BE ADVISED: On Thursday, October 17 our museums will participate in a brief earthquake drill. Guests will hear an overhead announcement, but are not required to participate, nor will the building be evacuated. Please plan your visit accordingly or contact us at info@nhm.org or 213.763.DINO if you have any questions or would like to reschedule your visit.

Pack rat skeleton drawn in white on a black background with lines connecting artist names in white to different parts of the skeleton

Mark Dion: Excavations

Exhibition opens September 15, 2024

Learn more

Special Experiences

Explore the sites, collections, and programs that bring the Ice Age to life.

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lake pit at la brea tar pits

Lake Pit

Photo of paleontologist excavating fossils

Our Excavations

dire wolf wall at the tar pits

Dire Wolf Wall

Analisa Rivera, a UCLA senior, examining microfossils in the Fossil Lab.

Fossil Lab

Photo of saber tooth cat teeth in the fossil lab

Ice Age Fossils

Ice Age Encounters Show

Ice Age Encounters

An adult petroleum fly Helaeomyia petrolei taken with a keyence microscope
Discover Mind-blowing Oil Flies with Deep Look

KQED’s video series gets up close with the strangest (and smallest) Tar Pits predator

Watch now

Stories

Okay, now I'm curious
Glowing green articulated rat tail bones from Mark Dion Excavations

Mark Dion Talks Excavations

Two pedestrian paths bring people above the Lake Pit, a site for urban fiction and imagination.
Reimagine
La Brea Tar Pits

Reimagine the future of La Brea Tar Pits and explore the transformation, the process, and keep up-to-date on the latest developments.

Imagine what's next

What are you interested in learning about at the Tar Pits?

Icon of a saber-toothed cat to represent cats
Cats
Icon of a globe and thermometer to represent climate change
Climate Change
Icon of binoculars to represent discoveries
Discoveries
Icon of a woolly mammoth head to represent mammoths
Mammoths
Icon of a shovel to represent digs
Excavations