*Hours: Saturdays only, 10am-4pm. *Free admission. *Large parking lot available. *You'll spend thirty minutes to an hour here, depending on how quickly you read. Before you go here, understand what this is. If you're looking for a big museum with a focus on all things Western, go to the Autry Museum of the American West (Griffith Park). This is a historic building owned by the Autry, which still retains some of the Native American artifacts originally exhibited and stored here (others have already been relocated to either the Griffith Park museum or their research building in Burbank). There are only two rooms (one with Pueblo pottery and the other chronicling the museum's history and showcasing a few examples of Mayan and Incan art). Supposedly, the Southwest Museum is LA's oldest museum. It was opened as the Southwest Museum of the American Indian in 1907 (downtown location) by archaeologist and journalist Charles Lummis, to preserve and document the indigenous cultures of the Southwest. Lummis ran the Southwest Society (the western branch of the Archaeological Institute of America). The museum moved to its current building in 1914 (constructed for this purpose). In 2003, financial challenges pushed the museum to merge with the Autry. There is quite a bit of controversy involving the merger and the subsequent decisions made by the Autry. The facility has remained as a conservation site, with visiting hours only on Saturdays. You can read more criticism at savesouthwestmuseum.com, run by Friends of the Southwest Museum. According to the group, the merger would ideally have revitalized the museum instead of limiting visitation and transferring parts of the collection to other locations. Currently, the building is for sale. Naturally, this will invite more criticism as the collection will be completely separated from the historic building. I don't want to blame the Autry as I don't understand the financial issues at play here. I don't know why the museum wasn't revitalized after the merger (it's unfortunate that it wasn't). I also don't doubt that it costs a lot to keep this building running (and they have two other facilities in Los Angeles). Of course, keeping the collection at the building is ideal. But if it's draining the Autry's resources and they have two other buildings to house the artifacts? I'm sure people will chide this cowboy-oriented institution for completely subsuming an institution that focuses on indigenous culture. However, it seems like they saved this building from closure in the first place and invested a lot of money to keep it running. It also seems like the Autry has committed to furthering indigenous voices in their programming (thus not only focusing on cowboy history). It's not ideal to let go of the historic building but if they can wholeheartedly commit to preserving indigenous art and make room in their facilities for these stories? It might be the best case scenario. Letting go of a building that's draining resources makes sense, from an administrative and financial perspective (especially after Covid). Hypothetically, if there were a donor or buyer that offered to finance the retention of the building with the artifacts and the Autry declined? That'd be a different story. In the end, I hope they can find ways to honor this site's legacy and adequately incorporate the indigenous art and history. read more

This small museum gathers even smaller exhibitions of Native American art - perfect for a Saturday afternoon stroll after a tea break. The convenient parking lot is situated in the back, but it's best to start your trip by parking on the Museum Drive. Then take a quick photo in front of the museum entrance before walking thru the long tunnel access. The whole place is small and easily navigatable in about 30 minutes. The FIRST FLOOR hosts some displays covering the history of the Southwest Museum institution as founded by archeologist Charles Lummis. Few modern art draperies hang in the inside for comfort viewing as you walk through the museum. The SECOND FLOOR is currently displaying a ceramic art exhibition showcasing Pueblo art and other crafted items from South West Native Americans. There were plenty of Navajo pottery and other figurines on display dated over a span of a few centuries. The free admission on Saturday makes this a great destination to pair with the nearby Heritage Square Museum, or even perfect to go right before heading to the Autry main campus. The walking distance from the Gold Line Station makes this museum an easy and convenient stop! Don't forget to bring some snacks and enjoy the fantastic view of Mount Washington at the top of the museum grounds! read more

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This is a brother shall we say museum of Autry's from Griffith Park? It's a museum specialized in Native American art and I wanted to check out for a while but didn't get around to it. One of the reasons - it's only opened on Saturdays, between 10 am and 4 pm. It's free to visit, though! The museum is small, located on Mt. Washington campus, built between 1912 - 1914 by Charles Lummis in Spanish Style. The building is impressive located uphill and you can enjoy nice views from atop. You take an elevator up and the first floor presents the history of the museum and its founder Charles Lummis, influential to the area. The second floor is also small and the exhibit room is dedicated to Pueblo pottery over centuries. The museum has a nice outdoor area with great views and beautiful sculptures. They also do events out there, so it's a cool area to explore. I went to the Southwest Museum during a MOTA day and took advantage of their free shuttle that dropped us there. There's a parking lot at the museum. There is also a subway stop very close on the Gold Line called Southwest Museum. Because the museum is on the small side and would take around an hour to see everything, I recommend to plan to do more things in the area or go during a day when they have more events. Otherwise, going just to see the museum might not be enough. My 2 cents. Southwest Museum is a nice slice of our city's history and showcases and preserves great Native American art, a great tribute to our past. Interesting museum to check out and explore during your local travels. read more

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This is the one museum in the Los Angeles area that I have waited so long to see. Unfortunately, it was closed for years so I thought I would never get to visit. Fortunately, there is a tiny sliver of good news: it's open -- sort of. On Saturdays, you can enter the building and see the lobby, stairway, and a few vitrines with items on display. It's free. You probably won't spend more than 15 minutes in the museum -- if you do, it would probably be considered loitering -- but it's encouraging to see the doors finally open. I'm not naive enough to think this museum will be fully back on its feet anytime soon, if that is even possible, but I'm glad to see something happening. read more

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Southwest Museum of the American Indian is the oldest museum in Los Angeles. It's a 12-acre campus near the Mount Washington-Highland Park border. Museum's public exhibition on Pueblo pottery, is small and open free of charge. The museum is owned by the Autry Museum of the American West. Its collections deal mainly with Native Americans and its major collections had included American Indians of the Great Plains, American Indians of California, and American Indians of the Northwest Coast. Visitors can complete the whole museum's exhibits and grounds in 35 minutes. Parking lot is free and of of midsize. Staff were friendly and professional. Overall, I recommend this museum if you like American Indian culture. read more

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A good jaunt through old west history with some great art exhibits. A really interesting collection of domestic items used through out southwest history, clothes, kitchen tools, vehicles and even dental chairs and tools.. I found the Grand Canyon photo exhibit very interesting and the outdoor area was cute, just that the water looked a bit dirty... there is a really cute section on Western films with photos and memorabilia and you can get on this fake horse and see yourself in an old west chase scene. I think small kids would be bored, but kids who can understand not interactive exhibits and history would probably appreciate it. It is also near the Los Angeles Zoo, incase you wanted to see that too. read more

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About 30 years ago I visited the intact Southwest Museum which at that time was one of the largest Native American museums in the United States. The original museum took hours to review all its impressive exhibit rooms which included a large hall filled with beautiful Native American artwork. About 3 years ago I again visited the Southwest Museum site and it was a shell of its former glory. It is now as described in the other reviews here, taking about 30 minutes to visit and mostly showing a small collection of Pueblo pottery. I was told about 3 years ago, during my visit, that the Southwest Museum had been merged with the Autry museum in Griffith Park and that the Native American artifacts were moved there. So, I immediately went to the Autry museum and was soon disappointed. The Autry museum only has a few Native American objects. It seems that the cultural communities of Southern California did not care enough to maintain the complete extensive collection, in the intact Southwest Museum, which was once one of the most impressive Native American museums in the United States. read more

Building is beautiful built in 1914 I believe. Museum is only open currently on Saturdays. Free entrance but donations very welcome! You walk through a long tunnel at the entrance to an elevator up to the main floor. Only a small area of the building is public accessible. The current exhibit is on pottery and the displays and pottery are beautiful! There is a lovely garden with sculptures outside with parking in the back. The Metro stops not a 5 minute walk from the entrance to the museum. A part of Los Angeles that should be visited - the views are also amazing from up on the hill! read more

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RE-OPENED! this weekend i was able to go on a "behind the scenes" tour of the southwest museum of the american indian, thanks to the los angeles visionaries association. it was a very lovely and informative tour but i left with more questions than insight and answers. it's been about fifteen years since i last visited this museum and there's been much that has happened during that time. most importantly, the southwest museum merged in 2003 with the gene autry museum of western heritage (in griffith park) to form the autry national center. it's been a tenuous partnership since the begining with the autry initially pledging to dedicate resources towards preservation and conservation of southwest's collections and the building it occupies. but in 2009, the autry announced that they'd be closing the museum for at least a three year period, amid rumors that it could be a stepping stone towards a permanent closure. since then, most of the southwest museum has been taken over by massive preservation efforts because a large chunk of the 250,000+ artificacts in the museum's collections are damaged or are in various states of decay. the work has monopolized a majority of the building and it's been slow-going and labor intensive. currently, only a miniscule fraction of the collections are even on public exhibition with the rest in storage or undergoing restoration. the southwest museum's collections are second only in size to the smithsonian's national museum of the american indian (NMAI), located on the national mall in washington, dc. i've been to the NMAI and it's gorgeous museum with excellent programming that really takes advantage of it's collections- which is apparent through great exhibitions that showcase artifacts as well as provide the interpretation necessary to contextualize what is on display. and yes, i understand that it's not fair to draw an exact parallel between the two institutions. the smithsonian has direct and secure federal funding along with an extremely robust development department (as well as access to all kinds of support and resources) but it's still an important comparison to make and it raises all kinds of questions. what is the mission of the southwest museum? what excactly are their plans for the collections once they've completed some of the restoration work? i know that a majority of the holdings are going to be stored in the new autry resource center that's currently being built in burbank but then what? how will the collections be shared with the community- the tribes, the scholars, and the public at large? what is the ultimate goal of all this preservation if there's no access or exhibition of the collections? what are the interpretive goals? i'm not saying that the southwest should be become a miniature version of the smithsonian's NMAI but it definitely needs to dedicate time and resources towards clarifying the museum's vision and developing it's brand. the southwest's collections are rich and vast and there are a lot of opportunities (as a smaller, more flexible institution) for modest, focused, and carefully curated exhibits. the latent potential here is enormous but it remains to be seen what will happen... i'm also not sure if there is a five year or ten year plan in place because the tour guide seemed unsure about when the museum will be able to completely open again and offered a guess that it could be as early as 2015. for now, the southwest museum seems to be in limbo with only a tiny gallery, along with an ethnobotanical garden overlooking the arroyo seco, open to the public for limited hours on saturdays. read more

The Southwest Museum of the Native Indian is a real Los Angeles treasure. It is the oldest museum in Los Angeles and holds one of the largest collections of archaeology from the Southwest US. Currently it is only open to the public on Saturdays from 10 to 4. The gallery space is currently limited, but the objects on display are well worth the trip. You can also peruse the Hopi Trail outside and visit the garden- which is currently being worked on by volunteers every Saturday. A great place to take kids, and easy to get to if you take the metro gold line since it has it's own stop. read more

I remember this place from when I was a kid..it was small but cool. After attempting to hit the Natural History Museum at Exposition park and being hut out by hoards of people to see some bug deal-e-o, we decided to come here instead. Unfortunately, I didn't read their close enough because they are essentially closed until 2010 for heay renovation. So, on to the next place we went ( http://www.yelp.com/biz/Z1BhSbnw8e9EyV1xI8dTOA?hrid=3QO4ftuyncMjDBU3mrSjNA ). read more

Honestly I was disappointed at how small this display was, considering how large the museum itself is.. well taken care care and beautiful area, that was nice to sit and read at.. but this museum needs a boost read more

Gorgeous building sitting on Mt. Washington. The exhibit is only open currently on Saturdays, and you can tell only a fraction of the collection is shown. I talked to a person there, and they told me that another wing should be opening up soon. Up the Yopi trail on the campus is a beautiful garden that has been tended carefully by neighborhood kids for educational purposes. I hope the Autry reopens this museum in its entirety because it is a historical treasure! read more

This museum is only open on Saturdays but it's awesome. Displays are limited at this time but worth the trip. read more

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I've come here several times since i was a child. It has a large permanent collection of native american artifacts. The museum is high up in Mount Washington with a great view. Also as a neat gift shop with a lot of handcrafted goods. read more

The Southwest Museum, Los Angeles' oldest museum and housed one of the most extensive collections of Native American artifacts. It was and is a beautiful edifice. I can remember going there with my children and viewing amazing artifacts from across the Southwest. Today it is the unfortunate victim of reconstruction and refurbishment that leaves a billion dollar collection in boxes, some of it carted away to the Autry Museum and much of it in boxes stored in two yet to be "galleries" and storage rooms.It appears that Autry maintains control of it and has greatly diminished its offerings. It's odd that the museum was "reopened" with virtually nothing to show to the public. You can walk in through the upper entrance look through locked doors at the two closed galleries with boxes piled high, serving as storerooms, and go downstairs to the lovely reception area ...with no artifacts. Then some more stairs leads to ...the bathrooms, with no more than a handful of artifacts in cases along the way. The guard advised that the first gallery will open in Dec 2012 or Jan 2013, and the second, sometime after that. However I cannot imagine that these two, what seem to me as, over-built galleries could possibly do justice to a billion dollar collection. I don't know why the Southwest has allowed to fall into this derelict condition, with absolutely none of it's former grandeur ...that is unless an air conditioned edifice qualifies as a museum, which it does not. ...And let me be clear, the edifice is beautiful, but I believe, even in design, with insufficient space for the collection. ...The museum board and management has done a terrible disservice to the community and what was once a Los Angeles landmark. read more

This museum opened in 1914, founded by Charles Lummis, an early crusader for Native American civil rights and a collector of Native artifacts. It currently houses the largest collection of Native American artifacts in the nation. The views from Mount Washington alone are worth the trip (located in northeast L.A.). On Feb. 13, a food-tasting fiesta will be held on the grounds, featuring chilis & chocolate.....!!? A chocolate martini will be included.......bring a designated driver. read more

This is a small museum, but has a lot of history and enthusiasm! (The museum is still recovering from the 90s quakes, so exhibits are limited). After entering the unique tunnel to access the museum and enjoying local Indian artifacts, I roamed around the perimeter of the museum for some great views of Los Angeles... fun! read more

It's small, it's nice. It's informative. It's "LA's oldest museum" in need of...$$$ We went because... Well, we like riding around on the rails on the Weekend Day Pass for Metrolink which gets you Metrorail and the busses for 10 bucks. And there's a stop on the Gold Line which sez: Museum. Oh? What museum. That's why we went. We got there a little before it opens @ 10am on a Saturday, and, while we could have walked up the driveway we sat outside the "tunnel entrance" and waited. Right at ten a nice security guard... I think his name was Sonny(?) - sorry if I got it wrong - opened up. There's a tunnel - a couple hundred feet maybe that leads to an elevator. Very nice Pueblo pottery exhibit. Some Navajo I think. Read the info - even if you can't remember it all like I can't ;) Walked around the grounds - nice views. Go. It's an interesting LA neighborhood. Down a few streets to the Sam Lummis house. A pioneer of sorts it's another underestimated and unappreciated bit of local history. read more

I love this place, been coming here since I was a little kid. Learn about the native peoples of our land and have fun doing it. The museum sits on a nice hill with beautiful views of LA . Located minutes from Pasadena this is a great place for you and the kids. Have fun at the southwest Museum... read more

This is a great little museum! The grounds are beautiful and the renovation that's being done is fantastic. It's quite small, so perfect for a morning or an afternoon outing. The curator was wonderful; she gave us a comprehensive history of the museum and an overview of the exhibits. There's plenty of parking. read more