STEM Night at the Petersen Automotive Museum

The Petersen Automotive Museum turns its three floors into a science playground for one evening. STEM Night on Friday, November 13, 2026, invites families of all ages to try hands-on activities and see how science, technology, engineering and math show up in the world of cars. It is an easy pick if you are scanning for things to do in Los Angeles with kids on a Friday night.

When: Friday, November 13, 2026, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Where: Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Tickets: $10 admission; kids under 4 are free

What to expect

The museum says the night is built around SAE lesson plans and interactive experiences, so the activities are meant to teach as well as entertain. The listed stations include robot coding, a computerized driver, a skimmer, a parachute, a helicopter, a jet toy, a rocket and a wind tunnel. Plenty of them let kids test an idea, change something and try again, which is the whole point of a STEM evening.

Your ticket also covers the rest of the building. Guests get access to all three museum floors, so between activities you can wander the galleries and the cars on display. The Discovery Center, the museum's learning space, is open as well. Because the window is only two hours, it helps to pick a few stations first and leave the galleries for the second half.

Getting there

The museum sits on Wilshire Boulevard at the western end of the Miracle Mile, across from the LACMA campus. Petersen members get complimentary parking for education events, and everyone else should plan for paid parking, so allow a little extra time to arrive. Tickets are sold through the museum's event page, and buying ahead is the safer route for a family night that is likely to draw a crowd.

If you are putting together a list of LA events this weekend, or building a plan for the whole month, this one pairs well with a daytime stop at LACMA or the La Brea Tar Pits nearby. A Friday evening start also means school-age kids can attend without missing a class, and the early finish leaves time for dinner afterward on Fairfax or along Wilshire.

Check the museum's page before you go for any change to the activity list, the schedule or the parking details. The museum lists the program as an education event, so expect a relaxed, family-first crowd rather than a late-night one. It is also a low-cost option, since the $10 ticket covers both the activities and the galleries, which makes it good value for a museum night in this part of the city.