Mind enhancers: 15 kid-friendly museums in and around Los Angeles with interactive exhibits

By Kat Styles about 1 year Local
Museums in Los Angeles and suburbs offer interactive exhibits and programs that can enhance young people's minds. Image: Giu Vicente|Unsplash

Los Angeles is not just a place for celebrities or famous people; it is also a place where kids and 'kids at heart' can enjoy fun activities, such as going to beaches, eating in kid-friendly restaurants, and visiting museums that offer interactive exhibits. 

As She Buys Travel stated, there is something for everyone in Los Angeles, making it an ideal destination for family vacations. 

There are a variety of fascinating museums in the city that are perfect for introducing kids to something new while also fostering their development.

Here are 15 kid-friendly museums to explore that Angelenos will surely enjoy:

1. Griffith Observatory

Image: Griffith Observatory

  • 2800 E Observatory Rd.
  • Offers planetarium shows, telescope observing 
  • Contact details: Phone - (213) 473-0800

The Griffith Observatory makes space exploration fun and easy for kids of all ages.

According to Moms LA, children will be entertained, educated, and amazed by telescopes and other displays will entertain, educate, and amaze children. On sunny days, you can even see the Hollywood sign and the city of Los Angeles below you.

2. Kidspace Children's Museum

Image: Kidspace Children's Museum 

  • 480 N Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena
  • Nurtures child development and offers educational programs 
  • Contact details: Phone - (626) 449-9144

Just a 19-minute drive from Los Angeles, you will reach the Kidspace Children's Museum in Pasadena. At Kidspace, kids will be surely enhanced intellectually and socially, as they have educational programs. 

3. La Brea Tar Pits and Museum

Image: La Brea Tar Pits and Museum

The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is one of the world's most significant collections of ice age fossils, and a trip there is like taking a trip back in time. The Tiny Beans shared that around 650 extinct species, including ground sloths, dire wolves, and saber-tooth cats, have left behind amazing fossils that may be viewed in the museum.

4. Petersen Automotive Museum

Image: Petersen Automotive Museum

Petersen Automotive Museum attracts kids and kids at heart who are into cars. According to its website, the museum offers school & youth tours, virtual experiences, and more!

5. Discovery Cube Los Angeles

Image: Discovery Cube Los Angeles

  • 11800 Foothill Blvd., Sylmar
  • Offers different types of hands-on exhibits
  • Contact details: Phone - (818) 686-2823

With two campuses in Southern California, the Discovery Cube is a terrific museum focusing on early education, healthy lifestyles, STEM literacy, and environmental stewardship. Per Moms LA, learning and having fun are never in short supply at the Discovery Cube, where visitors can do everything. 

6. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles 

Image: UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Downtown L.A.'s Exposition Park is home to the Natural History Museum, the largest museum in the western United States. According to She Buys Travel, dinosaur fossils sit alongside displays on pre-Imperialism civilizations in the museum's permanent exhibits.

7. Travel Town Museum 

Image: Travel Town Museum

  • 5200 Zoo Dr., Griffith Park
  • Showcases an exhibit gallery and offers a museum store that sells educational items for kids
  • Contact details: Phone - (323) 668-0104

Popular with visitors, the Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park works to honor and preserve Los Angeles's railroad history. It's a great place for kids to run around and pretend to be conductors for the day without worrying about anyone getting in their way.

8. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

Image: Los Angeles County Museum of Art

  • 5905 Wilshire Blvd.
  • Displays various art exhibitions from different artists
  • Contact details: Phone - (323) 857-6010

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is the largest art museum in the western part of the country. According to its website, it showcases 149,000 artworks worldwide that span 6,000 years of artistic expression. LACMA also offers art-making programs to kids and youth. 

9. California Science Center

Image: California Science Center

  • 700 Exposition Park Dr.
  • Presents several exhibits and programs for science nerds
  • Contact details: Phone - (323) 724-3623

The California Science Center is a children's museum that intends to inspire a lifelong fascination with science in its young visitors. Per the website, the science museum offers exhibits and programs that kids will love! 

10. Cayton Children's Museum

Image: Cayton Children's Museum

Cayton Children's Museum is a 19-minute drive if you live in Los Angeles. The Local Anchor shared that there are over 30 exhibits that encourage kids' healthy growth and development through interactive play, role-playing, and other creative means.

11. Battleship USS Iowa

Image: Battleship USS Iowa

The Battleship USS Iowa is a community resource to host exciting and useful events and initiatives. As the website mentioned, their efforts are concentrated in three main areas: teaching, veterans, and service to the local community.

12. J. Paul Getty Museum

Image: The Getty Center|Wikipedia

Art museums aren't necessarily the first places that come to mind when you think of places to take the kids, but this one aims to change your mind with its free admission and engaging exhibits.

13. Los Angeles Maritime Museum

Image: Los Angeles Maritime Museum

  • Berth 84, Foot of 6th St., San Pedro
  • Families can discover the history of the LA port as LAMM offers educational tours for kids
  • Contact details: Phone - (310) 548-7618

The Los Angeles Maritime Museum (LAMM) has two floors dedicated to preserving and presenting the port's rich heritage. One of the parents who commented on Upparent said the kid-friendly activities at LAMM provide an opportunity for learning, entertainment, and a front-row seat to passing ships.

14. Heritage Square Museum

Image: Heritage Square Museum

  • 3800 Homer St.
  • Explores the settlement of the SoCal residents in the 19th century with its historic structures
  • Contact details: Phone - (323) 225-2700

The Heritage Square Museum is a reconstruction of a 19th-century Southern California community that showcases the region's history from the Civil War era through the early 20th century. According to the website, they provide guests with a glimpse into what daily life was like in Southern California around the turn of the previous century.

15. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Image: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures|Oscars.org

  • 6067 Wilshire Blvd.
  • Largest museum in the U.S. focusing on arts and artists of movie making
  • Contact details: Email - academymuseum@oscars.org; Phone - (323) 930-3000

The Tiny Beans mentioned that it's great to have a museum that honors the shared passion for cinema, as many Los Angelenos have grown up with the film industry in their backyards. The museum might potentially inspire the next generation of Spielbergs by providing such a comprehensive look at the alchemy underlying filmmaking.
More from Crossmap: 15 LA youth camps that will surely give your kids the best summer experience!

@ Kat Styles

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