Originally published at: NHMLAC Announces Summer and Fall Programming for the Natural History Museum and La Brea Tar Pits - Newsroom
Author: Newsroom
Los Angeles, CA (July 12, 2024) — The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) announce their slate of summer and fall programming for the Natural History Museum (NHM) in Exposition Park and La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park. This mix of family-friendly and adult programming and events features a wide range of exhibitions, hands-on activities, talks, and performances both in-person and online. It also features the opening of NHM Commons, including the reveal of Gnatalie the Green Dino. In addition, NHMLAC community scientists will spearhead a number of research initiatives and expeditions open to the public that will highlight the Museums’ ongoing impact and discoveries and allow Angelenos to get involved.
Below is a list of currently-scheduled* programming and exhibitions. Visit NHM.ORG and TARPITS.ORG for future updates and more information.
*All programs and events are subject to change. Check our websites for the latest information and updates
Natural History Museum
NHM Commons — In Fall 2024, our Museum will open NHM Commons, the new wing and community hub in Exposition Park. Celebrating the intersection of science, nature and culture, this unique outside-inside experience features 75,000-square feet of new and refreshed spaces, including many free experiences. See Gnatalie, a 70-foot green-boned sauropod. Get up close to L.A. artist Barbara Carrasco’s landmark mural, L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective, and see an exhibition of notable specimens found by local community scientists and collected and researched by our own scientists. In addition, NHM Commons will include:
- The new, beautifully landscaped NHM Community Plaza and Museum entrance
- A multi-purpose 400-seat theater with mission-aligned programs, films, and performances
- The expansive Judith Perlstein Welcome Center with new exhibits, displays and ticketing desks for visitors and Members
- A new grab n’ go cafe on the plaza run by South LA Cafe and a local-inspired museum shop.
Images: NHM Commons Renderings
ChocoLAte: From Beans to Bliss (Ongoing Web Series) — This year-long series of stories and experiences focuses on the diverse cultures, talents, and flavors of Los Angeles through the lens of chocolate. Throughout 2024, NHM will continue its Being LA series with monthly videos celebrating the traditions, history, and applications of the world’s most popular confection and will be complemented throughout the year with onsite programs and events, including a culminating chocolate festival.
ChocoLAte: From Beans to Bliss is sponsored by Bank of America.
Butterfly Pavilion — Walk among beautiful butterflies in our seasonal Butterfly Pavilion. This outdoors exhibition features hundreds of butterflies, colorful native plants, and plenty of natural light to help you see these creatures shimmer. With lots of flight space and a variety of resting spots, come get one of the best views in Los Angeles of these amazing insects. More information is available at nhm.org/butterflies.
Schedule: On view through August 25, 2024.
Admission: $10 + Museum admission or free for Members
Images: Butterfly Pavilion Press Images
Reframing Dioramas: The Art of Preserving Wilderness — The Natural History Museum’s historic diorama halls are the largest exhibitions at the museum, showcasing over 75 incredibly detailed habitats ranging from arctic tundra to tropical rainforest. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the dioramas, NHM is restoring and reopening a diorama hall that has been closed for decades. There, visitors will experience immersive new installations — by artists RFX1 (Jason Chang), Joel Fernando and Yesenia Prieto (working as a three-artist team), as well as Saul Becker and Lauren Schoth — that call attention to dioramas as a unique combination of art and science and explore biodiversity, ecology, conservation, colonialism, and changing museum display techniques. This exhibition is part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide.
Schedule: September 15, 2024 – September 14, 2025
Admission: Free with Museum admission
Spider Pavilion — This one-of-a-kind seasonal pavilion gives a rare glimpse into the secret life of spiders. Stroll through the open air pavilion to see hundreds of orb weavers and their amazing webs all around you. Then enter the spider den to peer into enclosed habitats that house different species from tarantulas to jumping spiders. More information is available at nhm.org/spiders.
Schedule: September 15 – November 24, 2024.
Admission: $10 + Museum admission or free for Members
Images: Spider Pavilion Images
WOLVES: Photography by Ronan Donovan — Created in collaboration by National Geographic and National Museum of Wildlife art, this exhibition features the captivating work of National Geographic Explorer and photographer Ronan Donovan, who has spent years documenting the lives of wild wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Ellesmere Island in the high Canadian Arctic. Through stunning images and videos, visitors will gain an unparalleled glimpse into the daily lives of wolves, highlighting the stark contrast between those living in human-dominated landscapes and those in untouched wilderness.
