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Petersen Automotive Museum

Museum
In Los Angeles, California
1.9 mi from Route 66

The Petersen Automotive Museum, a nonprofit, is a car museum on Museum Row along Wilshire Boulevard, part of the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles, CA. Its collection ranks among the largest of its kind anywhere, and it pairs the cars with history and education programs. After weeks of driving the Mother Road, it is a natural place to see how the automobile shaped travel, and it sits among several other major museums.

What is Petersen Automotive Museum?

This is a museum about cars and the story of the automobile. As a nonprofit, it concentrates on automotive history and runs educational programs alongside its displays. The collection is considered one of the largest anywhere, so expect far more than a few classic cars in a hall.

The museum's Wilshire Boulevard address puts it in the middle of Museum Row, with film, art and fossil museums as close neighbors. That makes it easy to build a full day around the Miracle Mile.

History of Petersen Automotive Museum

The museum dates from 1994 and carries the name of Robert E. Petersen. Over the years it has grown into one of the world's largest automotive collections while keeping its nonprofit focus on history and education. For road trippers, it closes the loop between the cars that made Route 66 popular and the highway itself.

Visiting Petersen Automotive Museum: tips

Allow two to three hours for the galleries. There are restrooms, wheelchair access and parking on site, and the museum works well for families with children.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and LACMA are each about 0.1 miles away, so it is easy to park once and visit more than one museum. A restaurant and an EV charging site are both about 0.1 miles off, and fuel is about 0.3 miles away. A hotel about 0.3 miles off makes it easy to stay nearby and spend a second day on Museum Row.

Practical info

Address: 6060 Wilshire Boulevard
Phone: +1 323-964-6373
Website: petersen.org
Hours: Daily 10–6
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Petersen Automotive Museum

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Pink's Hot Dogs
Los Angeles, CA · 1.8 mi from Petersen Automotive Museum
A Los Angeles hot dog stand on North La Brea Avenue, serving since 1939 at the edge of Hollywood.
Diner & restaurant
Barney's Beanery
West Hollywood, CA · 2.1 mi from Petersen Automotive Museum
A West Hollywood roadhouse on Santa Monica Boulevard since 1927, its walls covered in old license plates.
Diner & restaurant
Formosa Cafe
West Hollywood, CA · 2.1 mi from Petersen Automotive Museum
A West Hollywood restaurant and bar from 1925, long a hangout for film stars from the studio lot nearby.