For those who may not know, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, is free from 3 to 5 p.m…read more maybe only on weekdays but maybe weekends too. I am not sure, but most of the information is right, if one is compelled they can fact-broaden my statement. I went to take advantage of this offer but it was June 19th and in honor of the holiday everyone got in for free on this day. But apparently it was a last minute decision. So poor reporting seems to be more like offering information as it comes, not in a malicious way, or incompetent way, more in like the town crier gives what he knows in excitement and it is the responsibility of hearers to know what to do with the information, including vetting it responsibly or accepting it as a gift when given by surprise, even though it could have come in handy earlier. So I entered and I made a beeline to the Butterfly Pavillion. I think it was 12 dollars and worth every single cent. And I write that as a full-blown understatement because exaggeration did not seem the way to go. Like saying this place was worth more than 12 dollars, it was worth the weight of a camel's back in gold. The experience was beautiful. And that statement can be easily understood. I mean butterfly garden + momentary visit= beautiful. But more than that it was a type of beautiful that I had not experience before. It was a new facet of nature's beauty that I experienced. Mostly because I had never interacted with butterflies in this way. For instance, there was a butterfly with wings that were a strong bold blue, almost neon, and for sure, vibrant. Like a royal blue not because it was that shade but because amongst blues it would have palatial lineage in its shade. We were warned that butterflies might be on the ground. And on two experiences two were. The first I encountered was not flying. And the younger members of the experience made sure to announce the butterflies presence and its vulnerability. I feel like sometime in this place's history a butterfly did get stepped on. And for no other reason, than the natural happens. In the second occasion, a butterfly was trying to fly or stand still and could not because the winds made it topple. During that moment a butterfly apparently landed on my back. Man people, if not all, wonder if a butterfly will land on them? And what it would mean? I mean, it could be good news. Saying that a butterfly landing on a person is an omen of disaster does quite fit the visual of the insect and what horror brings. A butterfly did land on my wrist and of course one can't help but feel special. Like, the butterfly chose me and its trying to communicate something. Something important that the universe wants me to hear. What exactly that is? I am not sure. I need to reflect on that later or I will know when the butterfly effects comes clearer in time.

We had a pretty fun experience at the Natural History Museum with our 3 year old toddlers! We only…read morewent through the lower ground and first floor because we didn't think the second floor would be as appealing for them. Overall, it was a fun experience and a nice place to explore with little ones. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something different to do with young kids. I would avoid the dinosaur show at all cost. It was not worth it not one bit! I also don't think a membership is worth it. This was kind of like a one year kind of experience in my opinion.

A free museum! You can get timed entry to Yayoi Kusama's infinity mirrored room if you book an…read moreentry ticket online that includes the infinity room. The infinity room is a room of mirrors and lights that changes colors so it looks like an endless...infinity. If you're not able to get into the infinity room you can still see Kusama's mirrored box, Longing for Eternity. The Broad is a great way to spend a few hours enjoying art.

Loads of art to see, and general admission is free. Reserve tickets online and also make purchases…read morefor any rotating exhibitions. Lots of local venders and other businesses as well, so make a day of it

Needed a last minute outing to keep the kids busy so naturally, I googled my options. This…read morelocation was pretty convenient so off we went. Tickets were pretty easy to purchase online. I thought it was a timed entry but it is not...or it wasn't when we went. I followed the parking sign on the wall which led me to a lot just a little north of the museum. It was $20 to park there. Had I had more time to plan, I may have parked somewhere else as I felt that was a bit steep. I'm assuming metered parking would be hard to find in that location as it is in the heart of Hollywood. I thought it would be similar to the Museum of Illusions in New York, but rather than a museum feel, this was purely just photo ops. You can rent tripods at the front for $10. They also provide free lockers for your bags and stuff- which I would highly recommend. I didn't take up the offer in the beginning but soon realized that was a better option. I would also like to highly recommend and thank Tim! He showed us the ropes of how to take photos and he took some photos for us. He was friendly, professional and patient with my two young kids. He definitely knows his way around an iPhone camera and showed me some tricks I didn't even know. Tim's photos came out a lot better than mine as you need to find the perfect angle for the pictures to have that illusion effect. The tickets I purchased online also allowed us to go to the giant house next door and the upside down house. Tim came to the rescue again and took some amazing photos for us in the upside down house. It was a fun experience for all of us and I would definitely recommend visiting this location. If you see Tim, ask him for some pointers! Thank you, Tim!