Schedule: September 17, 2024 – June 22, 2025
Admission: Free with Museum Admission
Dino Fest — Join us for our annual festival featuring all things dinosaur! Dino Fest celebrates dinosaurs, their prehistoric past, and the science that brings their world back to life. Meet world-renowned paleontologists from the Museum’s Dinosaur Institute and beyond. See unique fossil collections, participate in hands-on activities and browse through a variety of exhibitors. This event includes ASL interpretation. More information is available at nhm.org/dinofest.
Schedule: September 21, 2024
Admission: Free with Museum Admission
Boney Island — Halloween lovers will be happy to learn that the popular after-hours event is returning to NHM this fall. Throughout October, the Nature Gardens will be transformed into an enchanting, interactive light-up experience featuring illuminated trails, eerily glowing exhibits, and captivating creatures of the night and prehistoric past. Boney Island, an event for all ages, invites guests to enjoy family-friendly photo opportunities, delicious offerings from food trucks, themed beverages, and much more. Tickets on sale September 3. More information is available at nhm.org/boneyisland.
Schedule: October 3, 2024 – October 31, 2024. Select dates, 6–10 pm.
Nature Gardens Exploration — Swing by the Nature Gardens to dive into Nature Garden Explorations, tours led by Museum Educators and focused on topics such as birding, bug netting, nature journaling, and ponding. Topics rotate over the course of the year, so be sure to check online to see which explorations are currently available. More information is available at nhm.org/naturegardens.
Schedule: 11 am on weekends, meet near the pond in the Nature Gardens
Dinosaur Encounters* — Fun, educational, and interactive, Dinosaur Encounters features NHM’s new and improved life-size dinosaur puppets and focuses on different topics, including theories on dinosaur behavior, extinction, adaptation, and the relationship between birds and dinosaurs. Dinosaur Encounters is family-friendly, and each performance is about 20 minutes long. More information is available at nhm.org/dinosaurencounters.
Schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 10:30 and 11:30 am, Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm
Admission: $6 per person + Museum admission or free for Members
Images: Dino Encounters
Dino Encounters is sponsored by Superior Grocers.
*Please note: Puppets are very large, realistic interpretations of wild animals and may be frightening to some children.
Sensory-Friendly Dinosaur Encounters — NHM’s sensory-friendly Dinosaur Encounters performance provides a warm welcome to guests who need a little less stimulating environment and the opportunity to move around during the show. House light levels remain brighter and sound levels are turned down. Guests are welcome to come and go as they wish throughout the performance. There is a relaxation zone in the back of the hall if guests need a break. Everyone is welcome to attend these performances with the understanding that the theater is “shush-free” and there may be a certain amount of sound and movement in the audience. The monthly event will feature ASL Interpretation provided by Pro Bono ASL. More information is available here.
Schedule: 2nd Saturday of each month at 11:30 am
Admission: $6 per person + Museum admission or free for Members
La Brea Tar Pits
Summer of Sloths — Get ready for a Hot Sloth Summer! Join us at the world-famous La Brea Tar Pits for Summer of Sloths. This summer, celebrate the giant and famously slow-moving creatures that once inhabited Los Angeles more than 10,000 years ago. Learn all about these Ice Age mammals through a guided tour with a museum educator, at your own pace with a self-guided tour, a screening of Titans of the Ice Age, a fossil lab discovery, and more!
Schedule: June 3 – September 2
Images: Sloths for Press
Sloths Summer Night — Celebrate the captivating world of sloths at the Tar Pits. Enjoy free admission to the museum as we honor these relaxed Ice Age giants and explore their fossils. Meet our living tree sloth friend from the Wildlife Learning Center and experience their charm up close. Cold drinks will be available at the Tar Bar as well as a variety of local food trucks. Bring a blanket and enjoy a sunset picnic at the park. Featuring a DJ set of slow jams and summer anthems presented by Mike C. Music. More information is available at tarpits.org/slothsummernight.
Schedule: July 26, 5–8 pm
Admission: Free
Images: Sloths for Press
Mark Dion: Excavations — Mark Dion’s immersive, uncanny installation at the La Brea Tar Pits, Excavations, evokes a behind-the-scenes museum space, displaying new work alongside early museum murals, dioramas, and maquettes of Ice Age mammals in a playful, irreverent presentation in keeping with his meticulous yet mischievous approach. Dion’s 10-foot-long sculpture of a fossil pack rat skeleton stands atop a mix of natural and cultural detritus from the Tar Pits and the Hancock Park neighborhood. Additionally, six new drawings by Dion of mammal skeletons commonly found in the Tar Pits—artworks labeled with the names of locally important scientists, artists, historical figures, and landmarks. This exhibition is part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide.
