La Brea Tar Pits will be closed on Friday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day. We will reopen on Saturday, July 5.

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Cats

Exhibitions

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Ice Age Encounters

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Travel back in time with Titans of the Ice Age.

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Stories

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Smilodon, Saber-Tooths, and Tigers…Oh My!

How Smilodon became saber-toothed tigers—and why they're really saber-toothed cats

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Nature Gardens Turn 10

A look back—and forward–at all the nature thriving in NHM’s Nature Gardens.

Tar Pits MGM Parody

Saber-toothed Cat 101

La Brea Tar Pits presents everything you need to know about saber-toothed cats.

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Suiting Up for Smilodon

An exhilaratingly lifelike recreation of a saber-toothed cat will thrill — and teach — audiences in Ice Age Encounters.

year of the tiger

Year of the Tiger

Celebrate the 2022 Lunar New Year with highlights from the collection

Gray Wolf Skull

Noggins for Noshing?

Animal diets, skull shapes and the limits of convergent evolution

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Saber-toothed Summer Self-Guided Tour

Smilodon for the camera and capture some purrfect pics on this selfie scavenger hunt. Discover everything there is to know about the fearsome feline with the killer canines only at La Brea Tar Pits.

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ice age encounters show tar pits

Live Theater Shows

The team behind the Performing Arts department at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County creates original theatrical performances based on our exhibits, research, and events.

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Giants of the Ice Age

Discover some of the magnificent beasts that we’ve excavated right here at La Brea Tar Pits.

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Not To Be Missed

You won’t want to miss these iconic stops on your visit to La Brea Tar Pits.

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