Explore the wonders of The Getty Center in Los Angeles! Tailored tips and activities for kids of all ages. Discover breathtaking gardens, sculptures, and more!
THE ULTIMATE PARENT’S GUIDE
Visit the The Getty Center – Los Angeles: A Family Guide
Fun Facts
Interesting Things To Know About The Getty Center – Los Angeles:
- The Getty Center is a giant art museum that sits on top of a hill like a modern-day castle!
- WHOA! The Getty Center’s buildings are made of 1.2 million square feet of special stone brought all the way from Italy!
- AMAZING! The tram that takes you up to the museum has carried more than 40 million people – that’s like carrying everyone in California!
- SUPER COOL! The gardens have 500 different types of plants and use recycled water from the fountains to keep them growing!
- HOLY MOLY! If you laid out all the museum’s walls in a straight line, they would stretch for more than a mile!
- INCREDIBLE! The building stays cool in summer using special stones that reflect heat, like a giant umbrella!
Must-Visit Spots
Where To Go At The Getty Center:
THE ART DETECTIVE GALLERY Get Ready for the THE ART DETECTIVE GALLERY : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? This interactive space transforms your little ones into art detectives, complete with special clues and mysteries to solve while looking at beautiful artwork.
INTERESTING FACT! Just like real detectives, art detectives use special tools like magnifying glasses to discover hidden details in paintings that most people miss!
COOL ACTIVITY! Play “I Spy” with the artwork. Give your child a small notebook to sketch the clues they find, just like a real detective’s notebook.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: If you could jump into any painting here, which one would you choose and what would you do first?
DISCUSS: Artists sometimes hide secret messages and tiny details in their paintings that tell special stories. Some artists even painted their pets into famous artwork!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Just like how you might hide your favorite toy in your room, artists love to hide special things in their paintings. They might include their favorite flowers, their pet dog, or even themselves! Some artists painted tiny mice in corners, others added their favorite birds in trees, and some even painted their friends wearing funny costumes. Looking for these hidden treasures is like going on a treasure hunt through time!
ASK YOUR KIDS: What do you think this painting would smell like if you could step inside it?
DISCUSS: Artists often painted scenes from markets filled with fruits, flowers, and spices that would have had amazing smells in real life.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: When artists painted scenes of markets or gardens hundreds of years ago, they were capturing real places where people shopped and lived. The fruits in the paintings might have been oranges from Spain, spices from far-away India, or flowers from local gardens. People would have smelled these wonderful scents as they walked through the markets, just like we smell different things at our grocery stores today!
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Find a painting with an animal hiding in it
HINT: Look carefully in the corners and backgrounds of paintings – animals love to hide there!
OBJECTIVE: Spot three different colors of clothing in one painting
HINT: Look for paintings with lots of people in them – they usually wear different colored outfits
THE SCULPTURE GARDEN Get Ready for the THE SCULPTURE GARDEN : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? This outdoor space lets children walk around giant artworks, seeing how sculptures change from different angles – like walking around a magical garden filled with frozen stories!
INTERESTING FACT! Some of these sculptures are so big that they had to be brought in by special cranes, like giant puzzle pieces being put together.
COOL ACTIVITY! Play “Sculpture Shadows” – have your child strike the same pose as their favorite sculpture and compare their shadow to the artwork’s shadow.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: If this sculpture could come to life for just one minute, what do you think it would do first?
DISCUSS: Sculptures are like 3D photographs that artists make by using their hands and special tools, and some take months or even years to complete!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Just like how you build things with blocks or play-doh, sculptors use materials like marble, bronze, and steel to create their art. Some sculptures start as giant blocks of stone that artists carefully chip away at, like revealing a hidden treasure. Others are built piece by piece, like building with LEGO blocks. Many sculptures in this garden weigh as much as three elephants!
ASK YOUR KIDS: What kind of sounds do you think these sculptures would make if they could talk or move?
DISCUSS: Different materials used in sculptures make different sounds – bronze rings like a bell when tapped, while marble sounds more like a soft knock.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Artists choose different materials for their sculptures based on what they want to express. Some materials sparkle in the sunlight, others change color when it rains. Think about how some of your toys are soft and squishy while others are hard and smooth. Sculptors think about these same things when creating their artwork. Some sculptures even move with the wind or make music when it rains!
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Find a sculpture that reminds you of something from nature (like an animal or tree)
HINT: Walk all the way around each sculpture – it might look different from another side!
OBJECTIVE: Look for a sculpture that casts an interesting shadow
HINT: Visit this spot at different times of day – the shadows change as the sun moves!
THE ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS
GALLERY Get Ready for the THE ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS GALLERY : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? Step into a world of magical medieval books where every page is filled with golden details, colorful dragons, brave knights, and fantastic creatures!
INTERESTING FACT! These books were painted by hand over 500 years ago, and artists used real gold and precious stones to make the colors shine and sparkle.
COOL ACTIVITY! Create your own “illuminated” first letter of your name by imagining it decorated with dragons, flowers, or magical creatures, just like in these ancient books.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: If you could create your own magical creature for one of these books, what parts of different animals would you combine?