This was just a fun little stop we made while walking Hollywood Blvd…read more The museum of illusions tickets cost $35, and a tripod rental is $10. They also offer many other packages. A good time was had by all!

lovely experience at the Love Museum!!…read more came here with my boyfriend and enjoyed learning more about him and us as a couple. We spent around 3 hours here, there are many activities to explore (around 50+) very interactive and fun. Monica, our host was super nice and helped us with any questions we had and also made sure we parked on the correct spot to avoid getting a ticket. there is metered parking around the area and they offer parking for $6. the entry ticket is $75 for two people, if you want to have a photo booth picture, it's an additional cost. If you love your partner you should definitely come here and experience this museum!! i know i had a great time with my handsome lovely man.

This is a great experience for dating and married couples. I enjoyed learning about my husband…read more We've been married for over a decade and I never knew his love language. It is helping us connect stronger in our relationship. I enjoyed this interactive museum very much. It's lgbtq+ friendly. The music is quite loud to help with privacy but can feel overstimulating for those affected by loud music.

Jazz at LACMA is a weekly summer must!…read more There's nothing like enjoying the cool evening air with smooth jazz at LACMA. Every Friday from May through September, live jazz fills the Smidt Welcome Plaza, with a new performer each week (check the website for upcoming acts and food truck/vendor lineups). We felt lucky to visit when Betty "Cool Miss B" Brown received the L.A. Jazz Treasure Award from the Los Angeles Jazz Society. Performances start at 6pm, but I highly recommend arriving at least an hour early, Bring your own food and drinks for a perfect picnic. The earlier you get there, the better chance of snagging a seat in the plaza; otherwise, there's plenty of lawn space and additional tables nearby. Food trucks and vendors are set up just behind the plaza. It was so much fun to see everyone relaxing, dancing, and simply enjoying the music. My son and I were vibing the whole time. Seeing him feel the music was a special memory that took me back to when I first discovered jazz. Definitely core memories unlocked. We can't wait for next week's event! (Just be aware parking is $24, but otherwise, we loved every moment of Jazz at LACMA.)

From the very beginning of the first impression, it was horrible…read moreImagine exiting the parking lot elevators to enter the museum only to be surrounded by colossal bronze sculptures of animal heads, and one demonic head! Yikes! Yeah, that was our first impression which was bad Overall, This was such a waste of time. We were very unimpressed by the exhibits. All this post, modern art is quite rubbish. People making random scribbles and throwing paint on it is art? My three-year-old niece can give me that for free. The figurines and statues are grotesque. They have way too many rules about what to wear and how you carry your backpack. And the payment you make only permits you to go to certain areas. Very unimpressed by their collection Totally regret coming here and will never go back

we love going to these little pop-up stuff that we see on social media or on Google and everything…read moreand this time we went to bubble world in Montebello. It wasn't that far of a drive for us and parking. There was a lot of parking and it was free and I believe you had to purchase your times to go and you wait in line and then you also have to sign like a waiver or something We love seeing all these high technology and everything. It was so cool so much opportunities for photos and a lot of things to do with your kids and they seem super entertained. I think we went in and it took probably a good hour or so to see everything and do everything so if you were ever in the area, then totally check it out just kidding. The exhibit was closed now LOL

Was not impressed. At all…read more Not worth the price and people are gross. The workers do not do their job either. Of course, the place is already quite dirty as it is, especially since it's closing soon. Some of the rooms were cool. I like the balloon room and the lights, but some people should really read the rules. First off, this family blocked the stairway to get in. And one of the family members was this short, big guy who was just running in the balloon room in circles and popping all the balloons and kicking them around up over the walls. Now that's fine, but then me and boyfriend tried to make our way in and another couple too, were there. He continued to kick up a bunch of balloons, while me and another person was trying to take pictures. He even accidentally knocked down his daughter in the process. He was extremely obnoxious and even joked about it with his family members, who just laughed and took videos. Now most of the interactive stuff was bad. It was gross for the most part due to all the germs, dirt, and hair. The balls and balloons all have random dirty smears of brown and orange on them. The ball pit was very dirty. I assume they're not planning on sanitizing any time soon due to the exhibit closing down. Anyways, we go into the light room and the worker says stay in the path and don't the lights. After two minutes, all of a sudden these three kids run in and start going into the lights and grabbing them, she stares and doesn't say a thing to them. These kids are super rowdy so I say something, and then she says oh, yeah don't do that. Pretty useless in my opinion. Most of this stuff is geared towards kids, but my bar was already super low. Do not spend your money here. Go somewhere else.

