The best museums in Los Angeles in March 2023

These are the top 50 best museums in Los Angeles, United States, ranked by their rating and popularity in 2023. Click a museum for more information about the museum, including visitor information, exhibitions and reviews.

For a complete overview of museums in Los Angeles, their exhibitions and discount cards & passes, see our overview page with all museums in Los Angeles.

These are the best museums in Los Angeles:

  1. The Getty Center1

    The Getty Center

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Getty Center , in Los Angeles , California , is a campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust . The $1.3 billion Center opened to the public on December 16, 1997 and is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overlooking Los Angeles. The Center sits atop a hill c
  2. Battleship Uss Iowa2

    Battleship Uss Iowa

    Los Angeles, CA
    If you are a fan of ships and navy, don't hesitate and come see this unique ship that was constructed in 1940's and fought in WWII and several wars that followed. Take your kids and come experience the interior of a real battleship. The exhibits are very educational for children and adults alike.
  3. The Hollywood Museum3

    The Hollywood Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    This museum of Hollywood memorabilia is a must-see for all fans of the silver screen. In the imposing Max Factor Building, you can admire more than 10,000 various things connected with the filming of the iconic Hollywood blockbusters (movie scripts, costumes, posters, photographs, film cars etc.). S
  4. Grammy Museum4

    Grammy Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    This fascinating museum is devoted to music - in fact to almost every aspect of it. It is a superb museum that will entice you with its interactive exhibits. So if you're a fan of music and the interprets who won Grammy Awards, come here and learn more about them!
  5. Page Museum - La Brea Tar Pits5

    Page Museum - La Brea Tar Pits

    Los Angeles, CA
    La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is an active paleontological research site in urban Los Angeles . Hancock Park was formed around a group of tar pits where natural asphalt (also called asphaltum, bitumen, pitch, or tar; brea in Spanish) has seeped up from the ground for tens of thousands of years. Over m
  6. The Getty Villa Museum6

    The Getty Villa Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Getty Villa is at the easterly end of the Malibu coast in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California , United States. One of two campuses of the J. Paul Getty Museum , the Getty Villa is an educational center and museum dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancien
  7. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County7

    Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is the largest natural and historical museum in the western United States . Its collections include nearly 35 million specimens and artifacts and cover 4.5 billion years of history. This large collection is comprised not only of specimens for exhibiti
  8. Madame Tussaud's8

    Madame Tussaud's

    Los Angeles, CA
    A great way how to see all the Hollywood stars in one place while you're here. Take a selfie with e.g. Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds or Kylie Jenner. Your favorite stars are waiting here for you. The wax museum is definitely worth a visit and it is usually not as crowded as some other sights.
  9. The Broad Museum9

    The Broad Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Broad ( / b r oʊ d / ) is a contemporary art museum on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles . The museum is named for philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad , who financed the $140 million building that houses the Broad art collections. It offers free general admission to its permanent collection
  10. California Science Center10

    California Science Center

    Los Angeles, CA
    The California Science Center (sometimes spelled California ScienCenter ) is a state agency and museum located in Exposition Park , Los Angeles , next to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the University of Southern California . Billed as the West Coast's largest hands-on science c
  11. Hollywood Wax Museum11

    Hollywood Wax Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    Visiting this museum is your chance to get close to the stars. Lots of fun for the whole family awaits you here so don't hesitate to bring your kids with you. Do not miss the scare chamber where your nightmares will come alive. And don't forget to take a selfie with your favorite celebrity.
  12. Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles12

    Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles ( MOCA ) is a contemporary art museum with two locations in greater Los Angeles, California . The main branch is located on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles , near the Walt Disney Concert Hall . MOCA's original space, initially intended as a "temporary
  13. Museum of Death13

    Museum of Death

    Los Angeles, CA
    A very well put-together museum that explores different angles of the topic. Very educative and intriguing, but definitely not children-friendly. Among the exhibits are e.g. baby coffins or pictures of crime scenes. You can also find here many items related to various serial killers. Take all these
  14. Los Angeles Zoo14

    Los Angeles Zoo

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a 133-acre (54 ha) zoo founded in 1966 and located in Los Angeles, California . The city of Los Angeles owns the entire zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals. Animal care, grounds maintenance, construction, education, public information, and admin
  15. Guinness World Records Museum15

