Natural History Museum LA: Dinosaurs & Gem Hall Entry

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1/10

Duration3h

Mobile ticketAccepted

300 Fossils & a T-Rex Growth Series Waiting Inside LA's Natural History Museum

You enter the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and spend your afternoon moving through the Dinosaur Hall, the Gem and Mineral Hall, and the Nature Gardens at your own pace. You see 300+ fossils, the world's only T-rex growth series, over 2,000 gems and minerals, and live LA creatures in the Nature Lab. Entry is included; no guide or time limit applies, so you stay as long as you want.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Natural History Museum exhibits

Visit Dinosaur Hall and Dino Lab
See mastodon and whale skeletons
Explore animal dioramas
Tour Gem and Mineral Hall
View Becoming Los Angeles exhibit
Walk through Nature Gardens
Observe creatures in Nature Lab

The Experience

The Dinosaur Hall is already crowded by mid-morning, so you're walking straight into a room full of people craning their necks at 20 complete skeletons and more than 300 fossils spread across the space. The centerpiece is the world's only Tyrannosaurus rex growth series — you can actually see how the animal changed from juvenile to adult, which is something you won't find anywhere else. There's also a Dino Lab where paleontologists work behind glass, so you get a real sense of how the specimens are studied and preserved, not just displayed.

After the dinosaurs, most people drift into the Gem and Mineral Hall, which holds over 2,000 individual specimens — diamonds, rubies, sapphires, gold, all of it in cases that let you get close enough to see the actual color and cut. The vault section is small but it hits different when you're standing in front of stones that cost more than a house. The museum also runs a seasonal Butterfly and Spider Pavilion, so if you're visiting between spring and early fall, that's another wing to plan time for. Your afternoon admission includes the Nature Gardens, where you can walk past native LA plant species, and the Nature Lab, which is basically a live animal exhibit of creatures that actually live in the city — it's the kind of thing that makes the whole experience feel less like a field trip and more like you're learning something about where you actually are.

The Becoming Los Angeles exhibit ties it all together by showing how the region went from a pueblo to the sprawling metropolis it is now, using the museum's own collections to tell that story. You can move through the halls at your own pace — there's no guide, no time limit, just you and the exhibits. Families with strollers have no trouble navigating, and the whole building is wheelchair accessible, so it works for pretty much anyone who wants to spend an afternoon indoors learning something. If you're planning to visit between April 2026 and April 2027, there's also a special exhibition called Orcas: Our Shared Future that requires a separate ticket, but that's something you can decide on-site.

What’s included

Dinosaur Hall with 300+ fossils and 20 complete skeletons.
Dino Lab behind-the-scenes paleontology viewing.
world's only Tyrannosaurus rex growth series.
Gem and Mineral Hall with 2,000+ specimens including diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and gold.
Unearthed: Raw Beauty mineral exhibition.
diorama halls featuring mastodon and whale skeletons plus animal scenes from North America and Africa.
Becoming Los Angeles exhibit.
Nature Gardens with native plant species.
Nature Lab with live LA creatures.
all taxes, fees and handling charges.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FOUNDATION

Is this one for you?Right for families, solo travelers, and anyone wanting to spend an afternoon indoors learning about natural history and LA's past — the self-paced format means you don't need to keep up with a group or a schedule.