La Brea Tar Pits Segway Tour

The La Brea Tar Pits preserve real Ice Age bones in sticky asphalt beneath modern Los Angeles. You ride a Segway from central Los Angeles to this strange, memorable site, then hear how mammoths, mastodons, dire wolves, giant ground sloths, and saber-toothed cats met their fate.

I like the 30-minute riding lesson, which gives beginners time to get comfortable before heading out. I also like the chance to see La Brea alongside nearby sights such as LACMA, the Petersen Automotive Museum, and Urban Light, rather than treating the tar pits as an isolated museum visit.

The main catch is value: at $169 per person, this costs much more than visiting the tar pits on foot. The ride and guide commentary make the price easier to justify, but admission to the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is not included.

Key points to know before you book

• Actual Ice Age bones: See remains of mammoths, mastodons, dire wolves, giant ground sloths, and saber-toothed cats.
• A full 30-minute Segway lesson: You do not need to arrive already knowing how to ride.
• A moving tour of Museum Row: The route includes views near LACMA, the Petersen Automotive Museum, and the famous Urban Light installation.
• Jose is one praised guide: His Los Angeles history and film-industry knowledge add useful local context when he leads the tour.
• Two departure choices: Morning and afternoon options make it easier to fit the ride into a Los Angeles sightseeing day.
• Plan for an outdoor outing: Tours run rain or shine, and you need enough fitness to climb stairs without help.

Why the tar pits make such a good Segway stop

Los Angeles is usually sold through beaches, studios, palm trees, and traffic. La Brea offers a different story. Here, natural asphalt has trapped animals from the Pleistocene Era, a period stretching from about 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago.

That gives the tour a useful sense of place. You are not simply looking at old bones in a glass case. You are visiting the ground where these animals became trapped, with modern Los Angeles built around the site.

I find the subject especially effective for a short tour because the facts are easy to picture. A mammoth, a North American lion, or a short-faced bear sounds impressive in a museum label. Learning that the remains were preserved in asphalt makes the setting feel far more immediate.

The tour also explains that the tar was useful to early settlers, who used it for building materials and fuel. That detail connects the prehistoric site to the later growth of Los Angeles. The pits are not only about extinct animals. They also tell part of the story of how people used the natural materials beneath the city.

Getting started at 1080 S La Cienega Boulevard

You meet Another Side Of Los Angeles Tours at 1080 S La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90035. The tour returns to this same point, so you do not need to arrange a separate pickup after the ride.

Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included. You need to make your own way to the meeting point, though the location is near public transportation. Build in a little extra time to arrive, especially if you are unfamiliar with central Los Angeles streets.

The experience begins with a 30-minute Segway orientation. That is a meaningful part of the tour, not a rushed safety speech. Your guide gives you operating tips and lets you get used to balancing, stopping, and steering before you set off.

If you have never ridden a Segway, this lesson should make the activity feel less intimidating. You still need a decent level of fitness and must be able to climb stairs without assistance, but the tour is not described as physically demanding.

A helmet and the Segway are supplied. Bottled water and small snacks, including chips, are also provided during the outing. Those are modest extras, but they are useful on a warm Los Angeles day.

Riding toward Museum Row

Once you feel ready, the route heads toward the La Brea Tar Pits. The ride gives you a way to cover more ground than you would on foot, while still keeping the pace slow enough for guide commentary and photo stops.

The route brings you near several well-known Los Angeles sights. LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, sits on Wilshire Boulevard beside the tar pits. Its location helps explain why La Brea works well as part of a larger Museum Row visit.

The Petersen Automotive Museum is also on Wilshire Boulevard. It focuses on automobile history and related education, making it a useful nearby option for anyone who wants to pair prehistoric animals with a very different kind of Los Angeles history.

You also pass or stop near Urban Light, the popular outdoor artwork at LACMA. It uses 202 historic streetlamps from the 1920s and 1930s, originally spread across Southern California. The installation is one of the easiest photo stops to recognize, and the Segway gives you a practical way to reach it during the same outing.

Do not assume that this tour includes admission to LACMA or the Petersen. The route features these places from the outside or nearby, while the included attraction focus is the La Brea Tar Pits. If you want museum interiors, plan separate visits and allow more time.

Exploring the La Brea Tar Pits

La Brea is the heart of the experience. At the site, your guide explains the tar pits and the excavations, then points out actual bone matter from animals that lived during the Ice Age.

The distinction between bone and fossil matters. You are seeing preserved remains from real animals, including mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, American camels, giant ground sloths, the short-faced bear, and the North American lion.

This range of species gives the stop real drama. You are not looking at one famous skeleton and moving on. The collection shows how different creatures shared the same broad environment, and how the asphalt pits could trap animals over a long span of time.

You will also see exhibits and reconstructed Ice Age scenes that work well for photos. These displays help you picture the animals as living creatures rather than disconnected bones. If you are visiting with children, the size and variety of the animals should give the stop plenty of visual appeal.

The tour includes about 30 minutes at La Brea, with admission to the tar pits and museum not included. That time is enough for an introduction, a look at the site, and photos, but it is not enough for a careful museum visit. Science fans who want to read every display should return independently or buy admission separately.

That is one of the clearest limits of the tour. You get a guided overview, not a long study session. I see that as a benefit if you want an active introduction, but a drawback if the museum itself is your main reason for coming.

What the guide adds

The guide is important here because the site can be puzzling without context. Asphalt bubbling up from the ground, animal bones, and reconstructed scenes become much more interesting when someone explains how they fit together.

