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This past Monday was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth (seriously!). So if you’re craving sanctuary from the seasonal swelter or seeking respite from the red-hot temps, it’s safe to say you’re not alone. More importantly, here in Los Angeles, you’re not out of options. Enter… the free museum.
Free museums make the perfect heatwave refuge for three obvious reasons: A) they allow us to meander in an air conditioned spaces; B) we get to see a range of dynamic art exhibits; C) ummm… did we mention free?!? And the cherry on top is that the list we’ve compiled is entirely Metro accessible, meaning you’ll not only save on the entry fee, but also have the options to skip the stresses of traffic and parking.
Let’s take a look at the options.
The Broad
If you want to see a massive selection of contemporary art on a dime, The Broad is the spot. The unmistakable building is home to a permanent collection of some 2,000 pieces, including works by Jean‐Michel Basquiat, Mike Kelley, Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama, Roy Lichtenstein, Pablo Picasso, and Robert Rauschenberg, to name a few. Free admission is based on timed entry and must be booked in advance. Note that some exhibitions and events carry a separate charge, so keep that in mind.
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Monday. Go Metro: Take the A or E Line to Grand Ave Arts / Bunker Hill Station.
California African American Museum
Exposition Park is home to multiple free museums, and the first we’ll talk about is the California African American Museum. CAAM’s 44,000 square-foot facility houses some 4,000 objects, offering insights and stories of the African American experience in the American West. Here you’ll also find rotating exhibitions that often put a particular emphasis on social change and critique, such as the newest entry Finding Soft Ground, which considers the conditions, precarity, and imaginative determination of safety for Black women through the works of interdisciplinary artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh. Bonus: check out their programs page for a variety of free workshops, classes and activations.
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Monday. Go Metro: Take the E Line to Expo Park / USC Station.
California Science Center
Next up on the Exposition Park tip, check out the California Science Center. CSC features a massive selection of ecology, aerospace, and biology exhibits, plus special exhibitions and discovery rooms for kids on the younger side. Admission is free (no reservation required) but standard adult tickets for some of the IMAX and special exhibits range from $13.79 to $26.95.
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free, year-round admission to the permanent galleries, no reservation required. Go Metro: Take the E Line to Expo Park / USC Station.
The Getty
The Getty’s iconic 24-acre campus is a marvel in of itself. Here you will find multiple galleries housing world class art works, plus a 134,000-square-foot Central Garden, on-site restaurant, garden cafe, and panoramic views of the Los Angeles basis. Admission is free, but an advance, timed-entry ticket is required. For parking it’s $25 per car or motorcycle; $15 after 3 p.m. And remember to check The Getty’s calendar page to see if there are activations at the museum, such as the Off the 405 summer concert series.
Open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed on Monday. Go Metro: Take Line 233 / 761 to Sepulveda / Getty Ctr.
The Hammer
Opened in 1990, The Hammer resides less than a mile from the campus of UCLA and holds more than 45,000 works on paper dating back to the Renaissance, a collection of paintings from European and American masters from the 16th to 20th centuries, plus a selection of contemporary works. On view this summer, you’ll find a comprehensive survey of art Filipino artist David Medalla plus an examination of gender and identity through project spaces created from works by the Concept Foreign Garments New York (CFGNY) and Wataru Tominaga. The Hammer also has an amazing array of free community programming, including concerts, workshops and film series. Admission is free, and no reservations are necessary. Onsite parking is available for $8 for three hours with museum validation.
Open Tuesday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on Monday. Go Metro: Take Line 20/720 to Wilshire/Glendon OR take Line 233/602/761 to Westwood/Lindown.
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is art center and exhibition space dedicated to Mexican-American culture and artists that have shaped Southern California. You’ll find it adjacent to Olvera Street and a stone’s throw from Union Station, making it one of the most transit accessible locations on this list. Bonus: Make sure to check out LA Plaza’s events page for info on upcoming free events, including their salsa concert series, a free comedy night, and an outdoor mercado.
Open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m..; Closed on Monday and Tuesday. Go Metro: Take the A, B or D Lines to Union Station.
MOCA Grand Avenue
The Museum of Contemporary Art’s Grand Ave location offers rotating exhibitions of contemporary works, along with selections from a permanent collection of more than 7,000 objects. General admission is always free, while special exhibitions regularly cost $18. Timed tickets must be reserved in advance for free admission. And remember than when MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary space re-opens in the fall, you can swing over to Little Tokyo to visit it using Metro’s A or E Lines.
Open Tuesday to Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m; Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Monday. Go Metro: Take the A or E Line to Grand Ave Arts / Bunker Hill Station.
Vincent Price Art Museum
Founded through a personal donation by the actor (and namesake) Vincent Price in 1957, the Vincent Price Art Museum is two-story art museum on the campus of East Los Angeles College includes seven galleries housing temporary, rotating exhibitions, student shows, permanent collection exhibits, as well as artist and community projects. The permanent collection has a heavy emphasis on ceramics and art from ancient civilizations in Central and South America. Plus, on view now through August 2, you can check out a solo show from artist Alice Wang.
Open Tuesday to Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. with extended evening hours on Thursdays only, from noon to 7 p.m.. Closed Sunday-Monday. Go Metro: Take Line 106/260 to Atlantic Blvd/Avenida Cesar Chavez OR take Line 70 to Atlantic / Riggin.
A Handy Tip for L.A. County Residents
Three of the county’s top museums also offer free weekday afternoon admission if you’re a current resident with valid I.D.
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum: L.A. County residents get free Museum admission from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Go Metro: Take Line 20/720 along Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Free for L.A. County residents after 3 p.m. on weekdays (closed Wednesday). Also free every second Tuesday of the month. Go Metro: Take Line 20/720 along Wilshire Blvd.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles: L.A. County residents receive free Museum Admission 3 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Go Metro: Take the E Line to Expo Park / USC Station.
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