens, the museum offers family programs, a children's gallery with hands-on art activities, and free admission for anyone 17 and under. The ongoing construction of the new David Geffen Galleries (designed by Peter Zumthor) means some collections are temporarily relocated, but major works remain on view.

The campus serves as the anchor for a full Miracle Mile family day. The Original Farmers Market and The Grove are a 10-minute walk or 3-minute drive east. The Petersen Automotive Museum (excellent for car-loving kids) sits directly across Wilshire Boulevard.