Free museums in L.A. and free museum days

Free, including Infinity Mirror Room. 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 (though rotating special exhibitions on the first floor require separate paid tickets). An expansion that will increase gallery space by 70% is in the works and due to open in 2028.

Free every second Tue 11am–6pm. L.A. County residents Mon, Tue, Thu 3–6pm; Fri 3–8pm. 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), traditional Japanese screens and by far some of L.A.’s most consistently terrific special exhibitions.

Just a heads-up: The eastern half of LACMA’s campus (home to much of its permanent collection) is mostly closed as it undergoes a massive redesign, culminating with the David Geffen Galleries—which you can see from the outside now—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.

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.

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 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, the 3.5-acre urban nature gardens and “Becoming L.A.,” which examines the Los Angeles region’s history from its origins to the present day.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 an exquisitely landscaped Japanese garden, nearly every inch of the estate’s grounds and collection is essential.

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.

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, and organized under such themes as Gods and Goddesses and Stories of the Trojan War. 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 finally back open again.

Free with online ticket.

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. 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.

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.

Permanent 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 moved into an upright position inside of the museum’s under-construction expansion.

Free (except for some special exhibitions).

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. MOCA Grand Avenue stages the more mainstream exhibitions, leaving the Geffen Contemporary to concentrate on more esoteric artists and spectacle installations.

Free.

The Institute for 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.

Free Tue, Wed 1–4pm with RSVP.

You might expect this Griffith Park museum to be a kitschy exploration of the life and works of famous singing cowboy Gene Autry. 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 its history and detailing the myths that came to surround it.

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 a garden and cultural events in the adjacent paseo.

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.

Free every Thursday.

Something of a local powerhouse, the Skirball aims to look 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 most visitors 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 Star Trek and 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.

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. Now 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 by, among others, Monet, Manet, Renoir and Degas. Note: The lovely sculpture garden is closed until fall for repairs and improvements.

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.

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.

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 here from his former home in Holmby Hills) on the third Sunday of each month from 11am to 3pm.

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.

Free.

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.

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 Tibetan Buddhist prints 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.

Free.

Serving Torrance and the rest of the South Bay since 1960, the Torrance Art Museum’s two gallery spaces 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.

Ages 17 and under free.

The history of moviemaking finally has 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 952-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?

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 30,000-square-foot museum on the LA Live campus, which attempts to cover all the major music genres. A state-of-the-art, 200-seat Clive Davis Theater is also the site of exclusive performances and events.

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 continues to broaden its programming. Shows could 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.

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 has included 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.

Note: USC PAM’s galleries are temporarily closed, but the Crossroads Gallery and courtyard are currently open and free.

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.