Look At This: La Brea Tar Pits

For thousands of years, the bubbling asphalt lakes located at the La Brea Tar Pits trapped and preserved the bones of all kinds of animals. In tonight's look at this, Desmond Shaw takes us to one of the world's most famous geological sites.

[technicoloryaya]

I love how the name is "The Tar Tar Pits".

[KenobiStark]

My father took me there as a child, it sparked the fire inside me to ask questions and know that life is so much bigger than my own. The past held magic, frozen in time, for us to see. I felt fortunate seeing everything there. I’ll always be grateful to him for that.

[paulascott]

Easterner here - visited LA a few times and the first time, unknowingly drove past and smelled the smell of fresh road being paved before I realized we were passing the tar pits. Stopped and went in the visitor center/museum. There is actually tar coming up between cracks in the pavement around the pits. I have no idea why I was surprised there was tar all around the tar pits. Great place to visit!

[darrenheideman]

In 2018, I visited Los Angeles for the first time and the Tar Pits was a priority to visit. The museum was incredible, and just to see the scale of the creatures was simply breathtaking.

[boston]

This reporter did an amazing job explaining in detail the history of the tar pits

[vixtex]

One of my favorite field trips as a kid.

[LionheartedDan]

Excellent narrative on the history of the tar pits thank you!

[RGMeadows]

That's legitimate reporting, regardless of what everyone thinks, what we watched was informative and insightful into the ways the Government AND the media should behave. Great content honestly!

[patriciahazeltine]

Growing up in LA County, I loved going to see the tar pits, and the Natural History Museum.

[misshell]

Growing up in SoCal, I've of course first visited as a field trip in school, but went back in my early adulthood. So interesting to see the labs where they are actively cleaning and analyzing fossils through large windows.

[jancw]

I used to like those handles you could pull up that simulated how difficult it would be to pull yourself out of the tar. That and the saber-toothed tiger were my favorites.

[davida]

It’s crazy to me that all those prehistoric animals would come that close to downtown LA?

[sandramorey]

I visited in 1946 and the large mastodon now located in the museum there was sticking out of the lake. I remember the smell and it scared me pretty good. But I was only six.

[gmamose]

That was really interesting, and glad that people had history in mind! That's one place I was to visit!

[conqueringlion]

Greetings from Chumash Native American Nation

[YummyLADanish]

Who else would get busted by the teacher for rolling down the sides of the museum?
Even as a grown up I've done it with my siblings during every visit and have continued the tradition with my nephew. So much fun!

[montanamangum]

That was so cool! What a great segment! Reporting that was real, very informative, and needed!

[rizon]

What I was expecting and what I got were two different things. I thought something had happened, wasn't expecting a history lesson.

[drprick]

I was there just 3 weeks ago from Arkansas. I was staying in the area and just had to check it out. Unfortunately, the one day a month the museum was closed was the day we were there. The LA County Museum of Art and the Museum of Academy Awards are right next door!

[CobaltHaze]

I grew up in LA and I remembered going there as a kid on field trips. Brings back fun memories 🤗