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Petersen Automotive Museum

6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

Description

The Petersen Automotive Museum has over 100 vehicles on display with a focus on automotive artistry (ground fl.), industrial design and engineering (2nd fl.) and history of automobile and SoCal car culture (3rd fl.). The building is located along Museum Row in Los Angeles and the 2015 re-design with stainless-steel ribbons was led by architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox. Highlights include themed semi-permanent exhibits and memorable vehicles such as the Ferrari 308 GTS Targa used in Magnum P.I., the Batmobile from Batman Returns (1992) and Luke Skywalker's land-speeder from Star Wars. In parallel to the general admission tickets, the museum also offers visits of 'The Vault' which contains over 250 rare vehicles. There are self-guided and docent-led options, min. age is 10yrs old and last entry is 14h30. Separate fee applies

Access & Transport

The auto museum is at 6060 Wilshire Blvd in the Wilshire neighbourhood (Miracle Mile / Park La Brea), across the road from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Buses 217 stops on S Fairfax Ave and 786 on Wilshire Blvd. Parking is $17 for visitors (at the time of this review) Accessibility info: https://www.petersen.org/accessibility

Instructions & Recommendations

Guests are encouraged to pre-purchase tickets. We suggest combining this activity with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the La Brea Tar Pits.

Meta review

Often listed as one of the top things to do whilst in L.A. but few online reviews and magazines make the distinction between the standard ticket and 'the Vault'. The standard part has less cars on displays and is more oriented towards technical aspects and movie memorabilia, which should be of interest for everybody, not just men and petrol heads. The Vault is not covered by this review but is the part that true car enthusiasts are actually looking for and expecting to see when coming in so there are recurring negative comments on having to pay a significant extra fee to see that collection.

Environmental & Social

Marginally negative from an environmental standpoint due to the electricity consumption (lighting and a/c). Some school programs.

Conclusion

The Petersen Automotive Museum is very good, but we would not consider it as a prime attraction of Los Angeles. Best reserved for car afficionados and those with spare days in town.

Key positive

Interesting and educational exhibits

Some rare models

Central location

Key negative

Unexpected split of collection between General and The Vault

Expensive

Suitability

Suitable for all ages (not The Vault) and accessible for visitors with reduced mobility

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

August 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Admissions desk closes at 16h30

av. transport time:0h 30m

est. visit time:1h 20m

Regulated hours

Monday10:00 - 17:00

Tuesday10:00 - 17:00

Wednesday10:00 - 17:00

Thursday10:00 - 17:00

Friday10:00 - 17:00

Saturday10:00 - 17:00

Sunday10:00 - 17:00

Pricing
Age band
Age band
Regular price / pers.
Senior
62 - 99
US$19
Adult
18 - 61
US$21
Teen & Young
12 - 17
US$13
Child
4 - 11
US$12
Infant
0 - 3
US$0
Price for general admission tickets

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