Griffith Observatory is always free — general admission never costs anything. Not required for general admission Verified on Griffith Observatory's own page, last checked 2026-09-04.
| Free day | Always free |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Everyone |
| Reservation | Not required for general admission |
| What's included | Building, exhibit galleries, grounds, public telescopes. Excludes Samuel Oschin Planetarium shows, which are separately ticketed. |
| Regular adult price | Free (general admission); planetarium shows ~$10 adult / $8 senior-student / $6 child (reported, not independently confirmed) |
| Source | griffithobservatory.lacity.gov · checked 2026-09-04 |
Griffith Observatory doesn't need savings math — the ticket line is free for everyone, every open day. Budget for the rest instead: building, exhibit galleries, grounds, public telescopes. Excludes Samuel Oschin Planetarium shows, which are separately ticketed.. For anyone outside the free group, regular admission runs $10.
Griffith Observatory doesn't need a calendar — general admission is free every day it's open, which changes how you plan compared with a free-day museum. There's no crowd spike to dodge and no reservation race — though note the entry mechanics: not required for general admission. The date that matters here isn't an admission date at all: it's whichever ticketed special exhibition you might want to add, since those (building, exhibit galleries, grounds, public telescopes. Excludes Samuel Oschin Planetarium shows, which are separately ticketed.) run on their own schedules and prices.
Regular tickets (Free (general admission); planetarium shows ~$10 adult / $8 senior-student / $6 child (reported, not independently confirmed)) are on griffithobservatory.lacity.gov — skip third-party sellers, the official price is the floor. Planning a bigger Los Angeles itinerary? A CityPASS Los Angeles bundle can undercut separate tickets — just check the current lineup for Griffith Observatory before paying.
California Science Center (always free) · Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (2nd tuesday monthly) · Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens (no regular free day) · Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) (weekdays 3pm–5pm) · The Broad (always free) · The Getty Center (always free) · The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens (1st thursday monthly) — or see the full free museum days in Los Angeles guide.
Los Angeles's free-day calendar, condensed to one email a month — verified dates and resident rules only.
↥ Check another museum → Browse all free museum & zoo days →
General admission to the building, grounds, and public telescopes is free every day the Observatory is open (closed Mondays). No reservation is required for general entry.
Not required for general admission
Building, exhibit galleries, grounds, public telescopes. Excludes Samuel Oschin Planetarium shows, which are separately ticketed.
Free (general admission); planetarium shows ~$10 adult / $8 senior-student / $6 child (reported, not independently confirmed). That figure is the payoff for planning around the free day.
Yes — general admission is free for all visitors, every open day, no residency requirement. Building, exhibit galleries, grounds, public telescopes. Excludes Samuel Oschin Planetarium shows, which are separately ticketed..
At $10 per adult, two adults keep $20 and a group of four paying adult prices keeps up to $40 per visit — before parking and extras.