Free Things to Do In Southern California

Malibu Beach Point Dume Nature Preserve

Point Dume Nature Preserve is a beautiful place to visit anytime and is one of Southern California’s most scenic coastal destinations. Admission is free, with some free parking.

Point Dume is 32 acres of pristine oceanfront land, which you can access from several hiking trails. Take the main route to the summit or descend the steps to a secluded beach called Pirates Cove. A viewing platform along the boardwalk trail is just below the summit, where you can sit and enjoy the million-dollar view.  Point Dume is 18 miles north of Santa Monica.

Downtown Los Angeles Chinatown

Chinatown is located about two blocks from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. Chinatown’s 16 square blocks are filled with small mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, and food stores.

You can find just about any item you want, plus a few things you might never have heard of. Old Chinatown Plaza is the oldest shopping mall and a must-see.

The old Chinese architecture buildings are unique and date back to the early 1900s. The best way to experience Chinatown LA is on foot. Park the car, head up Broadway, and peek inside some stores. You can find everything from rugs, bamboo plants, umbrellas, water fountains, and turtles.

Leo Carrillo Ranch Carlsbad

Leo Carrillo Historic Ranch, located in Carlsbad, California, is a few miles inland from Legoland. The ranch is tucked in a valley and surrounded by homes, but once you enter the wrought iron gate, it’s like taking a trip back to early California.

Stop by the visitors center and pick up a guide before exploring. If you visit on the weekend, there are free guided tours that are perfect for history buffs but may be too detailed for casual visitors. Leo Carrillo Historic Ranch has several miles of hiking trails, adobe buildings, windmills, and historic ranch buildings.

Free guided walking tours are offered on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Sunday at noon and 2 p.m.

Best Free Thing To Do Getty Museum

The Getty Museum Center is a fun and educational place to spend the day. You won’t miss this free attraction with its scenic hillside location, beautiful gardens, and spectacular architecture. When you arrive, you are directed toward the multi-level parking garage. After parking, you ride a monorail to the museum on the top hill overlooking Los Angeles.

From the moment you step out of the monorail, you will be amazed by the gardens and the architecture of the Getty Center buildings. Inside, the museum presents Getty’s collection of Western art from the Middle Ages against a backdrop of dramatic architecture. The Getty Museum Center is one of the best free attractions in Southern California.

Orange County Nix Nature Center Free Admission

Nix Nature Center is located in the center of Laguna Canyon, just off Laguna Canyon Road. Admission to the center and the miles of hiking trails are accessible. Inside the center are displays and exhibits about Laguna Canyon and the animals that live in it. Restrooms with changing tables, drinking fountains, picnic tables, free maps, and nature-oriented merchandise are available on-site.

One of the most popular hikes from the nature center is to Barbara’s Lake. This little lake next to Laguna Canyon Road is the only natural lake in Orange County.

Free Places To Go Old Town, San Diego

Old Town San Diego is considered the “birthplace” of California. 1968, the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation established Old Town Historic Park. The historic buildings preserve how San Diego looked in the 1800s.z

Historic buildings include La Casa de Estudillo, La Casa de Bandini, La Casa de Pedrorena, and the Mason Street School, San Diego’s first one-room schoolhouse. Heritage Park is up the hill from Old Town, where several of San Diego’s most notable Victorian homes have been relocated and authentically restored to their original condition—bottom Line, Fun, Free, and Educational.

Oceanside Mission San Luis Rey

Mission San Luis Rey, “King of the Missions,” is located a few miles inland from Oceanside, California. Housing tracts and shopping malls are slowly surrounding the mission. However, the grounds are big enough to block most of its urban neighbors. The church was built in 1811 and is the third in this location.

Mission San Luis is a National Historic Landmark for its pristine example of a Spanish Mission Church complex. Admission to the grounds of the mission is free. There is a small charge to see the museum and mission cemetery.

Citrus State Historic Park

California Citrus State Historic Park preserves what the Inland Empire and much of Southern California look like. Thousands of acres of orange groves were once planted across the Southland.

The smell of orange blossoms filled the air. There was a sea of green-orange trees stretching into the horizon. Today, the orange trees have been replaced by housing tracts and shopping malls, and the remaining farmers are replacing oranges with more profitable crops. A visit to the California Citrus State Historical Park is a refreshing look at how it used to be in Southern California.

San Pedro Fort MacArthur Museum

Fort MacArthur Museum preserves the former U.S. Army base in San Pedro, California. The museum is located at the site of the coastal defense battery Osgood-Farley. Inside, you will find displays and exhibits on the history of Fort MacArthur and its role in defending the port of Los Angeles.

Nearby is the Korean Friendship Bell, a massive bronze bell housed in a stone pavilion. The Republic of Korea presented the bell to the American people to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States to honor American veterans of the Korean War.

Solvang Danish Village

Solvang Danish Village is in the Santa Ynez Valley inland from Santa Barbara, California. This quaint town was founded in 1911 by a group of Danish educators. Today, the city mainly caters to the tourists who arrive by car and bus.

Many buildings are built in the Danish style, including a life-size windmill. Solvang means “Sunny Field” in Danish; however, these days, most of the fields in the Santa Ynez Valley are planted with grapevines.

Griffith Park Observatory Free Admission

Griffith Park Observatory is one of Los Angeles’s most visited destinations. Admission and parking are free to this beautiful landmark. The views of Hollywood and Los Angeles are priceless ( on a clear day). Just behind the Observatory is the Hollywood sign. First-time visitors always take a family picture with the character in the background. Inside the restored building are three levels of state-of-the-art hands-on exhibits and displays. You and your kids will be amazed at how nice this place is; the best part is free.

