Petersen Automotive Museum

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Petersen Automotive Museum, often called the Petersen, turns the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue into a red-and-steel shrine to car culture, with three gallery floors and an underground Vault full of rare machines. On Museum Row, the building itself feels like a car caught in motion.

For a first visit, start with Museum + Vault access, because it gives you the upper galleries and the basement collection in one clearer plan.

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Museum admission tickets

Choose these if you want a self-paced visit through the main gallery floors, interactive exhibits, and rotating car-culture displays on Wilshire Boulevard.

Los Angeles: Petersen Automotive Museum Admission Ticket

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Vault access and guided tours

Pick this format if the rare vehicles below the museum are your priority, or if you want a guide to turn the collection into a sharper Los Angeles car story.

Los Angeles: Petersen Automotive Museum Entry & Vault Access

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Petersen Automotive Museum - Private Highlights Tour

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6 tips for visiting the Petersen Automotive Museum

Add the Vault first

If this is your first Petersen visit, do not treat the Vault as an afterthought. The underground collection adds 300+ vehicles and the kind of rare, odd, celebrity, and concept cars that make the museum feel more than a polished showroom. Booking it upfront keeps the day from ending with regret at the admissions desk.

Beat the last Vault call

The museum runs daily from 10 am to 6 pm, but the Vault closes its check-in at 5 pm. If your priority is the basement collection, arrive early enough to go below first or midway through the visit. That way the best part of your plan is not squeezed into the final minutes.

Use the Fairfax garage

If you drive, aim for the garage entrance on Fairfax Avenue, not a vague pin on Wilshire Boulevard. The first 15 minutes are free, which helps for drop-offs, but a real visit means paid parking and downtown-style timing. Knowing that before you turn in lowers the arrival stress.

Keep bags Vault-friendly

If you are coming from shopping or a full Miracle Mile day, trim your bag before entering. Large accessories over 38 x 30 x 10 cm (15 x 12 x 4 in) may need storage, and strollers do not go into the Vault. A compact setup lets you look at cars instead of managing gear.

Pick one Museum Row add-on

The temptation around Wilshire and Fairfax is to stack LACMA, the Academy Museum, and the La Brea Tar Pits after the cars. Choose one nearby follow-up, then stop. That restraint keeps the day feeling curated instead of turning Miracle Mile into a museum sprint.

Start non-car fans upstairs

If someone in your group is not a horsepower person, begin with design, film-and-television vehicles, the Discovery Center, or the Forza Motorsport Racing Experience. The museum works best when it feels like Los Angeles culture, not a quiz on engine specs. That gives everyone an easy way into the story.

Ticket types at Petersen Automotive Museum

The main decision is simple: upper galleries only, or the fuller Petersen experience with the underground Vault. Choose the format before you build the rest of your Miracle Mile day.

General admission for a flexible gallery visit

Best for independent visitors with limited time: general admission gets you into the main museum floors, where the story moves from Southern California car culture to design, technology, film, family-friendly displays, and rotating exhibitions. Choose this if you want a clean Museum Row stop without committing to the basement collection. Book now.

Museum + Vault access for the complete visit

Choose this if you want the signature Petersen payoff. The Vault adds 300+ vehicles below the building, including rare machines, early automobiles, supercars, competition stories, and Hollywood-linked surprises that rotate over time. For most first-timers, this is the format that makes the museum feel complete. Book now.

Guided formats for deeper car stories

Great when you want narration instead of label-hopping. Highlight tours focus on the three interior floors, while private Vault formats go straight into the cars many visitors would otherwise only admire in passing. If you care about context, rarity, and design backstories, guided time turns the visit from display browsing into a sharper Los Angeles story. Book now.

How to plan a Petersen Automotive Museum visit on Museum Row

Petersen is easy to enjoy, but the best visit has a few anchors: time for the Vault, a realistic bag plan, and one nearby add-on at most. That keeps Wilshire and Fairfax exciting instead of tiring.

Let the Vault set your timing

The easy mistake is arriving late, seeing the upper floors, and realizing the Vault check-in window has narrowed. If the basement collection is part of your ticket, place it early or in the middle of the visit, not after a long café pause or a second museum across Wilshire Boulevard. Last call comes at 5 pm, and that clock should shape the day.

Give families one strong anchor

Families do best when the visit starts with one clear promise: movie cars, the Discovery Center, racing simulators, or the Vault. If children want the seated racing simulators, check the 147 cm (4 ft 10 in) height rule before making that the big reward. A small reality check prevents the classic museum-day disappointment.

Keep the nearby route walkable

This part of Miracle Mile makes restraint hard. LACMA, the Academy Museum, and the La Brea Tar Pits sit close enough to tempt you into a cultural obstacle course. Pick one if you still have attention left, then save broader Los Angeles museum routes such as Natural History Museum or Getty Center for another half-day.

Make parking and bags boring

The visit feels much better when the logistics are deliberately unexciting. Enter the garage from Fairfax Avenue, remember that P1 is the practical level for accessible parking, and keep bags small enough that the Security Office does not become your first real stop. In a museum full of wild machines, boring logistics are a gift.

