For one day in Los Angeles, make Exposition Park your focus: the 160-acre campus brings museums and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum together in South Los Angeles. From a one-star hotel in Los Angeles, the Natural History Museum is about 9 minutes away by car.
- Area: Exposition Park, South Los Angeles.
- Coliseum: About 8 minutes by car from the hotel.
- Museum option: Natural History Museum general admission is $18 for adults; other rates apply.
- Transit: Expo Park/USC Station serves the park on Metro’s E Line.
Start with Exposition Park
Exposition Park gives you several major stops in one campus, making it a practical starting point for a day focused on museums and the Coliseum. Its grounds include the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the California African American Museum, the California Science Center and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Expo Park/USC Station is about 5 minutes by car from the hotel. If you’re using transit, the Metro E Line serves the park and the museum at Expo Park/USC Station.
Plan the morning around one museum, then leave time to walk through the park to another stop. The California African American Museum was founded in 1977 and focuses on researching, collecting, preserving and interpreting African American history, art and culture, with emphasis on California and the western United States. Its admission, exhibitions, programs and events are free and open to the public.
For a closer look at the campus’s museum options, the Exposition Park museums make a natural next read.
Choose a museum visit
The Natural History Museum and California African American Museum offer two distinct ways to spend time in Exposition Park. Choose one as your main visit, or check opening hours before planning to combine them.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is at 900 Exposition Blvd. General admission costs $18 for adults, $14 for seniors aged 62 and up, $14 for students with college ID or youth aged 13–17, $7 for children aged 3–12, and nothing for children aged 2 and under; members enter free. Add-on programs and exhibitions also require a general-admission ticket.
The museum generally opens daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It closes on the first Tuesday of each month, except June through August, and on Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Advance online tickets are recommended to help ensure entry. Los Angeles County residents can receive free admission from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; those tickets are available onsite only.
California African American Museum
The California African American Museum is at 600 State Drive in Exposition Park, and admission is free. It opens Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; it is closed Mondays except Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It also closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Hours, admission details and special-event arrangements can change, so check the official site before you go.
How do you get from Exposition Park to the Coliseum?
The Coliseum is in Exposition Park, and Metro’s directions from Expo Park/USC Station take you west along Exposition Boulevard and through the park. The directions estimate about five minutes through the park and another five minutes to the entrance.
The Coliseum’s address is 3911 S. Figueroa St. Expo Park/USC and Expo/Vermont are Metro E Line stops less than a five-minute walk from the entrance gates. The J Line to 37th St/USC and bus lines 40, 81, 102 and 204 are also listed as transit options for the Coliseum area.
If you’re planning around a game or event, check the Coliseum’s visitor information for the details that apply to your visit. The Coliseum visitor guide covers the approach and visit planning.
Exposition Park parking can be accessed at 39th and Figueroa Streets or at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Hoover Street. The California African American Museum states that parking costs $20 during the day and $24 after 5:00 p.m.
Plan the return and evening
Metro’s E Line connects Exposition Park with East Los Angeles and Santa Monica, and Expo Park/USC Station serves the area. A regular one-way fare is $1.75, while a round trip is $3.50; the fare includes two hours of unlimited transfers. Children under age 6 ride free with an adult.
The Coliseum’s posted directions give the last trains from Expo Park as 11:50 p.m. eastbound toward East Los Angeles and 12:10 a.m. westbound toward downtown Santa Monica. Event service can vary, so check Metro and Coliseum information for your visit before you rely on those times.
If you’re arriving by air before your day in the park, Los Angeles International Airport is about 19 minutes by car from the hotel.
Exposition Park’s normal operating hours are 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., though hours may change on special-event days. Use the museum or Coliseum as your final stop only after checking its hours and your return transit.
FAQs
Can you visit more than one museum in Exposition Park in a day?
The museums are within the same campus, so you can plan a day around more than one. Check each museum’s schedule before choosing your order.
Is the California African American Museum free?
Yes. Admission, exhibitions, programs and events are free and open to the public.
Which Metro line serves Exposition Park?
The Metro E Line serves Expo Park/USC Station, which provides access to Exposition Park and the California African American Museum.