The Guide to Museums Free-for-All in Los Angeles

SoCal Museums presents the annual Museums Free-for-All on Saturday, March 23. More than 30 museums—spanning art, cultural heritage, natural history and science—will open their doors and invite visitors to attend free of charge. NOTE: The Free-for-All is for general admission at participating museums only and does not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions. Visit individual museum websites for hours, directions and other visitor information.

Museums Free-for-All is also a reminder that free visitor days are available year-round at museums across Los Angeles. Following are the Discover LA guides to free museums and free museum days. After the jump, read on for highlights of Museums Free-for-All 2024. For the full list of participating museums, visit the Museums Free-for-All website.

Opened in September 2021, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures houses more than 13 million objects in a 300,000 square-foot campus designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Renzo Piano. Exhibitions currently on view include John Waters: Pope of Trash, Shifting Perspectives: Vertical Cinema and exhibits spotlighting Boyz N the Hood, Casablanca and The Godfather.

The museum's on-site Fanny's Restaurant & Cafe stars in dual roles: casual breakfast and lunch spot during the day; and lively full-service dining destination when the curtain rises in the evening. Fanny's is named for Fanny Brice - the legendary movie, vaudeville, theater, and radio star was portrayed by Barbra Streisand in her Oscar-winning role in Funny Girl (1968).

Advance reservations for the Free-for-All are recommended.

Located in Griffith Park, the Autry Museum of the American West (4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles 90027) is dedicated to exploring and sharing the stories, experiences, and perceptions of the diverse peoples of the American West. The Autry’s collection of more than 500,000 pieces of art and artifacts - including the collection of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian - is one of the largest and most significant in the United States.

The Autry's signature exhibition, Masters of the American West, is now on view through March 24. This year's recipient for the Best of Show Award is Logan Maxwell Hagege, for his stunning Time and Space oil painting.

Advance registration for the Free-for-All is required.

The Broad (221 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles 90012) is a spectacular contemporary art museum built by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. The museum is home to 2,000 works of art in the Broad collection, which is among the most prominent holdings of postwar and contemporary art in the world.

Two of Yayoi Kusama’s famed Infinity Mirror Rooms are in the Broad collection. Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013) is now open with reservations required in advance. Longing for Eternity (2017) is on view on the third floor and doesn't require reservations.

Advance reservations for the Free-for-All are encouraged.

Located in Exposition Park, the California Science Center (700 Exposition Park Dr, Los Angeles 90037) is the West Coast’s largest hands-on science center. The museum spans more than 400,000 square feet and includes permanent exhibits like the World of Life, Ecosystems and Air & Space. The Space Shuttle Endeavour is currently off-view as the museum prepares for the opening of the Samuel Oschin Air & Space Center.

Now on view at the Center, Leonardo da Vinci: Inventor. Artist. Dreamer. features 30 inventions - the Flying Bicycle, Great Organ, Mechanical Bat, Great Kite and more - each built by contemporary Italian artisans according to da Vinci’s drawings.

Officially opened in October 2009, the Columbia Memorial Space Center (12400 Columbia Way, Downey 90242) is a 20,000 square-foot museum located on the site of the former Boeing plant (previously North American Rockwell / North American Aviation) where all of the Apollo Command and Service Modules were built and the Space Shuttle was conceived. The two-story building features a Robotics Lab, High Definition Computer Lab, and a wide range of interactive exhibits that educate visitors about Space Shuttle operations, living and working on the International Space Station, exploration of our solar system, aerospace engineering, and the range of fields of study and jobs related to human and robotic space exploration.

Located on Museum Row in the Miracle Mile, Craft Contemporary (5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90036) focuses on contemporary art made from craft media and processes. The museum presents dynamic exhibitions by established and emerging artists and designers who are often underrepresented in larger art institutions. Through its programs and events, Craft Contemporary offers creative opportunities for the public to participate in hands-on workshops led by professional artists. Craft Contemporary cultivates an environment for everyone to deepen their relationship to art, creativity, and one another.

One of LA's best museum gift stores, the Craft Contemporary Shop features an expertly curated, constantly-changing array of beautiful handmade items from skilled artisans.

The original Forest Lawn location, Forest Lawn - Glendale has been a Southern California landmark since 1906. It has a world-renowned art museum, extraordinary statuary, and the Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection, which is home to two of the largest religious paintings in the Western hemisphere. UPDATE: The Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection is currently undergoing renovations.

Founded in 1952, the Forest Lawn Museum (1712 S Glendale Ave, Glendale 91205) is committed to enriching the community through the educational presentation of artwork that focuses on history, culture and religion.

Part of UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture, the Fowler Museum (308 Charles E Young Dr N, Los Angeles 90024) explores global arts and cultures with an emphasis on works from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas—past and present.

Perched on a 110-acre hilltop above Brentwood, the Getty Center (1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles 90049) is world-renowned for its collection of European and American art from medieval times to the present. The museum was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier, who created a campus with Modern design, open spaces and spectacular views. The 134,000 square-foot Central Garden, created by artist Robert Irwin, is located at the heart of the Getty Center.

Timed tickets are required for the Free-for-All.

Located in the Pacific Palisades, the Getty Villa (17985 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacific Palisades 90272) houses a collection of 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities that span 7,000 years of history, from the end of the Stone Age to the fall of the Roman Empire. The Villa is modeled after a first-century Roman country house, the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy.

Timed tickets are required for the Free-for-All.

For a fascinating journey into the history of music, don’t miss the GRAMMY Museum (800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles 90015), located just steps from Crypto.com Arena at L.A. LIVE. Four floors of cutting edge exhibits, interactive experiences and films provide a one-of-a-kind visitor experience. The museum also hosts public events and educational programming that explores and celebrates the enduring legacies of all forms of recorded music. Current exhibits include Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit (through September 4) and Shakira, Shakira (through Spring 2024).

Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading cultural venues for emerging artists, the Hammer Museum in Westwood (10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90024) was founded in 1990 by Armand Hammer as a venue to exhibit his extensive art collection. The Hammer houses a permanent collection with masterpieces by Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Sargent, as well as one of the world’s finest collections of works on paper.

Opened at the Hammer in November 2021, Lulu reunites two culinary legends: Alice Waters, the world-renowned chef/owner of Chez Panisse, pioneer of the farm-to-table movement, and longtime food activist; and David Tanis, the executive chef at Chez Panisse for 25 years, cookbook author, and writer of the New York Times monthly Food column, City Kitchen.

Founded in 1961, the Holocaust Museum in Pan Pacific Park is the oldest Survivor-founded Holocaust museum in the United States. The museum continues its mission to commemorate those who perished, honor those who survived, educate about the Holocaust and inspire a more dignified and humane world.

Reservations are required for the Free-for-All.

Opened in September 2017, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (1717 E. 7th St, Los Angeles 90021) is housed in a renovated industrial building in Downtown LA. Founded in 1984 as the Santa Monica Museum of Art, ICA LA’s 12,700 square-foot facility features 7,500 square feet of exhibition space, as well as areas for public programs, offices, and a café.

The International Printing Museum (315 W Torrance Blvd, Carson 90745) is a dynamic museum devoted to bringing the history of books, printing, and the book arts to life for diverse audiences. The staff and volunteers make it their mission to take one of the world’s most significant collections of antique printing machinery and interpret it for today’s audiences through working demonstrations and theater presentations.

Located in Little Tokyo, the Japanese American National Museum (100 N Central Ave, Los Angeles 90012) is internationally recognized for its commitment to exploring the meaning of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the experience of Japanese Americans through exhibitions, public programs, an award-winning museum store, and resource center.

Since 2007, JANM has partnered with Eric Nakamura, founder of Giant Robot, to produce the Giant Robot Biennale, a recurring art exhibition that highlights creative works celebrating the ethos of Giant Robot—a staple of Asian American alternative pop culture and an influential brand encompassing pop art, skateboard, comic book, graphic arts, and vinyl toy culture. Now on view through September 1, Giant Robot Biennale 5 features artists Sean Chao, Felicia Chiao, Luke Chueh, Giorgiko, James Jean, Taylor Lee, Mike Shinoda, Rain Szeto and Yoskay Yamamoto.

Advance tickets are strongly recommended for the Free-for-All.

Located on Museum Row at one of the world’s most famous fossil sites, the La Brea Tar Pits Museum houses a collection of five million Ice Age fossils that spans 55,000 years of history. In October 2022, the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) named the La Brea Tar Pits one of the first 100 locations on its list of Geological Heritage Sites - the only urban location in the world to receive the prestigious designation.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90036) is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection that includes more than 142,000 objects that span 6,000 years of history - dating from antiquity to the present, encompassing the geographic world and nearly the entire history of art.

During the Free-for-All, LACMA invites the entire family to enjoy free art-making activities in the Boone Children's Gallery (first come first served, no reservations needed) and at the roving Drawing Cart. Join a scavenger hunt and pick up a free Dogs of LACMA sticker set and LACMA Loves Los Angeles art kit (while supplies last).

Advance tickets are required for the Free-for-All.

Renowned as one of the nation's premier centers of Mexican American culture, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (501 N Main St, Los Angeles 90012) features interactive exhibits and exciting programs that invite visitors to explore as well as contribute to the ongoing story of Mexican Americans in LA and beyond. Located near the site where Los Angeles was founded in 1781, LA Plaza's 2.2-acre campus includes two historic and renovated buildings (the Vickrey-Brunswig Building and Plaza House) surrounded by 30,000 square feet of public gardens.

The Museum of Contemporary Art (250 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles 90012) is the only artist-founded museum in Los Angeles. MOCA houses one of the most compelling collections of contemporary art in the world, comprising roughly 7,000 objects, and has a diverse history of ground-breaking, historically-significant exhibitions.

Both Downtown LA locations of MOCA will be participating in the Free-for-All: Grand Avenue and The Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo (152 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles 90012).

Advance reservations are required for the Free-for-All.

The Skirball Cultural Center (2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles 90049) is guided by the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger and inspired by the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality. Open to the public since 1996, the Skirball has established itself as one of the world's most dynamic Jewish cultural institutions and among the leading cultural venues in LA.

Along with ongoing exhibits and the popular Noah's Ark experience, the Skirball is hosting family-friendly activities during the Free-for-All: art making, performances by Le Ballet Dembaya, an Archaeology Dig, and a special metallurgy activity led by archaeologist Sydney Schueller.

Advance tickets are strongly recommended for the Free-for-All.

Founded by Justinian Jampol, an LA native and scholar of modern European history, The Wende Museum (10808 Culver Blvd, Culver City 90230) houses a collection of more than 100,000 artifacts, archives and personal histories that is recognized as an unparalleled resource for insight into the Eastern perspective of the Cold War.

Located in El Segundo a half-mile south of LAX, the Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum (610 Lairport St, El Segundo 90245) displays a rotating selection of 130+ vintage automobiles.

The Zimmerman is the only automobile museum in the world that takes guests for rides in the fleet. On Sundays (weather permitting) the ADM features three different cars - guests might ride in anything from Joseph Stalin’s 1936 Packard to a 1982 DeLorean.

For the youngsters, the museum offers a Scavenger Hunt and a Kids Area with cars and tracks to play with; dress-up and mechanics tent; and two mini-cars that are ready-made for social shares.