The guide provides narration throughout the tour, including the history of Los Angeles and the tar pits. One guide, Jose, has been praised for explaining local history and for adding an insider’s view of the film industry. That kind of commentary can make the ride feel broader than a simple trip from one attraction to another.

Jose is also noted for pointing out less obvious details around Beverly Hills. The route information centers on La Brea and nearby Museum Row, so the exact commentary can depend on the guide and the day. Still, you can reasonably expect the human side of Los Angeles to be part of the experience, not just a list of dates and species.

I particularly value the guide’s role during the first half hour. Learning to operate the Segway is easier when instructions are clear and patient. A friendly guide can also help you relax before riding in an urban setting.

Is $169 a fair price?

The price is $169 per person. That is a serious cost for a two-hour activity, especially since museum admission is separate and transportation to the meeting point is your responsibility.

The price covers more than a basic rental. You receive a professional guide, a 30-minute orientation, a Segway, a helmet, bottled water, and small snacks. You are also paying for a guided route that links central Los Angeles with La Brea and nearby sights.

I would compare the price with your priorities. If you only want to see the tar pits, walking over and paying separate admission will be cheaper. If you want a fun way to move around Museum Row, prefer an active tour, or have limited time in Los Angeles, the Segway adds enough structure and entertainment to make the cost more reasonable.

The tour is also useful for people who do not want to spend two hours inside a museum. You get prehistoric history, outdoor stops, city views, and practical local commentary in one compact outing.

On the other hand, serious museum visitors may get better value by visiting La Brea at their own pace. The short stop means you will not have time for every exhibit, and the admission fee remains outside the tour price.

Who should book this experience?

I would choose this tour for first-time Los Angeles visitors who want to see more than one attraction without committing to a full-day city tour. It is also a good fit for families with children aged eight and older, provided the children can follow instructions and meet the riding rules.

The minimum age is eight. Riders aged eight to 15 must have a parent present to sign the waiver and accompany them. Riders aged 16 and 17 need a parent present to sign the waiver but may ride without the parent accompanying them.

The maximum rider weight is 250 pounds, or 113 kilograms. Service animals are allowed. Pregnant women cannot participate.

You should also think honestly about comfort and balance. The activity is not physically demanding, but you must have a decent level of fitness and be able to climb stairs without assistance. Tours operate rain or shine, so morning or afternoon timing will not change the basic weather policy.

The tour can accommodate up to 100 people, though the actual group size on a particular departure is not specified. If you prefer a very small, quiet experience, ask about the group size when booking.

Morning or afternoon?

The choice of morning or afternoon departure gives you some useful planning freedom. A morning ride can leave the rest of the day open for LACMA, the Petersen, or another Los Angeles neighborhood. An afternoon ride may work better if you want a slower start.

Because the total experience lasts about two hours, it fits more easily into a busy schedule than a full-day city tour. Still, do not treat the listed duration as a complete Museum Row visit. It includes the instruction, riding time, tar-pit stop, and return to the original meeting point.

The tour is booked, on average, about 19 days ahead. That does not guarantee that every date will sell out, but it is a useful sign that you should reserve before your trip if your schedule is fixed.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Changes or cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted for a refund.

My practical take on the experience

The best part of this tour is the contrast. You begin by learning a modern personal transport device, then ride through a city known for movies and cars, and finish among animals that disappeared thousands of years ago.

That contrast also keeps the outing from feeling like a standard museum visit. The tar pits are fascinating, but the Segway gives the experience a playful edge. You can pose with reconstructed Ice Age scenes, stop near Urban Light, and hear local stories while moving between places.

The main thing to manage is your expectation of time. Thirty minutes at La Brea is an introduction, not a full museum program. If the bones and excavations are your top interest, schedule a separate visit and use the Segway tour as a lively first look.

Should you book the La Brea Tar Pits Segway Tour?

Book it if you want an active, guided introduction to La Brea and nearby Los Angeles sights, and if $169 fits your budget. The 30-minute lesson makes the ride approachable, while the guide’s local history and film-industry commentary can add character to the route.

Skip it if you want the lowest-cost way to visit the tar pits, need extensive museum time, or do not feel comfortable riding a Segway. For everyone else, this is a memorable way to connect Ice Age science with modern Los Angeles, provided you see the tour as a guided overview rather than a complete museum visit.

FAQ

How long is the La Brea Tar Pits Segway Tour?

The tour lasts approximately two hours, including the Segway orientation, the ride to the La Brea Tar Pits, sightseeing, and the return to the meeting point.

Where does the tour begin?

The tour starts at Another Side Of Los Angeles Tours, 1080 S La Cienega Boulevard, Suite 108, Los Angeles, California 90035.

Where does the tour end?

The activity ends back at the original meeting point on S La Cienega Boulevard.

Is Segway training included?

Yes. The tour includes a 30-minute Segway orientation, plus use of the Segway and safety equipment, including a helmet.

Is admission to the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum included?

No. Admission to the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is not included in the tour price.

What animals can you see at La Brea?

The tour can include remains from mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, American camels, giant ground sloths, short-faced bears, and North American lions.

What is the minimum age?

The minimum age is eight. Riders aged eight to 15 must have a parent present to sign a waiver and accompany them. Riders aged 16 and 17 need a parent present to sign a waiver but may ride without parental accompaniment.

Is there a weight limit?

Yes. The maximum rider weight is 250 pounds, or 113 kilograms.

What happens if you need to cancel?

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the experience starts for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted for a refund.