16 Free Things to Do in Los Angeles That Don’t Suck
Los Angeles has a reputation for being expensive. And as someone who has lived here for over 15 years, my bank account would agree. But there are a lot of free things to do in Los Angeles, and I’m not just talking about parks or places where you stop, snap a photo, and move on. Some of the best things to do in Los Angeles include world-class museums, iconic landmarks, and neighborhoods worth wandering for hours, all without spending a dime.
To make planning easier, I’ve organized this list by neighborhood so you can spend less time sitting in traffic and more time enjoying the city.
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Quick Answer: What Are the Best Free Things to Do in Los Angeles?
Short on time? These are my picks for the best free things to do in Los Angeles:
🏆 Best View: Griffith Observatory
🎨 Best Museum: The Broad
🤫 Best Kept Secret: Hollywood Bowl Rehearsal
⚰️ Best Celebrity Spotting: Hollywood Forever Cemetery
📸 Best Photo Spot: Urban Light & Levitated Mass
🌊 Best Beach Neighborhood: Santa Monica
👀 Best People Watching: Venice Beach Boardwalk
Free Things to Do in Downtown Los Angeles
If you’re looking for a classic downtown experience, you won’t find it in downtown Los Angeles. Unlike other cities, it’s not where all the action happens. It’s a mix of cultures and districts, like Little Tokyo, Chinatown, the Arts District, and the Fashion District. It’s also home to the LA Lakers and the LA Kings. (I refuse to call it the Crypto.com Arena. It will always be the Staples Center to me.)
A lot of Angelenos hate on downtown Los Angeles. As someone who used to be in that camp, I get it. But I’ve changed my opinion over the years. It has some of the best museums and architecture in the city.
The Broad
📍221 S Grand Ave
The Broad is one of my favorite museums in Los Angeles. The contemporary art museum houses over 2,000 works of art, including pieces by Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and more. General admission is free, but booking a timed-entry ticket in advance is the move so you can bypass the standby line.
If you want to experience Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room, you’ll want to get the combo ticket. It’s still free, but it requires its own reservation. The Broad also offers free guided tours daily at 3pm.
Bradbury Building
📍304 S Broadway
If you’ve seen Blade Runner or (500) Days of Summer, the Bradbury Building will look familiar. Built in 1893, this historic landmark is best known for its skylit atrium, ornate ironwork, marble stairs and birdcage elevators. It’s also appeared in over 100 films and TV shows, as well as countless music videos. Today, the building is mostly occupied by offices and creative spaces.
Visiting the Bradbury Building is free, but visitors are only allowed on the first floor.
Free Things to Do in Los Feliz
Los Feliz is one of the trendier neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Located just outside of Hollywood, it’s home to LA’s version of Central Park: Griffith Park. Many of the city’s best views are located within its 4,200 acres.
Hollywood Sign Hike
📍3200 Canyon Dr
There are many Hollywood sign hikes, but this is probably the most classic. The loop is about 6 miles round trip, which sounds like a lot. But as someone who identifies as “outsidey” more than outdoorsy, it’s not so bad. Just bring water and a snack or two.
You’ll probably see a lot of videos on social media telling you to park in a neighborhood. Don’t do that. There are heavy parking restrictions, especially on the weekends. And the people who live there will probably hiss at you as you walk by. (Not really, but the NIMBY hate is real up there.)
Instead, go to the exact address I’ve included above. There’s a designated free parking lot, but it fills up fast on the weekends. I’d aim to get there before 9:00 am if you don’t want to play my least favorite LA game: find a parking spot.
Instead, go to the exact address I’ve included above. There’s a designated free parking lot, but it fills up fast on the weekends. I’d aim to get there before 9:00 am if you don’t want to play my least favorite LA game: find a parking spot.
There are also porta potties, but enter at your own risk.
Griffith Observatory
📍2800 E Observatory Rd
If you want one of the best views in Los Angeles, Griffith Observatory is hard to beat. On a clear day you can see from downtown LA all the way to Santa Monica and the Pacific Ocean.
