Photograph: Michael Juliano for Time OutIt’s time to say smell you later to L.A.’s favorite sticky situation. For the first time in nearly 50 years, the iconic La Brea Tar Pitsis pausing its prehistoric programming for a massive, modern makeover. The goal is to reopen in time for the 2028 Summe r Olympics. While mega-fans donned their best polyester threads and boogied down at the '70s-themed "Last Dance at La Brea Tar Pits" farewell party for the world’s most famous urban Ice Age excavation site last Saturday, here's what the rest of us need to know about the big pause. When are the La Brea Tar Pits closing? The announcement was made earlier this spring, but now the George C. Page Museum is set to officially close its doors after July 6, 2026. If you want one last look at the mammoths before the dust sheets go up, you’ll need to act fast. However, the institution’s namesake outdoor tar pits will remain open, with construction in the surrounding Hancock Park planned in phases. Why are the La Brea Tar Pits closing? The site is embarking on a sweeping $234 million transformation designed by Weiss/Manfredi. The goal is to modernize the 69,000-square-foot museum and its surrounding 13-acre campus, bringing a 1977 institution firmly into the 21st century. How will the tar pits be different when they reopen? Expect a stunning glow-up. The first phase will introduce a brand-new Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research, upgraded walkways, better park lighting and expanded outdoor learning spaces. Don't worry, though—the actual bubbling tar isn't going anywhere, and paleontologists will keep right on digging and researching behind the scenes throughout the closure. When will the tar pits reopen? The reimagined campus is slated to debut in 2028, just in time to welcome the world for the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games. While the main building is taking a hiatus, the museum's educational mission isn't stopping. Look out for behind-the-scenes virtual tours and the La Brea Tar Pits Mobile Museum popping up at schools and community events across L.A. County. It might be tough to imagine Wilshire Boulevard without its usual prehistoric flair for the next two years, but science takes time, and you can look forward to a fresh new experience in 2028. ...read more read less