Autry Museum of the American West

I love this museum and the location. Parking was easy very close to the freeway. And it's  very kid friendly. I love that the people in the museum are informational with the displays and answer my sons every question he has a lot of questions. Going through the exhibition learning from how and could spend hours where my child can learn how it was before technology. As a teacher I love that I can take the children on a fieldtrip for free there's tons of parking for the buses to park as well.

Located across the street from the L.A. Zoo,and train exhibition, parking is free and admission is reasonably priced (discounts for AAA members and various free days are available - check their website).

FREE every second Tuesday of each month. Closed Mondays.

Large parking lot (free).

Super awesome museum, especially if you're a fan of Western history and culture.

I spent several hours here. There was a section dedicated to early settlers (divided by ethnicity). A section for movies and film. An interactive section for children. A beautiful hall with a mural that included various Western characters. A section on cowboy history and daily life. A gallery of Western-inspired paintings and sculpture. A beautiful collection of guns and rifles (I'm not a gun fanatic but I mean it, they had ornate revolvers that were pure art).

The gift shop was also well-stocked with really interesting and unique items. It was a bit pricy though but to be fair, a lot of the items were artisanal crafts (such as jewelry). I saw a gorgeous Western shirt but I just couldn't justify the price tag.

There is a spacious cafe with an expansive menu. Vegan options available (yummy veggie burger).

I highly recommend this museum.

As a fan of the history of the American west and a lover of old western films, I don't know why it took me so many years to visit this museum. Having just read a fantastic book - Dreams of El Dorado by H.W. Brands - I was compelled to make the trip. I feel The Autry does a fair job of showing both the positive and negative of westward expansion in the 19th century as well as showing the portrayal of cowboys in film and television in the 20th century.

Located across the street from the L.A. Zoo, parking is free and admission is reasonably priced (discounts for AAA members and various free days are available - check their website).

On our visit we enjoyed a large exhibit of the works of various western painters and sculptors. This was a temporary exhibit in a space that rotates every few months. A comprehensive display of various costumes and props from western-themed films and television shows was impressive. I also enjoyed the projection of clips from motion pictures starring Gene Autry singing western songs.

Many items are displayed from gold rush days, settlers' homes, and   cowboy life. The plight of the Indians is not ignored. A large educational section of the museum is devoted to Native American culture (past and present). You'll also see everything from stagecoaches and covered wagons to pioneer women's clothing and an enormous collection of Winchesters & Colts. A vast representation of items that give the visitor a better idea of life west of the Mississippi in the mid to late 1800s is presented.

There is much more but I've already gone on too long. We spent nearly 4 hours here. Although there are sections devoted to children I do think this museum is best enjoyed by older kids and adults especially if there is any interest in learning the real history of western expansion in America. Despite the frustrating, lengthy crawl of "freeway" traffic it is worth the drive.

Anybody who is fan of the American West, at least how Hollywood portrayed it, will absolutely love this super fun museum! It has lots of open space and very well-present Western memorabilia from the golden days of television (remember Bonanza?) and motion pictures.

I came here on Free Museum day (a monthly event in Los Angeles) along with a hoard of others! It was crowded, but not so crowded as to feel rushed. We got there in the morning and devoted a couple of hours to strolling the exhibits. So much material - I could spend hours here.

One cool little exhibit that really caught my eye was the Gene Autry Super Fan. Seems Gene had a legitimate super fan in the day who wrote to him in eloquent prose, created works of art for Mr. Autry, and even send him an autographed photograph of HER! Now that's a switch!

Visit the Autry Museum of the Americal West! You won't regret it!

Yelp 100 Challenge 2019 - # 75/100

Scored tickets when they had the Free Museum Day event.

Traffic was crazy by the time we got there we only had less than two hours before closing. It was a busy day but we were able to chance upon someone who was leaving and tailed her to her car (lol).

Learned so much reading about the artists and their  artwork.

Despite the heavy foot traffic the workers kept the restrooms clean and well stocked.

Perhaps more than a few people will hit this spot thinking it's going to feature typical representations of the European-emigrants westward migration, cowboys, and other tropes around the "conquest" of territory by rugged white pioneers.  "White manifest destiny" has not been critically examined as a lens through which Americans viewed their presence on this land.  So modern day Americans, conveniently unwilling to question the past critically, follow these same tropes about their purportedly glorious past.

