Rambling LA: Oh, My! Dinosaurs

Friday, February 27, 2009

Oh, My! Dinosaurs

BIG FUN AT THE LA COUNTY NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

If you haven't been to the LA County Natural History Museum recently, it's time to give it another look.

On a recent visit, my friend and I were as thrilled as the kids to encounter this dinosaur puppet. It's a life-size juvenile T-Rex. Little and big kids alike enjoyed the interactive session, in which our host asked and answered a lot of dino questions. This replica renders T-Rex with a coat of downy feathers. Our guide discussed the link between these prehistoric giants and their smaller avian relatives.

The Dinosaur Encounters program also features a juvenile Triceratops. We'll definitely return to see him. Note that this program is loud: the guide uses a mic at high volume. It may be too loud--and perhaps too scary--for a small child.

Exposition Park has raised the parking rate to $8 (gulp), and the street parking is gone due to Expo line construction, so get the most for your money by exploring more of the museum. Downstairs you'll find a sweet Discovery Center that features live animals, including turtles, an iguana named Cecil, a python, fish, amphibians, and insects. The Discovery Center offers a story time and live animal presentations, during which a curator displays and discusses small animals.

Also, don't discount the taxidermy. It's a great way for kids to get an up-close look at critters they might not otherwise encounter--like this giant polar bear in the Discover Center. Or the permanently perched birds in the museum's excellent Hall of Birds.

And look for the reopening of butterfly pavilion--outside the museum near the entry. I took my son there when he started running and talking. He was ecstatic. But I couldn't figure out why he was saying, "Meow! Meow!" Then I realized he'd heard the educator talking about CATerpillars.