La Brea Tar Pits Insider Tour
*Schedule may vary. Visit the ticket checkout for available dates.
Date
Friday–Sunday | 11 am and 2:30 pm
*Schedule may vary. Visit the ticket checkout for available dates.
Location
La Brea Tar Pits Insider Tour
Get your backstage pass to the Ice Age and dig deep into the history and discoveries of La Brea Tar Pits. While the museum building is closed for a mammoth makeover, you can get insider access to the real excavation still happening daily at La Brea Tar Pits.
Ever pictured yourself reflected in bubbling asphalt? Wished you could meet the iconic mammoth family of Wilshire Boulevard? Now’s your chance! Sink your saber teeth into this exclusive behind-the-scenes tour.
Go back in time 50,000 years to the Ice Age with La Brea Tar Pits Insider Tour, an expert-guided tour with exclusive access to experiences that are typically limited to our scientists. Explore the only active excavation site in the world that’s located in the middle of a city–a place where dire wolves and saber-toothed cats hunted giant sloths and Columbian mammoths–and then meet the Ice Age researchers making discoveries daily. Now is your chance to get stuck in one of Los Angeles’ greatest cultural and scientific treasures.
Your tour will include:
- An up-close visit with La Brea Tar Pit’s iconic Columbian mammoth sculptures while learning about the famous “Lake Pit.”
- Going behind the fences and coming face-to-face with the bubbling tar.
- Showing off your scientist skills on real micro fossils dating at least 10,000 years ago alongside La Brea Tar Pits scientists.
- Getting an up-close, exclusive look at actual fossils discovered underneath L.A.
- Gaining a greater understanding of the century-long excavation process and cutting-edge research going on to this day.
What to Wear:
The tour takes place entirely outdoors. All participants must wear closed-toed, sturdy shoes suitable for walking. There are active asphalt tar seeps throughout Hancock Park and in excavation areas. La Brea Tar Pits is not responsible for any damages to clothing or personal items that occur while on campus, so please plan accordingly. We recommend leaving unnecessary personal items in your vehicle.
Where to Park:
Reserved complimentary parking for tour patrons in the Museum Car Park. Please have your tour confirmation email ready to show the security guard at the parking lot booth. La Brea Tar Pits is also close to a variety of public transportation options. Please consider taking the Metro or other rideshare options.
Where to Meet:
Meet your guide at the ticketing booth located in Hancock Park (approximately 1-minute walk from the southwest corner of the parking lot). Have your tickets either printed out or ready on your mobile device to be verified once you arrive. Please arrive on time. Guests arriving more than 10 minutes late may not be able to join their scheduled tour. No refunds will be given.
See meeting location in the map below.
When to Meet:
Please arrive on time. Guests arriving more than 10 minutes after their scheduled time may not be able to join all segments of the tour. No refunds will be given.
La Brea Tar Pits Insider Tour is open to individuals seven (7) years of age and older. Children 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, with a maximum ratio of three children per adult. Parents or legal guardians will be required to sign a waiver for all minors in their group. All adults 18+ must sign an individual waiver.