When our boys were little, the Petersen Automotive Museum was one of our favorites in Los Angeles, and the car collection is just amazing. On three large floors, discover the history of cars, contemporary car design and technology, cars as art.
You could start your museum visit on the third floor with history of cars, but first stop on the second floor Discovery Center, hands-on activities for kids. Kids can color and draw cars, older kids will find out cars work – engine, drive train, brakes and suspension, and everyone will have fun with toy model cars.
Hollywood loves using impressive cars in movies, and on the third floor check out a collection of movie cars – the Batmobile and Batcycle (motorcycle with sidecar), cars used in James Bond movies, Steve McQueen’s favorite green convertible and more. Kids can sit in a model T Ford, and see some early 20th century cars, including a 1915 electric car!
On the first floor are beautifully preserved, very rare, one-of-a kind grand touring cars, hand-made with exquisite design details, such as the 1936 Bugatti or 1938 Delahaye. Kids will enjoy the gallery with “art cars,” cars painted in bright colors by artists such as David Hockney and Alexander Calder.
Here’s just a few of the cars in the museum:
Pixar cartoon car
1910 Ford Model T
1989 Batmobile
1966 Yamaha “Batcycle”
1938 Delahaye touring car
1954 Mercedes Benz racing car
Hot rod
1955 Chevrolet Biscayne
1969 Porsche racing car
1915 Detroit Electric car
1936 Bugatti
Tip: The Petersen Automotive Museum is right across the street from the La Brea Tar Pits.
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You’ll also want a fun place to stay. West Hollywood is very convenient to these museums: Los Angeles family hotels.