The nighttime view is equally as stunning. There’s something about looking down on Los Angeles and seeing all those lights twinkling. It’s hard not to feel the electricity pulse through the air.
What makes the view even better is that Griffith Observatory is free to visit. And the inside exhibits are actually really cool if you’re into space and other science-y things.
They also host monthly star parties that are also free. Different groups will set up their telescopes to look at the planets, stars and moon. It’s quite literally the best place to see stars in Los Angeles.
Free Things to Do in Hollywood
Let’s call a spade a spade. Hollywood Blvd is a tourist trap. Like Times Square in New York City, it’s crowded, there’s a lot of traffic, and the streets are lined with souvenir shops. And if you’re lucky, you might even see one of the bootleg characters in front of the TCL Theater get into a fight.
The real Hollywood magic, though, lies beyond that one street.
The Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Want to see a celebrity in Los Angeles? Go to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. (Hey, you never said they had to be alive.) Located behind Paramount Studios, this cemetery to the stars is the final resting place of Judy Garland, Paul Reubens, Rudolph Valentino, Johnny Ramone, and many more.
The Hollywood Forever Cemetery is probably my favorite place in all of Los Angeles. It’s peaceful, beautiful, and completely free. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve brought friends and family here when they’re visiting. Heck, I’ve even gone on dates here.
If you’re a tombstone tourist, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery tour is worth the extra cost. You can learn more about it in my review.
Hollywood Bowl Rehearsal
📍2301 Highland Ave
Everyone should experience the Hollywood Bowl at least once in their life. What a lot of people don’t know, locals included, is that you can attend select rehearsals at the Bowl for free.
Rehearsals are typically held for classical concerts on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the Hollywood Bowl season, which runs from June through September. For the latest schedule, check the Hollywood Bowl website.
Free Things to Do in Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire (aka my neighborhood) is one of the most centrally located neighborhoods in Los Angeles. It’s best known for Museum Row, which is home to LACMA, the Academy Museum, the La Brea Tar Pits, and the Petersen Museum. And thanks to the recent opening of the D Line extension, it’s now easier than ever to get here on the LA Metro.
Urban Light & Levitated Mass
📍5905 Wilshire Blvd
Don’t want to go to LACMA, but still want the LACMA experience? Urban Light, the lamp posts you’ve probably seen all over Instagram, and Levitated Mass, probably the second most famous rock in LA, are both outdoor installations on the museum’s campus that are completely free to see.
And if you’re anything like 99% of the people who visit, you’ll probably end up taking countless pictures in front of, underneath, and around both of them.
The Original Farmer’s Market and The Grove
📍6333 W 3rd St
The Original Farmer’s Market and The Grove are a must for anyone visiting Los Angeles. Yes, it’s an outdoor mall, but it’s the outdoor mall to go to. There are tons of places to eat, a free double-decker trolley, and a dancing fountain reminiscent of the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
The Grove is my parents’ favorite place to go when they visit. So if you take your parents there and they don’t comment on how clean it is, you’ve done something wrong.
Free Things to Do in Beverly Hills
I bet you didn’t expect to see Beverly Hills on this list of free things to do in Los Angeles. It may be one of the most expensive zip codes in the world, but there are a handful of things to do in Beverly Hills for those of us who aren’t millionaires or billionaires. And no, window shopping on Rodeo Drive doesn’t count.
Greystone Mansion
📍905 Loma Vista Dr
Once the residence of oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny, this Tudor-style home is now a public park and popular filming location. The inside is usually closed to visitors, but self-guided tours occasionally take place. Tickets are an affordable $10.
The Beverly Hills Sign
📍1300 Park Way
The Beverly Hills sign is to Beverly Hills what the Hollywood sign is to Hollywood, minus the hike. The 40-foot sign is located in Beverly Gardens Park on Santa Monica Blvd. Because it’s one of the few things that’s free in Beverly Hills, it attracts a lot of “free-gans.” Go in the morning to avoid the crowds.
