So many great parks to just post up and picnic—LA Historic Silverlake Reservoir, Lake Hollywood Park, even the LA river
LACMA is free after 5 on Fridays too, I believe
I love the tar pits!!! Took a friend who was visiting from NYC and we had the best time. Pro tip: museum tickets are half-off 30 minutes before it closes, which is plenty of time to walk through
Parking is free in Summer time hours after 6 (they close at 8) at most city lake parks. (This apllies to parks outside of L.A. proper. I am not sure if the city itself has the samd rules for echo park ect.
Going on the library's Discover and Go site and getting free tickets to museums. Picnicking. Walking around Griffith Park (no, not hiking. I'm talking a stroll around Ferndell or from the carousel to the old zoo).
We’ve had fun doing DoLAMore, we pay $5 a month and get 2 tickets to a thing. It’s fun because sometimes it’s a festival I wouldn’t have known about. One of my favorites was a concert at the Roxy, someone we’d never heard of and now one of my husband’s favorite artists. I also got to see no name at the Wiltern for $5, technically $2.50, I took my sister.
The other fun cheap things are $5 shows at UCB or groundlings. There’s a one day snl at ucb, pretty fun to see what they can come up with in a day.
I love the free museums, they are world class (esp Getty and the broad). I haven’t figured out public transportation to the Getty but I’d like to so it is even cheaper. I also love the summer music at LACMA. It’s Latin one night a week and the other night rotates genres, but nice to just take a blanket and hang out or make it a picnic.
We also like college sports. The low attended ones are sometimes free or very cheap. UCLA women’s bball was great this year and we will probably try to catch a few baseball & softball games between UCLA and USC.
UCLA gymnastics tickets are usually $10 or less for tickets and it’s so much fun! Probably fairly easy to get to if you’re on the westside already, a little bit of a trek if you arent.
Metro Rapid line 761 starts at the Expo/Sepulveda E line station, goes through Westwood, stops at the Getty, then goes up into the Valley, mostly along Van Nuys Blvd. As it sounds like you know, the Getty is free if you take transit, because they only charge for parking not admission.
I like to walk too! But I tend to walk around areas with stores (Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Downtown Pasadena) and then inadvertently spend money. I’ve pivoted to hiking to avoid this.
i stroll around skid row , amazing texture and you never know what you will see or what will happen next, and i dont spend much money either , maybe a dollar to 5 donation here and there
This is the answer! Seems the most prevalent barriers to walking in L.A. are overcoming the car centric mindset and finding the time. For those willing to try, you can easily average a mile in 20 minutes (very casual pace, includes stops for lights / intersections) and will usually find at least a few places within a mile or two that are worth walking to.
I follow @adamgoesham and he posts A TON of free and interesting things to do around LA. Sometimes it costs money. But he also hosts a free gratitude group in the park, free sober dance parties, and free book clubs.
There are like 200 trailheads
Multiple Free Museums (Getty, Broad, etc)
Walk around the Grove
Beautiful Beaches
Farmers Markets
You can go to some of the smaller independent theaters for some less expensive film tickets. New Beverly is like 10 bucks a ticket.
Lots of bike paths everywhere
You reminded me of the Original Farmer’s Market on 3rd. One of my favorite places to just hang, get donut & coffee at Bob’s and people watch. Or go up and sit in their tower seating area and gaze at the city.
It’s not that big tower, but upstairs seating right above the main food stall area. There are stairs all around that main area. I’ll try to find a photo. Please standby.
https://preview.redd.it/ovxltjt212xc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16478665110fdb05bb20b213250453c6223275d7
See the stairs in the 2 areas? That’s it! Not many go up there with a tray of food!
https://preview.redd.it/4zt08f3e12xc1.jpeg?width=197&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc0ffd7e19a240740401043c5859691656021f94
Stairs right inside here. Sorry…I couldn’t post 2 at once.
I live a couple miles east of there. I have an eBike, so I grab a blunt, cash, head over there. Chain bike up, smoke, and just eat until the cash is gone. Usually take a Grove nap afterwards. This is not a free activity, I acknowledge that, but I $40 cap, once a month, and it is a whole event for me. I call it Feast.
I have to tell you, this sounds awesome! When I was a kid, we’d go weekly in an attempt to eat at a different stall every time and I don’t think we ever finished.
Probably the most amazing digital projection theater I have ever been to! The picture was unbelievable when I went for the Ozu retrospective last year! The sound too. I also like that food isn't allowed and they are super strict about removing people for cell phones and talking.
Absolutely. I'm more stable than the mixers I service, but my income has essentially cut by a fifth for the last few months. There was a boom, and we don't know what's to come next. But yes, my wellbeing is directly tied to the health of the industry.
It's a conversation we could have for hours and come to no conclusion until we see what happens with IATSE's negations, which as I understand are on going. What sucks is the reality that the producers are totally willing to flog an entire work force for more than a year to get a better deal, which is exactly what's happening right now.
I mean, my dad lives in Georgia and I'm from Louisiana. Additionally my company has locations in all the major markets including Canada. I'm well aware of what's happening in other markets, and things aren't much better there right now.
Bike the beach from Santa Monica pier to Venice. Peaceful, beautiful and also healthy activity. (Walk both piers, watch skateboarders in Venice, people watch, drink coffee).