DISCUSS: Medieval artists created amazing creatures in these books by mixing different animals together – like a lion with eagle wings and a snake’s tail, called a griffin!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: These artists were like the first fantasy storytellers, creating magical beasts long before movies or television existed. They combined parts of animals they knew – imagine taking a cat’s whiskers, a butterfly’s wings, an elephant’s trunk, and a peacock’s tail to make one fantastic creature! Some of these imaginary animals became so famous that people still tell stories about them today. The artists used special paints made from crushed precious stones, plants, and even bugs to create their vibrant colors.
ASK YOUR KIDS: Why do you think they made these books so colorful and sparkly?
DISCUSS: These books were considered more valuable than gold because each one took years to make and was painted entirely by hand!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Think about how special your favorite book is – now imagine if every single page was painted by hand, decorated with real gold, and took months to create! These books were like medieval movies, telling stories through pictures in a time before photography or television. The sparkly decorations helped tell the stories even to people who couldn’t read. The gold and bright colors also made these books shine when candlelight hit them, making them seem magical in dark medieval churches and castles.
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Find three different magical creatures in the manuscripts
HINT: Look for creatures that have parts from different animals combined together
OBJECTIVE: Spot all the different colors used to make the letter ‘O’ in different books
HINT: Some letters have more than five different colors – can you count them all?
OBJECTIVE:
HINT: Dragons often curl around the edges of pages or hide in the corners!
THE FRENCH DECORATIVE ARTS GALLERY Get Ready for the THE FRENCH DECORATIVE ARTS GALLERY : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? Enter a real-life fairy tale palace room filled with glittering chandeliers, golden furniture, and mirrors that seem magical!
INTERESTING FACT! The furniture in this room was made for real princes and princesses who lived in beautiful palaces in France hundreds of years ago.
COOL ACTIVITY! Play “Royal Designer” – pretend you’re designing a palace room and describe what special features you’d add to make it magnificent.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: If you lived in this palace room, what would be your favorite thing to do here?
DISCUSS: The chairs in this room were covered in special silk that changed color when you touched it, like magic fabric that sparkles differently from every angle!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: These rooms were like the ultimate playhouses of their time! Kings and queens would host magical parties where hundreds of candles would reflect in the mirrors, making the room look twice as big and bright. The furniture wasn’t just for sitting – each piece was like a treasure chest with secret compartments and hidden drawers. Some tables could transform into different shapes, like real-life transformer furniture. Even the clocks were special, playing tiny music box tunes every hour!
ASK YOUR KIDS: How many reflections of yourself can you spot in all the mirrors? Why do you think they used so many mirrors?
DISCUSS: The mirrors in palace rooms were extremely expensive – worth more than a house! They were considered magical because they could “capture” light and make rooms brighter.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Before electricity, rooms were lit by candles, and mirrors helped make spaces brighter by bouncing the light around. It’s like when you shine a flashlight on a mirror and the light bounces off – now imagine hundreds of candles doing that! The mirrors also made rooms look bigger, like a fun house at a carnival. People would sometimes use mirrors to play tricks on visitors, making them think they were walking into another room when it was just a reflection!
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Find three different animals carved into the furniture
HINT: Look at the legs of chairs and tables – they often end in lion’s paws or bird’s feet!
OBJECTIVE: Count how many different types of flowers you can spot in the room’s decorations
HINT: Check the walls, ceiling, and fabric patterns – flowers are everywhere!
OBJECTIVE:
HINT: Look for golden candlesticks or fancy clocks!
THE PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY Get Ready for the THE PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? Discover amazing photographs that tell stories about people, animals, and places from all over the world – it’s like traveling through time with a magical camera!
INTERESTING FACT! Some of these photographs were taken over 100 years ago, before cars were invented, showing us how different the world looked back then.
COOL ACTIVITY! Play “Photo Detective” – choose a photograph and make up a story about what happened right before and right after the picture was taken.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: If you could step into any of these photographs and explore what’s happening, which would you choose and why?
DISCUSS: Early cameras were so slow that people had to sit completely still for several minutes to take a picture – that’s why people rarely smiled in old photos!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Photography was like magic when it was first invented. Imagine if you had to sit as still as a statue for five whole minutes to take a selfie! People thought cameras could capture their soul, and some were afraid to have their picture taken. Today, we take more photos in one day than people could take in a whole year back then. Early photographers had to carry huge cameras and heavy equipment – some as big as your refrigerator – just to take one picture!
ASK YOUR KIDS: What do you think this place/person/animal in the photograph sounds and smells like?
DISCUSS: Photographers often wait hours or even days to capture the perfect moment, just like waiting for a butterfly to land on a flower!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Photographers are like time travelers who freeze special moments forever. They capture things our eyes might miss – like a hummingbird’s wings or a raindrop splashing. Some photos show us amazing things like a baby penguin’s first steps, a lion’s roar, or stars being born in space. These photographers often go on incredible adventures to get their pictures – climbing mountains, diving under the ocean, or sitting in trees for hours waiting for the perfect shot!
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Find a photograph that makes you laugh
HINT: Look for pictures of animals or children playing – photographers love catching funny moments!
