Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles

Words can’t even describe how great the experience was!! As a car enthusiast, I cannot recommend this place more. Peterson Automotive Museum is well-known worldwide. You get to see the most exclusive cars around the world. Cars that were used in movie scenes, one of a kind hyper cars that are worth millions, classic cars that are preserved or restored to perfection, concept cars that were in car shows, and the list goes on and on… On top of general admission ticket ($19 for one adult), we also did the guided vault tour (for an additional $35), and let me tell you, it’s worth it!! I don’t wanna spoil it, so I’m not gonna show or tell you what’s there but man it’s cool. The guide is VERY knowledgeable, all the serious car guys that were in our group couldn’t even answer some of his questions. Might just be one of the coolest place I’ve ever visited!!

What a dream come true. I know how the make a wish kids feel now. This place is the most magical place on earth. The collection was just outstanding. I can't say enough good things about this place. I had the time of my life and it was perfect day! I'm a car guy, and the gift shop was just tremendous. If you love autos you'll love this museum!

This is a wonderful museum! Many unique and beautiful cars. There are I think three floors of main exhibit area with a good number of cars on each, each with a plaque describing something about the vehicle. And there are docents wandering around the exhibit who are knowledgeable and friendly. Your admission price gets you in here. There is one more area of cars in the underground parking lot (of a former department store which is now the main exhibit area, I think our tour guide said). That area is called the Vault. It has probably another hundred or two hundred cars, just parked parking lot style, with no plaques saying what they are, although there is an audio app that has information about some of them. The Vault is a separate admission price. For one price, you can wander around the Vault by yourself. If you buy the slightly more expensive (and worth it) guided tour, you CANNOT wander around the Vault before or after your tour time. That I did not like! They did say that before the pandemic admission to the Vault was ONLY as part of a guided tour, so this is a different and possibly temporary arrangement. Overall, the place is awesome, and if you're a car person and can get to this place, do it!

First time visiting this museum and I was blown away at how awesome it is!! A huge collection of beautiful cars with so much history and stories behind them. I was able to catch the James Bond exhibit along with the Andy Warhol exhibit as well. For an extra charge they offer tours and access to "The Vault" where they store even more cars. My wife and daughters loved it too!! Highly recommended this museum if you're in the area.

The Petersen has a wonderful collection of rare and unique cars! The 007 exhibit was awesome! Not just cars, but watercraft and aircraft from the movies—all with detailed stories of how they were used and what had to be done to make them work. Almost everything on display is hands-off, but there are still interactive things for both adults and kids. The Forza racing simulators are good for a few minutes of extra fun, and I love that there was no extra charge to use them! Plan to spend at least three hours if you want to get through the whole museum, and give yourself extra time if you want to really spend time taking in their unique collection. They've got everything from concept cars, to presidential limousines from around the world, and a lot more cars from film and television. The vault tour is definitely worth the extra money, and the docents are super friendly and knowledgeable. If I did it again, I'd definitely go for the guided tour of the vault, because it's a lot to take in on your own, and even with the docents around to answer questions and fill you in with stories and history, I feel like it's too easy to miss significant things when you're going through on your own. The cafe in the museum has great food and drinks, and the staff is super friendly. Likewise, the gift shop is worth checking out—both for its good variety of curiosities and its reasonable prices. If there's more you want to see in the immediate area, consider making the Petersen your first stop—both so you have enough time to see what you want to see and so you can take advantage of the good parking for other sites within walking distance.