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Free museum days & library passes
Curated by Simir Shah
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Library pass programs
Your library card is the single best deal in SoCal: reserve free or deeply-discounted passes to dozens of museums, zoos and science centers through the Discover & Go platform. Passes are first-come and a new month's batch drops at the start of each month — book early.
LA County Library — Discover & Go
Free or deeply discounted passes to 50+ SoCal museums & attractions (LA Zoo, La Brea Tar Pits, The Broad, Academy Museum, GRAMMY Museum & more).
Cardholders 18+ in good standing. Reserve up to 3 months ahead; new passes release at the start of each month, first-come.
✅ Log in at the Discover & Go portal with your card # + PIN, then print/download the pass.
Open official site →LA Public Library (City of LA) — Explore L.A.
Same Discover & Go pass platform for City of LA residents.
LAPL cardholders; same 3-month-ahead, first-come model.
✅ Reserve at lapl.org/explorela with your card.
Open official site →OC Public Libraries — Discover & Go
Free/low-cost passes to OC and SoCal cultural institutions.
OC residents 18+ with an OCPL card. 2 active reservations at a time; up to 3 months ahead. Once printed, a pass can't be cancelled.
✅ Reserve at ocpl.discoverandgo.net with an OCPL card. Irvine, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Anaheim and a few other cities run their own libraries, so families there need an OCPL card too.
Open official site →San Diego Public Library — Discover & Go
Family day passes to 15+ SD attractions (New Children's Museum, Museum of Us, San Diego Museum of Art, Children's Discovery Museum & more).
SD residents 16+ with a valid SDPL card. Up to 2 reservations; up to 3 months ahead.
✅ Reserve online, in person, or by phone at sandiego.gov/discoversd.
Open official site →San Diego County Library — Discover & Go
Same pass platform for county branches (Coronado, National City, Escondido & more).
County cardholders; same Discover & Go model.
✅ Reserve at sdcl.org/discoverandgo.
Open official site →No library card needed
Free & discount programs
Monthly cardholder weekends, EBT discounts, military summers and annual free days — these stack on top of the library passes.
Bank of America — Museums on Us
Free general admission for the cardholder (one person).
First full weekend of every month (Sat + Sun). SoCal participants include LACMA, Autry, Skirball, Laguna Art Museum, MOLAA (Long Beach), San Diego Museum of Art & Birch Aquarium. General admission only; parking not included.
✅ Show your BofA/Merrill debit or credit card + photo ID at the door.
Open official site →Museums for All
$1–$3 admission for up to 4 people.
Show a valid EBT/SNAP card (+ photo ID). SoCal participants include Pretend City (Irvine), Kidspace (Pasadena), and Birch Aquarium. CORRECTED 2026-09-15: Discovery Cube (OC & LA) and the San Diego Zoo & Safari Park do NOT participate — confirmed via Discovery Cube's own FAQ and the museums4all.org participant list, which do not include either.
✅ Just show your EBT card at the box office, day-of.
Open official site →SoCal Museums — Free-for-All Day
Free general admission at 30+ museums in a single day.
Annual, one day (held in late February). Participants span LA to Long Beach to the desert — Academy Museum, Autry, The Broad, MOCA, La Brea Tar Pits & more. Parking fees still apply.
✅ Just show up that day; check the site for the year's date and list.
Open official site →Blue Star Museums
Free admission for active military + up to 5 family members.
Summer window: Armed Forces Day (mid-May) through Labor Day. Active-duty (all branches incl. Reserves & National Guard).
✅ Show a military ID (CAC / DD Form 1173) at participating museums.
Open official site →San Diego — Kids Free in October
Kids 12 & under free with a paid adult at 70+ SD attractions.
All October, San Diego Museum Council members & attractions. CORRECTED 2026-09-15: the operator's own page does not state a 2-kids-per-adult cap (previously listed here), and lists 70+ participants, not 40+.
✅ Grab the free vouchers from the San Diego Museum Council site.
Open official site →Always (or regularly) free
Museums that are free
Some of SoCal's best museums never charge admission — and others have a standing free day each week or month. Note: many still charge for parking or special exhibits.
Griffith Observatory (LA)
Building & exhibits always free.
Always free; closed Mondays. Parking is paid (free street parking ~1 mi away if you walk).
✅ Just show up.
Open official site →The Getty Center & Getty Villa (LA)
Admission always free.
Free, but a timed-entry reservation is required at BOTH the Center and the Villa (CORRECTED 2026-09-15 — previously implied only the Villa required one). Parking ~$25/car ($15 after 3pm).
✅ Reserve a free timed ticket at getty.edu.
Open official site →California Science Center (Exposition Park, LA)
Core galleries always free — including the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Free, no reservation for permanent galleries. Special exhibitions & IMAX cost extra.
✅ Just show up.
Open official site →Hammer Museum (Westwood/UCLA)
Always free general admission.
Free, no timed ticket needed.
✅ Just show up.
Open official site →The Broad (DTLA)
Always-free general admission.
Free, but timed-entry tickets required; a same-day standby line is available.
✅ Reserve at thebroad.org.
Open official site →Skirball Cultural Center (LA)
Free admission to the general public.
Free every Thursday, year-round. Noah's Ark is first-come (free, capacity-limited).
✅ Just show up on Thursdays.
Open official site →Kidspace Children's Museum (Pasadena)
Free family night.
First Friday of each month, 2–5pm (CORRECTED 2026-09-15, was listed as 3-6pm). Advance reservations required — released ~2 weeks before and they go fast.
✅ Reserve at kidspacemuseum.org.
Open official site →Natural History Museum (LA)
Free admission for LA County residents.
Mon–Fri, 3–5pm, with proof of LA County residency. CORRECTED 2026-09-15: removed La Brea Tar Pits from this entry — its indoor museum is closed since July 2026 for a ~2-year renovation (not expected back until 2028), so this free-admission program can't currently be used there. NHM itself is open and this program is active.
✅ Reserve at nhm.org, or show ID onsite 3–5pm weekdays.
Open official site →LACMA (LA)
Free admission two ways.
Free to everyone the 2nd Tuesday of each month (reservation needed); and free to LA County residents weekdays after 3pm with ID.
✅ Show LA County ID after 3pm, or reserve a 2nd-Tuesday ticket.
Open official site →Bowers Museum (Santa Ana)
Free general admission one day a month for Santa Ana residents and members only.
Free-admission Festival Sundays (first Sunday of each month) are limited to Santa Ana residents and Bowers members — CORRECTED 2026-09-15, this is not free to the general public. (Santa Ana residents separately get free admission every Sunday with proof of residency.)
✅ Bring proof of Santa Ana residency or a membership card.
Open official site →Make it a whole free day
Pair a free museum with a nearby park or beach and a splash-pad afternoon — no admission required.
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Program rules, free days and parking fees change — always confirm on the official site before you go. Last updated June 2026.