Want to hand out something free to your Los Angeles-area Trick-or-Treaters on Halloween? If you live in Simi Valley, Northridge, Palmdale, Lancaster, Covina or West Covina then gift your costumed kiddos with FREE bowling coupons!
Just click on the link or the coupon and you’ll be able to print out as many sheets of the 6 free coupons as you’d like. Just remember to make sure you have a Brunswick Bowl near your home by checking locations here. If there isn’t one nearby, you’ll be giving the kids a trick not a treat on Halloween!
Coupons are good for one free bowling game from Oct. 31 to Nov. 15. Shoe rental is extra.
Kids celebrate Halloween and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) for free at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium this weekend, Oct. 22 – 23. The marine science center, located at beach level at the Santa Monica Pier, has spooky, family friendly activities planned both days, 12:30 to 5pm. Children under 13 are admitted free with an adult; for all others, there is a suggested donation of $5 or a $3 minimum admission fee. For groups of 10 or more, the entry fee is $2 per person.
Experiment in the mad scientist laboratory, tip toe (if you dare!) through the marine animal graveyard, and create colorful Dia de los Muertos crafts and masks. Both days will feature a glow in the dark bioluminescent deep-sea experience and don’t miss the “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” a presentation on the amazing abilities of marine parasites. Face painting and spooky story times are scheduled throughout the weekend as well.
The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is located at at 1600 Ocean Front Walk. Come celebrate the season – costumes are encouraged.
My saga into discovering all the cool free things to do in Los Angeles, the City of Angels, started 20+ years ago, when my first child was a little guy. As a freelancer, I had a flexible schedule and ample time to sniff out hundreds of free things to do. I found out which museums had free days and how to turn an L.A. Zoo membership into year-long freebies there and elsewhere. All of which led me to create a series of travel guides I dubbed Free Fun Guides. Free L.A. was the title that crowned me the Queen of Free Fun.
Here are my top 10 free things to do in Los Angeles:
1. California Science Center
EXPOSITION PARK
700 State Dr, LA 90037
323.SCIENCE
Unveil the secrets of science at California’s biggest FREE museum. The 245,000-sq-ft science center astounds visitors with 100+ interactive exhibits. Exploration begins outside where the Science Plaza contains art objects with scientific senses. Inside, brave visitors pedal a bicycle on a wire 3 stories high. On the upper levels are 3 main galleries: Ecosystems, the newest permanent exhibit, features varied environments of land and sea. Creative World focuses on technological advances in communications, transportation and structure. World of Life delves into life’s mysteries. On weekends, science really heats up with FREE Science Spectacular shows. The museum’s Air & Space exhibits from the closed SKETCH building will have a new home inside Science Court while the museum awaits a new wing to house them and the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Everything is free except the 7-story IMAX theatre –L.A.’s largest—and special attractions such as the high wire bicycle. Lot parking $10. Metered street parking.
Find a full bucket of art on Saturday, Oct. 15, 11am to 5pm, when the Pasadena Playhouse District paints the town with its free ARTWalk. It’s a juried art festival with an open air arts market, art chats and art activities.
Revel in the wealth of free art at San Gabriel Valley’s largen urban art fair from free admission to the Pasadena Museum of California Art to a self-guided Gallery Walk and free spin art for kids. The Gallery Walk features original works traditional art galleries and “pop-up galleries” at local businesses and restaurants while the open air art market gives a stage to 25 visual artists. Listen to artists chat about their work in talks presented by the Pasadena Society of Artists at Vroman’s Bookstore or enjoy the sounds of a South Pasadena favorite, Donovan/Muradian Quintet at the El Molino Stage.Free Fun for all ages at the Hand-On Activity Village with mosaic art marking, personalized and colorful 3-D wall art, pottery painting, and more.
For a full schedule download the ARTWalk Program for free HERE.
Who says nobody walks in LA? Discover fascinating parts of Los Angeles through FREE guided walking tours during the annual CicLAvia. (Check out our post on the annual car free event HERE.) Jump out of your Prius and really go green as you explore areas such as Spring Street, Boyle Heights, and Little Tokyo.
The Spring Street tour focuses on the historic downtown core and current redevelopment. Little Tokyo lets you explore a pedestrian friendly area with great food (try some red bean buns!) and culture. Finally, travel through Boyle Heights’ beautiful Hollenbeck Park while learning about it’s rich history. For the complete schedule click here, or download a full guide here.
Bust out of your house on Sunday for one of the biggest shutdowns of Los Angeles streets — the free annual CicLAvia event, 10 AM to 3 PM. Enjoy 10 miles of car free streets in downtown L.A. The streets are empty and free to walk, skate, play and ride a bike. In addition, the no car zone features free fun activities and shops and restaurants along the route often offer deals.
According to the CicLAvia website, “Ciclovías started in Bogotá, Colombia, over thirty years ago as a response to the congestion and pollution of city streets. Now they happen throughout Latin America and the United States. ”
The only other time you’ll get to experience a car-free downtown L.A. where the streets are open to the public and not marathon runners, is during a Zombie Apocalypse. So take advantage of the fact you still have a brain and come walk your dog, ride your bike, or just take a leisurely stroll down the middle of the road.
