L.A. museums Archives

Free Museum Entry, Music and Art Classes for L.A. Families Impacted by Wildfires

Published January 15, 2025

By Nina Harada

LoveBug & Me Music is offering free classes at their Santa Monica, Los Feliz and South Pasadena locations through Jan. 18. PHOTO COURTESY LOVEBUG & ME

Museums, community spaces, music and art studios are all opening their doors to families affected by the L.A. wildfires. Whether you are seeking normalcy amidst the chaos or looking for a creative outlet to process the devastation, these L.A. museums, art studios and music classes can provide a safe space for you and your children.

Cayton Children’s Museum

395 Santa Monica Pl., Santa Monica, CA 90401

The Cayton Children’s Museum, located on the 3^rd level of Santa Monica Place, is offering free admission on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, until further notice, for families who have been displaced or directly impacted by the wildfires, including first responders and National Guard families. Designed for kids ages 0-8 the Cayton encourages purposeful play through interactive and immersive exhibits like a miniature marketplace, art studios and more. Tickets can be reserved in person at the front desk. Visitors might experience a short wait if the museum reaches capacity, but the museum is committed to accommodating all guests. For updates, please visit caytonmuseum.org

Kidspace Museum

480 N. Arroyo Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91103.

Kidspace Museum is reopening on Thursday, January 16 after an extended closure due to the Eaton Fire. Families are invited to come rest, play and connect with free admission from January 16-19. Reservations are required and capacity is limited.

Guests should enter through the north side of Lot I for parking. The Rose Bowl area and Brookside Park are being used to organize resources needed to battle the wildfires and support recovery efforts.

For more information on Kidspace programming and to reserve tickets, visit kidspacemuseum.org

Southern California Children’s Museum

459 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Southern California Children’s Museum in Pasadena is offering open play hours Jan. 13 – 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday. The free 90-minute sessions are for kids and their families to embrace the power of play during this difficult time. Southern California Children’s Museum supports developmental milestone growth for kids ages 0-8 through creative expression, play experiences, exhibits and early childhood education programs. Registration is required to manage capacity. To register please visit socalkids.org.

Both the Natural History Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits are opening their doors for free through Friday, Jan. 17. PHOTO COURTESY NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS OF LOS ANGELES

Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County

NHM
900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007

La Brea Tar Pits
5801 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

The Natural History Museums will offer free general admission to both the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park and the La Brea Tar Pits in Miracle Mile, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, Jan. 17, in the hope that the museums can serve as spaces of respite, offering comfort and connection with our natural and cultural worlds, while also providing enjoyable and engaging indoor experiences. Reserve tickets and nhm.org or tarpits.org.

The Autry Museum

4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027

The Autry Museum will reopen on Thursday, January 16. They are welcoming the community back with free admission through Monday, January 20.

The museum features the art, history and cultures of the American West. Galleries showcase Native American art and artifacts, film memorabilia, paintings and more.

For more information visit theautry.org

GRAMMY Museum

800 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90015

The GRAMMY Museum is offering free admission to those impacted by the fires, in addition to hosting a donation drive and volunteer opportunities at Ketchum-Downtown YMCA Jan. 18-20. Donations are encouraged, but not required for entry. For more information and a list of accepted donations visit gra mmymuseum.org.

LoveBug & Me Music

1201 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90403
1127 Mission St., South Pasadena, CA 91030
1949 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027

Bowers Museum’s special-ticketed exhibition “Fantasy: Realms of Imagination” will be discounted through the end of January. Lewis Carroll, *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland* © The British Library Board

LoveBug & Me Music is offering free music and sensory art classes, as well as playdates and virtual classes, to bring comfort, connection, and creativity to the community during this challenging time. The free music and sensory art classes for Los Angeles families with children ages 0-5 will take place Jan. 14 –17 at LoveBug & Me Music locations in South Pasadena, Los Feliz, and Santa Monica. Registration is required as space is limited. Families can sign up online or by contacting 310-356-8363 or hello@lovebugandme.com.

Block Shop Community Space

3215 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039

Textile, art and design studio Block Shop in Atwater Village is setting up a community space for kids and adults affected by the L.A. wildfires to decompress, craft and catch up on logistics. The community pop up space will be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 16-19. Volunteers are leading various classes from poetry to music. For updates visit Block Shop on Instagram @blockshoptextiles.

Bowers Museum

2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, CA 92706

Bowers Museum in Santa Ana offers free general admission and discounted $10 ticket to the Museum’s special-ticketed exhibition “Fantasy: Realms of Imagination” for those impacted by the L.A. wildfires, through the end of January. “Fantasy: Realms of Imagination” is a British Library exhibition with contributions from Bowers Museum. For more information visit bowers.org.