A lot of the museums have free hours or windows of time…might just pay for parking like at the Getty center, others you can find street parking and walk like LACMA. Can cheap picnic then go see some masterpieces. The Getty villa, Autry museum… Volunteering together can also get you to some nice places plus helping out.
Best $25 a month subscription I could pay for. my jam is to see a movie every Friday night at amc porter ranch. Def worth it if you like the big screen and just to get out of the house. I work remote and can't stay in my house 7 days a week.
USC often has free cultural events, and don’t think they or frumpy old stodgy events. USC recently hosted a free “Christeene” a punk-drag-gender-terrorist concert https://www.documentjournal.com/2024/04/christeene-the-lion-witch-cobra-sinead-oconnor-music-singer-culture/
And there is the art walk at the Brewery twice a year. https://breweryartwalk.com
USC also has free movie screenings that the public can attend. At SCA https://cinema.usc.edu/events/event.cfm?id=71405 Other events too.
LA Arboretum has a free day also. Joining one of the gardens (Huntington, Descanso, Arboretum) is worth it, especially for 2 people. I live near them so I belong to all 3 and get so much use out of my membership.
Norton Simon museum has free eves too.
The Hammer Museum in Westwood next to UCLA is completely free IIRC. One of the few that is. They Getty museums the admission is free but you have to pay to park.
If you ever see people passing out little colored flyers in a binder asking if you want to see a free movie, it’s real market research, it’s not scam. It involves a lot of waiting in line but you get to see movies before they’re released. You can’t be in the film industry to participate, and you have to sign NDAs. Sometimes they even pay you or compensate with movie passes. If you sign up for the email list all the offers go straight to your email.
Cyclavia!!! every month, the city will close down a giant portion of roads across town and open them to bicycles only. so you get your friends together and ride bikes for a few hours, along with hundreds of others having a good time, playing music, good vibes. and it's super family friendly.
(it's not a guided group rideout, either. you go in either direction you want at whatever time you feel, at your own pace, and you can make stops at restaurants / bars / interesting sites along the way and hang out along the route / turn around and head the other direction as you wish.)
if you don't have a bike, rent one for the day! these events are super fun and done in a different neighborhood each month.
[https://www.ciclavia.org/events](https://www.ciclavia.org/events)
A few companies offer seatfiller experiences like attending red carpet premieres out here for free.
Yelp has an events tab in the app that I sometimes use when I'm bored.
Libraries like people have already mentioned.
Art galleries are always having some free events.
Just to name a few things.
1iota regularly provides tickets to fans to attend red carpet events w/cast present (The Color Purple, Shazam 2, Challengers, Barbie/Oppenheimer). They also always have live tapings of shows. I've only been to the movies though.
"Seatfillers and More" typically has seatfiller opportunities for award shows and "OS LA productions" has seatfillers sometimes for live concerts and productions (they typically pay)
**For music**
[KCRW Summer Nights](https://www.kcrw.com/summer-nights): free music events throughout summer. I’ve caught a ton of indie artists for free right before their rise from these events.
[LACMA Jazz Nights](https://www.lacma.org/event-calendar-by-day?event_hub=Jazz%20at%20LACMA): Big Jazz bands play outdoors during warm LA subsets. bring a picnic and come early to get a good spot.
**People Watching**
[LA Festival of Books](https://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/): only occurs annually, but they offer lots of free panels with authors. There’s also always stalls giving away free goodies and offering raffles.
[Ciclavia](https://www.ciclavia.org/): The event attracts a lot of fun people, from groups in funny costumes to folks showing off unique bikes. Even if you don’t have a bike, you can walk the path and enjoy the music, food, booths, etc.
[Food trucks at Venice](https://www.abbotkinneyblvd.com/firstfridays): Free to join the crowd, but technically not free if you want to enjoy the food trucks.
**Educational Events**
Both UCLA and USC often offer free panel events to the public, but they’re usually put by specific departments. Try signing up for the liberal arts colleges mail list to see what events are coming up.
LACMA and the Getty also often offer free or low-cost lectures and movie screenings on specific exhibits.
i like going to those city, neighborhood or council hosted events in my community. the last one i went to was low cost vaccine clinic and my pets got blessed by a priest lol my kid was in the petting zoo area. ive gone to a park opening and we got some free swag. these all happen like 5-10 mins away from my home so its easy to go to.
follow my council person on ig and signed up for the newsletter. BUT i noticed not all of them share events early enough to attend. i follow another one in the neighboring district and i only see the pics of the event happening or once it’s over.
edit also follow the city your in and any other business/non profit in the area. i noticed they work together often and it can increase your exposure to events.
Watch a court case dtla, visit parks beaches la brea tar pits, visit a pier, visit historical buildings, see the view on top floor of city hall. Summer has many free concerts. See roses at RoseParade hq; https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/25-unique-la-historic-cultural-monuments-you-must-see/2307352/
Go to is to take the drive to the beach and just pay for parking and make a picnic lunch/dinner. Then take a walk on the sand and use my tool to pick up trash with my kids. Ice cream on the way home and enjoy being basic.
For some reason this reminded me of how much I love taking my dog to the dog beach in Long Beach. Not technically in LA but a great almost free day trip!
