Free museum days: Find complimentary fun around Southern California

"Time," as a concept, weaves through and around every piece of art, historical artifact, and scientific discovery.

We ponder the time it took to create an artwork, the date when something was invented, and how past events inspired a certain outcome.

These items and ideas can be found at our local museums and cultural institutions, where the concept of time is also important.

For several Southern Californian destinations feature free days on their monthly calendars, kind-hearted give-back gifts to the community.

Checking the details on a museum's free day or hours before you go, like whether there's a parking fee?

Always a wise plan, especially because reservations may be required.

We'll repeat that, with friendly emphasis: Advance reservations may be required at the museums below, so see if a timed ticket, booked ahead of time, is a must before you go. (Even free tickets, at many spots, are of the timed variety nowadays.)

Again: Museum free days can change or be updated, depending upon an institution's needs or schedule, so we put this, kindly, in bold: Please do check the schedule, and any potential closures, by visiting the museum's site before you go.

California Science Center: Ecosystems, the stars, the natural world, and everything in between (including what we can't quite see)? This Exposition Park science museum covers it all, or a lot of it all, at least. Admission is free, each and every day, but special exhibits may be ticketed, and the on-site IMAX theater? That requires admission, too. Note: Space Shuttle Endeavour is temporarily off-view; it will return to view in "several years" when its new pavilion is completed.

Norton Simon Museum: The Colorado Boulevard gem offers free admission on the first Friday of the month from 4 to 7 o'clock. Military members (active service) are always admitted free, too (just be sure to show identification).

MOCA: Calling upon both MOCA Grand Avenue and The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in a single day? It most certainly can be done, but you may want to space out your engaging engagements, given the wondrous wealth of eye-poppingly iconoclastic artworks you'll encounter. Entry is free at both locations, while special exhibits will require a ticket.

Travel Town Museum: Griffith Park has a famous zoo, and The Autry, too, but toot-toot-ing at the destination's northern edge? It's this locomotive-filled wonderland, which is always free to visit. A Union Pacific Dining Car is on view as well as a Pullman Car, and charming train rides happen on the verdant grounds as well (during select hours).

Bowers Museum: The free family festivals at this historical treasure take guests to points around the world once each month; check the schedule to see when the next celebration is delightfully due and what the vibrant theme might be.

Getty Center: So many wonders are on view at this celebrated repository of treasures, including intricate tapestries, ornate furnishings, delicately rendered pastels, and modern photography. And something sweet? It marked its 25th anniversary just a few years ago, in 2022. Admission is free, it is closed on Mondays, timed tickets are required, and parking? That's $25 per car, or $15 if you arrive after 3 o'clock.

Getty Villa: Just a short-ish drive from the Brentwood-based Getty Center is a wondrous wayback world of Greek and Roman antiquities and art. The museum's Malibu location is spectacular, fully complementing the outdoor statuary and gardens. Admission is free, skip going on a Tuesday (it is closed), and, like the Getty Center, parking is $25 per car. After 3 p.m., the cost is $15.

Kidspace Children's Museum: The arroyo-adjacent, Rose Bowl-close educational museum is known for its springtime butterfly fun and not-too-eerie autumn events, as well as lots of outdoor places to interact with and explore. Hoping to visit on an admission-free day? Look to Free First Fridays, which happen every month on, yep, the first Friday. Hours? 4 to 7 o'clock. Making a reservation ahead of time? Definitely do that.

Natural History Museum: Dinosaur bones, sparkly minerals, and a whole caboodle of astounding artifacts, both from the wilder world and the history of humankind fill this fantastical realm. It's a realm that treats LA County residents to free entry, from 3 to 5 p.m. each weekday, though other exhibitions and seasonal events may be separately ticketed. Note: NHMLA is closed the first Tuesday of the month, plus select holidays (please see site for more information).

California African American Museum: Another gem at Exposition Park, CAAM offers free admission every day but Monday (the museum is closed on the first day of the week most weeks and open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day). There's a fee to park in Exposition Park, do note, while a Metro stop is a short walk away. "World Without End: The George Washington Carver Project" is on view through March 2, 2025.

The Broad: Contemporary works have found a vibrant home on Grand Avenue, behind the now-iconic "veil" of this DTLA favorite. Entry is always free, but procuring a timed ticket is a must. And the ever-popular, ever-uplifting "Infinity Mirrored Room — The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away," also free to see, requires a separate reservation. Your next move: Consult the monthly ticket release schedule.

USC Pacific Asia Museum: Call upon this Crown City must-see on the second Sunday of the month, which is always free, and bask in the beauty of several centuries-old pieces. A permanent gallery devoted to the arts of China, as well as limited-time exhibitions are on view but do book your timed ticket before you go. Also? Every Thursday is devoted to "pay what you wish" at the Los Robles Avenue museum.

Griffith Observatory: Savoring the majesty of space is free, and so is a visit to this hilltop icon, which will turn 90 in a few years. But while the universe is most definitely open daily, the cosmos-loving landmark is closed Mondays. Special solstice and equinox programs are also complimentary, so watch the calendar for those mind-growing events.

Hammer Museum: Admission is always free at this Westwood art institution, but the museum is closed every Monday, as well as on select holidays. Booking your reservation in advance? It's "not necessary," says the Hammer site. Finding lots of paintings, sculptures, and pop-up happenings that beckon the heart and mind? That's always happening at the Hammer.

The Autry in Griffith Park: The museum has become known for outdoor dance events, pop-up markets, and film screenings in recent years, but its permanent and temporary exhibitions, which take their inspiration from the American West, remain at its fascinating heart. The free hours at this spot, which is near the LA Zoo? Be there any Tuesday or Wednesday from 1 to 4 o'clock to enjoy gratis admission.

Skirball Cultural Center: There are so many widely loved displays at the Skirball, like "Visions and Values: Jewish Life from Antiquity to America," and seeing them on a Thursday? You can, without paying for entry. Be sure to check out the special exhibitions, like the one devoted to Noah's Ark, during your visit.

Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden: This sizable plot, an arcadian Arcadia wonderland of flowers, plants, peafowl, turtles, and fanciful buildings, is known for its seasonal classes and events. But simply stopping by to enjoy free entry? That can happen on the third Tuesday of the month. Tickets are timed, so get yours in advance.

Descanso Gardens: Like LA Arboretum, the La Cañada Flintridge garden also opens its gates, for free, on the third Tuesday of the month. Also? Parking is free. As for making your advance reservation? That's so important if you'd like to admire the property's famous Camellia Forest, water features, and Japanese Garden. Spots open up on the first day of the month, or the first Monday, if a month's first day falls on a weekend.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Garden: One of the most stately gardens around honors a free day on the first Thursday of the month, inviting visitors to spy amazing works of art ("The Blue Boy" is a famous favorite), the celebrated roses, and the exquisite Chinese Garden. Procuring your ticket? You'll need to do so on the last Thursday of the month, for the free day that will happen a week later.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art: One of the most venerable of the "when-is-this-museum-free" offerings on the local calendar is the one created by LACMA, which treats Los Angeles County residents to free museum admission after 3 p.m. each weekday.

La Brea Tar Pits & Museum: While the bubbly tar pits may be viewed from beyond a fence at any time, the nearby museum, which is filled with fossils and prehistoric wonder, is open to the public during certain hours. LA County residents may enjoy free entry from 3 to 5 p.m. each day. Note: The tar pits-adjacent museum is closed the first Tuesday of the month, plus select holidays (please see site for more information).