While certainly offering hackneyed 19th century American perspectives, the exhibits also shows other stories: of thousands of years of nature and indigenous peoples' culture coexisting in the California territory.  It seems the easiest way to assuage white guilt is to ignore the stain of genocide and blithely celebrate the cultural strands of those who were lucky to have survived the white man's deadly pogroms.  

In its thoughtful exhibit called "Humans and Nature" the public can learn more about California's indigenous people, who were shamefully treated by the official "extermination" policies of the US government determined to establish a European-white country.  It focuses on indigenous people's relationship with their natural surroundings.  To imagine 42 indigenous, ancient languages spoken in California by distinct tribes from distinct ecoregions largely lost to genocide by invading Europeans is shameful.  It is a loss of civilization and cultural memory.  And because indigenous culture is so rooted in place and its unique ecology, it represents equally, the destruction of nature.  Contrast the land's condition when the indigenous thrived here, with the endless urban monotony and blight of LA's concrete expanses today.  Land destroyed and its peoples' languages and cultures annihilated.

Behind the suffocating gaslighting and erasure of white colonial occupation, the exhibits get to the real stories of this land: of different California eco-regions such as northern alpine forests, deserts, and river/coastal systems and their indigenous stewards.  I applaud the museum for that.  

Further, their art galleries featuring fine art are exceptional and dedicated to indigenous artists exclusively.  The art demonstrates the irony and history that is lost and blank to people who cannot see past the "white American" way of viewing the commercialization, the commodification, the chain stores, the loss of unique qualities of place to "americana" as well as the socio-cultural issues of marginalizing native Americans.  (The current exhibits are of David Bradley and Harry Fonseca, both stunning.)

Outside, a humble California native plant garden hosts a fall event where a group of indigenous people reviving indigenous cultures demonstrate their uses and cuisines featuring the plants.  It is balanced by a "gold panning" area that is a nod to the invasion of (white) populations seeking gold after 1850 (that concomitantly led to a genocide of indigenous people from 1850 to 1875 due to greed for their lands, racism, and state-funded, militia-led ethnic cleansing).  

The museum's annual Native Arts marketplace in November represents a regional southwestern showcase of patronage of artisans, fine art makers, designers, and craftsmen.  The outside tent has representation from hundreds of artists.  

During the summer months they have a Salsa on the Plaza series which showcases amazing salsa bands and dancing.  Tacos are sold at these parties where you'll see the Latino pueblo of LA (some, descendants of the families from Mexican-era California)!  I've come to a movie presentation in their nicely-appointed theater...on a wing off the central plaza.  Their cafe offers local beers (Golden Road), wine, and a decent menu selection.

The museum strives to be a tribute to the diversity of cultures in the California west, and is an interesting place to spend time.

As its name implies, this museum reflects the vision of Gene Autry in interpreting all the influences that shaped the development of the American West.

While there are kitschier galleries devoted to firearms and to Hollywood flicks, the museum as a whole tries to reflect the diversity of Southern California and the Western U.S. For example, there's currently an emphasis on contemporary Native American art, the history of Griffith Park, and ecological topics like salmon and wildfires.

There are two levels of exhibits indoors as well as a nice, compact outdoors garden. If you have a Bank of America ATM card, you can get in for free on the first weekend of every month.

Los Angeles, CA: Awesome!

This museum is aptly named and proved to be pleasantly more than I expected. Not just art, as in paintings and sculptures but, well, here's the mission statement from their website"
"The Autry brings together the stories of all peoples of the American West, connecting the past with the present to inspire our shared future."

The permanent exhibits were entertaining and some were interactive, making them fun viewing for all ages. The walk through the outdoor ethnobotanical garden is enligtening, an oasis with name tags identifying the live plants and interactive activities for young visitors. Also near the garden, I especially liked the California Road Trip room, a huge screen showing biomes of the golden state, from the coast, through redwood forests, into Death Valley, and on to Mt. Whitney, over 14,000 feet above sea level. A very popular exhibit with school groups was a recreated movie studio. The camera was projecting a live video feed of young visitors, in wild west outfits, riding a plastic horse, starring in their own western film!
Free parking in zoo's lot across the street.

