Travel
Free Stuff to Do in Los Angeles
An ever-growing guide.
Under Construction. Please recommend more free stuff to do.
♥ means this is a personal favorite.
→ means it’s worth doing.
↓ means I wasn’t impressed, but you might be.
? means I haven’t done this yet.
Many places
♥ Movie previews and TV show tapings. Tickets are handed out every day for different previews and TV tapings in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Also try The Screening Exchange, Audiences Unlimited, Hollywood Tickets, On Camera Audiences, Free TV Tickets, and 1 Iota. Be sure to confirm online or by phone. Leave your cameras and cameraphones at home; they won’t let you bring them in. Bring some friends, you’ll be waiting in line a while. Often, they won’t let you in to movies if you work in the entertainment business, so give up or lie. This is an easy way to get close to celebrities and dive into the world of Hollywood.
♥ Go to free festivals and art walks. Monthly: Downtown Art Walk, Miracle Mile Art walk. Biannual: Brewery Art Walk. At these events, you may get handouts for worthwhile one-time events like L.A. vs. War. Also check going.com.
♥ CouchSurf. Here’s how it works: (1) Sign up for a free account, (2) search for people who look interesting in the area you’d like to stay, (3) ask to stay at their place for certain nights, and (4) show up and sleep on their couch/air mattress/extra bed for free! Contact several people to be sure one of them says “Yes, I'm available, come on over!” A great way to meet interesting people and explore a new area of L.A. (or the world). The typical CouchSurfer is a world traveler.
? Open bars are available almost every night at different events. Check la.MyOpenBar.com to find an open bar each night. You can go out several times a week and never pay for a drink, if you’re not picky.
→ Join special interest groups for topics that interest you. Search MeetUp, Tribe, MeetIn, and Craigslist.
→ Make friends and go to private parties. Also, join My People Connection and check the event calender to do fun things with cool people (hiking, pick-up sports games, etc.). Of course, if you go out to eat or watch a movie, you pay your own way.
→ Get free tickets to many things on Craigslist. They are usually listed under “tickets” for $1. Lots of sports tickets available. Or, just let your friends know that you love free tickets; when they can’t go to something they have tickets for, they’ll give you their ticket.
→ Tour the mansions of superstars with this guide.
→ Attend free lectures on all subjects. Often, these are hosted by universities, museums, and libraries, so check the calenders for places like UCLA, USC, CalTech, LAPL, and Cal State, as well as all the libraries listed elsewhere on this page.
↓ View the many free art galleries in the city and surrounding areas.
↓ Go windows shopping and watch people spend ungodly sums on hip clothes at places like Rodeo Dr. (between Santa Monica Blvd. and Wilshire Blvd.), the Grove (Third and Fairfax), Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, the Fashion District (near Spring and Main), Los Feliz Village (near Hillhurst and Los Feliz), and more.
↓ Take a tour of the best architecture in L.A. with this handy photo/map guide.
↓ See free comedy acts at many places in L.A. See a schedule. My opinion? They’re free ’cuz they ain’t funny.
Downtown
→ Just walk around town to see some interesting places, like the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (link), the historic Union Station (link), St. Vincent Court (link), the Central Library (link) and Library Tower (link), the Bradbury Building (link), and the Grand Central Market. There is often a lot going on in L.A.’s special districts: Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Fashion District, Flower District, Jewelry District.
? The Fashion Institute of Design & Marketing usually has free exhibits going on.
? The one-hour El Pueblo walking tour is a free look at Los Angeles’ birthplace. Tours given at 10am, 11am, and noon, Tues–Sat. Groups of 10 or more should sign up in advance.
→ The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles has three locations and is free from 5–8pm every Thursday.
→ The Japanese American National Museum is free every Thursday from 5–8 and all day every third Thursday of the month.
↓ The Los Angeles Music Center has free guided and self-guided tours (10am–2pm) of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and garden, along with the Library of Congress/Ira Gershwin Gallery.
Hollywood
→ The street actors in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre dress up like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain Jack Sparrow, Spongebob Squarepants, Snoopy, Marilyn Monroe, Yoda, and many other characters. Just gawk, or get your picture taken with them. They work on tips, but cannot demand them. Watch Confessions of a Superhero for the inside story on some of their lives.
→ Attend a movie premiere. You can’t get in, but can watch all the stars arrive and try to get their autographs. Here’s a schedule.
→ Griffith Park is disappointing, but the Griffith Park Observatory is worthwhile. It offers a 360° view of Los Angeles. Show up before sunset to view the sun live from the sun exhibit inside, then watch the sunset, then after dark look through the telescopes at the moon and Saturn. How to visit.
↓ The Walk of Fame along Hollywood Blvd has the names of stars embedded in the sidewalk.
Westside/Santa Monica
♥ The Getty Museum has stunning architecture, gardens, and art collections. Lots of free tours and events. Admission is free, but parking is $8. Avoid the parking fee by walking a long way, getting dropped off, or taking Metro Rapid Line 761 (see www.metro.net).
♥ The Museum of Jurassic Technology is free, with a suggested donation of $5. Open Thursday 2–8, Friday–Sunday noon–6. LAMag wrote: “Two of its most beloved exhibits are The Stink Ant of the Cameroon, an insect driven mad by a spore in its tiny brain, and The Horn of Mary Davis Saughall, an appendage that grew on said woman’s head in the 17th century. It’s captivating, irreverent, and for the most part, lies. Is it conceptual art? Is it a dig at our blind faith in museums? Long after you've forgotten what’s-his-name’s show at another institution, you’ll remember the Jurassic.”
? The Santa Monica Symphony plays a few free concerts each year.
→ The famous Venice Beach Boardwalk (with street performers and interesting shops) and Venice Canals are worth a look.
South Central
→ The Watts Towers are a collection of 17 connected art structures. Looking is free. Tours are not, but it is a much better way to experience the Towers.
Eastside/Pasadena/Covina/Whittier
? The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens are free on the first Thursday of every month, 10:30–4:30. You must reserve a ticket in advance by calling 800-838-3006. Free Day tickets run out so fast you must reserve them early in the morning on the 1st of the month. I called on April 1st at 10:25 and that was too late for the May Free Day.
? The Homestead Musuem has free public tours on the hour Wed–Sun, 1–4pm. They also recommend some other nearby free attractions.
? The Justice Brothers Racing Museum has free admission on weekdays, 8am–5pm. Trace the evolution of motor sports.
? The Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum has free tours on Wednesdays and Sundays at 1, 2, and 3pm.
→ The Bunny Museum is a collection of 23,000 bunny items in the small private home of Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski. They hold the Guiness World Record for most bunnies in the world. In 1984, Steve and Candace decided to give each other a bunny gift every day, and continue to do so today. Seriously, one of a kind. Call to make an appointment for a free tour.
Greater Willshire
♥ The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is closed on Wednesday, but free after 5pm every day. It is also free all day on special days. There are several museums here. My favorite is the Broad Contemporary Art Museum. There is also a free classical chamber music concert every Sunday at 5pm.
? MacArthur Park is a lovely place, one of Charlie Chaplin’s favorites.
→ The La Brea Tar Pits include some of the most successful fossil dig sites in the world. The museum is free on the first Tuesday of every month.