This bit of prehistoric family drama can be found at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. If you’re going to visit only one stinky place in L.A., then this should be it.
The tar pits were recently in the news, because an intact mammoth skeleton was found for the first time at the site (probably from the poor guy in the picture). Paleontologists have been busy unearthing the thousands of Ice Age fossils they recovered from a construction site of a nearby parking lot. You might get to see the scientists working meticulously with their little brushes on these fossils, at the fish-bowl laboratory in the George C. Page Museum at La Brea.
If you have kids, then it’s the perfect place to sneak in some learning while on your vacation. I wrote all about my trip last summer at Travel Savvy Mom, so go there to read all about it.
These creatures from an icier age are linked up to Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday. This is where all the cool kids go on Friday. What are you waiting for? Go on over to check out all the other travel photos.
Oh, and the fearsome guy in this picture is a giant sloth.
I love the bottom photo! Very cool, thanks this looks like a great place to visit.
Love these pictures. I’m going to have to head north with the kids.
When we visited this last Tommy was two. Those statues made him very nervous. “The baby is helping the mommy out, right?” He must have asked about ten times. In that blithe way that parents will lie, we assured him that yes, the baby was pulling the mommy out.
That whole area is great, what with the Petersen Automotive Museum and also the L. A. Farmer’s Market in the area. Perfect site for an outing with kids.
I have been wanting to take my kids to the Tar Pits sice I moved back down to Socal a couple months ago. Thank you for lighting a fire under my butt!
Hi, I lived in LA for a while and never made it to the tar pits. and what’s funny, i was in a sloth center in costa rica and they have a picture of the giant sloth!
Photo Friday, 2000 Crocodiles…Where?
Another place to add to my travel list…
I thought the whole scene was pretty traumatic too, luckily my son was a bit older when we went and was O.K. with it.
Having grown up in the US, the La Brea Tar Pits are big in my cultural consciousness. I can’t believe my parents didn’t take me there when we visited Los Angeles in the 80s. I’m still mad! One day I will take my (still nonexistent) kids!
I still remember going to the tar pits as a young girl. That last picture is great!
Ah yes! I had read about the parking lot fossil discovery and thought it was so cool that discoveries are still being made! Great timing. (Also love the smile in the last photo).
I’ve wanted to go to the tar pits since I was a little girl. We studied them in 3rd grade, and they’ve been on my to-do list since. So glad they don’t disappoint!
I never knew about the prehistoric animals and the tar pits. For some reason, I’ve always associated drag racing with the La Brea Tar Pits…there’s a reason for that, I’m sure. But imagine my surprise when I was the mastodons and giant sloth!