Showing posts with label Museums. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Museums. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The California Science Center in Los Angeles

The California Science Center in Los Angeles is an excellent place to visit if you want to learn more about how the world works. Formerly the Museum of Science and Industry, this dynamic museum was renovated to the tune of $130 million, and it is now the most popular attraction in LA's Exposition Park. That's saying quite a lot, especially when you consider that this park is also home to the fantastic Los Angeles Natural History Museum, also known as the Dinosaur Museum.

The numerous California Science Center exhibits revolve around many topics, and many of them are interactive. At the Creative World area, for example, visitors can enjoy interactive exhibits that offer insight into how humans use their senses. More insight into the human body and how it deals with the world around it can be gained at the World of Life area, where the exhibits feature names such as the Energy Factory and BodyWorks. Admission to the California Science Center is free, so visitors can enjoy the fantastic exhibits without paying anything. The IMAX at California Science Center puts on various films that cost extra, and the museum is also home to some other attractions that visitors can enjoy for a nominal fee.

The California Science Center exhibits range from things to look at to attractions to interact with and the various attractions can be quite thrilling. The Space Docking Simulator is sure to get your pulse up, as it offers a taste of what zero gravity feels like. The IMAX at California Science Center has a movie screen with an impressive height of seven stories tall and 90 feet wide. Many of the films that are shown in this state-of-the-art IMAX theater utilize 3-D technology, and the dramatic surround sound adds to the overall experience. There is a lot to see and do at the California Science Center, and visitors will want to budget at least a couple of hours to take it all in. The 50-foot-tall animatronic woman exhibit alone can fill the better part of an hour with ease.

Los Angeles is full of great museums, so visitors to the City of Angels will have no trouble getting their cultural fill. Some of the other museums that are worth considering when planning an LA itinerary are the Museum of Art, the Petersen Automotive Museum, and the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center, to name a few. That's just the tip of the iceberg, however, and there are plenty of other fun things to do around town and in the general area when you're not taking in world-class museum exhibits.

Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles

The Petersen Automotive Museum is a Los Angeles attraction that car and motorcycle enthusiasts won't want to miss. One of the best museums in the city, this place is all about things that go, and checking out some amazing vehicles isn't the only allure. Visitors to the Petersen Automotive Museum Los Angeles can also learn all about the history of the automobile, as well as get a better understanding about the impact that cars have had on modern culture.

A car museum in Los Angeles seems so appropriate, as this city of freeways is very much attached to the automobile industry. The museum didn't open until 1994, which pleased many locals who had been pining for one for decades. It is named for Robert Petersen, who is credited with creating Motor Trend and Hot Rod magazines. While it may have taken a while for locals to get their car museum in Los Angeles, the wait was well worth it. The 300,000-square-foot Petersen Automotive Museum is one of the largest automotive museums in the world, and it displays more than 200 cars and motorcycles. These cars and motorcycles range from classic to futuristic models, and they are displayed in a convenient chronological order.

In addition to some of the most fascinating cars and motorcycles on the face of the earth, the Petersen Automotive Museum Los Angeles also boasts a fun interactive floor where visitors can learn about things like how a car works. Formerly housed in the Natural History Museum, the Petersen Automotive Museum now occupies a historic department store building at 6060 Wilshire Boulevard. The museum caters to all ages, and the ticket prices are reasonable. For those who are interested, a variety of two-hour tours can be enjoyed at the Petersen Automotive Museum, and they only add extra depth to the experience. As for operating hours, the museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The interactive Discovery Center closes two hours prior to the rest of the museum.

Hollywood Wax Museum, Los Angele

The Hollywood Wax Museum can be the ideal destination when you find yourself looking for something interesting to do in Los Angeles. In a city this full of celebrities and museums, it's only natural that there is a wax museum located here. As is true of any museum, visitors to the Wax Museum in Hollywood are free to arrive at their own opinion when it comes to the quality of the works. According to some, the Clint Eastwood and Elizabeth Taylor statues figure among the best, and the Baywatch representation of David Hasselhoff offers a considerable likeness.

