Free Things to Do in Los Angeles (What Is Really Free)

At a glance

• Where: Eight picks inside the City of Los Angeles, from Griffith Park to Westwood and Downtown
• Always free: Griffith Observatory, The Broad general admission, Hammer Museum, Grand Park, seeing the Hollywood Sign
• Free on set days: Skirball Cultural Center on Thursdays; Autry Museum of the American West on the first Wednesday of the month (register in advance)
• Watch out for: Parking is the usual hidden cost; check each official site before you go

The best free things to do in Los Angeles are Griffith Observatory, The Broad, the Hammer Museum, Grand Park and a clear view of the Hollywood Sign. Admission to all of them costs nothing, though parking sometimes does. The Skirball Cultural Center and the Autry Museum of the American West are free on set days.

This guide only counts places where the official site says admission is free, and it quotes the free-day rules where they exist. It also says plainly that the Getty Center is free but LACMA mostly is not.

How we chose

Every pick below is inside the City of Los Angeles and was checked against its own official site. We counted something as free only when that site says so, and we left out anything where the page was silent. Parking, special exhibitions and event tickets are separate costs, so we note them. Hours and rules change, so check the official site before you go.

Which famous places are free and which are not?

Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign are free, the Getty Center is free with a few conditions, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is mostly not free. Here is the honest version.

• Griffith Observatory: free. Its official site invites you to explore the universe for free, and there are no free days because admission is always free.
• Hollywood Sign: free to see. The Hollywood Sign Trust says there is no charge to see it. You cannot walk up to it, because it sits in a restricted area.
• The Getty Center: Getty says general admission is free, with a free timed-entry reservation, but there is a fee to park. Parking rates change, so check them and book your entry time on getty.edu before you drive up to Brentwood.
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA): not free by default. Adult general admission is listed at $25 for Los Angeles County residents with ID and $30 for non-residents. It is free for everyone on the second Tuesday of each month, and free for LA County residents on weekdays after 3 pm with valid ID. LA County residents aged 17 and under are also free. LACMA is closed on Wednesdays, and parking is extra. See LACMA's visit page.

Eight free things to do in Los Angeles

1. Griffith Observatory (Los Feliz)

Griffith Observatory, at 2800 East Observatory Road in Los Feliz, is free to enter every day it is open. Typical hours are Tuesday to Friday noon to 10 pm and weekends 10 am to 10 pm, closed Mondays.

Go for the evening, when the city lights come on and the building is still open. Per the observatory, the parking closest to the building is paid, while free parking around the Greek Theatre means a walk of up to a mile uphill. The cheaper ride up is the DASH Observatory/Los Feliz bus, which runs daily from 10 am to 10 pm for 50 cents, per the observatory's getting-here page. Read more on the neighborhood below it at Los Feliz.

2. The Hollywood Sign, from a distance (Griffith Park)

You can see the Hollywood Sign in Griffith Park for free, but you cannot touch it or stand beside it. The Hollywood Sign Trust says it is in a restricted area and getting close is prohibited.

The Trust also says certain hikes offer parking inside the park in free lots. Observatory parking is paid and some residential streets are permit-only, so read the signs. Pairing the Sign with the Observatory is the easiest plan. The sign was erected in 1923 and was only meant to last about a year and a half, according to the Trust. For the wider neighborhood, see Hollywood.

3. The Broad (Downtown LA)

The Broad, at 221 S. Grand Avenue in Downtown LA, says its general admission is always free. Typical hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 11 am to 5 pm, Thursday 11 am to 8 pm, and weekends 10 am to 6 pm, closed Mondays.

The museum recommends reserving a timed ticket in advance, but walk-ups are available daily. The Infinity Mirror Room by Yayoi Kusama is open only with a reservation made in advance, and some exhibitions and events cost extra. Thursday is the late night. More on the area at Downtown LA.

4. Hammer Museum (Westwood)

The Hammer Museum, at 10899 Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood, has free admission every day, with no special free days needed. The museum states that admission is free. Typical hours are Tuesday to Sunday 11 am to 6 pm, closed Mondays.

General visitors do not need an advance reservation. The catch is parking: the museum lists $9 for the first three hours with validation.

