The California Science Center located in the heart of Los Angeles is an amazing facility for people of all ages to learn by doing! With over 400,000 square feet of space, the facility has over four major exhibit areas, including a Discovery Room, which is designed for scientists age 7 and under. My favorite thing about the center is that admission is free for all permanent exhibits!
On a recent sweltering day, we ventured to the California Science Center to check out the King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh special exhibit. As it is not part of the permanent exhibit, admission was not free, however, our party of six (immediate family + in laws) loved the exhibit – including my 3.5 year old who was riveted and engaged the whole time.
The King Tut exhibit is separated into two parts – the first part begins on the third floor and you are required to show your ticket in order to enter. The exhibit begins with a short movie, introducing King Tut and the exhibit.
Of the 150 artifacts on display at the exhibit, 66 had never before traveled outside of Egypt. Those artifacts were clearly marked with a “first time out of Egypt” label.
As we made our way through the exhibit, we were blown away by not only the quality of the artifacts which were all in pristine condition. The artifacts were also incredibly intricate and I can only imagine the skilled craftsmanship that went into creating each individual item.
My nine year old was able to really dig into the exhibit – he wandered around and read the signs and descriptions on his own, commenting as he went along. My 3.5 year old spent his time in the exhibit largely on his grandfather’s shoulders, but even he was engaged as his grandpa read him the descriptions and explained to him what we were seeing.
After making our way through the first part of the exhibit, we were given a card that would serve as our admission to Part II – located on the first floor. Before leaving the third floor, however, my nine year old decided he wanted to take a ride on the high-wire bicycle. For $3, he was strapped in and completed two back and forth journeys on the high-wire. He reports that it was great fun and wished that we had the time for him to do it again!
After finding our way down to the first floor, we handed over our cards and were granted admission into Part II – which focuses on the actual work of discovering and excavating the tomb.
Howard Carter is credited as the British archeologist who discovered the tomb, but I was tickled to learn, for the first time, that it was water boy, Hussein Abdel-Rassoul who first laid eyes on the tomb and reported the discovery to Carter and his crew of men.
The end of the exhibit featured a short film which introduced some levity into the whole King Tut fascination. My boys loved dancing to Steve Martin’s King Tut parody, which was playing in the background, as they watched the film.
Our exploration of the King Tut exhibit occupied us for over two hours, so by the time we made our way out of Part II, it was time to leave downtown to get home in time for a certain little one’s nap. Having caught a glimpse of the other exhibits at the California Science Center on our way in and out of the King Tut exhibit, I know that we will be visiting the museum frequently on hot days, as well as the rare rainy day in Southern California.
The California Science Center is located at 700 Exposition Park Drive in Los Angeles and is open to the public seven days a week, 362 days a year, with free general admission to its permanent exhibits. The King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh is a limited time engagement and I strongly encourage those who are able to visit! Note that once you leave the exhibit, re-entry is not permitted.
Be sure to check out our entire category of posts on things to do and places to visit in Los Angeles, California with kids! And, be sure to visit the California Science Center with kids!
Every so often, we encounter a place that is so fabulous for those traveling with kids that it is worthy of being featured on its own. For more fun locations, please check out our other Spotlight features!
