| Free Museum Days Around the Greater Los Angeles Area |  | ||
| Pasadena and the Greater Los Angeles area have so many fun educational opportunities that are open to the public. With a little pre-planning, you can take advantage of some of them for free! Many of the museums below are great for school-age children, and others are best enjoyed by Mom or Dad while older kids are at school and babies snooze in carriers strapped to their parents' chests. | |||
| Check Hours of Operation and Calendar online | Updated January 2024 | ||
| Museum | Type | Address | Regular Cost |
| Travel Town Railroad Museum | Trains | 5200 Zoo Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90027 | Always free admission Open daily 10am-5pm |
| California ScienCenter | Science | 700 Exposition Park Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90037 | Free general admission, except special exhibits |
| California African American Museum | Culture | 600 State Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90037 | Always free admission Open M-S 10-5 & Sun 11-5 |
| LA Plaza De Cultura y Artes | Culture | 501 N Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Always free admission Open Wed to Sun, 12 - 5 |
| The Broad | Art | 221 S. Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Always free admission, timed tickets req’d; but $$ for special exhibits; |
| Art | 250 South Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Always free admission, special exhibits $10 - $18 | |
| Art | 152 North Central Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Always free admission, special exhibits $10 - $18 | |
| The Fowler Museum @ UCLA | Art | 308 Charles Young Dr. N., Los Angeles, CA 90024 | Always free admission Open Wed to Sun 12-5 |
| Hammer Museum | Art | 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024 | Always free admission Open Tues – Sun, 11 - 6 |
| Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles | Art | 1717 E. 7th St., Los Angeles, CA 90021 | Always free admission Open Wed to Sun 12-6 |
| Armory Center for the Arts | Art | 145 North Raymond Ave Pasadena, CA 91103 | Always free admission Open by appt Fri to Sun |
| Natural History Museum of L.A. County | History | 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007 | $7 to $18 each |
Free Admission on: 3pm to 5pm Monday through Friday for Los Angeles County Residents Only (show your ID with local address) | |||
| La Brea Tar Pits & Museum | Dinosaurs | 5801 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 | $7 to $15 each |
Free Admission on: 3pm to 5pm Monday through Friday for Los Angeles County Residents Only (show your ID with local address) | |||
| Art | 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 | $10 to $25 each, kids free | |
Free Admission on: the 2nd Tuesday of each month AND 3pm to 6pm any weekday Monday through Friday (until 8pm on Fridays) | |||
| Museum | Address | Regular Cost | |||||
| The Getty Museum | Art & Gardens | 1200 Getty Center Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90049 | Parking is $20 per car, $15 after 3pm, | ||||
| Free Admission: Always free admission, but requires a timed-entry ticket & pay for parking | |||||||
| The Getty Villa | Art (& Garden) | 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacific Palisades, CA | Parking is $20 per car, $15 after 3pm | ||||
| Free Admission: Always free admission, pay for parking | |||||||
| Skirball Cultural Center | Art & Culture | 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049 | $7 to $12 each | ||||
| Free Admission on: Every Thursday 12noon to 5pm | |||||||
| Pacific American Museum @ USC | Culture | 46 North Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101 | $7 to $10, kids free | ||||
| Free Admission on: 2nd Sunday of each month AND “pay what you wish” each Thursday | |||||||
| Japanese American National Museum | Culture | 100 North Central Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | $9 to $16 | ||||
| Free Admission on: all day on the 3rd Thursday of each month, AND all other Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm | |||||||
| Art | 628 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802 | $10 to $15 each | |||||
| Free Admission on: “Free Sundays” | |||||||
| Craft Contemporary Museum | Art | 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 | $7 to 9 each Open Tues to Sun, 11 - 5 | ||||
| “Pay what you wish” admission on Sundays | |||||||
| Los Angeles Arboretum | Gardens | 301 North Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, CA, 91007 | $11 to $15 each | ||||
| Free Admission on: 3rd Tuesday of each month; Advance reservations required: www.arboretum.org/free-day-tickets | |||||||
| Autry Museum of the American West | Cowboys | 4700 Western Heritage Way Los Angeles, CA 90027 | $8 to $12 each | ||||
| Free Admission on: the 2nd Tuesday of the each month | |||||||
| Norton Simon Museum | Art (& Garden) | 411 West Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91105 | $20 adults, kids free | ||||
| Free Admission on: the 1st Friday of each month 4pm to 7pm | |||||||
Kidspace Children’s Museum | Science | 480 N. Arroyo Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91103 | $15.50 each (or buy annual membership) | ||||
| Free Admission on: “First Free Fridays” 1st Friday of SOME months 4pm to 7pm; see calendar on website | |||||||
(not a library; gardens & museum) | Gardens & Art | 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino, CA 91108 | $13 to $29 each | ||||
| Free Admission on: the 1st Thursday of the month. Must reserve tix in advance on the last Thursday of every month starting at 9am until sold out, for admission the following week. Limit 5 ticket per household. | |||||||
| Descanso Gardens | Gardens & Nature | 1418 Descanso Drive La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 | $5 to $15 each | ||||
| Free Admission on: the third Tuesday of every month; must reserve tix in advance on the first day of the month, starting at 10am, and only available while supplies last. | |||||||
| Check with your library to see if passes are available for other days or for these other local museums: | |||||||