5. Skirball Cultural Center (Sepulveda Pass)

The Skirball Cultural Center, at 2701 N. Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles, says it is free to all on Thursdays. Typical hours are Tuesday to Friday noon to 5 pm and weekends 10 am to 5 pm, closed Mondays, with box-office check-in closing at 4:30 pm.

Reservations are recommended, and only an advance reservation guarantees entry. Walk-ups are welcome, but ticketed extras such as Noah's Ark have limited walk-up tickets.

6. Autry Museum of the American West (Griffith Park)

The Autry Museum of the American West, at 4700 Western Heritage Way across from the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park, offers free access on the first Wednesday of every month. Register in advance through the Autry's visit page, and note that the free window runs 10 am to 4 pm.

Outside that day, admission is paid, except for members, active-duty military, veterans and children 2 and under. Typical hours are Tuesday to Friday 10 am to 4 pm and weekends 10 am to 5 pm, closed Mondays.

7. Grand Park (Downtown LA)

Grand Park, at 200 N Grand Avenue in Downtown LA, is open daily from 5:30 am to 10 pm and offers free public programming and green space year-round, per its site. It is a good break between Downtown museums.

It sits next to the cultural buildings of Bunker Hill, so a walk to The Broad takes a few minutes.

8. Los Angeles Central Library (Downtown LA)

The Richard J. Riordan Central Library, at 630 W. 5th Street in Downtown LA, is a public library with Maguire Gardens, a 1.5-acre public park, next door. Typical hours are Monday to Thursday 10 am to 8 pm, Friday and Saturday 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm.

The building opened in 1926 and is known for its tiled rooftop pyramid and its mural-lined Rotunda. The library's site lists a docent-led Art and Architecture Tour on weekdays but does not state a price, so check before you plan around it. Walking in to look around and visiting the gardens do not require a ticket as far as the site shows.

What costs money even when the museum is free?

Parking is the main cost. The Hammer lists $9 for the first three hours with validation, LACMA's parking is extra, and Griffith Observatory has paid lots near the building plus free parking around the Greek Theatre. Special exhibitions, the Skirball's Noah's Ark and the Autry outside its free day also cost money. Angels Flight Railway in Downtown LA is cheap but not free, at $1.50 each way.

Save this: a free Thursday route

Thursday is the strongest free day in Los Angeles, because the Skirball is free to all and The Broad stays open late. This route runs across the Westside and ends at sunset.

1. 11 am: Hammer Museum, Westwood. Spend about an hour and a half. Admission is free, and parking is validated.
2. 1 pm: Skirball Cultural Center, Sepulveda Pass. Free on Thursdays. Arrive well before the 4:30 pm check-in cutoff and reserve online first.
3. Late afternoon: drive to Griffith Park. Park free near the Greek Theatre and walk up, or take the DASH Observatory/Los Feliz bus.
4. Evening: Griffith Observatory, Los Feliz. Free to enter and open until 10 pm. Stay for the lights, and the Hollywood Sign is visible from the area.

Prefer Downtown? Swap in The Broad, which is open until 8 pm on Thursdays, then walk to Grand Park and the Central Library.

Frequently asked questions

The FAQ below answers the most common questions in a few lines.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is Griffith Observatory free?

Yes. Admission to Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles is free every day it is open, with no free days to track. It is typically closed on Mondays, and parking near the building is paid, with free parking around the Greek Theatre.

Is the Hollywood Sign free to visit?

Yes, seeing the Hollywood Sign costs nothing. The Hollywood Sign Trust says it is in a restricted area, so you can view it from Griffith Park and other viewpoints but cannot get close to it or touch it.

Is the Getty Center free?

Yes, general admission to the Getty Center in Brentwood, Los Angeles is free, with a free timed-entry reservation, but parking costs money. Confirm the current reservation rule and parking rate on getty.edu before you go.

Is LACMA free?

Not by default. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is free for everyone on the second Tuesday of each month and for LA County residents on weekdays after 3 pm with ID. Otherwise adult admission is paid.

Which free museum in Los Angeles is always free?

The Hammer Museum in Westwood and The Broad in Downtown LA both offer free general admission every day they are open. Both are closed on Mondays, and some exhibitions at The Broad cost extra.

What free things can I do in Los Angeles on a Thursday?

The Skirball Cultural Center is free to all on Thursdays, and The Broad is open until 8 pm. Griffith Observatory and the Hammer Museum are free every day they are open.