Staff Favorites Tour
This iconic museum first opened in 1977. Since then, our staff have found a few of their favorite things.
Dire Wolf Wall
Museum
One: yes, dire wolves are real. Two: we have a lot of specimens, like enough to make up an entire wall. Three: this isn’t even a quarter of them.
Animatronic
Museum
Who doesn’t love retro tech? This dramatic and slightly noisy scene has been playing on loop since 1977.
Zed
Museum
He’s our most complete mammoth! We love Zed around here, but don’t let that go to his head. Currently you can see his tusks on display and the rest of his skull being lovingly restored in the Fossil Lab.
Old Faithful Bubble
Outdoors, Lake Pit
Okay it’s no Yellowstone, but this pit is pretty to watch. And just as reliable. The lake’s bubbles, sheet, and distinctive odor come from a deep underground oil field.
Pit 91
Outdoors
We’re an active paleontological site! Come see how we got all these incredible fossils. From the Viewing Station, you can see deep into Pit 91 where thousands of bones of extinct animals like the western horse, saber-toothed cat, and dire wolf are jumbled together in pools of sticky asphalt.
Observation Pit
Outdoors
This is the OG of Hancock Park. Open to the public in 1952, the Observation Pit was the first museum in Hancock Park. Built over Pit 101, it was designed to give the experience of entering a fossil pit.
