General Info
Free with museum admission
Special tours available for Members and Groups
Excavator Tour
Explore how our excavators and scientists find fossils of mammoths, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and more right here in the Tar Pits, and then piece together Ice Age L.A. This guided tour will take a deeper look into the Fossil Lab, Lake Pit, Observation Pit, and Project 23. Start at the Fossil Lab where you will see our scientists at work on everything from Zed, the near-complete Columbian mammoth, to tiny microfossils. Get the inside story of the famous Lake Pit, step inside the Observation Pit to see what a tar pit looks like, and discover what we are finding right now at Project 23, our active dig sites.
Group Tours
Excavator Tour: Groups of 10 or more can join in our Excavator Tours, free with museum admission. To ensure there is space for your group, we ask that groups of 10 or more people make a reservation for the Tour when booking their visit.
Private Tour: Inquire about having a private tour for your group. Private tours are available to groups for $8.50 per person with at least one week's notice.
Start planning your Group's visit to La Brea Tar Pits today. Visit our Group Visits page or call 213.763.3218 for more information.

Tours for Members
Membership levels at the Patron Family level and higher receive exclusive tour opportunities that give you access to museum scientists, curators, and our behind-the-scenes collections.
Scavenger’s Safari: Explore behind-the-scenes and discover a different curatorial department each month. Meet our scientists, researchers, and collections managers, and go on a scavenger hunt throughout the Museum.
- Free for Members at the Patron Family level and higher
- Members at the Explorer level and higher can host a private Scavenger’s Safari for up to 10 guests
All-Stars of Science Tour: Choose from our many Research and Collections departments and embark on a behind-the-scenes tour for up to 10 guests. You will get to question and quiz one of the museum’s scientists, researchers, or collections managers, and get an up-close look at pieces not on display for the general public.
- Free for Members at the Naturalist level and higher
Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Access as Fellows
Fellows (and their children and grandchildren) have unparalleled behind-the-scenes access to museum scientists, researchers, and the collections not on view to the public.
- To learn more about becoming a Fellow, e-mail fellows@nhm.org or call 213.763.3253.
Learn more about Member behind-the-scenes tours.
Experience More
Make sure you explore everything the Tar Pits has to offer.