Skirball Cultural Center

This hillside campus off the 405 aims to look at connections between 4,000 years of Jewish heritage and communities within L.A. The permanent display are both beautiful and enriching, with a 25,000-object collection that’s among the largest holdings of Judaica in the country. Little ones will love Noah’s Ark, a wonderful kid-oriented, playground-like exhibit that explores cultural differences through a retelling of the old animals-two-by-two tale.

Meanwhile, the more headline-grabbing temporary exhibitions often focus on prominent Jewish figures (Leonard Bernstein and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, among them) or beloved pieces of pop culture (like Star Trek and the creations of Jim Henson). You’ll find an unexpectedly rich schedule of concerts and other performances, too, particularly in the summer when the courtyard often plays host to live music and movies.