Free admission for all with a suggested donation of $5, a small neighborhood museum with rotating…read moreexhibits that reflect current events.

I would call this a hidden gem in Torrance. I had heard about it, but finally decided to visit…read more Best part, it's free. No charge. It's located in the civic center, in the back, so you can't see it off of the street. It's almost a game of hide and seek, where you need to find it. Even when I did finally find it, I wasn't sure I was at the right place or if it was even open. However, I was not disappointed when I finally walked inside. It's a teeny place. More like a gallery than what I would call a museum. Open floor plan. Great art though. An eclectic collection of paintings and mixed media when I visited. There were a couple other parties viewing the artwork. Not crowded. Parking: Free lot.

For those who may not know, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, is free from 3 to 5 p.m…read more maybe only on weekdays but maybe weekends too. I am not sure, but most of the information is right, if one is compelled they can fact-broaden my statement. I went to take advantage of this offer but it was June 19th and in honor of the holiday everyone got in for free on this day. But apparently it was a last minute decision. So poor reporting seems to be more like offering information as it comes, not in a malicious way, or incompetent way, more in like the town crier gives what he knows in excitement and it is the responsibility of hearers to know what to do with the information, including vetting it responsibly or accepting it as a gift when given by surprise, even though it could have come in handy earlier. So I entered and I made a beeline to the Butterfly Pavillion. I think it was 12 dollars and worth every single cent. And I write that as a full-blown understatement because exaggeration did not seem the way to go. Like saying this place was worth more than 12 dollars, it was worth the weight of a camel's back in gold. The experience was beautiful. And that statement can be easily understood. I mean butterfly garden + momentary visit= beautiful. But more than that it was a type of beautiful that I had not experience before. It was a new facet of nature's beauty that I experienced. Mostly because I had never interacted with butterflies in this way. For instance, there was a butterfly with wings that were a strong bold blue, almost neon, and for sure, vibrant. Like a royal blue not because it was that shade but because amongst blues it would have palatial lineage in its shade. We were warned that butterflies might be on the ground. And on two experiences two were. The first I encountered was not flying. And the younger members of the experience made sure to announce the butterflies presence and its vulnerability. I feel like sometime in this place's history a butterfly did get stepped on. And for no other reason, than the natural happens. In the second occasion, a butterfly was trying to fly or stand still and could not because the winds made it topple. During that moment a butterfly apparently landed on my back. Man people, if not all, wonder if a butterfly will land on them? And what it would mean? I mean, it could be good news. Saying that a butterfly landing on a person is an omen of disaster does quite fit the visual of the insect and what horror brings. A butterfly did land on my wrist and of course one can't help but feel special. Like, the butterfly chose me and its trying to communicate something. Something important that the universe wants me to hear. What exactly that is? I am not sure. I need to reflect on that later or I will know when the butterfly effects comes clearer in time.

I am finally visiting the Natural History Museum, not only that but I'm also super excited to go to…read morethe Orca Exhibit with a friend of mine who's also a whale lover. We arrived at 9:30am. The security at the Garden area miscommunicated what we needed to do. She told us to go check in at the ticket booth so we waited in line even though we had tickets only to be told to go back to her to get the bracelet.. we basically waited in a line that was not needed. That was a little annoying to say the least and not a good first impression. Thankfully we were early and our excitement took over fast enough to brush that off. We made it in! As we walked through the museum, we peeked into some of the different rooms on our what to the Orcas Exhibit and were excited to see more. We made it with our additional tickets purchased for this part of the museum since the Orca Exhibit is considered a special exhibit. It was totally worth it to see a life size whale replica of Ruffles! As we migrated around to a Dino room, we heard the PA system go on.. sadly we had NO idea what they were saying. Were we being told about some limited time special at the guest shop or caf or was this a serious matter.. we didn't understand what the PA system was saying so we heard the message again and then again to finally understand that we were going to be sheltering in place due to a dangerous situation near by. Well first, it shouldn't take more than one message to know that there is a situation happening .. second of all, it was really tough to find any employee around to ask what was said or what was happening. That was a little disappointed but we were happy that they took precaution to keep us safe by sheltering in place (thank you for that). As we wandered around hungry and thirsty (no outside food or drinks are allowed) we were trying to keep each other calm while also hearing the helicopter circling around the area. Thankfully we finally found someone that asked us if we had any questions which we did. As he realized that we had been at the museum since this morning and had already been through all the exhibits including the orca one (which we noticed no longer required the additional tickets) he was kind enough to share a room with us with some snacks and water. (The museum refunded us the Orca exhibit fee, thank you for that) Over all: Emergency communication: When the shelter-in-place announcement came over the PA system, it took multiple repetitions before we could understand what was being said. In an urgent situation, clarity on the first announcement is critical. It also took considerable effort to locate a staff member who could tell us what was happening. I'd strongly encourage reviewing both PA audio quality and staff visibility protocols for emergencies. Check-in process: When we arrived at 9:30am, the security staff at the Garden area gave us unclear instructions. We were directed to wait in line at the ticket booth despite already having tickets, only to be sent back to get our bracelets. A small thing, but worth noting for future visitors. I do want to sincerely thank the staff member who eventually found us, recognized we had been there since opening, and kindly provided us with water and snacks while we waited. That gesture meant a lot. He also went above and beyond when another guest needed assistance; the kind of care he showed is exactly what you'd hope to see. I really wish I would have gotten his name to give him the proper recognition he deserved. Would I go back? Yes, in the hopes of a much smoother, less stressful type of experience. The dinosaurs are amazing to see and get perspective on how huge they were.

