Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
About
The museum opened on November 6, 1913, under the name Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science, and Art, making it the institution LACMA and other county museums eventually split away from. Architects Hudson & Munsell designed the Beaux-Arts building in Exposition Park, blending Neoclassical, Romanesque, and Spanish Plateresque details.
The collection has grown to nearly 35 million specimens and objects spanning 4.5 billion years, and long-running halls such as the Dinosaur Hall and the Age of Mammals sit alongside newer additions like the NHM Commons, a free outdoor expansion added in the 2020s that displays specimens outside the paid galleries. A dedicated Nature Lab focuses on the wildlife that shares the city with its residents, from coyotes to native pollinators.
Because Exposition Park also holds the Natural History Museum's own free NHM Commons and sits along the Metro E Line, it works well as a low-cost stop for a family with a limited budget, letting them see dinosaur fossils and Southern California wildlife exhibits in the same visit as LACMA or Olvera Street.
Visitor information
Admission Paid admission covers the main galleries, while the outdoor NHM Commons area is free to enter; LA County residents receive a discount on select days per the official site.
Getting there The Metro E Line's Expo Park/USC station lets riders off directly across from the museum entrance.
