Free museums in L.A. and free museum days

Free, including Infinity Mirror Room; special exhibitions free Thu 5–8 pm. Timed tickets required, advance reservation recommended. 

Three words: Infinity Mirror Rooms. Downtown’s persistently popular contemporary art museum has two of Yayoi Kusama’s immersive, mirror-laden rooms (one that you can step into, and one that you only pop your head into). But there are plenty of other highlights here too. Eli and Edythe Broad’s collection of 2,000 post-war works also includes artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger and Jeff Koons. And you can see it all for free (rotating special exhibitions on the first floor require separate paid tickets, but even those are free Thursday evenings). An expansion that will increase gallery space by 70% is in the works and due to open in 2028.

Address: 221 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Free with timed ticket; parking $25, after 3pm $15, after 6pm $10.

This remarkable complex of travertine and white metal-clad pavilions houses ornate French furniture, recognizable Impressionist pieces, such as Van Gogh’s Irises, and rotating exhibitions. Its relative inaccessibility—you have to take a tram from the parking lot up the hill—is more than compensated for by its free admission and panoramic views, from the hills and the ocean in the west all the way around to Downtown in the east. There are often free workshops and talks on the calendar, and on select Saturdays in the summer, you can even catch a free DJ set and concert as part of the popular Off the 405 series.

Address: 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049

Free; parking $8 for first three hours.

Industrialist Armand Hammer founded this museum in 1990, primarily to house his own collection, and it opened just three weeks before he died. Now the free, UCLA partner institution stages fascinating shows of modern art, photography and design, often with an emphasis on local artists—specifically in the biennial “Made in L.A.” showcase. The shows are supplemented by the Hammer’s public events calendar (arguably one of the best in the city), which is chock-full of free lectures, concerts and screenings.

Address: 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Free, timed tickets recommended.

The main branch of L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art houses thousands of artworks crafted from 1940 to today, and it’s an efficient primer on post-war art. Spend half an hour or an entire afternoon absorbing contemporary pieces from lesser-known artists, punctuated by sightings of Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock works.

Address: 250 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Free with timed ticket; parking $25, after 3pm $15, after 6pm (when open) $10.

In 1974, oil magnate J. Paul Getty opened a museum of his holdings in a faux villa. Eventually the decorative arts and paintings were moved to the Getty Center, and the villa was converted into a museum for Getty’s collection of Mediterranean antiquities. Today, there are roughly 1,200 artifacts on display at any one time, dated between 6,500 BC and 500 AD. Even if you’re not interested in the art, the palatial courtyards and manicured gardens with ocean views are worth the visit. After it survived the Palisades Fire in January 2025, the Getty Villa closed for 5 1/2 months of cleanup efforts, but it’s now open to visitors again.

Address: 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

Free; parking $10 per hour.

The vista from this hilltop landmark is stunning, particularly at night when Los Angeles twinkles below. Inside you’ll find a bevy of exhibits, including a Foucault pendulum (directly under Hugo Ballin’s famed mural on the Central Rotunda), Tesla coil and planetarium (though shows will cost you $10). Give yourself plenty of time before the 10pm closing to gaze through the 12-inch refracting telescope on the roof, otherwise you can look through the far less crowded modern, reflecting telescopes on the front lawn.

Address: 2800 E Observatory Road, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Free.

Hauser & Wirth is technically an art gallery, all of which are typically free to visit. But we’ve included it on this list of museums largely due to size: At 116,000 square feet and with its own restaurant and bookstore, this international gallerist’s Arts District location in a former flour mill basically feels like a museum, with high-caliber displays of contemporary art to match. A newer, smaller West Hollywood outpost in a vintage automobile showroom (8980 Santa Monica Blvd) was a welcome arrival for Westsiders.

Address: 901 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Core exhibit galleries free; parking $20, after 5pm $24.

The exhibits at this kid-friendly Exposition Park museum explore life sciences, human innovation and powered flight (all with a decidedly ’90s design flair). Just note that Space Shuttle Endeavour, arguably the institution’s main attraction, is temporarily off display for the next few years as it’s been moved into an upright position inside of the museum’s under-construction expansion. In the meantime, check out free interactive exhibition “Game On!” about the science of sports—it’ll run through the 2028 L.A. Olympics. 

