Review of Natural History Museum in Los Angeles

by Scott S. Smith and Sandra Wells

We enjoyed our recent visit to downtown L.A.'s Natural History Museum

https://nhm.org/

The Natural History Museum in the Exposition Park of Los Angeles is one of those very few museums in Metro L.A. (out of 300) which both children and adults need to revisit every few years

to remind them of not only its vast collections, but special exhibitions. Right now the latter includes "100 Carats: Icons of the Gem World" (until April 21, 2024), two dozen rarely-seen and spectacular one-of-a-kind gems, such as the Jonker I Diamond, one of the largest in the world, in the Gem and Mineral Hall (which has so many stunning stones that you should plan to spend at least an hour there alone). The Butterfly Pavilion provides a contrasting experience with beauty, as you encounter these creatures as you walk around their huge cage (until August 25, 2024). Whenever you go, check the website for current exhibits. The vast permanent collection of 35 million items ranges from sea shells to archaeological objects, but the Dinosaur Hall is always popular, with its stunning reconstructions of the animals which dominated earth for nearly 200 million years ?(all NHM signs are in Spanish and English). New is the display of fossils and maps about what L.A. was like when it was underwater for 90 million years.

Our favorite experience this time was "Becoming Los Angeles," exploring everything from the cultures of the Gabrielano/Tongva natives and the rebellion of Mexico against Spain to the Chinese community and the history of the movie industry. Even if you have spent most of your life here, you'll learn a tremendous amount. An altar collage to represent our diversity is explained in a video by the local artists who created it.