NOTE: Residents in Los Angeles County with County of Los Angeles Public Library cards, in good standing, can try to reserve free tickets at the Discover and Go website.

The Autry Museum had ten exhibitions going on... I came for one and saw five. Also, I bought holiday decor, greeting cards and ate a late lunch at the cafe.

Nice layout. Great for the whole day, but I slept late. Friendly staff everywhere.

Cowboys and Indians isn't just a game, Go to the Autry Museum for an experience too.

What a great museum - we really enjoyed our family time- all 8 of us found something we especially enjoyed! For me it was the garden with herbal lore and plant uses and the Salmon fishing story with the video explanation of tribal rituals and a look at the fishing area.
In our group several people enjoyed the Gene Autry music and cowboy history.
This museum makes a special effort to describe the time period and part of history that surrounded the events. This extra effort makes it easier to understand how each exhibit is important.
IMHO, The baskets and blankets were so beautiful they would have been enough to make this a great outing!
I completely missed the Griffith Park exhibit- darn!- so I'll be back!
The totem poles were huge and fantastic- I've seen several before but these were majestic!
Don't miss the ceramic pots!
You'll probably miss something- it'll be fun to come back!
Pricing: veterans- free! Nice! Seniors $10, discounts for AAA and free days for various groups or Banks.

I've heard of this museum forever and a day, but I was never interested in visiting because I didn't think I would be interested in it.  Boy was I shocked and amazed how wrong I was!

The Autry Museum is located across the street from the L.A. Zoo and the parking is free.  They are closed on Mondays.  Free for active-duty military and vets.  

I was lucky that I made it in time for the free guided tour.  No reservation was necessary.  Even luckier that my group had less people than the earlier one so I knew I would get a better view, hear the guide better, and ask my questions to my hearts content.  Loved the tour because I had a better understanding of the exhibitions.  I highly recommend taking the tour before exploring the museum.  

Take the stairs to the lower level which leads to a garden which had a waterfall.  LOVE waterfalls!  Very relaxing to sit outside unless of course a bunch of kids are running around exploring and enjoying themselves.  

LOVED the Autry Store.  Plenty of things to look at and they even had a sale cart where I was lucky to buy a t-shirt at a major discount.  Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to check out their café.  Hopefully on my next visit.

Great repository of historical West and all the people who contributed to it's success. Beautiful tributes to the various ethnic groups that have made the West what it is.

Good for groups and kids. Nice space with lots to c and offers variety of things that will keep u entertained.

I love the Autry Museum.  I've been taking my granddaughter here for years. They have a great western movie exhibit which includes a green screen movie maker where you can pretend to be riding a horse, along with hats and other props to have fun.  

There's a fun kids area where kids can pretend they are living in the old days on a farm. There's costumes and all types of things to imagine with.  

They have a changing exhibit featuring different artists. As well as an outside area that houses many native plants.

They have a cafe outside. And a large grass area where they hold special events.

Parking is free. Staff have always been very friendly and so full of knowledge.  

A great place to come and escape the heat and take in a bit of Hollywood, California, art and history!

This review gives advice for those with very young children: Save this for a rainy day a decade from now.

We drove over an hour here with a bus full of Pre-K kids in summer camp. Camp organizers had seen pictures of the gold panning, the garden and the kids play area and thought this place would be great for a field trip during the camping themed week. While the museum at large wasn't a great fit for preschool, these offerings were sufficient to tide us over for a 1.5 hour visit.

Here's where things went awry:
- The gold panning exhibit was CLOSED for much of the summer and would open only after the public school year starts. This was a punch in our guts as it was nearly the sole reason we came
- The garden is nothing more than the size of a backyard so the pictures online were a bit deceiving. What's terrible was that the garden was more than half roped off for refurbishment
- Which brings us to the one remaining kids play area. As all other options were closed, all kids, mommies, nannies, other field trip groups were crammed into this small play area. There were no staff members helping enforce rules so this became a free for all with the kids.

What's worse were some parents who took EONS with their kids. For example, there is a neat movie green screen where a child can ride a pretend horse in front of a green screen and, through movie magic, appear in a cowboy movie, riding along with other cowboys... Anyway, the concept of sharing and taking turns didn't dawn on them. 50 people were in line and a mother took 20 min with her 3 kids, letting an entire movie lapse for each child. Her kids weren't even interested but she insisted they each get a whole movie. WTH???

