Off-the-Beaten-Path Museums

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Photo by Flickr/saschapohflepp

As a city of major culture, Los Angeles unsurprisingly showcases a wealth of major museums. There’s LACMA, the Getty Center, Natural History Museum, Autry National Center, MOCA, California Science Center, the GRAMMY Museum — just a few of the powerhouses museums the city has to offer. But LA also has a collection of hidden gems, and these off-the-beaten-path museums all contain nuggets of cultural gold. Some have off-the-wall topics, while others are so curious you can’t help but be completely engaged.

Take the Museum of Jurassic Technology, for example. Its oxymoronic name indicates the kind of curiosities you’ll find here, and despite the museum’s seeming lack of focus, it’s still one of the most engaging in the city. Ferns and moss from Napoleon’s tomb, a collection of art from mobile homes, sublime floral radiographs…the list of bizarre and fascinating objects goes on and on. At the end of the day, you realize the museum’s lack of a straightforward system adheres to one rule: it has to be interesting.
Being interesting is an easy feat for the Museum of Neon Art. Once considered a wacky kind of venue, it has of late gained recognition as one of LA’s most unique experiences. To no one’s surprise, the museum features neon art in its permanent collection, which includes vintage signs and neon-incorporated art. Rotating exhibitions are, on the other hand, constantly imaginative and creative. The highlight of the museum is a “neon cruise” of the city on Saturdays from June to October, giving guests a chance to tour Downtown and Hollywood to catch the neon lights of LA.

Architecture fans would be remiss to skip over the Heritage Square Museum, a collection of 19th-century mansions once slated for demolition. Moved to Heritage Square, they anchor the “museum,” which features a church, a boxcar and other structures built between the Civil War and World War I. Two of the most notable are the Hale House and the Longfellow house, both of which are restored to pre-1900s condition. The best part of the visit may be the costumed docents, who lead visitors on tours of the house, effectively re-creating LA as it was more than one hundred years ago.


The little-known Travel Town Museum, located in Griffith Park, also features restored historical pieces. This free museum celebrates the romanticism of LA’s railroad days. Chock full of history, the museum educates visitors about how the railroads helped develop Los Angeles through exhibits and an impressive collection of restored railroad equipment, such as the museum’s current project, the steam locomotive train No. 219.  Guests can climb aboard — a huge hit with the kids — and actually ride a miniature train around the park.

Not surprisingly, “off-the-beaten-path” in Los Angeles might just lead into the ocean. At Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, kids engage in the museum’s small but exciting activities. The Aquarium Touch Tank, for example, gives children a chance to interact with a variety of sea life while a staff member points out all the interesting facts about the tank’s inhabitants. Meanwhile, the popular “Sea Rangers at Cabrillo Beach Coast Park” explores the habitats of the beach with trained professionals, who answer all sorts of questions about tidepools and other environments.

Of course, nothing is more "off the wall" than Pasadena's Bunny Museum, housed in the home of Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski. The living museum is the largest collection of bunny collectibles in the world — more than 23,000 items are on display, including the famous "Elvis Parsley." Find out more at www.thebunnymuseum.com.

So see where you end up when you get a little adventurous and head off the beaten path. If these museums have anything to say about it, you’ll be in for a load of unique experiences only Los Angeles can offer.

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