Fun stop when visiting Grand Central Market. So many movies have filmed here -- Blade Runner and…read moreLethal Weapon just to name a couple. It's refreshing to see this kind of architecture in Los Angeles among endless mini malls. You can tell real pride went into the design and craftsmanship. A true historic landmark and worth taking a few minutes to appreciate while you're there.

What can you say about the Bradbury Building except that it is not what it once was. Currently, you…read morecan walk in there pretty much seven days a week and see the skeletal remains of what was once a fantastic piece of DTLA architecture. Now, the upstairs offices are generally blocked off and all that is left is the what used to be. Certainly, the Bradbury Building came to fame during the 1982 movie, Blade Runner where it was used as one of their primary sets. This was long before it was renovated showing off it's truly unique interior architecture. Very beautiful! For a lot of years, this building was pretty much closed to the public except for those who used it as a filming location. Being involved in the film industry for a lot of years, I personally have been in this building a number of times throughout its evolution. More recently, somebody got the great idea to renovate it. I guess that's a good thing? But, in its current state, all that you see is a whole lot of tourists coming in there, even tour guides, taking people in there telling them all kinds of lies about the history of the building. They weren't there, so they don't know! Yet, they speak about it. Now, it's a modernized office structure. Yes, much of the interior metallurgy is still there -- reminiscent of the time gone past. But much the vibe of the building is long gone. That's sad, I think. So, if you're in DTLA, and you want to look back to the past, the Bradbury Building is a interesting place to do that. It's right across the street from Grand Central Market, so it's impossible to miss. You can pretty much go in there seven days a week, and though you'll be limited to staying on the first floor, you can take a look and see what once was. I would say it's definitely worth the expedition.

What a gem. I can't believe this museum is free…read more Located in Downtown Los Angeles, it's easy to pair with other nearby attractions, making it a great stop if you're spending the day exploring the area. The exhibits were fantastic. MOCA focuses on contemporary art, so you'll find everything from bold abstract paintings and large-scale installations to sculptures, video art, and thought-provoking mixed-media pieces. I love that contemporary art invites you to interpret it for yourself. Some works made me stop and think, while others were simply fun to experience. It was a nice balance of playful, emotional, and thought-provoking. The museum itself is quiet and easy to explore. It never felt crowded, so I could actually spend time with the artwork instead of feeling rushed from room to room. I also really enjoyed the gift shop. They had a fantastic selection of art books and exhibition catalogs that were honestly hard to resist. They also carried plenty of fun collectibles, including lots of reasonably priced Smiskis, which made me smile. Overall, this is an amazing free museum and an easy recommendation if you're in Downtown LA. Whether you're already into contemporary art or just curious to try something different, it's well worth stopping by.

Moca was a little bit underwhelming. Only a few art installations were amazing to me. Maybe im not…read morean art person but i dont think you need more than 30 minutes here. The front reception were super nice and even told us where the bathrooms were. You know,In case we wanted our exhibit as the bathroom. Haha.. the other workers were extremely rude. My friend was 2 feet away and pointed to a location on a map and got yelled at for not being 2 ft away. She was confused because she was 2 feet away but i told her it was cause they thought she was using super powers from her fingers. There was one where it was window blinds being used as art and we knew we cant touch it but there wasnt any instructions on not being able to walk under it.. we got yelled at for walking underneath it. Alot of the words were small and im not sure if id be able to read them from 2 feet away but i didnt want to get yelled at so i skipped all the reading.