There were many artsy galleries with dark themes: dying Jesus on the cross with large, fresh looking lacerations, imposing dark figures with menacing eyes, displays of guns, pictures of protests and police aggression.

It's very hard to not accidentally walk into a gallery where a 5 year old might find a nightmare, see mature violence or ask questions why police officers are mean. Parents should have conversations about these things with their kids... maybe at a more mature age. But college age camp counselors are not quite equipped to fill this role and adequately field these questions.

If I were planning field trips, I would NEVER send a preschool here.

I was surprised not to find more Native American themes. No exhibits of chieftains or arrowheads. Also surprised to not see the exploration and acquisition of the West to the States. No Georgia Okeeffe art. No Montana landscapes. I suppose you can only focus on so much in a smaller museum but these gaps were surprising. Like why focus a large exhibit on Protests at the expense of a classic theme? If other museums filled these gaps, it would have been nice for this museum to provide recommendations.

In light of our audience and restricted experience, I would give the museum 1 mandatory star. We will not be back. But alas I recognize this museum serves a purpose - I give a total of 3 stars as it is more enthralling for a much older audience.

If all this still keeps you interested, this museum has free days, clean bathrooms and friendly staff. Enjoy!

The Autry Museum is a nice place for one to gain a historical perspective of the American West through a wide range of artifacts and artwork.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM
Many of these collections are present as the result of a merger between the Southwest Museum of the American Indian and the Autry Museum of Western Heritage which the late Yelper Robin Z. elaborated on in her review:  yelp.com/biz/autry-museu…

Some exhibitions are ongoing and some rotate throughout the year.

DID YOU KNOW?
According to their website at theautry.org/about-us/hi…, that handsome Texas native and co-founder of the Autry Museum, Gene Autry, "is the only entertainer to have five stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, one each for radio, records, film, television and live theatrical performance."

MY PERSPECTIVE
It's a beautiful museum, but certainly not one of my favorites in the L.A. area. Mostly clean women's restrooms. People leaned over some of the exhibits too far to take pictures and set off the alarms a few times. Our toddlers did not enjoy this museum so much until we went out to the garden area. There were a few areas closed off due to renovations/upcoming exhibitions when we visited (4/10/18).

TIPS
- free admission on the second Tuesday of each month
- free parking in their lot or the L.A. zoo across the street has overflow parking, but I'm not sure how much their fees are

'18 Challenge #59

Loved it! Loved it! LOVED IT!

A mid-size museum that takes about two hours to get through, the Autry presents a shinning peek of the American West during the frontier era. Paired with its free parking, this two-story building is conveniently located off the intersection of the 5 and 134, directly across from the Los Angeles Zoo. I came by for free admission on the second Tuesday of the month, but a ticket is regularly priced at $14.

The sleek and warm interior begins on the top floor of a powerful and driven exhibit of La Raza and the CHICANO MOVEMENT with engaging stories and captivating photos of the abuses and protects the community endured to fight for their right to work and live freely. It was such a touching kickoff to rewind backwards into the history of the American West. The next room brings you into a glimpse of the Native American and Western artists from FOLK CRAFTS to LANDSCAPE ART that vivdly scream both the hopes and despair of such spirited people.

This section then suddenly graduates into a showcase of FILM MEMORABILIA that glorified the American West, from Buffalo Bill to the countless stardoms that exploited the fame of the wild west. From gorgeous works of elegantly etched saddles to costumes of Michael Jackson to the Hateful 8, the walk thru movies culminated to a dedicaiton to Gene Autry, the singing cowboy of Hollywood past.

The bottom floor fans out to a massive MURAL depicting a list of notable figures from the American West, as drawn by Walt Disney Imagineers. I took me a few moments to grace this shine before going through a tunnel that connects the rest of the exhibitions.

Showcasing Native American art, an entire exhibition commemorates the under-appreciated art of BASKET-WEAVING of Mabel McKay from the Pomo tribe in Northern California. Walking through the route brings you to a section for HISTORIC FIREARMS, from stories of sheriffs to bandits. There are rooms and rooms boasting artifacts, furnitures, and everyday relics from the frontier west. I learned so much about the diversity of tribes, hunting grounds, and varying ecosystems beyond the stereotypical American West shown on the silver screen.

