Free Things to Do with the Family in Los Angeles

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Free Things to Do in Los Angeles There are so many free things to do with the family in Los Angeles that it’s hard to keep up with them all. There are plenty of websites outlining free museum days, but I feel I am always missing something when I consult these. Instead, I decided to make my own calendar with reoccurring monthly events and free museum days. Since this is geared specifically for families with small children, I thought some of you might also enjoy checking this out. At the bottom of the post, you will also find a free calendar to download for your fridge! 

Monday

Who knew there was absolutely nothing free to do on a Monday! If you don’t get outdoors a lot, make a point to get outside today. Go for a hike, explore Griffith Park or check out the trains at Travel Town.

Free things to do with the family in Los AngelesTuesday

1st Tuesday of the Month

>>>>>> Natural History Museum

>>>>>> Page Museum (La Brea Tar Pits Museum)

>>>>>> Kidspace Family Nights (5-8pm)

2nd Tuesday of the Month

>>>>>> Autry National Center of the American West

>>>>>> LACMA

3rd Tuesday of the Month

>>>>>> The LA County Arboretum & Botanic Garden

>>>>>> Descanso Gardens

Every Tuesday

>>>>>> Kids Club at The Americana (11 am – 1 pm; Rain or shine)

>>>>>> Tot Time at the Pacific Community Center in Glendale (10 am – 12 pm; No registration required)

1st Wednesday of the MonthWednesday

>>>>>> LEGO® Store Monthly Mini Model Build

Tip: This free monthly event requires some advance planning. Registration opens one month prior to the building date. If you would like to go in October, you will have to sign up starting early September. No walk-ins are accepted. This event is for kids 6 and up.

Huntington Gardens, Free things to do with the family in Los AngelesThursday

1st Thursday of the Month

>>>>>> Huntington Library

Tip: Another difficult event to secure free tickets to. Tickets must be secured in advance 1 month prior, starting at 9 a.m. Tickets ‘sell out’ within minutes. You must choose either the morning admission 10:30am or afternoon admission 1:30pm.

>>>>>> Community Campfire at Marsh Park (7 pm)

2nd Thursday of the Month

>>>>>> Museum of Neon Art (5-8pm; Currently Closed – relocated to Glendale)

>>>>>> Downtown LA Art Walk (Some galleries open at 12 pm, most start at 6-10pm)

3rd Thursday of the Month

>>>>>> Japanese American National Museum (12-8pm)

Every Thursday

>>>>>> Tot Time at the Pacific Community Center in Glendale (10 am – 12 pm; No registration required)

>>>>>> Skirball Center (12-5pm)

>>>>>> Museum of Contemporary Art (5-8pm)

>>>>>> Japanese American National Museum (5-8pm)

Friday

1st Friday of the Month

>>>>>> Pasadena Museum of California Art (12-5pm)

>>>>>> Norton Simon Museum (5-8pm)

Home Depot Workshop, Free things to do with the Family in Los AngelesSaturday

1st Saturday of the Month

>>>>>> Home Depot Kids Workshop (9am-12pm)

2nd Saturday of the Month

>>>>>> Mommy & Me at the LA River (11 am)

Every Saturday

>>>>>> Los Angeles Fire Museum in Hollywood (10am-4pm)

>>>>>> Pasadena Roving Archers (Free safety & orientation archery class for first timers. Subsequent classes require a small donation)

>>>>>> Lakeshore Learning Free Craft Saturday (11am-3pm)

Not free, but worth keeping in mind for Saturday Fun:

REMO Family Drum Circle (Adults $5, Kids Free 9:30 session & 11:00 session)

Family Saturday Art Workshops at the Norton Simon Museum  

Open Studio at Purple Twig

Sunday

3rd Sunday of the Month

>>>>>> Little Nature Explorers (11am – Vista Hermosa Park)

4th Sunday of the Month

>>>>>> Malibu Lagoon Bird Watching

Every Sunday

>>>>>> Barnsdall Family Art Sundays (10am-12pm)

>>>>>> Craft & Folk Art Museum

>>>>>> LACMA Family Art (Andell Family Art 12:30-3:30 pm or Boones Children’s Gallery 11am-5pm)

>>>>>> Trash for Teachers Workshop (1:30-4pm; nominal donation)

LACMA, Free things to do in LA with your familyDownload and print our Los Angeles Free Events Calendar for your fridge or bulletin board. Print it double sided so that you will also have the address, hours, parking information and age ranges of the activity easily available.

Bookmark this page! As free days change or I discover new free reoccurring events, I will update the page (and the calendar too!).

Also, remember to check your local library for story times and recurring monthly events to add to your own calendar.

Hope this helps you figure out what to do when you are strapped for cash and want something fun to do.

If you know of any other recurring free family friendly monthly events that should be added to our calendar, please comment below to share with others!

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Recurring monthly free events for the family in Los Angeles. Free downloadable calendar for your fridge.

7 thoughts on “Free Things to Do with the Family in Los Angeles”

  1. Wonderful ideas! Thank you, thank you. I have already planned a couple of fun things to do with my 2 awesome boys, age 7 and 3.

    Reply
  2. Something else to check out – “A Magic Penny”. This is a meetup group that focuses on getting children involved in volunteer activities, including people oriented and environmental causes. The goal is to help children learn good citizenship and enable parents to have a forum for introducing this concept to their kids.

    Reply
  3. This is a great list! I’ve always wanted to go to the US. Is it easy though to get around LA by public transportation? In my mind it’s a very big city and the only convenient mode of transportation is a private car.

    Reply
    • Thanks for the message Halida. LA is not a very easy city to get around by public transport. It is HUGE and the public transport network is not that great. However, my husband does not drive and manages to get all over the city.. it just takes forever. These days, Uber is king. It is easy to get an uber quickly wherever you need to go.

      That said, in places like downtown, you can get the metro around which will even take you to Pasadena and soon enough to Santa Monica. It’s happening.. slowly but surely. We cannot wait!

      Reply

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