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Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical GardensvsLa Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens and La Brea Tar Pits and Museum are both recommended by professional reviewers writing for major publications. Overall, La Brea Tar Pits and Museum ranks marginally higher than Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens. La Brea Tar Pits and Museum comes in at #13 in Los Angeles with approval from 14 reviews like On the Grid, Michelin Guide and Afar Magazine.
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens
Fodor's
Frommer's
Lonely Planet
Michelin Guide
On the Grid
Atlas Obscura Michelin Guide
Afar Magazine
Time Out Time Out Show All Reviews
5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027
From $0/night
Fodor's "A short drive from downtown Los Angeles at the junction of the Ventura Freeway (Highway 134) and the Golden State Freeway (I–5) is the 80-acre Los Angeles Zoo." Full review
Frommer's "In 1982 the zoo inaugurated a display of cuddly koalas, still one of its biggest attractions among 1,100 animals from around the world." Full review
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Tip: To avoid the busloads of rambunctious school kids, arrive after noon.
Lonely Planet Top Choice
"The Los Angeles Zoo, with its 1100 finned, feathered and furry friends from over 250 species, rarely fails to enthrall the little ones." Full review
Michelin Guide 1 Star
"Its acclaimed collection of animals includes more than 1,200 birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles from around the world living in naturalistic enclosures." Full review
On the Grid "The Los Angeles Zoo is known for housing / bringing back the endangered California Condor, many Asian elephants & a chimpanzee exhibit." Full review
Atlas Obscura "The L.A. Zoo has a secret garden of rare bootleg cycads, a palm specimen dating back 280 million years. " Full review
Michelin Guide 2 Stars
"Los Angeles Zoo is set on 112 lush acres (45ha) in Griffith Park." Full review
Afar Magazine "The original Los Angeles Zoo opened in 1912, and during its infancy, grew to include a number of animal enclosures designed to mimic natural habitats." Full review
Time Out "The Los Angeles Zoo continues to be a popular attraction in L.A. for tourists, Angelenos and families alike. It’s an affordable hidden gem, a lush oasis tucked into the hills of Griffith Park." Full review
Time Out "Staying open after dark every night through January during this light-up holiday tradition...adding animal-inspired Chinese lanterns and an even longer tunnel of lights." Full review
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Tip: Buy your tickets in advance to avoid the worst of the entry lines.
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum Fodor's Lonely Planet Lonely Planet Time Out Michelin Guide Michelin Guide
Not For Tourists Not For Tourists
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Show All Reviews
5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
From $0/night
Fodor's "A bas-relief around four sides depicts life in the Pleistocene era, and the museum has more than 3 million Ice Age fossils."
Lonely Planet Top Choice
"You’ll likely have a ball at the unique Page Museum, an archaeological trove of skulls and bones unearthed at La Brea Tar Pits, one of the world’s most fecund and famous fossil sites." Full review
Lonely Planet "Between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago, tarlike bubbling crude oil trapped saber-toothed cats, mammoths and other extinct ice-age critters." Full review
Time Out "Back in 1875, a group of amateur paleontologists discovered animal remains in the pits at Rancho La Brea, which bubbled with asphalt from a petroleum lake under what is now Hancock Park." Full review
Michelin Guide 1 Star
"Hancock Park, the public park embracing the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Page Museum, is the setting for the world's largest and most diverse cache of Ice Age plant and animal..." Full review
Michelin Guide 1 Star
"Visitors to this museum on the site of the famous Rancho La Brea Tar Pits can learn about Los Angeles as it was between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago." Full review
Not For Tourists "It's just a big pool of tar, yet it continues to fascinate us."
Not For Tourists "Don't miss the La Brea Woman exhibit."
Travel + Leisure "Kids will get a kick out of this natural wonderland, where tar has bubbled up from the earth for tens of thousands of years." Full review
Travel + Leisure "Chef Peel’s small plates are a step up from typical bar fare (Mediterranean tapas alongside upscale comfort foods) with dishes like wild boar meatballs and steak and kidney pie." Full review