OBJECTIVE: Spot three different types of weather in different photographs
HINT: Look for shadows, clouds, or signs of rain and snow
OBJECTIVE:
HINT: Old photographs often look brownish or sepia-toned
Other Nearby Points of Interest
Other great things to do near The Getty Center:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE – Make sure to check out more of what this area has to offer! Here are a few nearby spots that we think you’ll love just as much as the The Getty Center:
Skirball Cultural Center: Just a few minutes away, featuring an amazing Noah’s Ark interactive exhibit perfect for young children
Franklin Canyon Park: A beautiful nature center with easy walking trails and a duck pond
UCLA Hammer Museum: Another free museum with family programs and a courtyard perfect for kids to explore
Read before you go
To make your visit even more exciting, check out these age-appropriate books:
- Katie and the Starry Night by James Mayhew – A wonderful introduction to art for young children
- The Museum Book by Jan Mark – Helps children understand what makes museums special
- You Can’t Take a Balloon into the Getty Museum by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman – A fun picture book that takes place at the Getty
- Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson – To inspire creativity before viewing art
Fun Facts
Interesting Things To Know About The Getty Center – Los Angeles:
- The Getty Center is a $1.3 billion art museum complex that opened in 1997 after 13 years of construction.
- WHOA! The Getty Center uses the same amount of electricity as 9,000 homes, but generates 25% of its power through solar panels!
- HOLY MOLY! The travertine stone used to build the Getty came from the same quarry that supplied ancient Rome’s Colosseum!
- MIND BLOWN! The museum’s air filtration system is so advanced that the air inside is cleaner than the air outside – it can even filter out salt from ocean breezes!
- INCREDIBLE! The Getty’s gardens contain 500+ plant varieties and are completely replanted every few years to maintain the designer’s vision!
- AMAZING! The tram that carries visitors up the hill has transported over 40 million people – that’s more than the entire population of California!
Must-Visit Spots
Where To Go At The Getty Center:
Central Garden Get Ready for the Central Garden : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? This living artwork changes every day! The Central Garden is a massive outdoor sculpture that you can actually walk through, featuring over 500 plant varieties arranged in artistic patterns. It’s designed to engage all your senses – from the sound of flowing water to the scent of herbs and flowers.
INTERESTING FACT! The garden’s stream starts at the top and travels down in a zig-zag pattern, dropping 20 feet before disappearing under a stone waterfall. The water is recycled, traveling through a complex underground system before starting its journey again. Even cooler? The designer, Robert Irwin, inscribed “Always changing, never twice the same” in the plaza, because the garden literally transforms throughout the seasons!
COOL ACTIVITY! Create a “Garden Symphony”! Find a quiet spot and close your eyes for 30 seconds. Make a list of all the different sounds you hear – water flowing, birds chirping, leaves rustling. Then, try to recreate these sounds using your voice or hands. You’re creating music inspired by nature, just like many famous composers have done!
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: If you could design your own garden that was meant to be a piece of art, what would you include to make it unique, and why?
DISCUSS: The Central Garden’s maze-like path isn’t random – it’s designed to slow people down so they notice more details, like how the shadows change as you walk or how plants are arranged by color like paint on a canvas.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: The garden is actually designed like a giant painting you can walk through. Artists usually create paintings on flat canvases, but Robert Irwin used the entire landscape as his canvas. He carefully selected plants not just for their beauty, but for their colors, textures, and even their shadows. Some plants were chosen because their leaves make interesting sounds in the wind, while others were picked because their colors change with the seasons. Just like a painter mixes colors on a palette, Irwin “mixed” different types of plants to create specific effects. He even considered how the sun’s position would affect the garden’s appearance throughout the day!
ASK YOUR KIDS: Why do you think the designer made the stream zigzag down the hill instead of flowing straight down? How does this change how we experience the garden?
DISCUSS: The zigzagging stream was designed to create 16 different water sounds as it flows downhill, turning the garden into a natural musical instrument!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: In nature, water usually takes the quickest path downhill, but this stream was engineered to do something different. The zigzag pattern serves multiple purposes: it slows down visitors, creates different viewing angles, and controls water flow. Think about how roller coasters use twists and turns to make the ride more exciting – this stream does something similar for our senses! The design also helps control erosion, demonstrates principles of physics (water flow and gravity), and creates micro-environments for different types of plants. Each turn in the stream creates a different sound, from gentle bubbling to rushing waters, making it a symphony of water music.
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Find three different plants that make interesting sounds when the wind blows through them.
HINT: Look for tall grasses near the stream and bamboo clusters – they’re nature’s wind chimes!
OBJECTIVE: Locate the spot where you can see all three water features at once: the stream, the cascade, and the pool.
HINT: Stand near the bottom of the garden and look up – there’s a specific viewing point where all three align.
Family Room Get Ready for the Family Room : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? This isn’t your typical museum space – it’s a hands-on laboratory where you can actually experiment with art techniques, explore how artists think, and even create your own masterpieces. Perfect for tweens who want to dive deeper into art without feeling like they’re in a “kids’ space.”
INTERESTING FACT! The Family Room’s activities change regularly to match special exhibitions, meaning you could visit multiple times and have completely different experiences! The room was designed with input from actual artists and child development experts to create activities that real artists use in their work.