Cars, culture, and a building that moves

The Petersen is not just a container for cars. Its story runs through publishing, Miracle Mile, Los Angeles car culture, and a facade that announces speed before you even step inside.

A museum born from Los Angeles car culture

Robert E. Petersen, the publishing figure behind titles such as Hot Rod, and Margie Petersen founded the museum on June 11, 1994. That origin matters because the place still feels rooted in the city that turned driving into identity, image, freedom, frustration, and style. On Wilshire Boulevard, car culture is not abstract; it is parked, filmed, collected, and argued over.

The 2015 facade turned the building into a landmark

The museum occupies a former department-store building dating to 1962, but the version you notice today comes from the 2015 redesign. Red corrugated aluminum and stainless-steel ribbons wrap the old box like airflow around a body shell. Even if you know nothing about cars, the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax suddenly explains the brief: motion, shine, and spectacle.

The galleries make cars feel cultural

The strongest rooms are not only about horsepower. They connect cars to celebrity, racing, design, American road life, childhood imagination, and the future of mobility. That is why Petersen works for couples, families, solo travelers, and design-focused visitors: the object is a car, but the subject is how Los Angeles dreams in motion.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should I spend at Petersen Automotive Museum?

Plan 2 to 3 hours for the three upper floors. Add about 90 minutes if you also visit the Vault, especially if you like reading labels, taking photos, or comparing rare vehicles slowly.

Does general admission include the Vault?

No. General admission covers the main museum, while the Vault needs a Museum + Vault combo ticket or a separate Vault ticket when available at Admissions.

Is the Vault worth adding?

For most first-time visitors, yes. The Vault adds 300+ vehicles below the museum and gives the visit its strongest sense of discovery, from early cars and classics to supercars, film-linked vehicles, and one-off curiosities.

Can children visit the Vault?

Children over 4 can visit the Vault, and visitors under 18 need an adult or guardian with them. Strollers are not allowed there, so families should plan a stroller break before going downstairs.

Is Petersen Automotive Museum good for people who are not car fans?

Yes, if you frame it as design, film, technology, and Los Angeles culture rather than only engines. The building, movie-related cars, interactive areas, and future-focused exhibits give non-specialists plenty to latch onto.

Can I buy tickets at the museum?

Yes, on-site ticket sales currently run from 10 am to 4:30 pm. Online booking is still the smoother choice if you want Museum + Vault access or a guided format, because it reduces decisions at the desk.

Is the museum accessible?

Yes. The museum is wheelchair accessible, manual wheelchairs are available free with ID on a first-come basis, and accessible parking is on garage level P1. If you need touch tours, ASL interpretation, or another accommodation, arrange it before your visit.

Can I take photos in the Vault?

Yes. Personal photos and videos are allowed in the Vault, but keep them handheld. Tripods, gimbals, and other heavy equipment are not allowed.

What should I pair with Petersen Automotive Museum nearby?

For the easiest day, add just one Museum Row neighbor: LACMA, the Academy Museum, or the La Brea Tar Pits. If you still have energy, finish with food or shopping around The Grove and the Original Farmers Market instead of forcing another museum.

General information

opening hours

As of April 22, 2026, Petersen Automotive Museum is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. Check-in closes at 5:30 pm, and last call for the Vault is at 5 pm. The Discovery Center and simulator areas can close earlier, so do those before the final hour if they matter to your group.

tickets

General admission covers the main museum galleries, but it does not include the Vault. For the basement collection, choose a Museum + Vault combo online or add a separate Vault ticket at Admissions when available. On-site ticket sales currently run from 10 am to 4:30 pm, and unused online tickets are valid for 12 months from purchase.

address

Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
United States

photography and filming

Personal photography and video are allowed throughout the museum, including the Vault. Keep it handheld: tripods, gimbals, and other heavy equipment are not allowed. That makes quick car-detail shots easy, but serious shoots need separate planning.

website

Official site: https://www.petersen.org/

how to get there

Petersen Automotive Museum sits on Museum Row in Miracle Mile, at the Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue cultural cluster. The on-site garage entrance is on Fairfax Avenue; it is open daily from 6 am to 11 pm, and overnight parking is not allowed. For most visitors, driving or rideshare is simpler than trying to stitch together a rushed cross-town transit route.

accessibility

The museum is wheelchair accessible. Accessible drop-off is at the entrance, and the 19 accessible parking spaces are on garage level P1 only; levels P2-P4 are not served by elevators. Manual wheelchairs are available free with ID on a first-come basis, personal care attendants receive complimentary admission, and touch tours or ASL interpretation should be arranged in advance.

luggage

Strollers and backpacks are allowed in the main museum, but strollers are not allowed in the Vault. Large accessories over 38 x 30 x 10 cm (15 x 12 x 4 in) may need to be stored at the Security Office on the first floor. Keep bags small if you are combining the museum with shopping or another Miracle Mile stop.

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