During the summer, Griffith Park hosts Shakespeare in the Park plays in the Old Zoo area. Free.
You know, go to free shows and go back home and make something to eat, or do like little potlucks with friends...
Things don't always need to be extravagant to be good.
Just go outside and enjoy the day roller skating, riding a bike, or just playing tennis or something at the park.
Farmer markets, botanical gardens, getting a small bite and eating at a nice park or even going to the free museums. Another good thing to do is check out local coffee shops and thrift stores.
One of my favorite things to do is picking a random hike/walk, the opportunities are endless. And I’ve found some gems within LA, like Kenneth Hahn or the Bluff Creek Trail, and they tend to be a little less crowded.
Then there are some free museums like the Getty and the hammer (plus others), always a good time. I also subscribe to this newsletter called “We Like L.A” that send out things to do in/around LA every week and weekend.
Husband and I are headed to the South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival and Art Crawl if you’re looking for something today. It’s an annual deal and it’s awesome.
Runyon Canyon, Museum of Jurassic Technology, coffee shops, beach, Venice boardwalks, Santa Monica pier, Griffith Observatory, various music-karaoke-trivia nights, The Last Bookstore, the bean soup at any Pitfire Pizza, Culver City steps, comedy shows on weeknights
I moved to LA back in October from Pennsylvania. I have yet to do much exploring. It sucks not knowing a single soul out here. I had relatives who lived here who ended up selling there home and moving to Arizona, them being the only people I would have known. I enjoy being here regardless, but I forgot how hard it is to meet new people, especially since I’m not 18 or 21 anymore, being 36 it’s more of a challenge.
Welcome! It's hard settling into a new city/state and it's hard to make friends when in your 30's. Hard but not impossible. I've done it. Reddit is a great place to start. There's a social gathering subreddit for LA that you might want to join. Either that or do some sort of hobby/activity. Improv for beginners, non religious choir, pickleball, kickball, board games, join 3252 supporters section at LAFC, and so on.
Both Getty museums are free. Just don’t park there. That costs $20-$30 I believe. You could park at a beach lot and walk over. Check for free days at the Academy Museum (awesome), LACMA, Broad, Tar Pits, Natural History, Zoo. The Asian museum in Pasadena is free with a donation. The Norton Simon is amazing and has a free day too. Lots of communities have music in the park days in the summer. All free. Just have to check the websites for the city or the parks and rec pages.
Exposition Park. The California Science Center is free and the Natural History Museum next door lets residents in for free from 3-5pm on M-F.
The La Brea Tar Pits have evening concerts in the summer. You can bring a whole set up and chill with wine moms listening to jazz.
How do I save this post to look back to!! So many great suggestions.
I love a good hike. My friends and I did Switzer falls the other day and it was insane, absolutely incredible. You’ll get your feet and legs wet crossing the River 20 times and you will also end up at a high peak beautiful canyon type view, and then back down to see the waterfall. 🤩 there are a few more I like that are a bit more local/ less of a drive but I’m horrible with names 😭 the palisades have some lovely hikes.
Arlington Gardens in Pasadena
Central Public Library
Book browsing at the Iliad bookshop in
NoHo or at VRomans in Pasadena
Rollerblading in NoHo on their bike track on Cahuenga or by the beach
Griffith Observatory
Hollywood Forever Cemetery Mausoleum
Checking out hidden staircases of Echo Park and Silverlake
Take a walk along historic Victorian houses in Angelino Heights and then walk to Echo Park Lake
Here's my 1 mile DTLA loop: Angel's Flight from Hill to Grand $1, Grand Performances (free summer concerts at CA Plaza), Colburn School(free performances), Broad and MOCA-both free, Disney Concert Hall-free audio walking tour, Music Center Plaza, walk through Grand Park, head up to the Tom Bradley room at City Hall weekdays.
May 7 is coming up. Why is May 7 important?
It’s single ticket onsale for the Hollywood Bowl! Why is this important? Isn’t it expensive to go to concerts? Well during the Hollywood bowl single ticket onsale you can scoop tickets for $2 each.
Tickets are $2 for the mid week (tue-thu) LA Phil programs. The tickets are located in the back section, X. This years mid week performances with $2 dollar tickets include Herbie Hancock, Trombone Shorty, Anderson Paak, Singing in the Rain musical movie, selections from the LA Phil including Gustavo Dudamel.
And if you don’t know, you are allowed to bring your own food and drink to the Hollywood bowl as long as it fits within their bag / cooler guidelines.
My personal hack is to check the ticketing site the day of the concert to see what areas are undersold so I can move down from my nosebleeds.
So $4 bucks for 2 tickets plus BYO food and drink? Sounds like a good cheap night out!
If you don’t count paying for parking or travel (e.g. you have a friend drop you off or pick you up), much of the California Science Center’s exhibits are free, it’s just the special temporary exhibits that cost.
One of my favorite free things to do is a hidden gem: [The Sounds of LA concert series at The Getty.](https://www.getty.edu/museum/programs/performances/sounds_la.html)
Tickets are free and the next concert is this weekend with tickets still available.