COOL ACTIVITY! Try the “Light and Shadow Investigation Station” where you can experiment with different light sources and objects to create dramatic shadows, just like artists do when planning their paintings. Use the provided materials to create a shadow composition and photograph it with the room’s special cameras.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: If you could invent a new tool or technique for making art, what would it be, and how would it change the way artists create?
DISCUSS: Artists throughout history have used camera obscura (an early version of a camera) to project images onto walls for painting – it’s like an ancient Instagram filter! Even famous artists like Vermeer might have used this technique.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: The tools artists use have evolved dramatically over time, shaping how art looks and feels. In ancient times, artists made their own paint by grinding minerals and mixing them with egg yolks. During the Renaissance, the invention of oil paints let artists create more realistic shadows and light effects. Today, digital tools let artists create in virtual reality or use 3D printers to make sculptures. Each new tool changes what’s possible in art, just like how smartphones changed photography. Some contemporary artists even use robots, artificial intelligence, or even living organisms like bacteria to create their artwork!
ASK YOUR KIDS: How do you think museums decide which artworks to protect with special glass or climate control, and why might some art be more vulnerable than others?
DISCUSS: Light can damage artwork so much that some delicate pieces can only be displayed for a few months every few years – like having a painting on a strict bedtime schedule!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Museums are like sophisticated time machines, working to preserve art for future generations. Different materials age in different ways – paper and photographs are especially sensitive to light, while marble sculptures might be more affected by temperature changes. Museums use special filters on windows and lights that block harmful UV rays, just like sunscreen protects our skin. They also control temperature and humidity with precision – sometimes different sections of the same museum have different climate zones! Think of it like having different settings for different foods in your refrigerator. Some museums even use special sensors that can detect the smallest changes in conditions, like having a super-sensitive smoke detector for art!
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Find three different art-making stations and identify which famous artwork in the museum inspired each one.
HINT: Look for the information cards near each station – they often show images of the related artwork upstairs.
OBJECTIVE: Discover and test all the different types of art materials available (like chalk, charcoal, or digital tools) and create a mini-artwork using at least three different mediums.
HINT: The materials are organized by type – start at one end of the room and work your way around systematically.
West Pavilion (Impressionist Gallery) Get Ready for the West Pavilion (Impressionist Gallery) : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? This is where you’ll find some of the most famous paintings in the world, including Van Gogh’s “Irises” and Monet’s luminous landscapes. The Impressionists were like the rebels of the art world – they broke all the rules about how paintings should look, and their work is full of visible brushstrokes and vibrant colors that seem to jump off the canvas.
INTERESTING FACT! Van Gogh painted “Irises” while he was in an asylum in France. He completed it in just one week, painting the flowers from life in the asylum’s garden. Even more fascinating – the original color of the irises wasn’t blue but purple! The red pigment has faded over time, leaving behind the blue we see today.
COOL ACTIVITY! Become an “Art Detective”! Using your phone or a small notebook, document all the different ways the Impressionists painted water in their landscapes. Look closely at the brushstrokes – some are tiny dots, others are long swirls. How many different techniques can you spot?
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: Why do you think these artists chose to paint outdoors instead of in a studio, and how did this change the way their paintings look?
DISCUSS: The Impressionists could only paint outdoors for about 20 minutes at a time before the light changed too much! They often worked on multiple canvases at once, switching between them as the sun moved across the sky.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Before the Impressionists, most artists painted in studios using carefully planned compositions. But these revolutionary artists wanted to capture the changing effects of light and weather in real-time. They even benefited from a new invention – paint in tubes! Before this, artists had to mix their own paints, making outdoor painting nearly impossible. Think of it like the difference between taking a posed photograph in a studio versus capturing a spontaneous moment on your phone. The Impressionists were essentially creating the world’s first “snapshots” in paint, trying to catch fleeting moments like sunshine on water or clouds moving across the sky. Their quick, visible brushstrokes were like early versions of camera pixels, building up to create a complete image when viewed from a distance.
ASK YOUR KIDS: If you could step inside one of these paintings, what would you hear, smell, and feel? How did the artists try to show these sensations using only paint?
DISCUSS: Monet was known to rent up to seven rooms in a hotel just to paint the same scene from different windows at different times of day – talk about dedication to capturing the perfect moment!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: The Impressionists weren’t just trying to show how things looked – they wanted to capture the full sensory experience of a moment. In their paintings, you can almost feel the warmth of sunlight, hear the rustle of leaves, or smell the fresh air. They used specific techniques to achieve this: short, choppy brushstrokes might represent wind moving through grass, while swirling patterns could suggest the sound of flowing water. Colors were used emotionally rather than realistically – a tree might be painted blue if that’s how it felt in the moment. This was revolutionary! It’s similar to how modern movies use special effects, music, and camera movements to make you feel like you’re really there. The Impressionists were creating the 19th-century version of virtual reality!
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Find three paintings of the same subject (like water, trees, or buildings) by different artists and compare how each artist painted it differently.
HINT: Look for the wall labels that group paintings by theme or subject matter.
OBJECTIVE: Locate all the paintings that include water and create a “technique map” showing the different ways artists painted water reflections.
HINT: Stand at different distances from each painting – the brushstrokes look different up close versus far away!
