Downtown Los Angeles Free Walking Tour
2h · rated 8.8/10 in 239 reviews
Guided in English
Reserve a spot- Home
- Los Angeles
- Wednesday
What is free in Los Angeles on Wednesdays
Free museum hours in Los Angeles change with the day of the week. This is the list for Wednesday: first what is free on this day in particular, then what is free on any day.
Free walking tours in Los Angeles1
These have no fixed price. You reserve a spot, and at the end you tip the guide what you think the tour was worth.
Spots are booked through Civitatis.
Free on Wednesdays in particular2
Natural History Museum free hours for L.A. County residents
Exposition ParkFree on certain daysResidents onlyBooking recommendedIndoorGood with kids
Dinosaur Hall, the gem vault and the Becoming Los Angeles galleries, free for locals in the last two hours of each weekday.
- Free when
- Mon–Fri 3–5 pm. The museum is closed on the first Tuesday of each month, except June to August. Regular adult admission is $18.
- Free for whom
- L.A. County residents with ID or a utility bill. Also free every day: California teachers and school staff, active or retired U.S. military, EBT cardholders, USC students and faculty, and children 2 and under.
- Reservation
- Free resident tickets can be reserved online with an ID upload, or picked up at any ticket desk from 3 pm.
- Time needed
- 2h
- How to get there
- Metro E Line to Expo Park/USC, then 5 minutes on foot.
Worth it? Depends.Two hours is enough for the dinosaurs and one more hall, so go straight upstairs at 3. Special exhibitions and the Butterfly and Spider Pavilions still cost extra.
Source: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County · checked Oct 4, 2026Open in Maps
Autry Museum free first Wednesday
Griffith ParkFree on certain daysBooking requiredIndoorGood with kids
A museum of the American West, from Native California to Hollywood westerns, on the northeast side of Griffith Park across from the zoo.
- Free when
- First Wednesday of each month · 10 am–4 pm. Regular adult admission is $20.
- Free for whom
- Everyone on the first Wednesday. Active-duty U.S. military and veterans are free every day. Parking is free for Autry visitors.
- Reservation
- Register for a free spot on theautry.org before you go.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2h
- How to get there
- Metro bus 96 to the L.A. Zoo and Autry stop. By car, free parking in the museum lot at 4700 Western Heritage Way.
Worth it? Depends.Better than its cowboy reputation suggests, and one of the few free days in town with free parking attached. The Colt firearms gallery and the movie costumes are the parts people remember.
Source: Autry Museum of the American West · checked Oct 4, 2026Open in Maps
Free every day, Wednesday included18
- Getty CenterBrentwoodAlways · Tue–Fri and Sun 10 am–6:30 pm, Sat 10 am–9 pm. Closed Mon. Some North, East and South Pavilion galleries are closed for renovation.
- Getty VillaPacific PalisadesAlways · Wed–Mon 10 am–5 pm. Closed Tue.
- The BroadDowntown, Bunker HillAlways · Tue, Wed, Fri 11 am–5 pm, Thu 11 am–8 pm, Sat–Sun 10 am–6 pm. Closed Mon. An expansion is being built next door, so expect some construction noise.
- MOCA Grand AvenueDowntown, Bunker HillAlways · Tue–Fri 11 am–5 pm, Sat–Sun 11 am–6 pm, until 8 pm on the first Thursday of the month. Closed Mon. The Geffen Contemporary branch in Little Tokyo is closed between installations, check before going.
- Hammer MuseumWestwoodAlways · Tue–Sun 11 am–6 pm. Closed Mon.
- California Science CenterExposition ParkAlways · Daily 10 am–5 pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Endeavour is off display until the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center opens on November 13, 2026.
- California African American MuseumExposition ParkAlways · Tue–Sat 10 am–5 pm, Sun 11 am–5 pm. Closed Mon.
- Griffith ObservatoryGriffith Park, Los FelizAlways · Tue–Fri 12 noon–10 pm, Sat–Sun 10 am–10 pm. Building closed Mon. The grounds and terraces are open daily with Griffith Park, 5 am–10:30 pm.
- Mount Hollywood hike in Griffith ParkGriffith ParkAlways · Griffith Park is open daily 5 am–10:30 pm. Inbound park gates close at 10 pm.
- Santa Monica Pier and State BeachSanta MonicaAlways · Pier open daily 6 am–10 pm. Rides, the carousel and restaurants keep their own hours and are paid.
- Venice Beach and Ocean Front WalkVeniceAlways · Open every day. It is liveliest from late morning to sunset and thins out fast after dark.
- Baldwin Hills Scenic OverlookCulver CityAlways · Daily 8 am to sunset. Visitor center Wed–Sun 9 am–5 pm.
- Walt Disney Concert Hall self-guided tourDowntown, Bunker HillAlways · Most days 10 am–3 pm, last start at 2 pm. Tours are cancelled or shortened around rehearsals and matinees, so check the Music Center tour calendar that morning.
- Fowler Museum at UCLAWestwood, UCLA campusAlways · Wed 12–8 pm, Thu–Sun 12–5 pm. Closed Mon–Tue.
- Institute of Contemporary Art, Los AngelesArts DistrictAlways · Wed–Sun 11 am–6 pm. Closed Mon, Tue and public holidays.
- Runyon Canyon ParkHollywood HillsAlways · Daily sunrise to sunset. The city has posted the West Trail as closed after a fire, the rest of the park is open.
- El Pueblo and Olvera StreetDowntown, next to Union StationAlways · The plaza is open daily. Shops, restaurants and the museums keep their own hours, so come between late morning and mid-afternoon.
- La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock ParkMiracle MileAlways · Outdoor areas of Hancock Park only, in daylight. The museum building is closed for a renovation with construction phases mapped through summer 2028, and fenced areas change.
PAID · ONE PER CITY
If you spend on one thing in Los Angeles, make it this.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
Los Angeles is a company town and nothing free gets you inside the company. The tour drives through working backlots and soundstages in Burbank, which the Walk of Fame and a distant look at the Hollywood Sign cannot stand in for.
Everything above is free. This is the only paid pick on the page, chosen because no free option replaces it.
See tickets and prices