Wonderful! And it's FREE! Honestly, there is so much to do here that I don't understand how they…read moremanage to offer all of this without an admission fee. There are tons of interactive exhibits, so this isn't one of those museums where you just walk around reading plaques. You can actually touch things, experiment, play, and learn as you go. Even before you enter, there's an outdoor truck you can lift using a rope and a top-down handle that lets you test torque and mechanical advantage. It's such a simple way to demonstrate the physics behind lifting something that heavy, and obviously I had to try it. One of my favorite parts was the sea life area. They have an interactive exhibit where you can actually touch some of the animals, and there was a surprising diversity of species. I also loved that they have waves running through the habitats. You can tell they put real thought into the animals' wellbeing too. There are signs reminding visitors to let the animals rest, which I really appreciated. There's also a really interesting section about California's different environments and ecosystems, plus a whole wildfire section on the top floor. Lots of focus on biodiversity, with smaller interactive tables throughout where you can learn by actually doing things. The staff were incredibly kind and friendly too, which made the whole experience even better. The location is beautiful. The bottom floor has a cafeteria where you can eat your packed lunch, and you're right next to the Rose Garden. There's also a parking lot nearby, so it's pretty convenient. Honestly, this is such a fun museum whether you're bringing kids or you're just a giant child like me who wants to test the physics of lifting a truck. FREE, interactive, educational, beautiful, and genuinely fun. Absolutely a must-see in LA.

This place has changed so much the last time I came more than a decade ago!…read more I wanted to bring my son to experience the wonders of science and since o only had to pay for parking, that's not a bad deal. However, I forgot it's next to a stadium so there's cars going into the parking lots and it's confusing when you see a $60 parking sign but luckily museum parking is not the same. The place definitely changed, it seems so much darker, simplistic, and less colorful than I remembered. We didn't purchase any of the specific exhibits so we only went to the free pertinent exhibits which we went through within an hour! I had to slow my son down and because it's so crowded he didn't want to wait in line to look or try anything. I was able to get him to watch some videos playing around the life cycle exhibit, and then he got hungry so we went to the first floor food court. I know it says no food or drinks in the exhibits but I saw a lot of people snacking and drinking in the area, I don't think staff realized because it was so crowded. At the food court, they had a variety of stalls and we went straight to the burgers and pizza, we ordered a pizza and chili fries which my son ate mostly pizza and the snacks i brought. Thy also had a mini market convenience stall which sold snacks as well and a cafe which had ice cream and coffee. I think this place is decent, I can see some of the old things left behind like condiments station and furniture set to the side, so I think they are always revamping the pla

We absolutely loved it at The Getty Center. Parking was easy in the parking deck. Just an FYI. When…read moreyou get back to the parking deck after your visit, there are kiosks in the parking deck to pay for your parking. At first we were a bit confused where to pay. You use the kiosk BEFORE you drive out. It was fun to ride the monorail up to the center and got to see great views on the way up. They are doing a major renovation for about a year so definitely check to see if it is open. It is scheduled to close in March of 2027 and reopen in the Spring of 2028. I would definitely try to go before they close and then see what all they did when it reopens. In the interim check out The Getty Villa in Malibu. The Getty Center is truly is an American treasure. The vast amount of art work from all over the world with many iconic pieces is phenomenal. We are so lucky to have it here in LA. We had lunch at one of several dining spots. The one we chose is set up cafeteria style with many different food options that should surely satisfy all your family members. Of course, it's a bit pricey but the food was delicious. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes. The center is divided up into several buildings so there is a lot of walking plus they have extensive gardens. We did not have time to visit the gardens after spending a great deal of time reading about the art work, furnishings, etc. You could definitely do it all in one day if you arrive early and pace yourself but we decided to come back a second time to enjoy the gardens. A definite must see if you live here or are visiting.

We had a wonderful day at the Getty today. The gardens are beautiful and it's very pleasant to walk…read morearound. They have sun umbrellas that you can borrow as you walk around outside which is a really nice touch. It is free to enter and up to $25 to park in the structure (parking prices are lower later in the day). You can also take the bus there. From SFV you take the 761. The bus stop drops you right at Sepulveda Blvd and Getty Center Dr. It's a short 2-3 min walk to the free tram from the bus stop. This would be a great place for a first date or 50th date. You can even pack a picnic and eat in the surrounding garden areas. They have restaurants, snacks, beer and wine for purchase as well. Lots of portraits, paintings and sculptures in the galleries. They also have a few scavenger hunts for kids. If you want a leisure day, I would give yourself 3-4 hours to take it all in, but you can certainly stay longer.