South Promontory Get Ready for the South Promontory : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? This is your chance to see Los Angeles from a totally different perspective! From this spectacular viewpoint, you can see from the Pacific Ocean to the San Gabriel Mountains on a clear day. It’s like having a giant living map spread out before you, where you can spot landmarks, trace the path of highways, and even watch planes landing at LAX.
INTERESTING FACT! The Getty Center was specifically positioned at this location because it sits at the intersection of two major geological fault lines. The buildings are actually designed to move during earthquakes! They rest on sophisticated base isolators that can move up to 30 inches in any direction during seismic activity – like a building doing a safety dance.
COOL ACTIVITY! Create a “City Symphony” by identifying and sketching the different patterns you see in the cityscape below. Look for the grid of streets, the curves of highways, and the clusters of buildings. Then try to imagine what the same view looked like 100 years ago, 500 years ago, and 1000 years ago!
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: If you were designing a city from scratch, what would you keep from what you see below, and what would you change to make it better for people and the environment?
DISCUSS: Los Angeles was originally designed around streetcars, not cars! In the early 1900s, LA had the world’s largest electric railway system with over 1,000 miles of track – enough to stretch from LA to Seattle.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Urban planning is like playing a giant game of SimCity in real life. Cities evolve based on transportation, water sources, and geography. From up here, you can see how LA grew around its natural features – notice how buildings cluster in the flatlands and thin out in the hills. The city’s famous grid pattern was established in 1781, when 44 settlers first laid out the pueblo. The freeways you see were added much later, in the 1950s and 60s, completely changing how people moved around. Today, urban planners are rethinking cities to include more green spaces, bike lanes, and public transportation – kind of like hitting the “undo” button on some past decisions. Some cities are even creating “smart” systems where traffic lights, power usage, and water systems are all connected and automated!
ASK YOUR KIDS: Why do you think the Getty was built on top of a hill instead of in the city below? How does its location affect how people experience art?
DISCUSS: The Getty Center uses its hilltop location to collect and recycle fog for watering its gardens – nature’s own water delivery system!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: The location of a museum can be as important as the art inside it. Building the Getty on this hill created what architects call a “journey to art” – as you ride the tram up, you literally leave the busy city behind and enter a different world. This transition helps prepare your mind for experiencing art, like a palate cleanser for your brain! The clean air at this elevation also helps preserve the artwork better than the smoggy city below. The architects used the hill’s natural topography to create different levels and views, making the building feel like it’s part of the landscape. They even positioned the buildings to frame specific views of the city, turning the urban landscape into another piece of artwork in the museum’s collection. The white buildings were designed to change color throughout the day as the sun moves, making the entire museum a kind of sundial!
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Use the viewing telescopes to locate three major LA landmarks and sketch their positions relative to each other.
HINT: Look for the Hollywood Sign, Downtown LA skyscrapers, and the Pacific Ocean – they form a triangle!
OBJECTIVE: Find evidence of the different “layers” of Los Angeles history visible from this spot – from ancient geography to modern development.
HINT: Start with the mountains (oldest) and work your way down to the newest buildings.
Getty Research Institute Exhibition Gallery Get Ready for the Getty Research Institute Exhibition Gallery : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? This is where history comes alive through fascinating rotating exhibitions that tell stories about art, culture, and human creativity. It’s like stepping into a time machine where you can discover rare books, ancient maps, artists’ personal letters, and historical photographs that aren’t shown anywhere else.
INTERESTING FACT! The Getty Research Institute’s collection includes over 2 million items, including the world’s largest collection of books about art and architecture! They even have Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks (in digital form) where you can see his famous backward writing and original sketches.
COOL ACTIVITY! Become a “History Detective”! Choose one object in the exhibition and try to piece together its story – who made it, how it was used, and how it ended up at the Getty. Look for clues in the object itself and in the exhibition labels.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: If you could create a time capsule for people 500 years in the future to understand our current world, what objects would you include and why?
DISCUSS: The Getty has a special vault that can survive earthquakes, fires, and even floods to protect its rarest documents – it’s like a real-life version of the doomsday vault in Norway that stores the world’s seeds!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Preserving history is like being a detective, storyteller, and scientist all at once. Archivists use special tools like UV lights to reveal hidden text in old documents, just like CSI investigators! They can even use X-rays to see layers of paint in artwork that have been painted over. Digital technology now allows us to reconstruct ancient buildings virtually and read scrolls that are too fragile to unroll. Think about how we store information today – from cloud storage to social media – compared to ancient methods like carving in stone or writing on papyrus. What will future historians think when they look back at our tweets and TikToks? Every generation leaves behind clues about their lives, and it’s up to places like the Getty to preserve these clues for future generations.
ASK YOUR KIDS: How do you think researchers decide what’s worth saving and studying? What makes something historically important?
DISCUSS: Sometimes the most valuable historical items aren’t beautiful artworks but everyday objects – like an ancient Roman shopping list written on a piece of pottery that tells us about daily life 2,000 years ago!
