La Brea Tar Pits - Los Angeles
We were in Los Angeles for another reason but had some free time before heading back to Arizona and decided to look for something "new" in LA to see and found that the lauded La Brea Tar Pits were nearby. The La Brea Tar Pits are seemingly in the middle of LA - a large open greenspace with the strong odor of tar which was an odd juxtaposition with the tall buildings surrounding the park. The tar pits are still actively seeping oil tar and still being actively excavated to reveal fossils from thousands / tens of thousands of years ago. You can walk around the park grounds and view several pits of different sizes and depths.
There is a museum in the middle of the park with displays of fossilized animals who had the bad luck of wandering into the tar and was unable to escape. There are displays that allow you to try to pull a simulated foot or limb from the tar which helps you understand just how dangerous the areas were and how futile they may have struggled to free themselves. The museum includes life-size versions of the animals and their skeletons recovered from the pits which illustrates the diversity of life in the area long before Los Angeles was ever founded. The tar pits may not appeal to everyone and if you have an aversion to the strong smell of tar it may not be too enjoyable. If you find yourself in LA with some free time and are a fan of archeology or sabertooth tigers or crude oil, then you may want to plan a visit.
https://tarpits.org
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