Address: 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90037

Free; parking $20, after 5pm $24.

Bigger than it looks from the outside, this handsome museum, conference center and research library focuses on the artistic and historical achievements of African Americans. The permanent exhibit loosely tells the story of African Americans’ journey from Africa, through emancipation and into the 21st century, using an assortment of paintings, textiles, photographs, ceremonial objects, personal testimonies and other memorabilia. In addition, there are other curated and traveling exhibitions throughout the year, as well as occasional screenings and workshops.

Address: 600 State Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90037

Free.

The Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles was originally founded as the Santa Monica Museum of Art in 1988. In 2017, it reintroduced itself as ICA LA and found a new home in the Arts District, where it fills 12,700 square feet of warehouse space with outside-the-box exhibitions that aim to make art accessible to all.

Address: 1717 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Free.

Step inside Downtown’s LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes campus for a taste of rich Mexican American history and culture, from a retrospective on Mexican roots in Los Angeles to a re-creation of 1920s L.A. to a museum space dedicated to Mexican food. You’ll find the exhibitions inside the beautiful brick Vickrey-Brunswig Building, with an edible garden and cultural events in the adjacent paseo.

Address: 501 N Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Free.

Located in the northwest corner of Griffith Park, Travel Town could be thought of as a petting zoo for railroad cars, including engines and cabooses from the late 1800s. You can also take a miniature train ride around the grounds ($4). But it’s not the only destination in the park for budding railroad aficionados: The adjoining Walt’s Barn offers a free glimpse into Walt Disney’s model-railroad workshop (relocated to the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum from his former home in Holmby Hills) on the third Sunday of each month from 11am to 3pm.

Address: 5200 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Free.

After spending most of its over six decades around Newport Beach, Orange County’s main visual arts institution has moved a few miles away to Costa Mesa and was just recently acquired by UC Irvine. In its new Morphosis-designed home at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus, OCMA now boasts about double the gallery space to show both permanent and temporary collections of (largely California-based) contemporary artists.

Address: 3333 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Free.

Contemporary artworks representing cultures from all over the globe are the focus at this gem of a museum, tucked away on UCLA’s sprawling campus. From Indonesian puppets to Afro-Surinamese textiles to illustrated ethnographies—pretty much every exhibit here is guaranteed to teach you at least one thing about the world you didn’t know before.

Address: 308 Charles E Young Drive N, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Free.

Compiled by a young, Cold War–obsessed academic, this earnest exhibition from his collection is somewhat appropriately located in a former National Guard Armory, making it feel like an undercover operation. There are Stasi artifacts here, along with propaganda posters, remnants of the East German counterculture and segments of the Berlin Wall. “Wende” is the German word for “turning point,” referring to the period from the fall of the Wall to reunification, though the museum focuses more closely on the Cold War period in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. So why is it in L.A.? According to founder Justinian Jampol, the geographic remove lends critical distance. The museum also hosts thought-provoking free programming.

Address: 10808 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230

Free.

Serving Torrance and the rest of the South Bay, the Torrance Art Museum’s two galleries and video darkroom exhibition space focus on modern and contemporary work from both local and world-renowned artists. The museum also hosts a number of educational programs throughout the year, including artist talks, lectures and symposia.

Address: 3320 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503

Free. Note: The main floor of the museum is closed for renovation and will reopen June 2026 with a new permanent exhibition. The second floor remains open.

This fine little museum presents a lively account of the Hollywood Bowl’s history through archival film footage, audio clips, photography and all manner of other memorabilia. It remains open, albeit with limited hours, even during the Bowl’s off-season.

Address: 2301 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90068

Free every second Tue of the month. L.A. County residents weekdays after 3pm (closed Wed). L.A. County residents ages 17 and under always free. Timed tickets recommended.

Chris Burden’s Urban Light, a piece made up of 202 cast-iron street lamps gathered from around L.A. and restored to working order, has quickly become one of the city’s indelible landmarks. But you’re selling yourself short if you don’t venture beyond the photo-friendly installation; LACMA’s collections boast Modernist masterpieces, large-scale contemporary works (including Richard Serra’s massive swirling sculpture Band and Burden’s buzzing, hypnotic Metropolis II) and some of L.A.’s most consistently terrific special exhibitions.

