LACMA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art

LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is huge and I'm not just saying that to make it seem like LA has culture. Actually, it happens to be the largest art museum in the western half of the United States and spans over 20 acres and several buildings.

The vast size of it makes it really tough to see everything on one day, so pick and choose wisely if you have limited time. It also means lots of walking, so for goodness sake, wear comfortable shoes or you'll be miserable.

Want to get in free? The museum is free for everyone if you arrive after 5pm on any day. Actually, officially it is "pay what you want" but you can pay nothing if you like. They are open until 8pm (9pm on Fridays) but please be warned that LACMA is closed on Wednesdays. Additionally, admission is free all day the second Tuesday of every month.

Have kids? LACMA is awesome for kids. First of all, kids 17 and under are always free. In addition, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has the only free youth membership program in the United States! What does this mean? This means that any child under 17 years old plus one accompanying adult gets a free membership, completely free access to the permanent exhibits and some special exhibits too! So you and your kid can sign up for free.

There was also the Boone Children's Gallery (although temporarily closed for renovations) where kids can play, climb, paint, get messy, do crafts and more. So much fun, it was an excellent playspace and when it re-opens (scheduled fall 2010) I'm sure it will be even more amazing, we can't wait.

On Sundays, they have free Andell Family Sundays which are teaching programs and hands on art activities especially for families. They sometimes have music, dancing, all kinds of great stuff!

Do you enjoy music? Free live jazz music? Then you'll dig the Friday Night Jazz concerts, which are free and run every Friday from April through November in the Central Court from 6-8pm. This is outside, so keep that in mind for chilly nights.

So, okay, back to art. There is a whole lot of everything from everywhere from every time period. One of my personal favorites though is the Pavilion for Japanese Art designed by Bruce Goff, and in fact LACMA is well-known for their Asian art collection.

There is a parking lot on 6th Street (just east of Fairfax) and it is $7, but free after 7pm. You could park there free on a Friday and still have two hours of time. You can also try your luck with metered parking on 6th Street.

You are allowed to take non-flash photos in only certain exhibits, in some, all photography is prohibited. When in doubt, just ask one of the security guards standing around.