Get the Most From Your Natural History Museum Los Angeles Visit

It has been such a long time since we have had a fun day at a museum. Mostly because museums, including the Natural History Museum LA, were shut down for what felt like eons. It has been a rough year and a half for those of us who enjoy spending their free time wondering the halls of museums. I have to say, it felt like incredible to be back at the Natural History Museum with my boys.

Tip: To prepare for a long day of walking, talking, experimenting, and walking some more, I prepared with comfy footwear and my favorite pair of mom-jeans. The boys wore their most comfortable tennis shoes and light shorts and t-shirts. Being mom, of course I brought sweaters, but we did NOT have to use them.

Few things to remember:

Parking is $12 for the day. Tip: Park underground. It will keep your car nice and cool.
Expect a line to register, even if you purchased your tickets ahead of time. Tip: It gets hot in line, so bring hats and water.
All of the touch exhibits are still open, your kids will each receive a disposable stylus so that they can safely engage with all of the interactive exhibits.

What to Do

The very first thing we did was run to the interactive part of the museum, Nature Lab, where the boys watched ants, black and brown widow spiders, a rat, and all kids of other creepy crawlies that live WITH us in Los Angeles.

We spend a good portion of our day in this very interesting, very informative part of the Natural History Museum. As much as I am not a fan of creepy crawlies, and as much as the boys are afraid of spiders, they really enjoyed watching them at a safe distance. It was really amazing watching them learn and have such a great time doing it.

Of course, all that learning called for a little snack. We found a quiet corner near all the dinosaur bones to refuel.

Dinosaur Hall

While we have visited the Natural History Museum in the past, our little Skyler did not remember it at all. So, when we walked into Dinosaur Hall, his reaction was as big as the giant dino skeletons on display.

The amount of "ooh" "aahs" and "woahs", as well as all of the wide eyed pointing was worth the price of admission.

More Exhibits

There are so many exhibits to see and do at the Natural History Museum. We particularly enjoyed the iconic Diorama Halls. Each diorama sparked so many questions and idea... and dances. There was lots of dancing.

Age of Mammals, Becoming Los Angeles, Hall of Birds, Gem and Mineral Hall, and so many more amazing exhibits and galleries, made for an exciting day of play, learning, reflection, fun, and imagination.

Nature Gardens

On our way out, we decided to explore the Nature Gardens where the boys got to kick off their shoes and splashed around in the beautiful water feature.