This place is an oasis. Small, personal, but comfortable. It is directly behind the Torrance Art…read moreMuseum. Please donate to the Museum if you go and they are open. Pine Wind Garden is aesthetically pleasing and a cool place to hangout in peace and quiet. Do not feed the fish. Respect the property and enjoy your stay.

Beautiful and serene. Pine Wind Garden is a hidden gem behind the Torrance Civic Center. This…read moreJapanese garden is a lovely spot that is quiet and a perfect place for relaxation and reflection. I've visited this garden after some classes I've taken at the Civic Center as well as after some events. I love the pretty landscaping, the koi pond and the waterfalls. There's plenty of stone pathways to walk around. It's so picturesque. This is one of my favorite gardens in the South Bay.

ESMoA is an experimental museum that embrace visitors, partners, and featured artists to contribute…read moreto the interpretation and creation of art. This place hosts periodically just draw sessions, complimentary to public with general free admission to the museum.

Came here for a date with my wife after we left the kids with the grandparents. It is a nice…read moreintimate art gallery. We liked how they structured the gallery to focus on enjoying and feeling the art as opposed to reading a bunch of texts. They had some really cool pieces in there and some great programing that interested us to come back and try. Would recommend this for anyone who enjoys the arts:

What an incredible little museum. We got up close & personal with the cockpit of an F-5. An…read moreincredibly knowledgeable docent took his time to explain to us the controls in the cockpit & we learned a bit about what it would've been like flying in the plane. We really appreciated the detail & time he spent with us. Then we learned about the Webb Space Telescope - a docent who was a retired Aerospace engineer took about 20 minutes to talk to us about it, we also learned a few things about the Voyagers (1 and 2). I feel I learned more about space travel in the 20 minutes I spent with him than all the years I was in school. There are also awesome artifacts (some for sale), books & model airplanes for purchase. I also really enjoyed the Women in Flight exhibit about women pilots & astronauts.

Took my sons here while we were in the area. Its a small museum but we spent over an hour there…read more The majority of the time my kids were in the little play area playing with the airplane and spaceship toys. The rest of the time we were browsing around and even sat on an F5 cockpit. We were also pretty lucky that a few planes were landing and taking off so that was exciting. Staff was amazing. Museum takes donations for admission.

Fun, interactive space and my first time checking out a pop-up exhibit. Took advantage of a Groupon…read morespecial. Definitely go with a friend or two or fam for decent photo ops. I do appreciate art. The space is small, but i was expecting more exhibits. Since the visit was timed, it was nice not having to rush while taking fun selfies and welfies. The caviar tin can ball pit felt a little dirty which was expected. Note: it is a little challenging (and comical) getting out of that ball pit! Staff member was really friendly. The exhibit ends at Del Amo mall soon and is moving to another location.

Across from Out Back steak house. Near Bath and Body works and a few yards from forever 21 on the…read moresame side. I received a 20% off coupon - $98 for us 6 ( $17 each, 2 adults, $13, each 4 kids) It's an experience to be had but I don't think it's worth the price we paid . It's a small venue , good to take a few pictures for memories and not much else.. My kids all mentioned how short this visit were for them and they expect to see more art pieces. I did want to acknowledge the employees. I wish I could recall their names . Both ladies , were friendly , energetic and constantly smiling. They volunteered to help us with taking pictures.

I've heard about this museum but never got the chance to visit. Today I parked here to attend the…read moreLomita Founder's Day event and decided to check out the museum at 4 pm on Sunday before heading home. The museum is small but packed with a lot of historical artifacts. My preschooler was enamored with the wooden toy train set and wouldn't stop playing. It was cool to check out the trains outside, and I was surprised to find out that the yellow caboose was actually a little library. I read two Thomas the Train books to my kiddo in there. :) The bathroom is clean, and the inside of the museum is air-conditioned, so it was very comfortable on a hot summer day.

For some reason, it took over 30 years for me to finally check out Lomita Railroad Museum despite…read moregrowing up in South Bay. It's free, it's cute, and it's a fun little venture. It's a railroad museum with a few railroad cars and a small museum displaying vintage items, models, and what not. The curator is very passionate about this museum and locomotives and can give you a detailed explanation or tour about, well, anything railroad. And the best part? It's all free! But still strongly consider donating or supporting via their gift shop, this is a gem within Lomita and we gotta make sure it stays around for a long time. They also allow for venue renting of the grassy space and across the street as well for any events you want so keep that in mind as well! Small parking lot but there's plenty of street parking too!

Amazing historical art , well worth the time spent. The docent was well informed and provided…read moreamazing insights into the history and values of these incredible art pieces

What a hidden gem. There is so much to see and learn. Holly is so knowledgeable and friendly.read more