Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

The "Dueling Dinosaurs" are not a high school football team, but the trademark symbol of this massive museum: the Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops skeletons are poised in a stance so realistic that every kid feels inspired to imitate their Jurassic Park bellows (think Calvin and Hobbes). Opened in 1913 in a beautiful domed Beaux-Arts building, the museum tells the story of the planet with 35 million specimens and artifacts, including meteorites dating back 4.5 billion years. It's the largest natural-history museum in the western United States, stocked with a mind-boggling array of wildlife dioramas, ancient Latin American and California history treasures, and prehistoric fossils -- including a new exhibit, Age of Mammals, that tells the story of the past 65 million years of mammal evolution. The Dino Lab is a specially designed room where visitors can watch the work of paleontologists -- live and in person -- as they prepare the fossils for the Dinosaur Hall exhibition, opening in July of 2011. Of particular interest will be the 30-ft. tall "Thomas" the T.rex, whose bones had previously been assembled in the Dino Lab.

The best permanent displays include a walk-through vault of priceless gems and an eyebrow-raising Insect Zoo. Kids can dig for fossils, make fossil rubbings, and view live animals such as snakes and lizards in the family-friendly Discovery Center. During the summer, from April through Labor Day, the Butterfly Pavilion lets visitors walk through an outdoor butterfly conservatory as 40 species flutter through the air and occasionally land on their shirts. For 6 weeks in the fall, timed around Halloween, this enclosed conservatory is transformed into the Spider Pavilion, where the beauty of the orb weavers' webs convinces guests to conquer their fears of arachnids.

The museum is adding another outdoor component in July 2011, when 3 1/2 acres of green space open with live, year-round habitats of butterflies, birds, bugs, and pollinating plants as well as nature experiences, including an urban teaching garden and a "Get Dirty Zone." Fall of 2012 will bear witness to the opening of Under the Sun, an exhibition focusing on the environmental and cultural history of Southern California. Also, a new rail line connecting Downtown with west Los Angeles will open, and the Expo Line will have a dedicated stop in front of the museum. The museum's renovated store carries everything from butterfly houses and dinosaur toys to ethnic jewelry and guides to the birds of Los Angeles written by museum curators.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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