Los Angeles Guide To Free Admission

(credit: hammer.ucla.edu)

There are so many free things to do in Los Angeles including hanging out at the beach, biking Griffith Park or walking around LA Live. If you’re looking for culture, there are many museums, parks, and attractions that offer free admission occasionally or all the time. Here is a great list for Los Angeles County.

Attractions that have free admission all the time:

(credit: Yvonne Condes)

The Getty Center

1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 440-7300
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Just walking around The Getty’s gardens and having lunch in the café would be a fabulous day. But the exhibits are unbelievable and include Western art, photography, and sculpture. The Getty is free, but you must pay to park and take a shuttle up to the Getty’s incredible grounds.

(credit: Yvonne Condes)

The Getty Villa

17985 Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 440-7300
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Take a trip back to ancient Rome at the Getty Villa. The museum located off of Pacific Coast Highway features Roman inspired architecture and gardens and Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. The museum is free, but you must reserve a ticket before you go.

(credit: GriffithParkTrainRides.com)

Travel Town

5200 Zoo Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 662-5874
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Visitors who love trains will be in heaven at this free museum located in Griffith Park. Ride a miniature train around the museum or climb into an antique locomotive. Kids can visit the children’s area, Holden’s Corner, and on the second and third Sundays of the month they can hear stories and play games.

Griffith Observatory

2800 East Observatory Road
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(213) 473-0800
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Whether you’re headed there in the day or night, on a clear day visitors are sure to get an amazing view. There are three live shows in the Planetarium every day (except Monday and Tuesday when the observatory is closed). It can get very crowded on the road up to the observatory so be sure to check traffic before you go. You can park at the bottom of the hill and take the trolley, which does a big loop around Hollywood on its way up to the summit.

(credit: fidm.org)

FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design Merchandising) Museum & Galleries

919 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 623-5821
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For those who love fashion, film, and beautiful things, the FIDM offers a glorious glimpse into the last 200 years of fashion history. Visitors can see exhibits on film fashion and haute couture or visit the Annette Green Perfume Museum, the only one of its kind in the United States. FIDM is open Tuesday through Saturday and although it is free to get in, it is accepting donations.

(credit: californiasciencecenter.org)

California Science Center

700 Exposition Park Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90037
(323) 724-3623
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The Science Center takes donations at the entrance, but is free for everyone. There’s so much to see and do including a hands-on kids area, an earthquake simulator, and air and space exhibits. There’s also an IMAX movie theatre, but it is not free.

Attractions that have free admission days:

(credit: Yvonne Condes)

Natural History Museum

700 Exposition Park Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90037
(323) 724-3623
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Admission is free on the first Tuesday of the month. Visit dinosaur exhibits, learn about ancient mammals, or visit the museum’s Children’s Discovery Center where kids can touch a cockroach or other live animals.

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The Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits

5801 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-7243
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Step back to the time of dinosaurs at the Tar Pits where more than 3 million fossils from the last ice age are housed. Admission is free the first Tuesday of every month.

(credit: hammer.ucla.edu)

Hammer Museum

10899 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 443-7000
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Every Thursday, The Hammer, which is located in Westwood Village, opens its galleries to visitors for free. See contemporary as well as classic art including the 19th Century French paintings in the Armand Hammer Collection.

(credit: janm.org)

Japanese American National Museum

369 East First Street
Los Angeles, California 90012
(213) 625-0414
(213) 628-2772
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Every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and every third Thursday, admission is free to the country’s largest Japanese American museum. Learn about the history, art, and culture of Japanese Americans.

(credit: santamonicapier.org)

Santa Monica Pier Twilight Dance Series

380 Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 260-8744
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There are free outdoor concerts throughout Los Angeles during the summer months and one of the most fun (and crowded) is Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Dance Series. Past performances have included Los Lobos, Rickie Lee Jones, and Dr. John. Traffic can be crazy trying to park near the pier on these nights so get there early or take public transportation.