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Deciding what to preserve is like being a time-traveling curator. Historians look for objects that tell unique stories or help us understand how people lived in different times. Sometimes seemingly ordinary items become extraordinary historical evidence – like how a medieval recipe book might reveal information about climate change through its ingredients! The Getty Research Institute collects everything from famous artists’ sketchbooks to photographs of buildings that no longer exist. They even collect modern items like artists’ emails and digital art, which presents new challenges for preservation. Think about your own life – what objects tell your story? Your school assignments, family photos, and even your favorite games could be fascinating historical artifacts for future generations!
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Find the oldest object in the current exhibition and create a timeline of events that happened between when it was created and today.
HINT: Look for items in special climate-controlled cases – these usually contain the oldest and most delicate objects.
OBJECTIVE: Locate three different types of historical documents (like letters, photographs, or maps) and compare how they recorded information differently.
HINT: Pay attention to the materials used and how they’ve aged differently over time.
Other Nearby Points of Interest
Other great things to do near The Getty Center:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE – Make sure to check out more of what this area has to offer! Here are a few nearby spots that we think you’ll love just as much as the The Getty Center:
Skirball Cultural Center: Just a 5-minute drive away, this interactive museum features an amazing Noah’s Ark exhibit perfect for hands-on learning and cultural exploration.
UCLA Hammer Museum: Located in nearby Westwood, this contemporary art museum offers free admission and exciting rotating exhibitions that complement what you’ve seen at the Getty.
Franklin Canyon Park: A hidden gem just 15 minutes away, offering hiking trails, a duck pond, and a nature center where you can continue exploring the natural world after experiencing the Getty’s gardens.
Read before you go
To make your visit even more exciting, check out these age-appropriate books:
- You Can’t Take a Balloon into the Getty Museum by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman – A fun picture book that takes readers on an adventure through the museum’s masterpieces.
- 13 Art Mysteries Children Should Know by Angela Wenzel – Perfect for getting tweens excited about art detective work before visiting the galleries.
- Watch “Getty Art Detective” videos on YouTube – short, engaging episodes that introduce kids to specific artworks they’ll see during their visit.
- Download the GettyGuide app before your visit – it includes audio tours designed specifically for families and children.
Fun Facts
Interesting Things To Know About The Getty Center – Los Angeles:
- The Getty Center is a $1.3 billion cultural campus that transformed Los Angeles’s cultural landscape.
- HOLY COW! The Getty Center’s construction required 300,000 blocks of travertine stone weighing 16,000 tons!
- WOW! The Center’s gardens contain 500+ plant varieties and are redesigned seasonally!
- SUPER COOL! The building’s exterior is self-cleaning thanks to specially cut stone that uses rainwater to wash away dirt!
- FIRE! During the 2019 Getty Fire, the Center’s sophisticated air filtration system and fire-resistant design protected priceless artworks!
- MIND-BLOWING! The Center’s base isolation system can withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 7.5!
Must-Visit Spots
Where To Go At The Getty Center:
THE CENTRAL GARDEN Get Ready for the THE CENTRAL GARDEN : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? This living work of art changes constantly throughout the seasons, featuring a stream that winds down a hillside through an extraordinary garden design. It’s the perfect blend of art, engineering, and nature.
INTERESTING FACT! The garden’s designer, Robert Irwin, inscribed “Always changing, never twice the same” in the plaza, reflecting how the garden evolves every single day.
COOL ACTIVITY! Create a time-lapse photo series of the shadows cast by the garden’s architectural elements throughout your visit. This activity combines photography, natural light study, and artistic composition.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: How does this garden challenge the traditional definition of art?
DISCUSS: Unlike traditional gardens, this one was designed by an artist, not a landscape architect, and is officially designated as a sculpture in the museum’s collection.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: The Central Garden represents a unique intersection of natural and human-made art. The garden’s design incorporates over 500 plant varieties, carefully selected not just for their beauty but for how they change throughout the year. The stream’s path was mathematically calculated to create specific sounds as water flows over rocks. The tree layout creates intentional shadow patterns that change with the sun’s position, making the garden a four-dimensional artwork that includes time as a crucial element.
ASK YOUR KIDS: If you were designing this garden, what elements would you include to make it both beautiful and meaningful?
DISCUSS: The bougainvillea climbing on the garden’s arbors grows on steel rebar “trees” that were rusted to a specific shade of brown to complement the flowers.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Garden design involves complex problem-solving that combines aesthetics, engineering, and ecology. The Getty’s garden demonstrates principles of sustainability, using a computer-controlled system that recycles water through the stream. The plant selection considers not just visual appeal but also drought resistance, seasonal variation, and the creation of micro-climates. Even the walkways are designed to control erosion while providing specific viewpoints of both the garden and the city beyond.
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Locate three different examples of how the garden uses geometric shapes in contrast with natural forms.
HINT: Look at the pathways and how they interact with the planted areas.
OBJECTIVE: Find the spot where the stream makes the most interesting sound.
HINT: Follow the stream’s path and listen for changes in the water’s music as it flows over different surfaces.
THE WEST PAVILION (IMPRESSIONIST
GALLERY) Get Ready for the THE WEST PAVILION (IMPRESSIONIST GALLERY) : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? Home to some of the most influential Impressionist works, including Van Gogh’s “Irises” and Monet’s masterpieces, this gallery showcases how radical artists challenged traditional art forms—much like today’s digital artists and content creators.
