Museum Monday: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) 

A closeup view of Chris Burden's Urban Light art installation outside LACMA

In late 2024, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to complete construction of its brand-new David Geffen Galleries. The building will house the museum’s permanent collection of 150,000 objects and reestablish its status as the largest art museum in the western United States. LACMA’s Resnick Exhibition Pavilion and Broad Contemporary Art […]

Museum Monday: The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum

Dwight Brooks ship models and more displays inside the main exhibit hall of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum has a mission to preserve and celebrate over 13,000 years of human interaction with the ocean. It’s quite the scope, narrowed by a focus on the local coastal region, the Santa Barbara Channel and the Channel Islands. The museum showcases centuries of interaction between human inhabitants and the rich coastal […]

Museum Monday: An American Christmas Story at the Reagan Library

A closeup of ornaments on the California Christmas tree at the Reagan Library's An American Christmas Story exhibit in 2022

Every holiday season, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley presents a special exhibit of Christmas trees decorated to fit the year’s theme. In 2022, the theme is An American Christmas Story. The 5,000-square-foot exhibit features more than 60 trees representing each U.S. state and territory. Also on display are rare artifacts, gifts and […]

Museum Monday: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

The exterior of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum with banners

There are many popular museums in Los Angeles, but the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County stands out among them with its comprehensive and broadly appealing exhibits housed in a historic building in Exposition Park. The museum boasts almost 35 million items spanning billions of years of natural history in its vast collection, just […]

Museum Monday: Point Mugu Missile Park, Ventura County

An F-4 Phantom 2 jet mounted on display next to palm trees at Point Mugu Missile Park in Ventura County, an open air museum in Southern California

If you’ve ever driven along the stretch of PCH north of Point Mugu State Park and south of Oxnard, you might have noticed a curious display of grounded vintage fighter jets and missiles in the distant corner of an otherwise empty field. It’s clear that they have a military connection due to the location – […]

A Daylong Adventure On Santa Cruz Island is Ideal For Families

Santa Cruz Island seen in the distance across the Pacific Ocean from the decks of an Island Packers boat going to Channel Islands National Park with pelicans overhead

By George Christopher Thomas My wife and I sometimes like to make our two kids do things together that do not encompass screens or video games. When this year’s summer vacation was about to end, we wanted to finish strong with a memorable day trip. So, I went on the internet, that handy dandy device […]

Museum Monday: MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, Santa Barbara

The white wall exterior of MOXI museum in Santa Barbara, California, with a giant color mixing machine visible in the entrance

If you’re exploring Santa Barbara with kids, a visit to MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation is a must. This interactive science museum is in a prime location on lower State Street, right next to the train station and minutes from beaches and the pier. You can’t miss the striking museum – a […]

Museum Monday: La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles

An up close view of the face, trunk and tusks of a replica mammoth at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum in Los Angeles, California

“Visit the only Ice Age fossil site in the world that’s being actively excavated in the middle of a city!” This very niche, very cool claim to uniqueness could only be an invitation to the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum in Los Angeles.  Part of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, La […]