Best Museum Tours In Los Angeles
Los Angeles' bounty of world-class museums means a plethora of opportunities to learn about such subjects as great art, natural history, world music, classic cars and western heritage, among many other topics. Taking things to another level at each outpost, museum tours add another layer of knowledge by way of immersion thanks to dedicated docents who know everything about the places in which these exuberant experts are pleased to work. Following are five of the best.
Los Angeles Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 857-6000
www.lacma.org
At the Los Angeles Museum of Art, or LACMA as locals call this popular Museum Row mainstay, daily tours that last from 15 to 50 minutes led by knowledge-driven docents are always engaging. From taking in highlights of this world class operation to studying specific artists or particular works of art, these eye-opening expeditions through LACMA are not only a great way to glean as much information as you can, but they're also free for the price of admission.
Los Angeles Museum of Natural History
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 763-DINO
www.nhm.org
Docent-led tours run the gamut at this highly popular museum, from those that include meeting live animals to those that include meeting dinosaur skeletons. Also on the roster are nature walks and museum highlights, all led by people who literally know their natural history inside and out. A new and improved nature lab has debuted on the premises, something that is not to be missed even if you need to stay after your tour to get the chance to experience this hands-on outpost that now possesses the most current technology available in 2014.
Peterson Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 930-2277
www.peterson.org
Schedule a group tour of 10 or more to get all of the nitty gritty about the collection at the Peterson Automotive Museum and how these prime vehicles impact life and culture in The City of Angels and across the United States. In special exhibits, you'll look behind the windshields of classic cars like the 1964 Mustang and you'll get an idea of how license plates have evolved since their start in California in 1914. Permanent exhibits, among them those that are highly interactive, will be explained and enjoyed as you go about discovering all there is to know about cars in this four-story wonderland devoted to just that subject.
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Autry National Center
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 667-2000
www.theautry.org
This Griffith Park-based museum, located across from the Los Angeles Zoo, is a popular place, especially for school children to tour due to the western heritage subject matter and the variety of programs. All tours are 55 minutes long and take in specific aspects of this outpost on a very detailed and convivial level, up to and including Native American culture, California gold rush history and westward expansion.Docent-led tours for the general public are available on Sundays and Mondays.
Grammy Museum
800 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite A245
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 763-6800
www.grammymuseum.org
Going behind-the-scenes at the Grammy Museum at LA Live means getting a great take on everything this music-oriented outpost has to offer through the expert eyes of a highly trained curator. Anecdotes galore are provided as takers learn about the best of the more than 400 artifacts on hand as well as a number of interactive exhibits. The group price to participate is steep ($400 at this writing), but the lessons learned in the half hour to hour you spent learning about this downtown collection of invaluable reminders of the best music has to offer are priceless.
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