BE ADVISED: Thursday, December 11, La Brea Tar Pits will close at 3:30 pm in preparation for a staff event. Please plan your visit accordingly.

Saber-toothed cat puppet facing audience members

Live Performance

Ice Age Encounters

Step into the Ice Age with an exciting live puppet show featuring life-sized prehistoric animals.

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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

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

Photo of saber tooth cat teeth in the fossil lab

Ice Age Fossils

Ice Age Encounters Show

Ice Age Encounters

Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age
La Brea Tar Pits Curator Emily Lindsey Talks About Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age on Science Friday!
Listen now

Stories

Okay, now I'm curious
A black and white photo of a tree without any branches in an oil field

Fossil Trees Help Grow Our Understanding of Ancient Climate

A new study reveals how ancient trees helped warm the planet during the last ice age
Learn more
Groups of visitors gathered on a grass lawn in front of a glass wall with skeletons behind it and a ramp in the distance
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