INTERESTING FACT! Van Gogh’s “Irises” was once the most expensive painting in the world, selling for $53.9 million in 1987 (equivalent to over $130 million today).
COOL ACTIVITY! Choose an artwork and create a modern social media post that captures its essence—what would Van Gogh’s Instagram caption be for “Irises”? How would Monet hashtag his water lilies?
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: How do these Impressionist paintings compare to modern-day filters and photo editing on social media?
DISCUSS: Impressionist artists were initially ridiculed for their style, with critics claiming their work looked “unfinished” and “like wallpaper”—similar to how new art forms on social media are often criticized today.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: The Impressionists were the rebels of their time, much like today’s digital creators. They broke from traditional studio painting to work outdoors (en plein air), capturing light and movement in revolutionary ways. Their technique of using visible brushstrokes and unmixed colors was as controversial as modern digital filters and effects. The Impressionists also faced criticism from the established art world, just as social media artists often face skepticism from traditional artistic communities. Their work changed how people perceived art, similar to how Instagram and TikTok are changing visual culture today.
ASK YOUR KIDS: Why do you think these paintings, created over 100 years ago, still resonate with people today?
DISCUSS: Scientists have discovered that Impressionist paintings trigger the same brain regions that process actual landscapes and natural scenes, explaining why they feel so emotionally powerful.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: The Impressionists captured universal human experiences—the play of light, the beauty of nature, everyday moments—that transcend time. Their works were among the first to prioritize emotional impact over technical perfection. The artists used color psychology before it was scientifically understood; for example, Van Gogh’s yellow sunflowers were meant to convey hope and positivity. Modern neuroscience has shown that viewing these paintings can actually reduce stress and anxiety, similar to spending time in nature.
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Find three paintings that use complementary colors (colors opposite each other on the color wheel) to create visual impact.
HINT: Look for purple/yellow or blue/orange combinations, especially in Van Gogh’s work.
OBJECTIVE: Identify how different artists portrayed water and reflections using various techniques.
HINT: Compare Monet’s water lilies with other artists’ water scenes to spot different brushstroke patterns.
OBJECTIVE:
HINT: Look for unusual cropping or asymmetrical arrangements, particularly in scenes of modern life.
THE GETTY ARCHITECTURE AND VIEWS Get Ready for the THE GETTY ARCHITECTURE AND VIEWS : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? The Getty Center itself is a masterpiece of modern architecture, where every element—from the travertine stone to the geometric design—tells a story of innovation and artistic vision. The panoramic views of LA make it one of the city’s premier photography spots.
INTERESTING FACT! The building’s exterior features 1.2 million square feet of travertine stone, sourced from the same quarry used to build ancient Rome’s Colosseum.
COOL ACTIVITY! Create an architectural photography series focusing on lines, angles, and reflections. Challenge yourself to find at least five unique perspectives where the building’s design frames the LA skyline.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: How does the architecture of the Getty Center reflect or contrast with its purpose as an art museum?
DISCUSS: Architect Richard Meier designed the complex to change appearance throughout the day as sunlight moves across its surface, essentially turning the building itself into a kinetic artwork.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: The Getty Center’s design incorporates sophisticated engineering principles with artistic vision. The building uses natural light through computer-controlled louvers that automatically adjust to protect the artwork while maximizing daylight. The geometric patterns in the architecture reference classical proportions used in Renaissance art, creating a dialogue between historical and modern design. The building’s white color and angular forms were chosen to contrast with the natural landscape while complementing the California light, making the structure appear to float above the city.
ASK YOUR KIDS: If you could design a museum for the next century, what elements would you include to make it both functional and inspiring?
DISCUSS: The Getty Center’s stone exterior is specially cut with rough surfaces that help clean the building when it rains, making it one of the world’s largest self-cleaning buildings.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Modern museum architecture must balance multiple competing needs: preservation of art, sustainability, visitor experience, and aesthetic appeal. The Getty’s design incorporates earthquake protection through base isolation systems that can move up to 30 inches in any direction. The complex uses reclaimed water for irrigation and special glass that filters harmful UV rays while maintaining views. The tram system was designed not just for transportation but to create a ceremonial approach to art, similar to how ancient temples were designed to prepare visitors mentally for the experience ahead.
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Locate three different examples where the architecture creates perfect symmetry or intentional asymmetry.
HINT: Look at building reflections in windows and water features.
OBJECTIVE: Find spots where you can photograph all three main elements: architecture, nature, and city views in one frame.
HINT: The upper terraces often provide the best vantage points for these composite shots.
PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERIES Get Ready for the PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERIES : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? The Getty’s rotating photography exhibitions showcase everything from historic photographs to cutting-edge contemporary work, offering unique insights into how photography has evolved from a scientific novelty to today’s digital art form.
INTERESTING FACT! The Getty’s photography collection includes over 148,000 photographs spanning from the earliest days of photography to contemporary digital works.
COOL ACTIVITY! Compare historical photography techniques with modern smartphone capabilities. Try recreating a historical photograph’s composition using your phone, then experiment with different filters and effects to understand how technology has transformed photography.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: How has photography changed the way we perceive reality, especially in an era of digital manipulation?
