Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits to Close for Two-Year Mega-Renovation

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Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits to Close for Two-Year Mega-Renovation

June 2025

LOS ANGELES – One of Southern California’s most iconic scientific and cultural landmarks, the La Brea Tar Pits, is set to close its museum doors for approximately two years beginning this July, as the site undergoes its most extensive renovation since opening nearly five decades ago.

The George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits will welcome its last visitors on July 6, 2026, before shuttering for a massive overhaul expected to last until summer 2028. The project, carrying a price tag of $240 million, marks the first major renovation of the 13-acre Hancock Park campus since the museum opened in 1977.

A Mammoth Undertaking

The closure sets in motion what officials describe as a logistical feat of prehistoric proportions. Behind the scenes, staff have already begun the painstaking process of packing an estimated 3.5 million fragile Ice Age fossils into custom-foam crates for safe transport and storage during construction. The collection includes everything from towering mammoth skeletons and saber-toothed cat skulls to millions of tiny microfossils that paint a near-complete picture of life in Los Angeles over the past 60,000 years.

“Every bone, down to the last dire wolf rib, must be carefully sheathed in a custom foam shell,” the Los Angeles Times reported, describing the maze of packing crates already filling the museum’s back rooms with handwritten labels reading “bison skulls” and “camel hip.”

What’s Coming in 2028

When the museum reopens in summer 2028, it will serve as the centerpiece of the newly established Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research — a scientific hub dedicated to studying extinction, resilience, and climate change through the unparalleled fossil record preserved beneath Los Angeles.

The reimagined facility will introduce new research spaces, updated exhibition areas, and expanded environments designed to help visitors better engage with the scientific process. Beloved outdoor features — including the grassy rolling hills and the famous life-sized mammoth sculptures — will return, while new skeletons will be added to the display, including the battle-scarred mammoth known as “Zed.”

According to the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, the renovation will also create visible research laboratories, new collections storage and displays, an immersive theater, and a roof terrace with views of the park.

The Park Stays Open

✅ Good news for visitors

While the museum building will be inaccessible, the surrounding park and outdoor excavation sites will remain open to the public throughout the construction period. Visitors can still watch scientists at work at active dig sites across the park and experience the famous tar pits themselves — all free of charge.

“Museum admission required” for the indoor exhibits, the official site notes, but the grounds themselves remain accessible.

A Final Farewell

Before the doors close, the museum is hosting a series of farewell events, including a disco-themed “Last Dance at La Brea Tar Pits” on June 27. Until July 6, the museum remains open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Los Angeles County residents can enjoy free admission Monday through Friday from 3 to 5 p.m.

“This is the largest capital investment in NHM’s history,” said Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, President and Director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, “and it reflects an extraordinary commitment from our civic and philanthropic partners to the future of La Brea Tar Pits.”

The timing of the reopening is aimed at positioning the Tar Pits for a grand return just before the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Source: Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County / La Brea Tar Pits official announcements

Contact: For more information, visit tarpits.org

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