The Hollywood Wax Museum is relatively easy to find, as it is located on Hollywood Boulevard. Right across the street from the museum is the Hollywood & Highland Center, and Grauman's Chinese Theater is only a block away. Helping to draw attention to the Wax Museum in Hollywood is a costumed employee, who is dressed like Frankenstein. Through various antics, this employee attempts to draw people inside. Also helping to draw in visitors is the new neon sign, which was part of the 2006 renovations. Once inside, visitors can examine the more than 180 figures at the Hollywood Wax Museum. Many of these figures depict classic stars, such as John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe, while others represent personalities of the day, including Johnny Depp and Gwenyth Paltrow.

Tickets to the Hollywood Wax Museum can be purchased at the door, and the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. until midnight on weekdays. On weekends, the museum stays open until 1 a.m. For those who are interested, a combination ticket that allows for discounted admission to the Wax Museum and the nearby Guinness World Records Museum is available. Often Los Angeles tour and vacation packages will also include discounted tickets to the Hollywood Wax Museum.

Natural History Museum in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Natural History Museum has enjoyed its location in Exposition Park since 1913. Originally known as the Museum of History, Science, and Art, this excellent museum has undergone its fair share of changes over time. For some time, the beautiful building that houses the Los Angeles Natural History Museum also housed the Museum of Modern Art and the Petersen Automotive Museum. Both of these museums have since moved to other buildings that can be found on Wilshire Boulevard, freeing up more room for Natural History Exhibits. Since many an exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles revolves around dinosaurs, the museum is often referred to as the Dinosaur Museum.

One of the best exhibits at the Los Angeles Dinosaur Museum is the Fighting Dinosaurs, which depicts a fearsome tyrannosaurus rex that is about to tangle with a triceratops. Not all of the exhibits at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum focus on dinosaurs however. The pre-Colombian cultures exhibit is one of the most popular, as are the exhibits that are dedicated to recreating specific animal habitats. Exhibit after exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles offers insight into the planet that we call home, and there are also interactive areas where kids and kids at heart can observe curious creatures, make fossil rubbings, and enjoy a range of other fun experiences.

The Los Angeles Natural History Museum is the largest museum of its kind in the western United States, and it can easily satisfy a few hours for those who are looking for fun things to do in Los Angeles. The museum is open daily, except for major holidays, and hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Discounted group rates can be enjoyed at the Los Angeles Dinosaur Museum, and seniors, students, and children also enjoy discounted admission prices.

Other Los Angeles attractions that can make great family destinations include the La Brea Tar Pits and the Page Museum, both of which also carry the dinosaur theme. The Los Angeles Zoo is also worth keeping in mind, and nearby Anaheim boasts Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. Los Angeles vacations truly offer something for everyone, and these are just some of the area attractions worth keeping on the radar.

LACMA in Los Angeles

LACMA is one of the finest art museums in the country, and it features no fewer than 110,000 pieces for visitors to enjoy. These pieces date from past times to the present, and they include works by such renowned artists as Rembrandt and Monet. More formerly known as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, this museum complex on Wilshire Drive covers approximately twenty acres and is comprised of seven different buildings. It's the largest museum of its kind west of Chicago, which means that visitors should budget at least a couple of hours if they want to get a good look.

There is a lot to take in at LACMA, and the various exhibits offer a comprehensive look at art through the ages. Some of the oldest pieces on display are part of the Art of the Ancient Americas exhibit. The highlight of this exhibit is the collection of objects from ancient Mexico, with the Masked Male Figure being one of the more interesting pieces. This curious ceramic sculpture comes from the Maya culture, and it dates back to around 700-900 A.D. Other exhibits at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art that boast ancient pieces of considerable interest are the Egyptian Art exhibit and the Art of the Ancient Near East. Visitors to this amazing art museum in Los Angeles could spend hours alone admiring the pieces in these two exhibits, with highlights including an Egyptian sarcophagus and a sixth-century vase that was unearthed in Iran.

