The fabulous Michele, from Fun Orange County Parks recently visited the La Brea Tarpits and George C Page Museum and shares her outing with us.

We visited the Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits near Miracle Mile in Los Angeles as an excursion with extended family. I’d never visited the Page Museum with my kids so I didn’t know what to expect besides my recollection of fossils.

The museum itself is nothing spectacular and rather dated. It’s a square building with an atrium (koi pond with turtles) in the center. At the entrance, you’re routed to your left to follow the great halls around in a clockwise direction until you come out back where you started. My 4yo and 7yo are rather patient and into seeing and reading all the exhibits and it still only took us about 30 minutes to take it all in. Some of the exhibits are downright disturbing for little ones.

The real treasure lies outside the museum’s walls in the meandering paths and tar pits outdoors.

We easily spent an hour in Hancock Park. We took a walk out the entrance and across the bridge by the main tar pit. We continued down Wilshire to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where they had an installation of lampposts on the sidewalk.

The walk through the park back toward the Page Museum was pure, delightful discovery. The kids led the way and found all sorts of tar pits in the lawn and viewed the excavation sites. The little demonstration garden and statues were high points. Don’t forget to allow time for the kids to roll down the grassy hills outside the museum entrance.

Parking $7. Adult admission is $7 and kids under 5 are free. Visit the website for more information on admission and hours. The Petersen Automotive Museum is also nearby.

Michele writes about OC playgrounds and play ideas on her Fun Orange County Parks blog