The La Brea Tar Pits

By popular demand (and by "popular" I mean two people), I present to you The La Brea Tar Pits...

Did you know that "La Brea" means "tar" in Spanish? You probably did. I think I might be the only person left in LA that doesn't speak a word of Spanish. I take that back, I do remember most of the Spanish I learned from Luis and Maria on Sesame Street.

Just like the Museum of Jurassic Technology, sadly there are no dinosaurs at The La Brea Tar Pits. Again, you're probably thinking, "this guy is an idiot! Of course there aren't any dinosaurs at The La Brea Tar Pits!" For those of you who aren't amature paleontologists, The La Brea Tar Pits are a famous cluster of tar pits that have yeilded a pleathera of fossilized organisms from the last ice age. Most recognizable are the fossils of mammals from the ice age, meaning mastodons, dire wolves, and sabor tooth cats among others (and they are sabor tooth cats, not tigers. The museum makes it very clear that sabor tooth cats are not tigers. And now you know).

I visited the tar pits and the accompanying Page Museum with a friend from out of town. It's no Museum of Natural History in NY, but it's still pretty cool if you're looking for something different. The small Page Museum has an extensive collection of fossils on display, and there's a fantastic animated short film that screams, "I was made in the early 90s!"

After visiting the museum, we walked around the grounds. You would expect that these mastodons came out of giant holes in the ground, but alas no. Most of the pits are no longer being excavated at all, and look like puddles of mud about the size of a king sized bed. Fortunately, they are much cooler than mud because gases bubble up to the surface, making them look like boiling puddles of mud. As an extra special bonus, they smell awful. And no, you can't jump in them...unless you jump the fence.

One of the pits, Pit 91, is still under excavation, but only a few month out of the year due to funding constraints. Pit 91 really is a big hole in the ground. Unfortunately, we weren't there during excavation, but it was still cool to see an active excavatoin site. Where else am I going to see an excavation site?

While you're there, be sure to check out the statues of the mamoth family at the edge of the pond. The mother is struggling to escape from the tar while the others stand by helplessly. It's probably the best visual of the tar pits as they were in the Ice Age. I believe it's the same pond featured in the film Volcano that births the title geological phenomenon.

The tar pits are a great way to spend an afternoon feeling like you're on a third grade field trip. And field trips are the best part of third grade!


Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits
5801 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-PAGE (7243)
www.tarpits.org

Hours:
Monday through Friday, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Admission:
Adults: $7.00
Seniors 62 and older and Students with I.D.: $4.50
Youths 13-17 years old: $4.50
Children 5-12 years old: $2.00
Members and Children under 5: Free