Just a heads-up: The eastern half of LACMA’s campus (traditionally home to much of its permanent collection) is mostly closed as it readies the new David Geffen Galleries—which you can see from the outside and spanning Wilshire Boulevard—opening in April 2026. On the plus side, though, the half-dozen sizable special exhibitions located in the Resnick Pavilion and BCAM are included in general admission—meaning free admission will get you into everything.

Free for L.A. County residents Mon–Fri 3–5pm at museum ticketing desk (closed first Tue of the month); parking $20.

The NHM’s original Beaux Arts structure was the first museum building in L.A., opening in 1913 along with Exposition Park itself. The more recent Otis Booth Pavilion welcomes visitors into the museum with a six-story glass entrance featuring a stunning, 63-foot-long fin whale skeleton, while on the Exposition Park–facing side, the new NHM Commons wing is home to Gnatalie the Green Dino, who’s always free to visit. Highlights of the museum include the gem and mineral hall, spectacularly presented dinosaur and mammal fossils, taxidermy-filled diorama halls, the 3.5-acre urban nature gardens and “Becoming Los Angeles,” which examines the region’s history from its origins to the present day.

Address: 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Ages 17 and under free.

The history of moviemaking finally gained a home in Los Angeles with the arrival of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Located next to LACMA in the Wilshire May Company building and in a new and expanded space designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano, the museum features four full floors of gallery space, two theaters (including a 999-seat space in that giant glassy sphere), a restaurant and a gift shop. Where else can you see C-3PO, the sole surviving shark from Jaws and a giant Toy Story zoetrope, then hold an actual Oscar? Note: The museum doesn’t have its own parking lot, so you’ll need to use its neighbors’—LACMA or the Petersen Automotive Museum—lots.

Address: 6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 

Free first Thursday of the month with advance reservation.

The bequest of entrepreneur Henry E. Huntington is now one of the most enjoyable attractions in the Los Angeles region. It’s also a destination that demands an entire day, should you attempt to explore it in full: Between the art, the library holdings and the beautiful outdoor spaces, there’s plenty to see, and most of it is best enjoyed at lingering leisure rather than as part of a mad dash. From a Gutenberg Bible to Thomas Gainsborough’s Blue Boy to an exquisitely landscaped Japanese garden, nearly every inch of the estate’s grounds and collection is essential.

Address: 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108

Museum free for L.A. County residents Mon–Fri 3–5pm (closed first Tue of the month); tar pits area always free.

Back in 1875, a group of amateur paleontologists discovered animal remains in the pits at Rancho La Brea, which bubbled with asphalt from a petroleum lake under what is now Hancock Park. Some 140 years later, the pros are still at work here, having dragged millions of fossils from the mire in the intervening years. Many of these specimens are now on display in this delightfully old-fashioned museum. Outside, the pits still bubble with black goo—you can watch paleontologists at work in the excavation of Pit 91 or toiling away at the fossils waiting to be found as part of Project 23.

Address: 5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Free Tue, Wed 1–4pm, RSVP encouraged.

You might expect this Griffith Park museum to be a kitschy exploration of the life and works of famous singing cowboy Gene Autry. But though there’s often some sort of Autry memorabilia on display in the foyer, it’s actually a very engaging exploration of the West, outlining the region’s history and detailing the myths that came to surround it.

Address: 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Free every Thursday, advance reservations recommended.

The Skirball looks at connections between 4,000 years of Jewish heritage and different communities around L.A. Those with an interest in Jewish history will get the most from some of the exhibits, but this is an egalitarian enterprise that should interest any visitor with a sense of cultural adventure. The more headline-grabbing temporary exhibitions often focus on prominent Jewish figures (like Leonard Bernstein or Ruth Bader Ginsburg) or beloved pieces of pop culture (like Marvel artists or the creations of Jim Henson). Little ones will love “Noah’s Ark,” a wonderful kid-oriented (and separately ticketed) exhibit that explores cultural differences through a retelling of the old animals-two-by-two tale.

