They're Fun, They're Educational and They're Free:
A Handy Guide to L.A.'s World-Famous Museums

California African-American Museum
The California African-American Museum of History and Culture is located at 600 State Drive in Exposition Park, directly behind the IMAX Theater. It features both ancient artifacts and modern art created by African-American artists. The current exhibit is Lasting Foundations: the Art of Architecture in Africa. It is showing from May 10, 2007 - August 19, 2007. The California African American Museum (CAAM) and the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture collaborate to display this important photo exhibition of haunting first person testimonies and insightful images of human tragedy and survival in Rwanda. Powerful photographs taken by Jerry Berndt portray genocide memorial sites-lye-covered bones and tattered clothing-contrasted with hopeful images of the orphans of Rwanda rebuilding their lives through marriages, birth, and healing. The museum is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tues. through Sun. Admission is always free. For more information, please visit: www.caamuseum.org

California Science Center
The California Science Center is right next door, at 700 State Drive, Exposition Park. This complex of museums is most famous for its display of air and space crafts located inside the Aerospace Building. This is the West Coast's largest interactive Science Center. The current exhibit is called World of Life. All living creatures—from the single-celled amoeba all the way up to 100-trillion-celled human being—have the same life processes in common. Discover the connections between all life forms with a trip down the Life Tunnel and into the exhibits beyond. Be sure to explore the five life process galleries: Energy Factory, Supply Network, Control Center, Defense Line and Life Source. The museum is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is always free. For more information, please visit: www.californiasciencecenter.org

IMAX Theater
The IMAX Theater is located at the California Science Center. IMAX is a movie theater with a screen 70 feet wide and six-channel surround sound.Currently four shows are offered at different times during the day. Admission is $5.75 for the student price (with college I.D) and $8.00 for those 18 and older without a college I.D. Call (213)744-2014 for show information. For more information, please visit: http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/Imax/Features/Features.php

Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Natural History, at 900 Exposition Blvd., is a museum all Trojans should visit. This is the third-largest natural history museum in the United States with more than 35 halls & galleries. It attracts more visitors than any other museum in California. The building in which the museum is housed is quite interesting in itself; it's a very good example of Spanish Renaissance architecture. The exhibitions span the age of the dinosaurs to contemporary issues like the plight of whales and the rainforests. It sponsors many fine lecture series which offer student discounts. More than 2,000 gem and mineral specimens are on view in the Gem and Mineral Hall. The hall features one of the largest gold exhibits in the world which includes over 300 pounds of natural gold along with gold mining artifacts and other memorabilia. The walk-through Hixon Gem Vault houses such spectacular treasures as exquisite star rubies, emeralds and sapphires. The museum is open 10 a.m. - 5p.m. 7 days a week. Admission is free for USC students with I.D. cards. For more information, please visit: www.nhm.org

La Brea Tar Pits
A short drive from campus, at 5801 Wilshire Blvd., is the La Brea Tar Pits,the world-famous source of fossils. This natural deposit of prehistoric coagulated oil produced the largest collection of Pleistocene fossils ever found in one location. Over 100 tons of fossil bones have been removed in over 70 years of excavation. At the Tar Pits you may visit the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries. This museum containing the life-like skeletons of mammoths, wolves, sloths, eagles, and condors is open 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Tues. through Sun. Admission is $4.50 for students with I.D. cards and free the first Tuesday of each month. For more information, please visit: www.tarpits.org .

Automotive Museum
Next door to the La Brea Tar Pits is the Petersen Automotive Museum at 6060 Wilshire Blvd. This museum, created in 1994, is where you can see "the cars of the stars". You'll see Fred's rockmobile from "The Flintstones" movie. It's open from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $5 with U.S.C. college I.D.

William S. Hart Ranch and Museum
The William S. Hart Ranch and Museum , a member of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles is a one hour drive from USC in Newhall, CA. The museum, a 22 room home of silent film cowboy star, William S. Hart was bequeathed to the county of Los Angeles in 1946. Then ranch consists of 265 acres which is home to a variety of animals including a small herd of bison, donated by the Walt Disney Studios in 1962. Hart's mansion is a Spanish Colonial Revival style home containing his extensive collection of Western Art and Native American artifacts. Museum hours: From mid-Sept to mid-June, the museum and ranch are open from 10am to 1pm on Wed-Fri, and 11am-4pm on Sat./Sun. For more information, please visit: www.hartmuseum.org

Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is an icon of Los Angeles, a national leader in public astronomy, a beloved civic gathering place, and one of southern California's most popular attractions. The Observatory is located on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, just above the Los Feliz neighborhood. It is 1,134 feet above sea level and is visible from many parts of the Los Angeles basin. Griffith Observatory is owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks. The observatory has recently reopened after being closed for four years for much needed restoration and renovation. With a new dome, star projector, laser digital projection system, seats, sound system, and theatrical lighting, the 300-seat Samuel Oschin Planetarium theater is now considered the finest planetarium in the world. The opening show - "Centered in the Universe" - takes visitors on a cosmic journey of exploration and discovery; live presentations are scheduled every hour. During the months after reopening, there will be absolutely no drive-up access to Griffith Observatory. All visitors must have a timed-entry reservation to be admitted to the Observatory. The shuttles are available at 4800 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA, 90027 (near the LA Zoo) or at the parking structure at the Entertainment Complex at Hollywood and Highland in Hollywood. Enter the parking structure off of either Highland Boulevard or Orange Avenue. These shuttles leave from Orange Court, on the far west side of the Hollywood & Highland complex. There is no charge to visit the Griffith Observatory, but there is an $8 charge (roundtrip) to ride the Observatory shuttle. For more information and to make your tram reservation, please visit: http://www.lacity.org/rap/observatory/vshuttle.html