Autry Museum of the American West

This permanent exhibit features rotating selections from the Autry Museum’s collections. It’s organized into three essential themes that together encapsulate significant concerns in the history of the American West: Religion and Ritual, Land and Landscape, and Migration and Movement. Expect to find work from artists such as Thomas Moran, George O’Keeffe, Luis Tapia, and more.

This whimsical, kid-friendly movie studio space encourages visitors to act out and film their own cinematic visions of the American West using creative props and backdrops.

This exhibition highlights the intersections between human civilization and the natural world. Divided into four separate but interlocking categories—Salmon, Fire, Desert, and Plants—the contents of this exhibition include multimedia displays and soundscapes, indigenous art and artifacts, and contemporary art and photography.

Linked to the Human Nature exhibit, this outdoor ethnobotanical garden (a garden that emphasizes the cultural aspects of plants) houses a variety of local plant life including a California oak tree, a waterfall, a wetlands cove, and much more. The garden also has places to sit and relax and provides scenic photographic opportunities.

Providing a space for relaxation and inspiration, the California Road Trip room takes visitors to California’s most scenic and varied landscapes through projections of Joshua Tree, Big Sur, Mt. Whitney, and other iconic destinations.

This delightful exhibit traces the history of the American cowboy, including everything from a life-sized chuck wagon and cowboy paraphernalia to modern, multimedia displays and images that re-imagine the landscape from Oklahoma to California. With the grand significance that the cowboy holds in the history of the American West, it’s no surprise that this exhibition is immensely popular.

Subtitled “Stories of Fact and Fiction,” this exhibition tells the story of the American West through one of its most iconic objects—the firearm. See historical antique weapons from Remington, Colt, Smith & Wesson, Winchester, and others. Individual displays highlight the significant role of firearms in the West and cover topics such as hunting, new technology, and the legacy of the West.