The exhibits at the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art are numerous and varied. For those who are interested in fashion history, the Costume and Textiles exhibit deserves some extra time, while photography enthusiasts won't want to miss the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department. Some of the other permanent exhibits at LACMA include the South and Southeast Asian Art exhibit and the European Painting exhibit. The former offers pieces from countries including Thailand and Vietnam, while the latter highlights an array of priceless paintings. Among the highlights in the European Painting exhibit is The Raising of Lazarus by Rembrandt. This piece dates back to 1630 and depicts the culmination of the ministry of Christ. It was the only painting of this miraculous event that Rembrandt ever did.

LACMA was established in 1961, and it has been impressing visitors ever since. Before that, this renowned art museum in Los Angeles was part of a larger museum that is now the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Numerous additions to LACMA have been added over the years, including the 60,000-square-foot Broad Contemporary Art Museum, which opened in 2008. It is interesting to note that newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, was the largest benefactor of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art between the years of 1946 and 1951. To this day, no other donor has contributed more to LACMA's collection than Hearst.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art can be found at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard along the famed Museum Row. Adjacent to the museum are the La Brea Tar Pits and the George C. Page Museum. LACMA is open every day of the year, except for Wednesdays and major holidays, and general hours are noon to 8 p.m. After 5 p.m., visitors can pay what they want to get in, and the museum is free all day long on certain days of the year. For those who have to pay full price to get into this dynamic art museum in Los Angeles, the money is well worth it. In a city full of museums, LACMA stands out as one of the best, and since the collection is so large, repeat visits might be in order.

Museums in Hollywood , Los Angeles

The Hollywood Entertainment Museum is one of the Los Angeles attractions that brings together the history and magic of movie making and brings you close to movies and actors that are famous being a part of movie history.

Since 1996, the Hollywood Entertainment Museum has been drawing crowds who want to see for themselves the famous props and costumes that were part of the most popular shows and well-known films in moviemaking history. There are quite a few new Hollywood museums you might enjoy visiting when you're touring Los Angeles, some of which are the Hollywood Studio Museum, which highlights the various movie theatres that make their home in this historic neighborhood. The Warner Brothers Museum draws crowds of cartoon lovers who want to see an exhibit that is all about their favorites cartoon characters, and is right on the Warner Bros. lot.

While the Hollywood Entertainment Museum is not enormous, it does have some very famous sets on its premises, like the Star Trek set and the set from the Cheers TV show. Techies will love being able to sit in the Captain\'s chair from the Next Generation show. You can also walk on top of a scale model of Hollywood itself, and learn about its history through the timeline, which has a listing of the dates of important moment in Hollywood history.

If you\'re one of the many tourists on Hollywood Boulevard, you can't miss the Chinese Theatre; it is a distinctive red structure with exotic architecture and crowds of sight seers. Only a block away is an excellent place to come close to your favorite celebrities; at the Hollywood Wax Museum. There are 220 wax figures here, and they are constantly being updated as new stars rise to fame. Liz Taylor, Clint Eastwood, and the entire cast of the MASH television show are all on display at the Hollywood Wax Museum.

You can add to the fun when you buy a discounted ticket that gives you admission to the Guinness World Records Museum just across the street in addition to the Hollywood Wax Museum. Hollywood attractions are usually free, but some charge admission, so to avoid spending more than you anticipated its wise to decide before you visit what you\'d like to see and look into any discount or combined admissions before your trip.

Hollywood is filled with star studded attractions, from the Movie Studios to the Walk of Fame. There are also a lot of historical landmarks, like the famous Hollywood sign and Mann's Chinese Theatre. Hollywood Museums are some of the best Los Angeles attractions because they allow you to literally touch props from the actual sets of some of the most famous television shows and see what your favorite actor looks like up close. A visit to one of these interesting exhibits rounds out an interesting, attraction-filled visit to one of the most well known neighborhoods in the world.

The Getty Center, Los Angeles

Getty Center - Surrounding The Getty Center Los Angeles is home to the J. Paul Getty Center Museum. It also houses a research institute a leadership training institute, a grant program and a conservation institute. The Getty Center Los Angeles was opened on December 16, 1997.

