7 Los Angeles institutions with verified free admission — 4 always free, 3 with scheduled free days. L.A. is quietly the best always-free museum city in America: the Getty, the Broad, the California Science Center and Griffith Observatory never charge admission. On top of that, LACMA and the Natural History Museum run L.A. County resident windows on weekday afternoons.
| Institution | Free day | Who qualifies | Reservation |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Science Center | Always free | Everyone | Required |
| Griffith Observatory | Always free | Everyone | Required |
| The Broad | Always free | Everyone | Required |
| The Getty Center | Always free | Everyone | Required |
| Institution | Free day | Who qualifies | Reservation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) | 2nd Tuesday monthly | L.A. County residents | Required |
| Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens | No regular free day | L.A. Public Library cardholders | Required |
| Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) | Weekdays 3pm–5pm | L.A. County residents | See page |
Bank of America cardholders get free general admission at participating Los Angeles institutions on Museums on Us weekends (first full weekend, monthly). If you hold a membership at a museum, zoo or science center elsewhere, check our reciprocity checker — NARM, ASTC and AZA reciprocity often cover Los Angeles institutions for traveling members.
↥ Check another museum → Browse all free museum & zoo days →
California Science Center, Griffith Observatory, The Broad, The Getty Center — general admission never costs anything there.
Some do. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens require advance free tickets; each institution's page here says exactly how it works and links the official booking page.