    Guinness World Records Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    Come here to learn about anything that broke a record at some point. Anything largest, smallest, best or worst - you'll learn all about it here in the middle of Hollywood. You can buy your tickets online and avoid queues and the best souvenir to get here is definitely the Guinness World Records book
  16. Los Angeles County Museum of Art16

    Los Angeles County Museum of Art

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Los Angeles County Museum of Art ( LACMA ) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961, splitting from the Los Angeles Museum of History, Sc
  17. Eames House17

    Eames House

    Los Angeles, CA
    Designed by, and named after a husband and a wife, Charles and Ray, this building is a gem of modern architecture. You can come for just an exterior visit or an interior one too if you want to see the furnishing and decoration. It is an interesting sight to see even if you're not an architecture lov
  18. Holocaust Museum LA18

    Holocaust Museum LA

    Los Angeles, CA
    Holocaust Museum LA , formerly known as Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust , is a museum located in Pan Pacific Park within the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1961 by Holocaust survivors , Holocaust Museum LA is the oldest museum of its kind in the United States. Its missio
  19. Lummis Home19

    Lummis Home

    Los Angeles, CA
    Lummis House , also known as El Alisal , is a Rustic American Craftsman stone house built by Charles Fletcher Lummis in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Located on the edge of Arroyo Seco in northeast Los Angeles , California , the house's name means " alder grove " in Spanish . The propert
  20. Doheny Mansion20

    Doheny Mansion

    Los Angeles, CA
    Chester Place was one of the first gated communities in Los Angeles, California . It was notable for its close proximity to the University of Southern California , as well as prestigious residents such as Edward L. Doheny . The community later became a satellite campus of Mount St. Mary's College in
  21. Point Fermin Lighthouse21

    Point Fermin Lighthouse

    Los Angeles, CA
    A charming Victorian lighthouse in a close distance to Los Angeles harbor. Take a guided tour and learn about its history.
  22. Fire Station No. 30, Engine Company No. 3022

    Fire Station No. 30, Engine Company No. 30

    Los Angeles, CA
    Fire Station No. 30, Engine Company No. 30 is a historic fire station and engine company in the South Los Angeles area of Los Angeles, California . Closed in 1980, the building is now home to the African American Firefighter Museum (AAFFM). The AAFFM features vintage fire equipment and apparatus, me
  23. Japanese American National Museum23

    Japanese American National Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Japanese American National Museum ( 全米日系人博物館 , Zenbei Nikkeijin Hakubutsukan ) is located in Los Angeles, California , and dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Japanese Americans . Founded in 1992, it is located in the Little Tokyo area near downtown. The museum is an affiliate wit
  24. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures24

    Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Saban Building , formerly the May Company Building , on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles , is a celebrated example of Streamline Moderne architecture. The building's architect Albert C. Martin, Sr. , also designed the Million Dollar Theater and Los Angeles City Hall
  25. Museum of Tolerance25

    Museum of Tolerance

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Museum of Tolerance-Beit HaShoah ( MOT , House of the Holocaust), a multimedia museum in Los Angeles , California , United States , is designed to examine racism and prejudice around the world with a strong focus on the history of the Holocaust . The museum was established in 1993, as the educa
  26. Chinese American Museum26

    Chinese American Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Chinese American Museum (Chinese: 華美 博物館 ; abbreviated CAM ) is a museum located in Downtown Los Angeles as a part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument . It is dedicated to the history and experience of Chinese Americans in the state of California , the first such museum in Southern
  27. The Nethercutt Museum27

    The Nethercutt Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    Both a stunning collection of pre-war automobiles and also mechanical musical instruments. Intriguing and worth your time.
  28. Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Hollywood28

    Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Hollywood

    Los Angeles, CA
  29. Los Encinos State Historic Park29

    Los Encinos State Historic Park

    Los Angeles, CA
    Los Encinos State Historic Park is a state park unit of California , preserving buildings of Rancho Los Encinos . The park is located near the corner of Balboa and Ventura Boulevards in Encino, California , in the San Fernando Valley . The rancho includes the original nine-room de la Ossa Adobe, t
  30. California African American Museum30

    California African American Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
  31. Heritage Square Museum31

    Heritage Square Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    Heritage Square Museum is a living history and open-air architecture museum located beside the Arroyo Seco Parkway in the Montecito Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California , in the southern Arroyo Seco area. The living history museum shows the story of development in Southern California thro
  32. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium32

    Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

    Los Angeles, CA
    Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is an aquarium in Los Angeles at San Pedro , California . The aquarium interprets both the physical processes of oceanography and marine biology of Southern California by use of displays and educational programs for the public. The aquarium is operated by the City of Los Ang
  33. Museum of Jurassic Technology33

    Museum of Jurassic Technology

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Museum of Jurassic Technology at 9341 Venice Boulevard in the Palms district of Los Angeles, California , was founded by David Hildebrand Wilson and Diana Drake Wilson in 1988. It calls itself "an educational institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the public appreciation of th
  34. Hammer Museum34

    Hammer Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Hammer Museum , which is affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles , is an art museum and cultural center known for its artist-centric and progressive array of exhibitions and public programs. Founded in 1990 by the entrepreneur-industrialist Armand Hammer to house his personal a
  35. Travel Town Museum35

    Travel Town Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    Travel Town Museum is a railway museum dedicated on December 14, 1952, and located in the northwest corner of Los Angeles , California 's Griffith Park . The history of railroad transportation in the western United States from 1880 to the 1930s is the primary focus of the museum's collection, with a
  36. Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial36

    Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial is located at Old Engine Co. No. 27 , also known as Fire Station No. 27 , on Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood . The museum houses old fire engines and fire apparatus, some dating from the 1880s. The museum also houses a reference library and fire
  37. Autry Museum of the American West37

    Autry Museum of the American West

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Autry Museum of the American West is a museum in Los Angeles, California , dedicated to exploring an inclusive history of the American West . Founded in 1988, the museum presents a wide range of exhibitions and public programs, including lectures, film, theater, festivals, family events, and mus
  38. Skirball Cultural Center38

    Skirball Cultural Center

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Skirball Cultural Center is an educational institution in Los Angeles, California devoted to sustaining Jewish heritage and American democratic ideals. It has been open to the public since 1996. The center, named after philanthropist -couple Jack H. Skirball and Audrey Skirball-Kenis , features
  39. Bolton Hall Museum39

    Bolton Hall Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    Bolton Hall is a historic American Craftsman -era stone building in Tujunga , Los Angeles, California . Built in 1913, Bolton Hall was originally used as a community center for the utopian community of Los Terrenitos. From 1920 until 1957, it was used as an American Legion hall, the San Fernando Val
  40. Craft and Folk Art Museum40

    Craft and Folk Art Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    Craft Contemporary , formerly the Craft and Folk Art Museum , is a non-profit, non-collecting arts museum dedicated to showcasing contemporary craft in Los Angeles, California. The museum is located on Los Angeles' Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard , and across from the George C. Page Museum and La B
  41. Historic Southwest Museum Mt. Washington Campus41

    Historic Southwest Museum Mt. Washington Campus

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Southwest Museum of the American Indian is a museum, library, and archive located in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles, California , above the north-western bank of the Arroyo Seco (Los Angeles County) canyon and stream. The museum is owned by the Autry Museum of the American West .
  42. Los Angeles Police Museum42

    Los Angeles Police Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    Gain insight into the LAPD with many interesting exhibits.
  43. Discovery Cube Los Angeles43

    Discovery Cube Los Angeles

    Los Angeles, CA
  44. Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum44

    Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    The Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum ( LALSRM ) is a non-profit public-benefit corporation founded in 1956 by live steam enthusiasts for the purpose of educating the public about railroad history and lore, and to promote live steam and scale model railroad technology. The museum is located
  45. Plaza Firehouse - Old Fire Station45

    Plaza Firehouse - Old Fire Station

    Los Angeles, CA
  46. Fort MacArthur Museum46

    Fort MacArthur Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
  47. The Banning Museum47

    The Banning Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
    Banning House , also known as the General Phineas Banning Residence Museum , is a historic Greek Revival - Victorian home in the Wilmington section of Los Angeles, California . Built in 1863 by Phineas Banning near the original San Pedro Bay , it remained in the Banning family until 1925 and has be
  48. Flight Path Learning Center & Museum48

    Flight Path Learning Center & Museum

    Los Angeles, CA
  49. The Geffen Contemporary49

    The Geffen Contemporary

    Los Angeles, CA
  50. Neutra VDL Studio and Residences50

    Neutra VDL Studio and Residences

    Los Angeles, CA

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