It was such an adventure learning and weaving through the featured exhibits! Great for kids and adults alike, it's a fun, magical getaway to escape to the wild, wild west!

Art: 4/5
Exhibits: 4/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Environment: 4.5/5

Next to John Wayne, Gene Autry (1907 - 1998) is one of the other great American cowboy actors.  Autry was also a singer, musician and rodeo performer, while The Duke never really rode a horse outside of movie sets (he did't like the animals).  Autry founded this museum in 1988.

The Autry Museum's permanent exhibit is devoted to the West - including western movie cinematography, from the classic Westerns of the 1930s and 1950s to Tarantino's 2015 Hateful Eight (which was a terrible movie in my opinion by the way).

At the museum there is a motion picture exhibit where you don a Western style coat and cowboy hat and get on a saddle while a background of racing horses,  cowboys and cattle rush past you and make you appear as though you are in the middle of all the commotion.

There is also a current exhibition on Chicano/Chicana struggles for equality which centers around La Raza, a 1967 - 1977 bilingual L.A. newspaper.  This is a somber all black and white photography exhibit where I learned about how in East L.A. up until the 1960s Mexican schoolchildren were apparently deliberately discriminated against and not taught the same subjects or with the same depth as white students in other parts of L.A., and were prepared more to be laborers and migrant farm workers than for any kind of white collar career.

We also saw snapshots of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which was apparently one of the first and most widespread uses of camera in human history up until that date.

You may "pan for gold" (pyrite) outside.  Fun!

The museum gift shop is quite extensive, with all sorts of interesting books and memorabilia.

There is also a surround sound cinema on the grounds, for private screenings.

The museum cafe's "iced" coffee isn't good at ALL however.

I had the opportunity to take 30 students to the Autry Museum for a Artworx LA art exhibit where their work was on display.
This is a beautiful museum with unique artifacts.  It is easy to navigate around the museum and the outdoor sitting area and gorgeous greener than green lawn is so relaxing.  The employees are friendly, professional and knowledgeable.
I will be back soon. Check out some of the pics!

This is a very fine, surprisingly so, and beautiful museum directly adjacent to the Los Angeles Zoo.
It is a multi-faceted all aged attraction dedicated to all things around the theme of the west.  It has a lot of cool interactive features which will entertain the young (and their parents) and the kids won't even mind the fact that they are being tricked into learning things.
The first aspect of the west considered is the myth of the west largely as promulgated in film and song.  This is only fitting as the museum is named after and founded by Gene Autrey, the "singing cowboy."  This is s fun and interesting part of the museum which includes an opportunity for kids to see how movies are made by "doing".
There are other areas about the west which focus on western textile art, particularly clothes and weapons, from what we would describe as the Wild West snd s great selection of Native American crafts including pottery and blankets.
Another aspect of the West featured is western art that is art inspired by the west or art by western often Native American artists.  There are at least two changing exhibits dedicated to western art.
The geography of the west is exhibited in a nice outdoor exhibit of trees and plantings
More specifically focused on the west is an area dedicated to California which includes an interactive gold panning area which will enthrall the kids.
Finally, but still in development, I'd an exhibit involving the history of Griffith Park
Of which this wonderful museum is but s part.

This museum gets nearly all 5 star reviews for good reason.  it is excellent.

We spent 5 hours here and that includes a half hour for lunch (at the in-house Crossroads restaurant) and a 90 minute, absolutely terrific, free docent tour.  Honestly, we could have stayed longer.

Freeeee and plentiful parking.  Hey, that's reason enough to go anywhere in LA.  It's located directly opposite the entrance to the LA Zoo.

It's an extremely well-done museum and they wisely don't idolize Gene Autry (who, I'm sure, was a swell guy).  As far as I could tell, there is only one glass display which discusses him and there are a ton of other displays about other modern day cowboys (actors, singers, etc.).

One floor is devoted to Western history and it is simply outstanding.  There are displays of art, guns, barbed wire, saddles, clothing, stagecoaches, a historic old Western saloon, and much more.  Native American history is not ignored whatsoever.

Free gold panning for the kiddos outside and the cafe is expensive, but better than average.

Excellent museum, all around.  It's not perfect but it's very well done, informative and entertaining.  First class experience.