Schedule: September 15, 2024–September 14, 2025
Excavator Tour — The Excavator Tour explores the Fossil Lab, where real paleontologists work, our historic excavation sites, and Project 23, where live excavations can be seen. More information about excavations is available at tarpits.org/experience-tar-pits/excavations.
Schedule: 1 pm on weekdays; 10:30 am & 1 pm on weekends
Discoveries from the Tar Pits — Drop by to learn some of the lesser-known stories of the Tar Pits, including active research and recent discoveries. Topics change daily.
Schedule: 3:30 pm daily
Ice Age Encounters — Encounter the Ice Age as we dig into the past to uncover the mysteries of some of the extinct creatures who roamed Ice Age Los Angeles over 10,000 years ago. Experience this dynamic, 15-minute show featuring a life-size adult saber-toothed cat puppet, a live performance, and film projections that bring the distant past to life. This one-of-a-kind multimedia performance transports guests back in time to come nearly face-to-face with a moving, roaring extinct saber-toothed cat. Performed in an intimate theater setting, this show is great for the whole family and children of all ages. More information is available at tarpits.org/tar-pits-programs/ice-age-encounters.
Schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 10:30 and 11:30 am, Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm
Admission: $6 per person in addition to Museum admission or free with membership
Images: Ice Age Encounters
Ice Age Encounters is sponsored by Superior Grocers.
*Please note: The saber-toothed cat puppet is very large and may be frightening to some children.
Museum Admission – NHM and La Brea Tar Pits
Members – FREE
Adult — $18.00
Senior (62+) — $14.00
Student — $14.00
Children (3 – 12) — $7.00
Children 2 and under – FREE
Unless otherwise noted, all events are included in the price of admission or free for members.
Admission is always free for NHMLAC Members, California Pre K–12 teachers with ID, Active or retired United States military with ID, CA EBT cardholders with ID, and USC Students and Faculty with ID. In addition, L.A. County residents receive free Museum Admission from 3-5 pm Monday through Friday.
Community Science Volunteer Opportunities
State Park Insect Collections — Austin Baker, Brian Brown, and Giar-Ann Kung will visit state parks across California, collecting insect specimens for his work barcoding every insect species in the state for the CIBI program.
Backyard Bats — The Bat Roost Count is a community science project led by Miguel Ordeñana and other bat scientists that monitor bat roost sites—where bats rest during the day—to count how many emerge as dusk drifts into night. On August 10 and 11, community scientists will join experts from the SoCal Bat Working Group at one of eight roosts to conduct evening observations. The project currently focuses on the L.A. River, San Gabriel River, and other locations in LA County.
New Research Initiatives
Marine Biodiversity — Leslie Harris, NHM’s Senior Collections Manager in Polychaetes, is participating in research about marine biodiversity off the coast of Ilo, Peru. Harris and fellow researchers in the U.S. and Peru are surveying the populations of coastal marine invertebrates—crabs, worms, starfish, clams, and other spineless critters—using the power of iNaturalist to share observations and identify species living in the intertidal and subtidal areas there. Harris has also created an iNaturalist project with the aim of assembling observations of species living within the temperate current stretching from southern Ecuador through Chile.
Understanding Nature and Los Angeles Biodiversity (UNLAB) — This mentorship program centered on equity in the sciences welcomed its first eight mentees in early July. Part of the NSF RAMP program, the UNLAB program, is for post-baccalaureates who did not have an opportunity to conduct research during their undergraduate degree program, with a focus on those who have been historically excluded and are underrepresented in the natural sciences. Mentors from NHM and La Brea Tar Pits will guide mentees through research projects exploring the history of Los Angeles biodiversity or the impact of humans and urbanization on Los Angeles biodiversity. Mentees will also participate in professional development activities and have opportunities to learn more about museum careers.
Microplastics and fish — Two NHMLAC scientists, Bill Ludt, Assistant Curator of Ichthyology, and Aaron Celestian, Curator of Mineral Sciences, have been awarded a $357,564 two-year grant from California Sea Grant and the California Ocean Protection Council to study microplastic consumption over time in California fishes using the museum’s specimens. Ludt and Celestian will be looking at potential differences in microplastic consumption in southern versus northern California from 1940 to the present, and analyzing the chemical composition of the plastics and, potentially, identifying their sources. This is believed to be the first study of microplastics in museum fish collections going back in time that focuses on the Pacific Ocean.