Near Palm Springs Whitewater Preserve

Whitewater is a fantastic place to visit. You drive up a dusty desert canyon and arrive at a tree-lined oasis full of beautiful lakes adjacent to a massive rock cliff. There are several shady picnic areas along with miles of trails.

Over the years, Whitewater Preserve has been a hunting lodge, trout farm, and hatchery. The trout are still there, but you can no longer fish for them, which explains why they are so big. The lakes at the preserve are kept full by the year-round Whitewater river that runs adjacent to the visitor’s center.

Best Free Place To Take Kids Goat Hill Junction

Goat Hill Junction is probably the best free place to take kids in Southern California. Rides are given every third weekend of the month at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa.

Parents can hop on the trains with their children and have as much fun as they do. Rides on the miniature trains are free, although the train club gladly accepts donations. The track layout is impressive and has taken hundreds of hours to complete, and everyone can ride for free.

Explore Nature at Paramount Ranch

Paramount Ranch is located in the Santa Monica Mountains. Admission and parking are free. As soon as you cross the bridge over Medea Creek and into the park, you will know you have arrived somewhere special.

During the week, you might even catch a film crew and work making a commercial or movie. There are miles of trails to explore, leading to the site where the Mash TV show was filmed.

Bolsa Chica Wetlands Free Admission & Parking

Bolsa Chica Wetlands is adjacent to Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach from Warner Avenue to Seal Beach. The wetlands sit on 1,200 acres of prime oceanfront land that used to be covered with oil wells. There are still active oil wells in the area, but eventually, they will all be removed.

Hiking at Bolsa Chica Wetlands is divided into the upper mesa and the lower wetlands causeway. The Mesa trail offers spectacular Bolsa Chica State Beach vistas; you can see the Queen Mary in Long Beach on a clear day.

Free Places to Go Little Saigon Westminster

Little Saigon has the largest concentration of Vietnamese shopping outside of Vietnam. The central business district of Little Saigon is located in a section bordered by Bolsa, Westminster, Magnolia, and Brookhurst Avenues. Most of the restaurants and shops are located within these boundaries.

A good starting point is the Asian Garden Mall, which houses the most prominent jewelry market in Orange County. Little Saigon features various Vietnamese shops, restaurants, and boutiques. Enjoy the flavor of Vietnam in Southern California.

Laguna Beach Treasure Island Park

Treasure Island Park in Laguna Beach is, well, a treasure. This has got to be one of California’s most beautiful oceanfront parks. Locals would love to keep this place hidden, but it’s open to the public for free, and anyone can go.

The park is in front of the Montage Resort, one of the swankiest hotels in Southern California. Most people can not afford to stay at the Montage. However, anyone can stroll around the park and enjoy the million-dollar Pacific Ocean view.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

You might be thinking, why would I ever want to go and visit a cemetery? Hollywood Forever is like no other and is the final resting place of many famous early Hollywood stars. Hollywood Forever is also listed on the National Register of Historic Sites.

The cemetery is a popular tourist attraction and holds events throughout the year, including movie showings and the famous Dia de Los Muertos festival. You can take a guided tour (reservations required) for a fee or a self-guided tour and roam around on your own. Parking is free depending on what is going on that day.

Sunnylands Estate Rancho Mirage Garden Tour

Sunnylands is located in the desert community of Rancho Mirage, about a 30-minute drive from Palm Springs, California. The 200-acre estate was the former retreat of world leaders and celebrities who were guests of billionaires Walter and Leonore Annenberg.

Admission to the 17,000-square-foot visitor center and the estate gardens is free, along with parking.  A more detailed tour that must be booked in advance is $35.00 per person.

Southern California Railway Museum Perris

Admission to the Orange Empire museum grounds is free except on special event days. Visitors can wander around the expansive museum and enjoy a collection of the rolling stock that looks back on Southern California’s railroad history.  Orange Empire Railway Museum is a perfect destination for families on a tight budget.

If you want to ride on a train or trolley, a modest ticket fee lets visitors ride as many times as they like.

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium San Pedro

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium admission is free.  While not near the size of the Aquarium of the Pacific, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium has a good collection of sea creatures on display.

The inner and outer Cabrillo beaches are directly across the street from the aquarium. Cabrillo Beach Coastal Park has a walkway down to some exciting tide pools if you can time your visit to low tide.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center Laguna Beach

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center is located in the beautiful Laguna Canyon. Its primary purpose is aiding injured California seals and sea lions stranded along the Orange County coastline by returning them to health and returning them to the wild. The center experienced a surge in patients from March to July. Admission is free.

Great Park Balloon Irvine, California

The Great Park Balloon is the most recognizable attraction of Great Park. It can rise to 400 feet above the surrounding landscape, serving as a public observation deck for Great Park and the surrounding area and providing a breathtaking 360° view that extends up to 40 miles on a clear day. Parking and admission to the balloon are free.

Niguel Botanical Preserve Laguna Niguel

The Niguel Botanical Preserve is a beautiful garden about 4 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean along Crown Valley Parkway. The garden covers over 18 acres of Crown Valley Community Park and is on a hillside with numerous trails leading to the top. Visitors can enjoy the fantastic views of Saddleback Mountain from the top. Admission and parking are free, so it’s worth a visit!

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