Why you should visit Exposition Park in Los Angeles
I grew up in Los Angeles and I have visited Exposition Park for various reasons many times over the years, but I have just recently begun to really appreciate all that it offers to visitors.
Exposition Park is a 160 acre urban park just south of Downtown Los Angeles in the Exposition Park neighborhood. It is adjacent to the University of Southern California (USC). The land primarily is owned by the State of California, with portions owned or leased by the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, and the Coliseum Commission (a joint powers authority of the State of California, Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles). Originally founded as an Agricultural Park in 1872, it was renamed Exposition Park in 1910.
Exposition Park is home to the following notable attractions:
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The historic LA Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a memorial to Los Angeles veterans of World War I. Completed in 1923, it will become the first stadium to have hosted the Summer Olympics three times when it hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics, previously hosting in 1932 and 1984. It was designated a National Historic Landmark just prior to the opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics.
The stadium serves as the home of the USC Trojans football team. It has also hosted the Busch Light Clash for NASCAR since 2022.
The Coliseum was the home of the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL from 1946 to 1979, when they moved to Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, and again from 2016 to 2019, prior to the team's move to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. It was the site of the first Super Bowl (Super Bowl I) and Super Bowl VII. It has also served as a home field for a number of other teams, including the 1960 inaugural season for the Los Angeles Chargers, the Los Angeles Raiders of the NFL from 1982 to 1994, and UCLA Bruins football.
The Coliseum offers guided tours to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
On November 6, 1913 the Museum of History, Science, and Art was formally dedicated and opened in Exposition Park. In 1961, it was "divided" into the Los Angeles County Museum of History and Science, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). (LACMA moved to its current Wilshire Blvd. location in 1965). Years later, the museum was again renamed, becoming the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM). It is the largest museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 33 million specimens and artifacts covering 4.5 billion years of history. The NHM building, located at 900 Exposition Boulevard between Vermont and Figueroa, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
In addition to the dinosaur fossils that you would expect to see, they also have an amazing Gem and Mineral Hall, a seasonal Butterfly Pavilion, Live Animal presentations, and much more.
I visited the Butterfly Pavilion a few days ago. My video of the visit is below.
California Science Center
The California Science Center (CSC) dates to the first State Exposition Building, which opened in 1912 and displayed simple, agriculturally-based natural resources and industrial products. After World War II, technology-based businesses began to grow so the State Exposition Building was remodeled to show visitors the role of science and technology in everyday life. The building was renamed the California Museum of Science and Industry in 1951. In 1998, the museum transformed into “a new kind of public institution for science learning”, the California Science Center.
CSC is home to Space Shuttle Endeavour. Endeavour was displayed in horizontal position from October 2012 to December 2023. The exhibit it is currently being reconstructed into a vertical fully stacked flight ready-to-launch position.
In 2021 I went to see the Corpse Flower at CSC.
California African American Museum
The California African American Museum (CAAM) says that its mission is to:
Research, collect, preserve, and interpret for public enrichment the history, art, and culture of African Americans with an emphasis on California and the western United States.
Founded in 1977, CAAM is the first African American museum of art, history, and culture fully supported by a state.
Current exhibitions include: Paula Wilson: Toward the Sky’s Back Door, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh: Finding Soft Ground, Black California Dreamin’: Claiming Space at America’s Leisure Frontier, Simone Leigh, We Are Not Strangers Here: African American Histories in Rural California, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh: Speaking to Falling Seeds.
Exposition Park Rose Garden
The Exposition Park Rose Garden is a 7-acre sunken garden. From 1871 to 1911, the site of the rose garden was part of the city's Agricultural Park. In 1914, the city announced plans to construct a wildflower garden at the park, but the rose garden was not built until 1927 with the planting of 15,000 bushes of more than 100 varieties. The Rose Garden was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
BMO Stadium
BMO Stadium, formerly Banc of California Stadium is the newest of the Exposition Park facilities. Opened on April 18, 2018, it was the first open-air stadium built in the City of Los Angeles since Dodger Stadium in 1962. It was constructed on the site of the former Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, next to the Coliseum. It is the home of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC and the National Women's Soccer League's Angel City FC.
LAFC signed a 15-year, $100 million naming rights deal with Banc of California in 2016 for the stadium. The deal was terminated in 2020. In 2023, Bank of Montreal (BMO) was announced as the new stadium sponsor.
I haven’t had the chance to visit BMO Stadium yet. Hopefully I will get there in the near future.
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (Under Construction)
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is currently under construction and expected to open in 2025. The museum is founded by filmmaker George Lucas and his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson.
The museum describes their Mission and Vision as follows:
We are a museum dedicated to the art of storytelling.
Through visual storytelling, the Lucas Museum expands the role of art and museums for society. The museum inspires thought-provoking ideas and conversations that are relevant within and beyond geographic boundaries. Our work radiates to catalyze more connected and empathetic spaces.
The art of storytelling connects us to shape a more just society.
The Lucas Museum sounds interesting. I’m looking forward to checking it out next year.
If you haven’t been, hopefully I’ve piqued your interest and you will make a visit to Exposition Park one of these days if you get the chance.