Looking for a free guided walk and tour of downtown L.A.? Check out our post on CicLAvia Walks!
For a full map and directions, head on over to the CicLAvia site.
As some of you may know, we at Free Fun Los Angeles are big L.A. Kings fans! This upcoming weekend is Frozen Fury, the Kings annual preseason game against the Colorado Avalanche at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Lots of awesome Kings fans come out and have a blast at the game, but what to do with your free time in-between? (other than kick back with a couple margaritas and lose a few bucks at Black Jack, of course!)
Here are 5 FREE things you can do in Vegas when you go to check out Frozen Fury, or anytime you visit Sin City for that matter:
- Fountains at the Bellagio – In addition to being a great hotel, the Bellagio is world renowned for it’s giant water fountains, which puts on free shows daily. For full schedule click here.
- Free Concerts/Light Shows at the Fremont Street Experience – More than just neon lights and cheap gambling, the FSE offers a lively and fun experience, with free concerts and light shows nightly. For full calendar of events click here.
- The Sirens of TI – Watch a free show at TI every night as sexy sirens clash with scurvy-ridden pirates at TI. Full schedule here.
- Airport Runway Vista – Take a break from the craziness of the strip, and get close to the airport action. From here you can watch airplanes take off and land at McCarran International Airport for free while you have a bite to eat or just relax. Click here for the Yelp page.
- Antiques at the Main Street Station – Antiques are pretty cool, even in Vegas! At the Main Street Station Casino, Brewery, and Hotel in Downtown Las Vegas you can check out a ton of antiques for free including Theodore Roosevelt’s Pullman railroad car, a chandelier from Paris’ renowned Figaro Opera House and a section of the Berlin Wall.
- *BONUS!* MGM Lion Habitat – Since you’ll already be there to cheer on the Kings, don’t forget to say hi to their regal friends at the MGM Lion Habitat, open from 11:00 AM- 7:00 PM daily.
Be sure to check out these FREE awesome places and events when you’ve got time time to kill or you’re bored of the slots. Go Kings Go!
Two cheers for Peets fans getting in a last taste of cool summer drinks with a buy one get one free offer through Sun. Sept. 25!
Thanks to the annual Smithsonian Museum Day, Free Fun LA has something to look forward to every last Saturday in September! But it also means LA museum lovers have to make some tough choices — which Los Angeles-area museum to see for FREE!
Smithsonian Magazine created Museum Day as a way to share the spirit of the Smithsonian museums, which offer free admission every day. Through the magazine’s sponsorship, hundreds of museums across the U.S. are opening their doors for free to anyone who shows a Museum Day Ticket. Its easy to get the Museum Day Ticket, which admits two people to a participating museum. First Sign Up Here for the free ticket. The ticket is emailed to you and then you have to print it out.
A pretty simple way of getting into one of LA’s top museums for FREE!
(Not a museum type? Check out the Free Admission to National Parks and Public Lands on the same day, Saturday, Sept. 24!)
So which LA area museums are participating? Check our list below. It includes museums in Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well.
American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona
Autry National Center
Bowers Museum, Santa Ana
California Science Center (Always Free)
Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard
Chinese American Museum
Craft and Folk Art Museum
El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park, Santa Barbara
Fowler Museum at UCLA
Hammer Museum
Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum
Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach
Living Desert Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Palm Springs (Summer Hours 8am to 1:30pm; last admission at 1pm)
Los Angeles Art Association
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach
Museum of Ventura County, Ventura
Palos Verdes Art Center, Rancho Palos Verdes
Pasadena Museum of California Art
Santa Monica Museum of Art
The Dr. Willela Howe-Waffle House and Medical Museum in Santa Ana
The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art, San Bernardino
Watts Towers Arts Center, Los Angeles
Zimmer Children’s Museum, Los Angeles (free Sept 25)
Love hockey? We do! Experience crunching body-checks, lightning-fast skating, and the thrill of goal scoring as you watch your Los Angeles Kings take on the Phoenix Coyotes at Staples Center on Wednesday Sept. 21 in pre-season action. For Free!
So how do you get to see the L.A. Kings in awesome high-end $100 seats? For free? By entering our contest of course! We have two tickets in section 114 to give away, and here’s how to get ‘em:
1. You get 1 entry for every tweet with hashtag #FreeFunLAKings. We suggest you copy & paste the following: “Tweet to #win two high-end tix to see @LAKings Sept. 21 #FreeFunLAKings” and you MUST follow @FreeFunLA.
2. You get 1 entry for Liking Free Fun LA on Facebook and leaving a comment about our post/or answering our trivia question.
3. You get 1 entry for commenting on our post and answering our trivia question.
4. No Ducks fans.
Speaking of trivia questions…here it is! Who scored the winning goal in “The Miracle on Manchester”?
Contest ends Saturday Sept. 17 at 11:59PM PT. Tickets will be sent via FedEx.
Alright Kings Fans…that about does it. So spread the word, and Go Kings Go!
Winner chosen by Random.org. No compensation was exchanged for this post.