Los Angeles Museums Reopen this Spring

Published March 30, 2021

Nina Harada

After a year of shutdowns, takeout and Zoom, we are so excited to see our city start to open back up with the many Los Angeles museums reopening this spring. As of March 15, Los Angeles County moved into the Red Tier, which means a wide range of indoor operations are allowed to resume under specific COVID-19 safety protocols.

Museums, movie theaters, zoos, aquariums, theme parks, and other family friendly businesses are starting to open their doors again, just in time for Angelenos to enjoy springtime. Although it feels like L.A. is getting back to normal, there are still rules you need to follow. We break down what you need to know to keep your family safe and still have fun at the museums and galleries, which have started to open to the public once again.

What you need to know

Mask up. Wearing a mask or face covering in public or common spaces is still required.
Keep your distance. Physical distancing of at least 6 feet between you and people not in your party is still required.
Limited capacity. Indoor dining, museums, zoos, aquariums, and movie theaters are allowed at 25% capacity.
Plan ahead. Most indoor operations require advance reservations to ensure 25% capacity.

Here is our running list of museums and galleries reopening that we can’t wait to visit. We will update this list as more information becomes available.

PetSpace opens their new Critter Corner to young visitors. PHOTO COURTESY WALLIS ANNENBERG PETSPACE

March reopenings

Peterson Automotive Museum – One of the world’s largest automotive museums reopened March 25 with new exhibits.

California African American Museum – The Exposition Park Museum, CAAM, welcomed back guests March 27 with new exhibits.

California Science Center – The Science Center adapted many of their exhibits for hand-free interaction for its reopening on March 27.

Autry Museum of the American West – The Autry Museum reopened March 30.

Wallis Annenberg PetSpace – Small, socially-distanced groups can reserve tickets for the “PetSpace Experience” as of March 31. The reopening includes activities for kids of all ages, visits to the Critter Corner, and a live Pet Encounter.

LACMA reopens to the public April 1. PHOTO COURTESY OF LACMA

April reopenings

Natural History Museum – Guests can reserve their tickets now for the Natural History Museum’s April 1 reopening, which will include two exhibitions: “Rise Up L.A.: A Century of Votes for Women” and “Spiky, Hairy, Shiny: Insects of L.A.”

LACMA – Previously postponed exhibits will make their debut to the public starting April 1, including “Cauleen Smith,” “Yoshitomo Nara,” “NOT I,” “Bill Viola,” “View From Here,” and “Vera Lutter.”

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles – The gallery space welcomed back visitors April 5, with their NATURE/SUPERNATURE exhibition featuring over sixty Japanese woodblock prints. The museum and cultural space also launched a new online reservation system so small groups can easily reserve their complimentary tickets. Walk-ins are invited as space safely allows.

Southern California Children’s Museum – The play-based museum opens their indoor space for private and semi-private sessions starting April 6. The outdoor space is open now.

Huntington Art Galleries – Select galleries at The Huntington reopen April 17, including the debut of “Made in L.A. 2020: a version.” The gardens, store and café are open now.

Getty Villa – The Getty Villa Museum reopens April 21 just in time for visitors to enjoy the blooming gardens throughout the Malibu coastal property. Take in the antiquities galleries, Roman-inspired architecture, and the Getty’s latest exhibit, “Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins,” which features works from the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Petersen Automotive Museum Reopens

Published March 25, 2021

Elena Epstein

Another one of our favorite L.A. spots has reopened with a special offer — free admission to health care workers and first responders through the end of the year.

For all the “CARS” fans, don’t miss the life size Lightening McQueen in display.

During the museum’s closure due to COVID-19 mandates, the Petersen virtually launched three exhibits. The public can now see these exhibits for the time in person.

The new exhibits include:

“The Aesthetic of Motoring: 90 Years of Pininfarina,” which will convey the significance and evolution of the Italian car design firm and coachbuilder through a curated display of four key automobiles representing its storied 90-year history.
“Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed,” which showcases the evolution of the supercar.
“Extreme Conditions,” which highlights 11 custom competition, recreational and utilitarian off-roading vehicles.
“Redefining Performance,” which features Porsche’s most innovative road and race vehicles.

The Petersen’s Hollywood Dreams exhibit is the largest museum exhibition of sci-fi vehicles in the world. It features vehicles, costumes, props, art and artifacts from the most epic sci-fi and fantasy film, TV and video game franchises of all time, including “Star Wars,” “Back to the Future,” “TRON,” “Iron Man,” “Blade Runner,” “Batman,” “Halo” and more.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM

Tickets to the museum must now be pre-purchased at petersen.org/tickets. In order to receive complimentary access, health care personnel and first responders will also need to reserve tickets online and provide a physical copy of professional verification at museum check-in.