Free Museum Days in California

The largest art museum in the western U.S. is free for everyone on the second Tuesday of each month. L.A. County residents with ID also get in free any weekday after 3 pm, and county kids and teens 17 and under are always free.

Dinosaur Hall, the gem vault, and the nature gardens are free for L.A. County residents every weekday from 3 to 5 pm — show ID at the ticket desk. Teachers, veterans, and active military get in free anytime.

Same county-resident deal as its sister museum: free entry Monday–Friday, 3–5 pm, with L.A. County ID. The bubbling tar pits and Pleistocene Garden outside are free to everyone, all day, every day.

One of Southern California's most expensive tickets is free the first Thursday of every month — but you must reserve ahead, tickets vanish within minutes of release, and there's a five-per-household yearly limit. Set an alarm.

Rembrandts, Van Goghs, and Degas bronzes are free the first Friday evening of each month from 4 to 7 pm. Students and visitors 18 and under are free every day, and the parking lot never charges.

This intimate museum in a 1924 Chinese courtyard mansion is free every second Sunday of the month. Children 14 and under are free daily, making the free Sunday a genuine zero-dollar family outing.

The Autry's art, film, and history of the American West is free on the first Wednesday of every month. It sits inside Griffith Park, so pair it with the (always-free) Griffith Observatory for a full free day.

The Skirball is free to everyone, every Thursday — the only major L.A. museum with a weekly free day. The beloved Noah's Ark interactive exhibit is included; reserve the timed entry ahead because Thursday slots go quickly.

MOLAA runs sponsored Free Sundays with family programming, but doesn't publish a fixed monthly date — upcoming free Sundays appear on its ticket portal. Children under 12 are free every day.

Free on first-Thursday evenings, when downtown Santa Barbara's galleries also stay open late for the citywide 1st Thursday art walk — the museum is the anchor stop, and the whole evening costs nothing.

Balboa Park's museums take turns being free each Tuesday for San Diego residents and military: Fleet Science Center and the Nat (1st), Air & Space and Comic-Con Museum (2nd), San Diego Museum of Art and the Japanese Friendship Garden (3rd), Automotive and Museum of Us (4th), plus the Model Railroad Museum on second Thursdays. Check the month's schedule before you go.

Residents of the nine Bay Area counties get free permanent-collection admission every single Saturday — book online and bring ID. Everyone, resident or not, is free on the first Tuesday of each month. Ages 17 and under are always free.

The de Young's sister museum above Lands End runs the identical deal: free Saturdays for Bay Area residents and free first Tuesdays for all, covering the permanent galleries (special exhibitions still charge).

One of the world's great Asian art collections is free on the first Sunday of every month, with special exhibitions discounted to $15. Walk-up space is limited on free days — reserve tickets in advance.

OMCA's three floors of California art, history, and natural science are free the first Sunday of each month — including the Great Hall special exhibitions. Reserve a timed ticket online to skip the line.

UC Berkeley's art museum opens its galleries free on the first Thursday of each month. Films at the Pacific Film Archive still require a ticket, but the exhibitions alone are worth the trip.

SJMA's monthly First Fridays turn the museum into a free evening event with exhibitions, music, and hands-on art. Youth 17 and under, college students, and teachers are free every day.

California's oldest public art museum runs Pay What You Wish on the third Sunday of each month — pay a dollar, pay nothing, it's up to you. SNAP/EBT cardholders with ID are free year-round.