The Marina del Rey Holiday Boat Parade sets sail this weekend. Photo by © Venice Paparazzi for the event.
Skirball Hanukkah Festival, Marina del Rey Holiday Boat Parade, and More Top Things To Do in Los Angeles This Weekend
Disney on Ice: Magic in the Stars glides into DTLA. Photo courtesy of Feld Entertainment.
19 Best Things to Do in Los Angeles December 2024 with Kids
Try sock skating at Kidspace Winter Frolic. Photo by Jamie Pham courtesy of the Museum
16 Must-Do Christmas Events and Holiday Activities in Los Angeles for Kids
Photo courtesy of Surfing Santa Contest via Facebook
GUIDE
Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events for Los Angeles Families
DTLA sparkles each night during the holiday season. Photo courtesy of The Bloc
45 Free Holiday and Christmas Events in Los Angeles for Kids
Enchanted: Forest of Light. Photo by Kathryn Rapier, courtesy of the event.
Best Holiday Lights Drive-Thrus and Christmas Light Shows in Los Angeles
Embrace the mess! Sloomoo Institute photo by Kylie Williams
NEW Sloomoo Institute Opens in Los Angeles for Kids to Enjoy Slime Fun
Get in the holiday spirit with a stroll through Candy Cane Lane in El Segundo. Photo by Gina Ragland
Best Neighborhood Christmas Light Displays and Holiday Lights in Los Angeles
Photo by Bill Soistmann
GUIDE
Los Angeles Visitors' Guide for Families
Dino Valley means jurassic fun in LEGOLAND for kids of all ages.
NEW Dino Valley in LEGOLAND is Open for T-Rex-Sized Fun
Dive into tons of fun in Long Beach. Photo courtesy of Aquarium of the Pacific
39 Things to Do With Kids in Long Beach
Dive into fun at the Cayton Children's Museum. Photo by Matthew Tucciarone
Best Children's Museums in Los Angeles and Orange County
Right this way to all the free fun in LA, especially at the Griffith Observatory! Photo by Gina Ragland
100 Fun Free Things To Do in Los Angeles with Kids
Everything at the Cayton has been carefully crafted with one goal in mind: to help create a better world through the power of play.
Guide to the Cayton Children’s Museum in Santa Monica–A Parent Review
This 3 day itinerary will make you fall in love with LA. Photo by Roberto Nickson, via Pexels
3 Days in Los Angeles with Kids: Ultimate Itinerary by a Local Mom
Imaginative play for preschoolers is music to our ears. Photo courtesy of Pretend City
39 Things To Do with Preschoolers in Los Angeles Before They Turn 5
Visit LACMA's Levitated Mass. Photo by Joey Zanetti
100 Things To Do in Los Angeles Before Kids Grow Up

Free Admission for Active Duty Military Families with Blue Star Museums

6/27/17 - By Toby B

Free museum admission is not just for kids in the summer months. More than 2000 museums across the country have joined the Blue Star initiative, offering free admission to active military personnel and their families* all summer long, from Memorial Day (Monday May 29 through Labor Day (Monday September 4). Spread the word; if you don't have active military in your own family, let your friends know that from the Automobile Driving Museum to the Santa Monica Aquarium and a whole slew in between, the men and women who protect all of our families can treat their families this summer.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Blue Star offers LA families plenty of options to ensure a fun-filled summer, including the Autry Museum of the American West, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Skirball Cultural Center, and the Zimmer Children's Museum.

Planning a road trip? Be sure to include stops at San Diego's New Children's Museum, Berkley's Habitot Children's Museum or San Francisco's Children's Creativity Museum. And for those traveling even further, participating institutions can be found in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Participating LA Area Museums 2017

Altadena
​The Bunny Museum

Avalon
Catalina Island Museum

Carson
The International Printing Museum

Claremont
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Culver City
The Wende Museum and Archive of the Cold War Inc.

El Segundo
Automobile Driving Museum

La Cañada Flintridge
Descanso Gardens

Laguna Beach
Laguna Art Museum

Los Angeles
Autry Museum of the American West
Go For Broke Education Center
Heritage Square Museum
Japanese American National Museum
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
MOCA ( Los Angeles)
Museum of Tolerance
Skirball Cultural Center
Velveteria
Zimmer Children's Museum

Ojai
Ojai Valley Museum

Oxnard
Carnegie Art Museum

Palm Springs
Palm Springs Art Museum

Pasadena
Norton Simon Museum
Pasadena Museum of History
Pasadena Museum of California Art

Pomona
American Museum of Ceramic Art
Southern California Medical Museum

Riverside
March Field Air Museum
Riverside Art Museum

San Clemente
Surfing Heritage & Culture Center

San Pedro
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Los Angeles Maritime Museum

Santa Barbara
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Santa Monica
California Heritage Museum
Heal the Bay's Santa Monica Pier Aquarium
Santa Monica History Museum

Torrance
Toyota USA Automobile Museum
Western Museum of Flight aka Southern California Historical Aviation Foundation

Ventura
Museum of Ventura County

Wilmington
Drum Barracks Civil War Museum
The Banning Museum

Questions? The Blue Star website answers basic FAQs of the program.

* up to five family members. 

Originally published May 22, 2012

Top photo shows The Brower family from Dyess, AFB visiting a Blue Star Museum. Photo courtesy of the Grace Museum