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THINGS
TO DO IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |
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Exposition Park Day
Trip
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By Matthew Martz |
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If you’re
looking for a day’s worth of activities all in one
convenient location, then Exposition Park located in University
Park across the street from the University of Southern
California is a place you should visit. Exposition Park’s
spacious 160 acres, houses three museums, three sporting
venues, an IMAX theater, a school, beautiful rose garden,
and farmer’s market.
The centerpiece of the park is the Natural History
Museum of Los Angeles County. Here visitors can explore
and learn about dinosaurs, rare giant gems, Old West
history, and insects, while meandering through three-dimensional
habitat dioramas depicting various prehistoric creatures
and people as well as their present day counterparts.
There is also a Dino Lab, where visitors can get a close
up view of real life archaeologists in action, examining
the pieces of dinosaur bones and reconstructing full
size prehistoric skeletons.
However, if you venture downstairs to the Discovery
Center, you will find a place where kids can have their
own archaeological dig with a brush in hand and rubber
bark to shift around and find bones themselves. The
Center also shows various critters in their habitats,
whether it be terrariums for snakes and other reptiles,
or the insects and aquariums. They have a story-reading
center and drawing and writing corners too.
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Exposition Park
Entrance |
Getting around
Exposition Park is easy, and if you follow one of the color-coded
arrows from the Natural History Museum, you will find your
way straight to the California Science Center. This Science
Center is free, and there many things inside touch and play
with, like interactive games that teach visitors about animals
as well as an outdoor aquarium where you can get up close
and personal with a variety of sea creatures.
Displays like Earthquake can provide a shaking good time,
and Ecosystems thrust guests into various remote and hostile
environments such as rainforests, deserts and even present
day urban ecosystems
Two things not to miss during your visit to the Science
Center are the Air and Space exhibits with its unique
collection of artifacts and hands-on activities, and the
IMAX Theater. Hands down, the best IMAX experience ever,
with its steep stadium seating pressed up against a massive
IMAX screen that surrounds and envelops viewers right
into the movie. Guests become even more part of the action,
with its captivating 3D showings.
The Center also has special traveling exhibitions from
time to time, and can be viewed for an addition charge.
There is a food court and gift shop, in case you are hungry
or want to buy something to remember your adventure.
Adjacent to the Science Center is the
California African American Museum that covers the history
of African migration to the US, up through the cultural
and political roles of African Americans in current times.
This museum is geared more for adults, and showcases five
themed walk though galleries that feature various African-American
artifacts including sculptures, paintings and other antiquities.
Getting around Exposition Park is easy, and if you follow
one of the color-coded arrows from the Natural History
Museum, you will find your way straight to the California
Science Center.
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The California
Science Center is free, and there many things inside touch
and play with, like interactive games that teach visitors
about animals as well as an outdoor aquarium where you can
get up close and personal with a variety of sea creatures.
Displays like Earthquake can provide a shaking good time,
and Ecosystems thrust guests into various remote and hostile
environments such as rainforests, deserts and even present
day urban ecosystems
Two things not to miss during your visit
to the Science Center are the Air and Space exhibits with
its unique collection of artifacts and hands-on activities,
and the IMAX Theater. Hands down, the best IMAX experience
ever, with its steep stadium seating pressed up against
a massive IMAX screen that surrounds and envelops viewers
right into the movie. Guests become even more part of
the action, with its captivating 3D showings.
The Center also has special traveling
exhibitions from time to time, and can be viewed for an
addition charge. There is a food court and gift shop,
in case you are hungry or want to buy something to remember
your adventure.
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Exposition Park
Rose Garden |
California Science Center Exposition Park |
Finally, don’t forget
to check out the Expo Park Farmers Market, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturdays, on the south lawn of Natural History Museum It’s
a great place to purchase fresh, organic produce at a fraction
of supermarket costs. There are dozens of vendors from local
bakeries to BBQ to jewelry and floral merchants. There is
even a petting zoo with pony rides for the kids.
If you plant to visit Exposition Park
on a weekend, free parking can be tough. However, there
are plenty of paid parking spaces in for around $8. So
if you are looking for an economical place to take the
entire family you should definitely take a day trip to
Exposition Park. By Matthew Martz
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Getty
Museum is perhaps the best free Los
Angeles attraction.. |
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Nixon
Library nine acre Library features
a 52,000 square foot museum. |
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