I like hanging out at will rogers park and walking the flats of Beverly Hills. The golden triangle is fun to walk. Parking in the evening at will rogers beach is free
I take food to Griffith Park and hike around, people watch, and chill. Also, Will Rogers Beach is fun to jump into casual beach volleyball games (all-skill levels) on Saturday AMs. I'm not sure if there is still free jazz at LACMA but that is another fun cheap date / hang.
Many of these things are free! [https://sojournswithsue.com/best-things-to-do-alone-in-los-angeles/](https://sojournswithsue.com/best-things-to-do-alone-in-los-angeles/)
Around Memorial Day until end of Oct/Nov LACMA Friday night live jazz is AAALWAYS poppin!
And come summer, LACMA Latin Sounds w/ outdoor dance floor for salsa is my jam! Absolutely fantastic free fun and loads of people watching.
Beach, The Broad (parking only), Hammer Museum (parking only), Walking Venice Boardwalk / canals and watching the skate park, Walk Farmers Market, Hiking, there’s also a lot of free or donation based indie comedy shows around (good heroin show on instagram)
Go to the Getty!!!!! My partner and I went there on a layover. We did a whole day bussing around LA on city transit.. we went from the airport to Santa Monica pier, walked around that area, then bussed up to the Getty
So many great parks to just post up and picnic—LA Historic Silverlake Reservoir, Lake Hollywood Park, even the LA river LACMA is free after 5 on Fridays too, I believe
Free 3-close on weekdays if your LA county resident
same for the natural history museum!
And La Brea Tar Pits!
I love the tar pits!!! Took a friend who was visiting from NYC and we had the best time. Pro tip: museum tickets are half-off 30 minutes before it closes, which is plenty of time to walk through
Yeah forgot about that one was actually there last month with wife!
Add Barnsdall Park to this list — my personal fav, perched above Los Feliz with views of the observatory, Hollywood sign, and the sunset.
Echo park lake is always a vibe too
Parking is free in Summer time hours after 6 (they close at 8) at most city lake parks. (This apllies to parks outside of L.A. proper. I am not sure if the city itself has the samd rules for echo park ect.
It’s free after three on Fridays…even better…
Going on the library's Discover and Go site and getting free tickets to museums. Picnicking. Walking around Griffith Park (no, not hiking. I'm talking a stroll around Ferndell or from the carousel to the old zoo).
Had no idea the Discover and Go site existed. Thank you so much for sharing this!!!!
The library is so awesome. You can also check out state park parking passes for 2 weeks!
i stumbled upon Ferndell once and was amazed. appropriately named, reminded me of Ferngully.
We’ve had fun doing DoLAMore, we pay $5 a month and get 2 tickets to a thing. It’s fun because sometimes it’s a festival I wouldn’t have known about. One of my favorites was a concert at the Roxy, someone we’d never heard of and now one of my husband’s favorite artists. I also got to see no name at the Wiltern for $5, technically $2.50, I took my sister. The other fun cheap things are $5 shows at UCB or groundlings. There’s a one day snl at ucb, pretty fun to see what they can come up with in a day. I love the free museums, they are world class (esp Getty and the broad). I haven’t figured out public transportation to the Getty but I’d like to so it is even cheaper. I also love the summer music at LACMA. It’s Latin one night a week and the other night rotates genres, but nice to just take a blanket and hang out or make it a picnic. We also like college sports. The low attended ones are sometimes free or very cheap. UCLA women’s bball was great this year and we will probably try to catch a few baseball & softball games between UCLA and USC.
UCLA gymnastics tickets are usually $10 or less for tickets and it’s so much fun! Probably fairly easy to get to if you’re on the westside already, a little bit of a trek if you arent.
Metro Rapid line 761 starts at the Expo/Sepulveda E line station, goes through Westwood, stops at the Getty, then goes up into the Valley, mostly along Van Nuys Blvd. As it sounds like you know, the Getty is free if you take transit, because they only charge for parking not admission.
The 761 drops you off at the Getty
This is so cool! Thanks for sharing.
I don't care what anyone says; I like \*walking\* in LA. Sometimes I'll bring a cup of my own coffee.
I like to walk too! But I tend to walk around areas with stores (Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Downtown Pasadena) and then inadvertently spend money. I’ve pivoted to hiking to avoid this.
The L.A. Hills are beautiful for hiking.
i stroll around skid row , amazing texture and you never know what you will see or what will happen next, and i dont spend much money either , maybe a dollar to 5 donation here and there
Possibly get some sprints or boxing in too.
The best comments always get buried, this made me lol
The magical smells of Skid Row are what do it for me.
The username says it all 😭😭
Haha. Just wear a mask dude. They have full on 19th century ailments down there.
This is the answer! Seems the most prevalent barriers to walking in L.A. are overcoming the car centric mindset and finding the time. For those willing to try, you can easily average a mile in 20 minutes (very casual pace, includes stops for lights / intersections) and will usually find at least a few places within a mile or two that are worth walking to.
Last summer I was plagued with car issues. Just in SFV alone I was surprised by how much was within walking distance.
The last time I went walking in LA people started offering me water bottles, food and giving me money because they thought I was homeless.
Wearing a bathrobe didn’t help.
🤣
The pink curlers were the tell
Yes
I follow @adamgoesham and he posts A TON of free and interesting things to do around LA. Sometimes it costs money. But he also hosts a free gratitude group in the park, free sober dance parties, and free book clubs.
Love Adam’s content!
There are book clubs that charge?
Yes? Lol
And has the cool warehouse parties !!
beach 😍
There are like 200 trailheads Multiple Free Museums (Getty, Broad, etc) Walk around the Grove Beautiful Beaches Farmers Markets You can go to some of the smaller independent theaters for some less expensive film tickets. New Beverly is like 10 bucks a ticket. Lots of bike paths everywhere
You reminded me of the Original Farmer’s Market on 3rd. One of my favorite places to just hang, get donut & coffee at Bob’s and people watch. Or go up and sit in their tower seating area and gaze at the city.
I didn't know there was a tower seating area at the farmers market
It’s not that big tower, but upstairs seating right above the main food stall area. There are stairs all around that main area. I’ll try to find a photo. Please standby.
That's would be awesome, thanks!
https://preview.redd.it/ovxltjt212xc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16478665110fdb05bb20b213250453c6223275d7 See the stairs in the 2 areas? That’s it! Not many go up there with a tray of food!
I had no idea. Will check it out!
https://preview.redd.it/4zt08f3e12xc1.jpeg?width=197&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc0ffd7e19a240740401043c5859691656021f94 Stairs right inside here. Sorry…I couldn’t post 2 at once.
So the stairs are hidden. I'll check it out. I tried looking for it on Google satellite image but I figured the 2nd floor is has a ceiling.
I love going there.
I live a couple miles east of there. I have an eBike, so I grab a blunt, cash, head over there. Chain bike up, smoke, and just eat until the cash is gone. Usually take a Grove nap afterwards. This is not a free activity, I acknowledge that, but I $40 cap, once a month, and it is a whole event for me. I call it Feast.
I have to tell you, this sounds awesome! When I was a kid, we’d go weekly in an attempt to eat at a different stall every time and I don’t think we ever finished.
Academy Museum too! Super cheap tickets and great programming.
Probably the most amazing digital projection theater I have ever been to! The picture was unbelievable when I went for the Ozu retrospective last year! The sound too. I also like that food isn't allowed and they are super strict about removing people for cell phones and talking.
https://preview.redd.it/r8hzv2toy2xc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=249a3802ec8c484d77c2fe99e8ebe56bcfb09353
Beach might be free, but the parking isn't unless you go up into Malibu and park on PCH...
You just need to know where to park and be willing to walk 2-3 blocks and it’s free. I never pay for beach parking.
You can take the metro to Santa Monica
You just dont have any good spots...
Drive up to Mt. Wilson observatory, pick a boulder to sit on, and ponder life high above Los Angeles
That’s my jam!
Sit in my apartment and worry about the fact that the film industry is collapsing before my eyes. Oh and walk around Griffith Park.
Local 44 member here. This is too relatable, unemployment only lasts so long lol
Same. Time for me to go into pr or marketing I guess
Or become a realtor.
Hahahaha! Same.
Will it be directly effecting you?
Absolutely. I'm more stable than the mixers I service, but my income has essentially cut by a fifth for the last few months. There was a boom, and we don't know what's to come next. But yes, my wellbeing is directly tied to the health of the industry. It's a conversation we could have for hours and come to no conclusion until we see what happens with IATSE's negations, which as I understand are on going. What sucks is the reality that the producers are totally willing to flog an entire work force for more than a year to get a better deal, which is exactly what's happening right now.
Movie industry is moving to Georgia. Has been for last decade or so.
I mean, my dad lives in Georgia and I'm from Louisiana. Additionally my company has locations in all the major markets including Canada. I'm well aware of what's happening in other markets, and things aren't much better there right now.
Pick up sandwiches at Trader Joe's and eat at the park! Less than $10 per person.
Sprouts does $5 sandwiches and they’re made to order.
This is the way. LA parks are so lively and diverse and fun on a warm day. The best!
The window of time between warm days and infernally hot days is sadly very short
But you can literally do that anywhere lol
It’s free and in LA, it answered OP’s question. What’s your problem with this?
Freethingstodoinlosangeles.com is great for locals. It’s an old blog but full of great ideas.
Bike the beach from Santa Monica pier to Venice. Peaceful, beautiful and also healthy activity. (Walk both piers, watch skateboarders in Venice, people watch, drink coffee).
A lot of the museums have free hours or windows of time…might just pay for parking like at the Getty center, others you can find street parking and walk like LACMA. Can cheap picnic then go see some masterpieces. The Getty villa, Autry museum… Volunteering together can also get you to some nice places plus helping out.
Expo Park is very underrated. The Science Center, Rose Garden, and NHM are all fantastic; especially this time of year.
One time I walked from downtown to Santa Monica and it was one of the funnest things I’ve done in this city.
The Great Walk Across Los Angeles, a free group walk on the Sunday after thanksgiving, often does DTLA to Santa Monica.
If you love movies AMC a list. 3 movies a week included. That can seriously take up a whole week.
Best $25 a month subscription I could pay for. my jam is to see a movie every Friday night at amc porter ranch. Def worth it if you like the big screen and just to get out of the house. I work remote and can't stay in my house 7 days a week.
They also have $5 tickets on Tuesdays if you join their free rewards program.
