The Museums Free-for-All is back: This year the special day for free admission to dozens of Southern California institutions is set for Jan. 28.

The goal is to get the public into museums and galleries so people can see the kinds of fine offerings on display all year round. The event is organized by a group called SoCal Museums, composed of representatives from museums across the Los Angeles region.

Whether you’re interested in 20th century masters of painting, arts and crafts, natural history, automotive wonders, botany or music, there is a museum that fits the bill. If you start early and stay late, you might even find time to visit more than one.

Participating museums (with regular adult admission prices noted):

Autry Museum of the American West, Griffith Park ($10-$14)


Columbia Memorial Space Center, Downey ($3-$5)

Craft and Folk Art Museum, Mid-Wilshire ($5-$7)

Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge ($6-$9)

Grammy Museum, downtown L.A. ($10.95-$12.95)


Japanese American National Museum, downtown L.A., via janm.org/freeforall ($6-$12)

Kidspace Children’s Museum, Pasadena ($3-$14)

La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Mid-Wilshire, general admission only via tarpits.org/freeforall ($12-$15)

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Mid-Wilshire ($16-$25)


Museum of Contemporary Art, downtown L.A. ($8-$15)

Museum of Tolerance, Pico-Robertson ($12.50-$15.50)

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Exposition park, via nhm.org/freeforall ($12-$15)

Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach ($7.50-$10)


Pasadena Museum of California Art ($5-$7)

Petersen Automotive Museum ($13-$16)

Riverside Art Museum ($3-$5)

Santa Barbara Museum of Art ($6-$10)


Skirball Cultural Center (Noah’s Ark timed-entry, one-hour tickets are first-come, first-served) ($9-$12)

Zimmer Children’s Museum ($7.50)

Usually free (and participating in the Free-for-All)

Annenberg Space for Photography, Century City

The Broad, downtown L.A.


California African American Museum, Exposition Park

California Science Center (excludes Imax films and the “Body Worlds: Pulse” exhibition; timed reservation with fee is required for Space Shuttle Endeavour)

Forest Lawn Museum, Glendale

Fowler Museum at UCLA, Westwood


Getty Center, Brentwood

Getty Villa, Pacific Palisades (timed tickets required; getty.edu)

Hammer Museum, Westwood

Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, downtown


La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, downtown L.A.

Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach (always free on Sundays)

The Paley Center for Media (free, with a suggested donation of $10)

Palm Springs Art Museum


Pomona College Museum of Art

Sunnylands Center & Gardens (excludes tours of the historic house and grounds), Rancho Mirage

University Art Museum, Cal State Long Beach

USC Fisher Museum (open Jan. 27 instead of Jan. 28)


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