LOS ANGELES, CA — It may just be a tiny golden man on a pedestal, but it symbolizes the greatest achievements in cinema, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is where Oscar's history comes to life.
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A short drive from the Dolby Theater, site of the Oscars, is a true destination for film lovers.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened in the fall of 2021, a decades-long project to bring together Hollywood's past, present, and future.
The 300,000-square-foot project features expansive spaces dedicated to many facets of Oscar's legacy.
The Steven Spielberg Theater welcomes guests on the first floor with a montage of Oscar winners spanning nearly a century. It serves as a reminder of the connection that film fans feel from shared experiences.
Upstairs, one of the showcase rooms features a history of the Academy Awards themselves. What began as a simple 15-minute dinner in 1929 has grown into a worldwide audience numbering in the hundreds of millions annually.
Whether you're a casual movie fan or a true cinephile, the Academy Museum is a feast for the senses.
More than 100 years of movie history is on display, including the Oscars themselves right in the heart of Hollywood.
Rotating exhibits are peppered throughout the building. During our visit, a room dedicated to some of the Oscar-winning costume designers over the decades.
Another milestone marking the 50th anniversary of Jaws, one of the American movie benchmark productions, the birth of the blockbuster film, and also a three-time Oscar winner.
And a spectacular spread of the recent Barbie movie, with set designs and production elements on full display.
The museum includes some brilliant interactive features. The set of the original Godfather movies is meticulously recreated, and gives you the chance to sit at the desk to make him an offer he can't refuse.
And there's the Oscars experience itself. Fans get their own winning moment with the real thing in hand.
And of course, there are Oscars on display, historic winners over the years, each one its own piece of Hollywood history.
The museum also includes two theaters for film screenings and presentations.
A new exhibit this spring will explore the career of film icon Marilyn Monroe.
Visit academymuseum.org for more information.
You can catch the 98th annual Academy Awards this Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on WRTV.
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