Enjoy a Family Day at the Getty

Getting kids interested in art isn’t always easy, but museums offer fun and entertaining ways to immerse little ones in the artistic community. Children’s museums are always a fun option, but taking kids to a grown-up museum to experience some of the world’s greatest classic art requires a little extra effort to ensure you keep their attention from wandering too far.

Enter the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

Located on a hilltop overlooking West LA, the J. Paul Getty Museum is home to antiquities, paintings, photographs, manuscripts and more from various time periods and cultures around the world.

Start preparing your child ahead of the trip with some online tools available through the museum’s website. Kids can complete their own art project, explore the Getty’s collections or play games testing memory and puzzle-solving skills. The museum also uses WhyVille, an online world letting kids enjoy a virtual tour of the museum and interact with children from around the world while learning about art. These tools are a great way for kids to get excited about art and for families to familiarize themselves with the Getty before seeing its world-famous masterpieces in person.

J. Paul Getty Museum © Biansho | Dreamstime.com

Once there, a great place to start is the Family Room. The hands-on, interactive learning space consists of five different activity areas offering opportunities to decorate a giant manuscript, build their own sculpture or become part of a famous painting. The treasure hunt wall surrounding the room is covered with almost 70 peepholes that little ones can look into to view various works of art located throughout the museum. This activity prepares them for a walk through the remainder of the museum where they can look for the real-life masterpieces to match the art they found in the peepholes.

Pick up a set of Art Detective cards, available at the entrance to the family room. These fun cards let your family work together to find artwork throughout the museum to help solve the mystery. It’s a fun and interactive way to keep kids interested throughout their visit.

The museum grounds boast a beautiful garden for enjoying the beautiful Los Angeles weather. Known as the Central Garden, there are ever-changing plant designs, making the garden a fun and peaceful place to explore. Afternoon kid-centered concerts in the garden are free of charge and a great way to wrap up the day.