Discover Free Museums in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is home to a world-class collection of museums and cultural attractions. Best of all, you can view masterpieces from museums in Los Angeles County for free! From automotive to natural history museums, read on for more than 20 of the best museums in Los Angeles with free admission.

The Broad: A spectacular contemporary art museum built by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, The Broad is home to the 2,000 works of art in the Broad collection, which is among the most prominent holdings of postwar and contemporary art in the world. General admission to The Broad is free. Advance reservation tickets are often fully booked, but an onsite standby line is available at the museum every day except Mondays, when the museum is closed.

California African American Museum (CAAM): Located at Exposition Park, the CAAM mission is to research, collect, preserve, and interpret for public enrichment the history, art and culture of African Americans with an emphasis on California and the western United States.

California Science Center: Through hands-on experiences, visitors will learn about human inventions and innovations, the processes of living things, and much more. Admission to the Science Center's permanent exhibition galleries is free (excluding IMAX and Special Exhibits). Watch science come alive on its giant, seven-story IMAX screen with an incredible assortment of family-friendly movies to choose from at the IMAX Theater!

Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM): The FIDM Museum collections currently hold over 15,000 objects covering more than 200 years of history. Most of the collections are dedicated to fashionable women's dress, as well as folk dress and non-Western garments, accessories, auxiliary ephemera such as periodicals, patterns, and photographs; and interior textiles, swatch books, and embroidery samples.

Fowler Museum at UCLA: Part of UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture, the Fowler Museum explores global arts and cultures with an emphasis on works from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas—past and present.

Getty Center: Situated on a hilltop in Brentwood, the spectacular Getty Center houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and photography from its beginnings to the present. Admission to the Getty Center is always free. Parking is $25 per car, but reduced to $15 after 3 p.m. No reservation is required for parking or general admission.

Getty Villa: A museum and educational center dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria, the Getty Villa houses 44,000 works of art from the museum's extensive collection of antiquities, of which over 1,200 are on view. Admission to the Getty Villa is always free, but a ticket is required for admission. Tickets can be ordered in advance, or on the day of your visit, at www.getty.edu or at (310) 440-7300. Parking is $25 per car, but reduced to $15 after 3 p.m.

Griffith Observatory: One of LA’s greatest cultural attractions, the Griffith Observatory offers spectacular views from the Pacific Ocean to Downtown LA from its perch on Mt. Hollywood in Griffith Park. Opened to the public in 1935, the Griffith Observatory is renowned as a national leader in public astronomy, and a beloved gathering place for visitors and Angelenos alike. Admission to the Observatory's grounds, exhibits, and telescopes is always free. There is a modest fee to see the programs in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium.

Hammer Museum: Located at the corner of Wilshire and Westwood Boulevards in Westwood Village, the Hammer Museum champions the art and artists who challenge us to see the world in a new light, to experience the unexpected, to ignite our imaginations, and inspire change.

Hollywood Bowl Museum: Located at the bottom of Peppertree Lane, the museum celebrates one of LA's most iconic music venues by showcasing the Bowl's influence on music and entertainment, and its role in shaping the careers of some of the most famous performers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Guests are invited to visit the museum before concerts to enhance and enrich their Bowl experience.

Homestead Museum: Situated on a six-acre site in the City of Industry, the Homestead Museum features the Workman House, an 1870s country home constructed around an 1840s adobe built by William and Nicolasa Workman; La Casa Nueva, a 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival mansion noted for its architectural crafts; and El Campo Santo, one of the region's oldest private cemeteries, containing the remains of Pío Pico, the last governor of Mexican California, and many other prominent pioneer families.

ICA LA: This museum of contemporary art in the burgeoning Arts District organizes dynamic exhibitions in all mediums and across disciplines, complemented by outstanding educational programs for people of all ages. The museum aims to make contemporary art relevant and accessible to all art and culture fans. Be sure to check their calendar of weekend events for non-traditional BBQs and family fun.

La Plaza de Cultura y Artes: Renowned as one of the nation's premier centers of Mexican American culture, LA Plaza's interactive exhibits and dynamic programs invite visitors to explore as well as contribute to the ongoing story of Mexican Americans in Los Angeles and beyond. Located near the site where Los Angeles was founded in 1781, LA Plaza's 2.2-acre campus includes two historic and newly renovated buildings (the Vickrey-Brunswig Building and Plaza House) surrounded by 30,000 square feet of public garden.

 Museum of African American Art, founded by Dr. Samella Lewis in 1976, is home to the Palmer C. Hayden Collection, which includes 40 works from the Harlem Renaissance artist, amongst them 12 oil paintings depicting The Ballad of John Henry. The museum's permanent collection also houses a number of works from other U.S. artists, as well as art and ceremonial objects from across the African diaspora. The museum is located on the second level of Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. 

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA): Established in 1979, MOCA is the only artist-founded museum in Los Angeles, dedicated to collecting and exhibiting contemporary art. MOCA houses one of the most compelling collections of contemporary art in the world, comprising roughly 7,000 objects, with a diverse history of ground-breaking, historically-significant exhibitions. 

Wende Museum: Founded by Justinian Jampol, an LA native and scholar of modern European history, The Wende Museum of the Cold War houses a collection of more than 100,000 artifacts, archives and personal histories that is recognized as an unparalleled resource for insight into the Eastern perspective of the Cold War.

Many of LA's top museums and cultural attractions offer free admission on select days of the week. From ancient artifacts to modern art, read on for our guide to free museum days in Los Angeles.