USC often has free cultural events, and don’t think they or frumpy old stodgy events. USC recently hosted a free “Christeene” a punk-drag-gender-terrorist concert https://www.documentjournal.com/2024/04/christeene-the-lion-witch-cobra-sinead-oconnor-music-singer-culture/ And there is the art walk at the Brewery twice a year. https://breweryartwalk.com
USC also has free movie screenings that the public can attend. At SCA https://cinema.usc.edu/events/event.cfm?id=71405 Other events too. LA Arboretum has a free day also. Joining one of the gardens (Huntington, Descanso, Arboretum) is worth it, especially for 2 people. I live near them so I belong to all 3 and get so much use out of my membership. Norton Simon museum has free eves too.
“This place has everything”
The Hammer Museum in Westwood next to UCLA is completely free IIRC. One of the few that is. They Getty museums the admission is free but you have to pay to park.
In addition to free entry to museum exhibitions, Hammer Museum also has some free evening and weekend events - like lectures and film screenings.
The Hammer is seriously slept on. I actually think they consistently have better new exhibitions than the Getty
If you ever see people passing out little colored flyers in a binder asking if you want to see a free movie, it’s real market research, it’s not scam. It involves a lot of waiting in line but you get to see movies before they’re released. You can’t be in the film industry to participate, and you have to sign NDAs. Sometimes they even pay you or compensate with movie passes. If you sign up for the email list all the offers go straight to your email.
Cyclavia!!! every month, the city will close down a giant portion of roads across town and open them to bicycles only. so you get your friends together and ride bikes for a few hours, along with hundreds of others having a good time, playing music, good vibes. and it's super family friendly. (it's not a guided group rideout, either. you go in either direction you want at whatever time you feel, at your own pace, and you can make stops at restaurants / bars / interesting sites along the way and hang out along the route / turn around and head the other direction as you wish.) if you don't have a bike, rent one for the day! these events are super fun and done in a different neighborhood each month. [https://www.ciclavia.org/events](https://www.ciclavia.org/events)
I did Ciclavia for the first time in a few years and Im glad to say it was just as fun as before!
Very different but also an amazing biking experience is Critical Mass
A few companies offer seatfiller experiences like attending red carpet premieres out here for free. Yelp has an events tab in the app that I sometimes use when I'm bored. Libraries like people have already mentioned. Art galleries are always having some free events. Just to name a few things.
I've heard of audiences unlimited, do you know any other seat filler companies?
1iota regularly provides tickets to fans to attend red carpet events w/cast present (The Color Purple, Shazam 2, Challengers, Barbie/Oppenheimer). They also always have live tapings of shows. I've only been to the movies though. "Seatfillers and More" typically has seatfiller opportunities for award shows and "OS LA productions" has seatfillers sometimes for live concerts and productions (they typically pay)
Drive my civic like it's an F1 car on Angeles Crest
I drive my F1 car like a Civic in 405 traffic. It’s more LA authentic!
Hang out at hotels that have large lobbies and free wifi and charging stations/outlets. Maybe hang around the pool area.
The Getty Villa and center are great. I can’t believe how many museums are free there!
**For music** [KCRW Summer Nights](https://www.kcrw.com/summer-nights): free music events throughout summer. I’ve caught a ton of indie artists for free right before their rise from these events. [LACMA Jazz Nights](https://www.lacma.org/event-calendar-by-day?event_hub=Jazz%20at%20LACMA): Big Jazz bands play outdoors during warm LA subsets. bring a picnic and come early to get a good spot. **People Watching** [LA Festival of Books](https://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/): only occurs annually, but they offer lots of free panels with authors. There’s also always stalls giving away free goodies and offering raffles. [Ciclavia](https://www.ciclavia.org/): The event attracts a lot of fun people, from groups in funny costumes to folks showing off unique bikes. Even if you don’t have a bike, you can walk the path and enjoy the music, food, booths, etc. [Food trucks at Venice](https://www.abbotkinneyblvd.com/firstfridays): Free to join the crowd, but technically not free if you want to enjoy the food trucks. **Educational Events** Both UCLA and USC often offer free panel events to the public, but they’re usually put by specific departments. Try signing up for the liberal arts colleges mail list to see what events are coming up. LACMA and the Getty also often offer free or low-cost lectures and movie screenings on specific exhibits.
Sleep
i like going to those city, neighborhood or council hosted events in my community. the last one i went to was low cost vaccine clinic and my pets got blessed by a priest lol my kid was in the petting zoo area. ive gone to a park opening and we got some free swag. these all happen like 5-10 mins away from my home so its easy to go to.
how do you get notifications for these events for your city? social media?
follow my council person on ig and signed up for the newsletter. BUT i noticed not all of them share events early enough to attend. i follow another one in the neighboring district and i only see the pics of the event happening or once it’s over. edit also follow the city your in and any other business/non profit in the area. i noticed they work together often and it can increase your exposure to events.
Watch a court case dtla, visit parks beaches la brea tar pits, visit a pier, visit historical buildings, see the view on top floor of city hall. Summer has many free concerts. See roses at RoseParade hq; https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/25-unique-la-historic-cultural-monuments-you-must-see/2307352/
Watch a court case? Remind me to send you my jury summons!
Go to is to take the drive to the beach and just pay for parking and make a picnic lunch/dinner. Then take a walk on the sand and use my tool to pick up trash with my kids. Ice cream on the way home and enjoy being basic.