Getty Center - Courtyard The Getty Center Los Angeles which was designed by architect Richard Meier is the flagship museum of the J. Paul Getty Trust. The center has a seven-story deep underground parking garage, complete with over 2,000 parking spaces. It's location on a hill in Brentwood Los Angeles is high enough that on a clear day, one can see the snow at the top of Big Bear, along with the Pacific Ocean and all of the Los Angeles basin. The buildings of the Getty Center Los Angeles are made of travertine and white marble. A three-car tram carries passengers to and from the Getty Center Museum.

Getty Center - Interior The Getty Center Museum has a number of fine collections and exhibitions of classical sculpture and art. They also exhibit European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture, decorative arts, and photographs. In general, most of the works are pre-twentieth century. About 25 special exhibitions take place each year at the Getty Art Center. The constantly growing Antiquities Exhibit at the Getty Art Center includes marble sculptures, bronzes, Greek and Roman gems, Hellenistic silverware and Greek vases.

The 134,000 square foot Central Garden at the Getty Art Center is the creation of the well-known artist, Robert Irwin. The Center Garden design creates a natural pathway between the Museum and the Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities. The walkway passes over a stream that culminates in a dramatic waterfall.

This section of the Getty Art Center is devoted to conservation, which is a fundamental responsibility of the Getty Center Museum. Their conservation projects involve acquiring, conserving, exhibiting, and interpreting works of art. The Getty Art Center conservation professionals perform a variety of services which include damage prevention and restoration.

In addition to conserving the art works of this popular Los Angeles museum also has a research center for discovering the provenance of the different pieces. Of particular interest is the research done on the Holocaust period lootings and the post-war distribution of the stolen art.

Not only is the Getty Art Center a fascinating Los Angeles Museum, it also sponsors some excellent symposiums. The Symposium on Contemporary Performance of Ancient Greek and Roman Drama was held on June of 2002. This event brought together well-known theater practitioners and theater academics to address the forms of contemporary adaptations of ancient drama.

Museums in Los Angeles

Los Angeles museums are among some of the most well known in the country. Home to some of the newest, most innovative structures like the Gettty Museum and excellent art collections like the one at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, there is no lack of cultural wealth in Southern California.

The extensive collection at the Getty Museum warrants at least a full day to fully explore. This unique building, designed by the well-known architect Richard Meier, is a work of art within itself. Over 1.2 million visitors a year wander through the halls of the Getty Museum to enjoy the vast collection of paintings, sculptures, photographs, and decorative arts displays dating from 400 AD to the 20th century. Set in a scenic hilly setting, this innovative structure has a very creative use of water, and its contours mimic the hilly landscape. Since 1997, this is where the art collection of the famous collector J. Paul Getty has been housed, and this strikingly original building overlooks the Pacific Ocean and the famous Los Angeles skyline.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is within easy walking distance of other California attraction and nearby museums like the La Brea Tar Pits and the Automotive Museum. Also known as LACMA, this is among the top art museums in the country. This large collection has everything from the earliest photographs from 1839 to a modern art section. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is well known for its exquisite Japanese art collection.

Anyone who has traveled extensively in California knows that the Golden State has some of the best public gardens in the country, and some of these are the oldest Japanese water gardens in the West. There is no lack of Asian object represented and LACMA, so you should visit here if you enjoy Chinese and Japanese art and culture. With art objects dating from 900 BC, you are sure to be able to enjoy a rich and fulfilling experience when you visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. If you\'re planning to visit LACMA, be sure to keep in mind that it doesn\'t open until 12 noon most days, but it does stay open until 8pm. LACMA is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. The second Tuesday of each month, admission is free.

The California African American Museum will interest anyone who wants to learn more about the history of the African culture in America. There are artifacts and artworks from the African culture, both past and present. Admission to the California African American Museum, and is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm. While most of the exhibits focus on works from Western and California artists, but there are also a number of temporary exhibits which take place in the elegant sculpture court which is in the entrance to the California African American Museum.

Aside from the crowded Southern California beaches and the big theme parks, the museums offer the visitor balance to a fun-filled but unenriching theme park and beach vacation. You can feel good you took your family to learn more about culture and history when you visit one of the excellent museums in Los Angeles.