Taking a look at LA today it is hard to credit that 40,000 years ago Mammoths rambled the land and meteorites dropped from the sky. But outside the \”stars\” and the \”stores\” that LA has become feted for the history that can be found in the LA museums is like exploring a new world.

The Page Museum

One of the most noted museums in L. A. is the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits. Found in the middle of L. A. the Page Museum has one of the largest and oldest fossil collections going back to 40,000 years back. Ever since 1905 scientists have been excavating ice age fossils and the asphalt seeps at the La Brea tar pits, it is the only active site left in the entire world. Outside of the museum in Hancock Park is a Pleistocene garden complete along with full scale reproductions of the mammals that lived in the LA Basin and paleontological excavators work daily. Inside scientists can be observed working on identifying their latest finedthat someday will join the other 3,000,000 ice age mammals that are on show.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Located in Exposition Park the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County homes over 35 million cultural and systematic samples that include a meteorite that's four and a half bill years of age to insect and plant species that have just been discovered recently. Through biodiversity research the museum is able to share the experiences of how each exhibit was found, picked up and researched; explaining what part the exhibit has on the planet. No other museums in LA or worldwide has such a assortment of permanent exhibits like the ancient Latin American art, North American mammals, African mammals, dinosaurs and an insect zoo to name only one or two.

The J. Paul Getty Museum

Located in the Getty Center the J. Paul Getty Museum is amongst the finest Los Angeles museums with an in depth collection of excellent quality and rare Etruscan, Greek and Roman masterpieces. It features such antiquities as Greek ritual vessels that date back to 470 B.C. And famous paintings like the Hare in the Forest a German painting that goes back to 1585. Exhibits include illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, Western european and American photographs.

The Museum of Contemporary Art

Found in the heart of LA the Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the only a few museums worldwide that concentrates on just contemporary art. All of the art work that is displayed has been produced from 1940 until present day. This unique museum features art pieces in various different mediums from paintings and pictures to sculptures and architectural designs. The Museum of Contemporary Art is understood world wide for have one of the biggest collections with over five thousand pieces of modern art. Actually they have grown so much that there are currently 3 different and unique locations inside L. A..