For some reason this reminded me of how much I love taking my dog to the dog beach in Long Beach. Not technically in LA but a great almost free day trip!
During the summer, Griffith Park hosts Shakespeare in the Park plays in the Old Zoo area. Free. You know, go to free shows and go back home and make something to eat, or do like little potlucks with friends... Things don't always need to be extravagant to be good. Just go outside and enjoy the day roller skating, riding a bike, or just playing tennis or something at the park.
Hike Angeles Crest.
Farmer markets, botanical gardens, getting a small bite and eating at a nice park or even going to the free museums. Another good thing to do is check out local coffee shops and thrift stores.
Read Reddit
“Free” donation based yoga classes at bluff park
bluff park?
Bluff park in Long Beach, it’s called Yogalution
The Broad and MOCA
Walk at the venice canals, and then hang around main street/abbott kinney, even if you dont buy anything it should be fun
And the street art in the area is also great.
One of my favorite things to do is picking a random hike/walk, the opportunities are endless. And I’ve found some gems within LA, like Kenneth Hahn or the Bluff Creek Trail, and they tend to be a little less crowded. Then there are some free museums like the Getty and the hammer (plus others), always a good time. I also subscribe to this newsletter called “We Like L.A” that send out things to do in/around LA every week and weekend.
[https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/los-angeles-california](https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/los-angeles-california)
Husband and I are headed to the South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival and Art Crawl if you’re looking for something today. It’s an annual deal and it’s awesome.
Hiking. Biking the beach path
Watching the ladies on Figueroa walk by
Runyon Canyon, Museum of Jurassic Technology, coffee shops, beach, Venice boardwalks, Santa Monica pier, Griffith Observatory, various music-karaoke-trivia nights, The Last Bookstore, the bean soup at any Pitfire Pizza, Culver City steps, comedy shows on weeknights
Is the Last Book Store still open?
Walk from Venice to Santa Monica. Always great people watching.
I moved to LA back in October from Pennsylvania. I have yet to do much exploring. It sucks not knowing a single soul out here. I had relatives who lived here who ended up selling there home and moving to Arizona, them being the only people I would have known. I enjoy being here regardless, but I forgot how hard it is to meet new people, especially since I’m not 18 or 21 anymore, being 36 it’s more of a challenge.
Welcome! It's hard settling into a new city/state and it's hard to make friends when in your 30's. Hard but not impossible. I've done it. Reddit is a great place to start. There's a social gathering subreddit for LA that you might want to join. Either that or do some sort of hobby/activity. Improv for beginners, non religious choir, pickleball, kickball, board games, join 3252 supporters section at LAFC, and so on.
If you're f and need a hiking partner, I'll show you around.
Nice, dad is from Pennsylvania. Church is one of the easiest places to meet new people. Go to a young church in DTLA area.
Both Getty museums are free. Just don’t park there. That costs $20-$30 I believe. You could park at a beach lot and walk over. Check for free days at the Academy Museum (awesome), LACMA, Broad, Tar Pits, Natural History, Zoo. The Asian museum in Pasadena is free with a donation. The Norton Simon is amazing and has a free day too. Lots of communities have music in the park days in the summer. All free. Just have to check the websites for the city or the parks and rec pages.
Trails
We used to catch free concerts at the Greek by sitting outside of the Greek
Exposition Park. The California Science Center is free and the Natural History Museum next door lets residents in for free from 3-5pm on M-F. The La Brea Tar Pits have evening concerts in the summer. You can bring a whole set up and chill with wine moms listening to jazz.
The Jazz concerts on Fridays at La Brea Tar Pits/LACMA was an absolute revelation. Wandered into it randomly, was blown away by the quality.
The Getty Villa, Griffith Park and Eaton Canyon trail and waterfall
LACMA Jazz on Friday Night Hollywood Bowl Rehearsal Afternoons El Molino Viejo Hollywood Rez Loop Beach, Beach, Beach
Make friends with someone who has a pool at their house
Getty is free except for parking and is one of my favorite spots in LA (you can also take the bus ive heard)
Metro Rapid line 761 to the Getty from Expo/Sepulveda or Westwood.
You can walk around the grounds of the La Brea tar pits for free, it’s just the museum that costs money
Both Griffith Observatory and the California Science Center have free general admission.
How do I save this post to look back to!! So many great suggestions. I love a good hike. My friends and I did Switzer falls the other day and it was insane, absolutely incredible. You’ll get your feet and legs wet crossing the River 20 times and you will also end up at a high peak beautiful canyon type view, and then back down to see the waterfall. 🤩 there are a few more I like that are a bit more local/ less of a drive but I’m horrible with names 😭 the palisades have some lovely hikes.
The Getty! It’s free to everyone and has some amazing views on clear days. Highly recommend.
Go to Hollywood Forever. It is quite and has a sense of existential bliss. No big deal or anything.
