Rad Arachnids at the National History Museum's Spider Pavilion

If you live in Los Angeles and somehow missed the bevy of haunted houses and scary attractions, you're in luck: the Spider Pavilion at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is open from October 30 to December 11. This isn't your normal spider exhibit, full of glass cases and barriers between you and the spiders; the exhibit is housed in an open-air pavilion where you can see non-venomous Golden Silk Spiders and Garden Spiders do what they do best, up-close and personal.

Museum guides tell visitors about the importance of spiders to our everyday lives, as well as their description of the arachnids' web-building prowess. Visitors are warned to watch where they step in order to avoid stray spider silk across the face, but luckily the spiders mostly keep to themselves and are shy around humans.

For the more squeamish guest, the entry area to the pavilion holds several spiders in closed habitats, where you can see spiders such as the Pinktoe Tarantula and the Mexican Fireleg Tarantula in glass cases while you learn about their habits and favorite foods (spoiler: it's not people.)

Plan your trip: Visit Fodor's Los Angeles Travel Guide