Page 32 - 2025-2026 Travel Guide to California

MUSEUMS & ART
BY LAURIE WEED
STATE OF THE ARTS
The Left Coast pays tribute to art, science and culture
THE CALIFORNIA
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Located in San Francisco’s Golden
Gate Park, this renowned scientific
institution houses a world-class
natural history museum,
planetarium, and aquarium.
Established in 1853, the academy
serves as a hub for research,
education, and conservation,
fostering a deeper understanding
of the natural world through its
diverse exhibits and programs.
Whether you prefer to ogle modern
art or antiquities, Ice Age fossils or
space shuttles, the Golden State’s
wealth of world-class museums awaits.
With more than 1,000 museums of all sizes
across the state, there’s a lifetime of fine art,
science, history and culture to explore, as
well as weird and wonderful collections for
every imaginable niche-interest, from Star
Wars memorabilia to the legends of Bigfoot.
While it’s impossible to do them all justice
here, we’ve highlighted some of the best.
The Arts
Visiting LA? It’s easy to spend hours in the
West’s largest art museum, the Los Angeles
County Museum of Art (LACMA), which has
recently completed a multi-year transfor-
mation project, adding new galleries and
modernized architecture. Downtown, the
Museum of Contemporary Art and Geffen
Contemporary (MOCA Grand and MOCA
Geffen, respectively) showcase the best in
art created after 1940 in all media. The Insti-
tute of Contemporary Art (ICA LA) is housed
downtown to great acclaim. The renowned
Getty Center in the Brentwood district
includes art from the Middle Ages to today
set amid modern architecture and gardens.
Getty Villa in Malibu focuses on Greek and
Roman classical art. Pasadena’s Norton
Simon displays European and Modern
CITYPASS. OPPOSITE: VANCHAI TAN/SHUTTERSTOCK | TMP - AN INSTANT OF TIME/SHUTTERSTOCK
30 2025-26 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA