Petersen Shop Tour: Behind the Scenes Saturday

Most visitors to the Petersen Automotive Museum see the finished product: polished cars under gallery lighting. The Petersen Shop Tour goes the other way. It takes a small group behind the scenes to see where the work happens, and it is one of the more unusual things to do in Los Angeles on a Saturday morning.

When: Saturday, Nov 7, 2026, 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM Where: Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles Tickets: Booked through the museum's event page

What the tour covers

The museum describes this as an immersive, docent-led tour. One of its master docents guides the group through two areas the public rarely gets near. The first is the private Vault, the storage space where much of the collection lives out of sight. The second is the working shop floor, where the museum's craft is carried out.

The museum says the tour runs just once a week, on Saturdays only, for a select group of guests, and that space is limited. A small group usually means you can ask questions and linger when something catches your eye, which a standard gallery visit rarely allows.

Who it suits

Car people are the obvious audience, but you do not need to know engines to enjoy it. If you like seeing how a museum actually runs, or you want a smaller, slower alternative to the main galleries, this fits. It also works as a morning plan before the rest of the day: the tour wraps at 11:00 AM, leaving the afternoon open.

Practical details

The museum sits on the Miracle Mile stretch of Wilshire Boulevard at Fairfax Avenue, an easy stop if you are already exploring the neighborhood. Parking and transit options are listed on the museum's visit page. The listing we found did not show a ticket price, so check the event page for current pricing and availability before you plan around it. Because spots are limited, booking ahead is the safe move.

The museum lists the same tour on other Saturdays through December, so if Nov 7 is full, look for a later date. For more ideas, browse our listings of upcoming events Los Angeles has on the calendar, or see what is on for LA events this weekend.