Free Things to Do in Westwood
If I could sum up Westwood in one word, it would be UCLA. Located on the Westside, it’s mostly a residential neighborhood that borders Beverly Hills. Unlike the cost of tuition at UCLA, you don’t need to spend your life’s savings to enjoy some of Westwood’s best spots.
Pierce Brothers Westwood Memorial Park
It’s no secret that I love a cemetery, and not just because it’s free. I find them really peaceful, especially in a city like Los Angeles. The first time I tried to go to Westwood Memorial Park it was closed for a private event. Typical LA.
Hidden amongst skyscrapers and high-rises, Westwood Memorial Park is home to some of the biggest celebrities in the world, including Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon, Farrah Fawcett, and Dean Martin. Its most famous resident, though, is Marilyn Monroe.
Unlike the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Westwood Memorial Park is a more traditional cemetery. In fact, they don’t have any raised tombstones in the entire cemetery.
Check out my guide to visiting Westwood Memorial Park for tips on finding some of its most famous residents.
The Hammer Museum
📍10899 Wilshire Blvd
Part of UCLA, the Hammer Museum boasts a collection of more than 50,000 works of art. So you’ll find everything from paintings and sculptures to installations that will have you saying silently to yourself, “This is art?” at least once.
The museum also hosts free lectures, concerts, and film screenings throughout the year. And if you want to pay your respects to Armand Hammer, he’s buried right across the street in Westwood Memorial Park.
Free Things to Do in Santa Monica
If Los Angeles had a postcard, it would probably be Santa Monica. With its palm trees, ocean views, and year-round sunshine, it’s the beach that most people picture when they think of Los Angeles.
Santa Monica Pier
📍200 Santa Monica Pier
Piers are tourist catnip, and the Santa Monica Pier is no exception. Dating back to 1909, it’s one of the most recognizable landmarks in Los Angeles and marks the western end of Route 66.
If you want to brush up on your pier history, the Santa Monica Pier Corp. (yes, it’s a thing) offers walking tours on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as sunset tours on Mondays. While the tours aren’t free (unless you’re 11 and under), there’s always something going on at the pier, and the people watching is fantastic.
Annenberg Community Beach House
📍415 Pacific Coast Hwy
The Annenberg Community Beach House is located right on Santa Monica Beach and PCH. While it’s open to everyone, you’ll need to buy a pass if you want to use the pool.
If you’re into old Hollywood history, the beach house was once the site of a 110-room mansion built by William Randolph Hearst for his longtime mistress, actress Marion Davies.
While most of the mansion was demolished, one of the four original guest houses still remains, and you can tour it for free. Tours last about 20 minutes and are available on a walk-up basis.
Free Things to Do in Venice Beach
You know how every family has one member that’s free-spirited, eccentric, and walks to the beat of their own drum, but you love them anyway? That’s Venice Beach. I worked in Venice for over a year, and it’s a whole vibe.
It also smells like weed 24/7. I challenge you to walk down the boardwalk and not get a contact high.
Venice Canals
📍Grand Canal & South Venice Blvd
Want to go to Venice, but can’t afford a trip to Italy? Venice Beach is your next best option. Originally called the “Venice of America,” the canals date back to 1905.
There used to be many more canals, but they were filled in during the late 1920s to make way for the bane of all Los Angelenos’ existence: the car.
Venice Beach Boardwalk
📍1800 Ocean Front Walk
Venice Beach Boardwalk is like that gif from Gladiator: “Are you not entertained?” On any given weekend, you can see skateboarders, street performers, artists, and bodybuilders doing their thing along the beach. It’s peak LA energy.
Want Even More Free Things to Do in Los Angeles?
These are just some of my favorite free things to do in Los Angeles. If you’re looking for even more ideas, I’ve put together a free guide with over 30 free things to do in Los Angeles organized by neighborhood.
Inside you’ll find:
- Historical landmarks
- Local favorites
- Popular photo spots
- Seasonal events
- Addresses for every location
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