SATURDAY, JAN. 25

You know, there are some days that one just needs to museum. You’re wanting, needing, craving a bit of beauty, knowledge or culture; an itch that sometimes only a museum can scratch. How lucky are you that today is Museums-Free-For-All, an annual event put together by SoCal Museums, which seeks to remind people of the great fun it is to go to a museum and the fact that most museums have some kind of ongoing free admission program of their very own.

Today, there will be more than 40 museums offering free general admission; you’ll still have to pay for special ticketed events as well as parking. Always parking.

None of the museums in Long Beach are participating in this— though each of them do have their own free admission programs—so you’re going to have to make a day of it, i.e. drive. We suggest planning ahead. Fortunately, there’s plenty to plan from.

If you’re looking for a big, wide-swath experience, you’ve got your LA County Museum of Art, a couple of Gettys, the Hammer, etc. If you’re looking for a niche, there’s the American Museum of Ceramic Art, the Craft Contemporary, the Automobile Driving Museum, etc. Something for the kids? There’s Kidspace Children’s Museum, Cayton Children’s Museum, etc. Looking for some knowledge? There’s LA County Natural History as well as the La Brea Tar Pits, California Science Center, etc. Looking for insights into specific cultures? There’s California African American Museum, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Japanese American National Museum, etc.

And there’s a lot more.

We suggest you take advantage and museum the heck out of the day.

Another great thing: This includes gardens: Descanso, Getty, Rancho Santa Ana…

Giving us a moment’s pause: So much museum.

Museums-Free-For-All takes place Saturday. For all participating museums, click here.