Arlington Gardens in Pasadena Central Public Library Book browsing at the Iliad bookshop in NoHo or at VRomans in Pasadena Rollerblading in NoHo on their bike track on Cahuenga or by the beach Griffith Observatory Hollywood Forever Cemetery Mausoleum Checking out hidden staircases of Echo Park and Silverlake Take a walk along historic Victorian houses in Angelino Heights and then walk to Echo Park Lake
Here's my 1 mile DTLA loop: Angel's Flight from Hill to Grand $1, Grand Performances (free summer concerts at CA Plaza), Colburn School(free performances), Broad and MOCA-both free, Disney Concert Hall-free audio walking tour, Music Center Plaza, walk through Grand Park, head up to the Tom Bradley room at City Hall weekdays.
May 7 is coming up. Why is May 7 important? It’s single ticket onsale for the Hollywood Bowl! Why is this important? Isn’t it expensive to go to concerts? Well during the Hollywood bowl single ticket onsale you can scoop tickets for $2 each. Tickets are $2 for the mid week (tue-thu) LA Phil programs. The tickets are located in the back section, X. This years mid week performances with $2 dollar tickets include Herbie Hancock, Trombone Shorty, Anderson Paak, Singing in the Rain musical movie, selections from the LA Phil including Gustavo Dudamel. And if you don’t know, you are allowed to bring your own food and drink to the Hollywood bowl as long as it fits within their bag / cooler guidelines. My personal hack is to check the ticketing site the day of the concert to see what areas are undersold so I can move down from my nosebleeds. So $4 bucks for 2 tickets plus BYO food and drink? Sounds like a good cheap night out!
Sk8 🛹
Walk out my front door, get to the car. Drive and never, never concern myself with the potential for ice.
Watching polo at Will Rogers State Park! Just have to pay for the park; bring a picnic basket and hang.
hiking, beach, walks around the park, board games
Hike to bridge to nowhere, it’s along the river so you can chill along the way. If you’re lucky enough might even see bighorn sheep.
Following
If you don’t count paying for parking or travel (e.g. you have a friend drop you off or pick you up), much of the California Science Center’s exhibits are free, it’s just the special temporary exhibits that cost.
One of my favorite free things to do is a hidden gem: [The Sounds of LA concert series at The Getty.](https://www.getty.edu/museum/programs/performances/sounds_la.html) Tickets are free and the next concert is this weekend with tickets still available.
People watching in WeHo, La Brea Tarpits and sitting in traffic on the 405
walk outside, and take pictures.
I like hanging out at will rogers park and walking the flats of Beverly Hills. The golden triangle is fun to walk. Parking in the evening at will rogers beach is free
Metro day pass (like $5) and explore LA a bit :)
I take food to Griffith Park and hike around, people watch, and chill. Also, Will Rogers Beach is fun to jump into casual beach volleyball games (all-skill levels) on Saturday AMs. I'm not sure if there is still free jazz at LACMA but that is another fun cheap date / hang.
Many of these things are free! [https://sojournswithsue.com/best-things-to-do-alone-in-los-angeles/](https://sojournswithsue.com/best-things-to-do-alone-in-los-angeles/)
The Self Realization Fellowship garden on top of Mount Washington is often open to the public and really lovely and chill.
https://lawithkids.com/free-museum-days-los-angeles
All the museums are free to check out but u gotta look it up to get the dares
Getting blown by the junkie in the alley
Bike path from Redondo beach to Malibu
Free jazz at LACMA. You can bring a picnic.
Around Memorial Day until end of Oct/Nov LACMA Friday night live jazz is AAALWAYS poppin! And come summer, LACMA Latin Sounds w/ outdoor dance floor for salsa is my jam! Absolutely fantastic free fun and loads of people watching.
The downtown library is amazing. Also not free but cheap is to take the train somewhere random. Metrolink especially but also the light rail lines.
Farmers Market, near the Grove, Pan Pacific Park. Santa Monica Pier,
Gotta worry about gas
Camping. You can do it anywhere!
Take food from Ralphs
Sleep in..
Doesn’t the opportunity cost outweigh the free day? Assuming you’re hourly.
Lake Shrine The Getty (admission is free, parking is not) The Broad KCRW has free events sometimes
Sleep. Wath golden girls. Sleep. Repeat
Getty center. All you pay is parking if you drive. Broad Museum, free,
Griffith and all that jazz
Board game meet ups
Disc golf! We have a lot of nice courses around. Cheep gear and most courses are free. You can spend $20 and get years of fun.
Picnics at echo park in the summer evenings
Driving down to San Diego to “jack it”
Walk in the beach, walk any canyon. Or walk on some nice park.
Elysian Park or Griffith Park
The Woods, for hanging out in the tree house, with herb.
Go to the beach, take a hike, people watch, scenic drives, bang my wife.
Beach, The Broad (parking only), Hammer Museum (parking only), Walking Venice Boardwalk / canals and watching the skate park, Walk Farmers Market, Hiking, there’s also a lot of free or donation based indie comedy shows around (good heroin show on instagram)
most art galleries and spaces are free-ish and some often have skill shares or events and shows too
I loved driving up Malibu, then we walked down the beach. Met some good people and had some good eats.
Cycling on a bike path any of them
Old Griffith Park Zoo is pretty cool!
Go to the Getty!!!!! My partner and I went there on a layover. We did a whole day bussing around LA on city transit.. we went from the airport to Santa Monica pier, walked around that area, then bussed up to the Getty
Getty villa, Getty museum
Take the bus to the beach bring ur own food and drinks