Address: 2701 N Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049

Free first Fri of the month 4–7pm; students and ages 18 and under always free.

The Norton Simon’s Frank Gehry–helmed makeover in the late 1990s raised the museum’s profile, but it also helped to expand the range of the museum’s collection, giving it more space and creating a calm, simple environment. After just celebrating its 50th anniversary, the museum is still best known for its impressive collection of Old Masters, notably pieces by Dutch painters such as Rembrandt, Brueghel and Frans Hals—though it also boasts some Van Gogh. The French Impressionists are represented here by, among others, Monet, Manet, Renoir and Degas. As part of a brand-new $15-million renovation, the 115,000 Heath Ceramics tiles that grace the facade were cleaned and restored; Rodin’s famed The Thinker was relocated to the museum entance; and the lovely sculpture garden was renovated.

Address: 411 W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105

Free; special exhibitions free first Fri of the month 11am–8pm with ticket.

MOCA started life in a humongous bus barn on the edge of Little Tokyo. That’s now the Geffen Contemporary. Its spacious, raw interior was designed by Frank Gehry in the 1980s—considered by some to be one of his gutsiest spaces. Today, MOCA Grand Avenue stages the more mainstream exhibitions, leaving the Geffen Contemporary to concentrate on more esoteric artists and spectacle installations. While special exhibitions usually require a paid ticket, you can still score free admission on the first Friday of the month.

Address: 152 N Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Ages 17 and under free.

Wind your way through four floors of rock star memorabilia, film clips and interactive exhibits—including the new interactive experience “Sonic Playground”—at this 32,000-square-foot museum on the LA Live campus, which attempts to cover all the major music genres, and displays red-carpet styles worn by musical A-listers. The state-of-the-art, 200-seat Clive Davis Theater is also the site of intimate performances and events. 

Address: 800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Free first Fri of the month 2–5pm with reservation.

Housed for two decades in a school gym, this popular interactive children’s museum moved to a new site in 2004 after an $18-million funding drive. There’s a wide variety of exhibits and entertainment, from the kaleidoscope entrance to the educational gardens and the Splash Dance water feature in the central courtyard—the perfect way to cool down on a baking San Gabriel Valley afternoon. Pasadena’s young ’uns are lucky to have it on their doorsteps.

Address: 480 N Arroyo Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91103

Free every Sunday. Ages 11 and under always free.

Located on land that once housed a productive silent film studio, everything about this museum is a forward-thinking enterprise, from its modern and contemporary-driven collection to its building. A highlight is the Robert Gumbiner Sculpture & Events Garden, which showcases abstract sculptures by artists from almost every Latin American country.

Address: 628 Alamitos Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802

Pay what you wish Sundays. Ages 12 and under always free.

L.A.’s only public showcase devoted to contemporary craft and community-based folk art (it was formerly called the Craft and Folk Art Museum) continues to broaden its programming. Inside the space—adorned by an eye-catching geometric facade by L.A. artist Brent Spears—you’ll find eclectic shows that may cover anything from Venetian glassmaking to American printmaking, the circus-themed dioramas of Sonny King to a retrospective of work by Hungarian designer Eva Zeisel. Fittingly, the museum gift shop is stocked with items made by both local and international artisans.

Address: 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Note: USC PAM’s galleries are closed until the opening of “Mythical Creatures” on Feb 14. The museum says an updated pricing structure—including free days—will be announced soon. The Crossroads Gallery and courtyard are currently open with free admission.

Art and artifacts from Asia and the Pacific Rim are displayed in the historic Grace Nicholson Building, a re-creation of a northern Chinese palace with a charming Chinese garden court to match. Taken from the museum’s collection of 15,000 items that spans more than 5,000 years, the permanent displays include both contemporary and traditional Asian arts; they’re supplemented by temporary shows.

Address: 46 N Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101

Free; only open during exhibitions.

Partially intended for the academic viewing purposes of students at the adjoining FIDM college (which was recently acquired by Arizona State University), the ASU FIDM Museum’s impressive collection spans 19th century hats, vintage couture pieces, and costumes from movies and hit TV shows. Note, though, that the museum is only open to the public when there’s an exhibition on view, which has been increasingly few and far between.

Address: 919 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90015