DISCUSS: Even in the 1800s, photographers were manipulating images by combining multiple negatives or painting on photographs, proving that “photo manipulation” isn’t just a digital-age phenomenon.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Photography’s evolution mirrors major societal changes in how we document and share our lives. Early photographs required subjects to sit completely still for several minutes, which is why people rarely smiled in old photos. The invention of portable cameras led to candid photography and photojournalism, fundamentally changing how we record history. Social media’s influence on photography has created new artistic genres, from selfies to Instagram-specific aesthetics. The debate between “authentic” and “enhanced” images has existed since photography’s invention, though digital tools have amplified these discussions.
ASK YOUR KIDS: What makes a photograph ‘art’ versus just a document of reality?
DISCUSS: The first photograph ever taken required an exposure time of eight hours, while today’s smartphones can capture multiple images in a fraction of a second.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: The artistic value of photography was debated for decades after its invention, with many arguing it was merely a mechanical process rather than art. Photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Ansel Adams proved that the photographer’s choices—composition, timing, perspective, and processing—could be as artistic as painting. Modern photographers must consider not just technical aspects but also ethical implications of their work. The rise of AI-generated images has sparked new debates about authenticity and creativity in photography, similar to historical debates about manipulation techniques.
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Find photographs that use different techniques to capture motion or time.
HINT: Look for long exposures, multiple exposures, or sequence photographs.
OBJECTIVE: Identify three different historical photography processes and how they affected the final image.
HINT: Compare daguerreotypes, gelatin silver prints, and early color processes.
SOUTH PAVILION (DECORATIVE ARTS) Get Ready for the SOUTH PAVILION (DECORATIVE ARTS) : Tips, Activities, and Fun Facts!
THINGS TO KNOW
WHY VISIT? This pavilion showcases how the ultra-wealthy lived in past centuries, featuring ornate furniture, elaborate tapestries, and decorative objects that reveal fascinating stories about historical social status, power, and luxury.
INTERESTING FACT! Many pieces in this collection were owned by French royalty before the Revolution, and some still bear secret marks indicating their escape from destruction during that tumultuous period.
COOL ACTIVITY! Design your own “room of power” using modern elements. What would today’s equivalent of these status symbols be? Create a digital mood board comparing historical luxury items with their contemporary counterparts.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
ASK YOUR KIDS: How do today’s status symbols compare to these historical objects of wealth and power?
DISCUSS: A single piece of furniture in this collection could cost the equivalent of a modern luxury car, often taking skilled craftsmen years to complete.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Status symbols have evolved dramatically over time, yet patterns remain. Historical furniture used rare materials like tortoiseshell and exotic woods, similar to today’s use of rare materials in luxury goods. Craftsmanship was a mark of exclusivity then, just as limited editions and artisanal products are now. Social media has created new forms of status display, much like the elaborate furniture and decorative arts once did in royal courts. The concept of “conspicuous consumption” originated with these historical pieces but continues in different forms today.
ASK YOUR KIDS: What do these objects tell us about how technology and craftsmanship have evolved?
DISCUSS: Many techniques used to create these pieces were closely guarded trade secrets, passed down through generations of craftsmen, similar to today’s proprietary technology.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: The decorative arts showcase the height of human craftsmanship before industrialization. Artisans developed innovative techniques that influenced modern manufacturing methods. The precision achieved without modern tools is remarkable – some inlay work is so fine it requires magnification to see the details. These pieces represent early examples of “planned obsolescence,” as styles would change frequently at court, forcing nobles to constantly update their furnishings. This pattern continues in modern consumer culture, particularly with technology and fashion.
THINGS TO FIND @ THIS SPOT
OBJECTIVE: Locate three pieces that demonstrate different techniques for creating illusions (like trompe l’oeil).
HINT: Look for marquetry (wood inlay) designs that create 3D effects.
OBJECTIVE: Find examples of furniture that served multiple purposes or contained hidden compartments.
HINT: Many pieces were designed with secret drawers or transforming elements.
Other Nearby Points of Interest
Other great things to do near The Getty Center:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE – Make sure to check out more of what this area has to offer! Here are a few nearby spots that we think you’ll love just as much as the The Getty Center:
The Skirball Cultural Center: Just minutes away, offering innovative exhibitions and programs exploring Jewish heritage and American democratic ideals.
UCLA Hammer Museum: Contemporary art museum featuring cutting-edge exhibitions and cultural programs.
Franklin Canyon Park: Beautiful hiking trails and a nature center, perfect for exploring LA’s natural side.
Read before you go
To make your visit even more exciting, check out these age-appropriate books:
- Making a Museum in the 21st Century by Richard Meier
- Looking at Photographs by John Szarkowski
- The Getty’s own podcast series “Art + Ideas”
- Download the Getty Center’s mobile app for interactive tours and behind-the-scenes content
- Follow @thegetty on Instagram for current exhibitions and programs
LOCATION SUMMARY
Imagine stepping into a magical castle in the sky, where art comes alive and adventures await around every corner! The Getty Center sits like a gleaming white palace high above Los Angeles, filled with treasures that will make your eyes sparkle. Did you know that a special train called a tram carries you up a mountain to reach this amazing place where you can discover everything from knights’ tales to sparkly royal furniture?
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