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Before the Getty closes, which LA museums should you see? | The LA museum guide 2026

The Getty Center closes for a year from March 15, 2027, and LA's museums have kept shifting these past two years: new buildings have opened, and the space shuttle stands upright in its new home from 11/13. One museum per page: open now or not, book or not, ticket prices, and the best story each one's got.

Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.

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  1. 00 | The museum that's 'always going to be there'

    Live in LA long enough and museums become a 'next time' thing. Then the Getty announced it would close for a year starting March 15, 2027, and I realized they've all been changing these past two years.

  2. 01 | The timeline first, 2026–2028

    Open: the Getty Villa, LACMA's new building, the Lucas Museum. Opening soon: the new space shuttle building 11/13/2026, JANM 1/23/2027. Closing: the Getty Center 3/15/2027, back in spring 2028.

  3. 02 | Getty Center: before it closes, ride the little tram up once

    Richard Meier's white museum, with the Central Garden and Van Gogh's Irises. Free, but you need a timed reservation; open till 8pm on Saturdays for sunset. Some galleries have already closed, so check first if there's something you want to see.

  4. 03 | Getty Villa: the ancient Roman villa that came back after the fire

    Reopened June 27, 2025, with the building and collection unharmed. While the Center is closed, the Villa will open extra galleries for paintings moved over. Closed Tuesdays, free with a reservation.

  5. 04 | LACMA: the new building is made for getting lost in

    Peter Zumthor's David Geffen Galleries span Wilshire, with no main entrance and nothing arranged by period. Urban Light out front doesn't need a ticket, and the second Tuesday of every month is free.

  6. 05 | Academy Museum: you can see Jaws without a ticket

    Bruce, the 25-foot shark hanging above the escalators, was made from the original Jaws mold and hangs in a public area. Adults $25, 17 and under free; to go up and accept an Oscar, buy the Oscars Experience separately.

  7. 06 | Petersen: a car city gets a car museum

    You'll recognize the red ribbon facade right away, and inside there's a DeLorean, the Batmobile and Ecto-1. Car nerds should add The Vault in the basement.

  8. 07 | Lucas Museum: a museum about storytelling

    Founded by George Lucas and designed by Ma Yansong's MAD, it opened September 22, 2026, with everything from Rockwell and Frida to Star Wars props. Everyone needs a timed reservation, even for free tickets.

  9. 08 | Exposition Park: from dinosaurs to the space shuttle

    In the morning, see three T. rexes of different ages at the Natural History Museum; from 11/13, space shuttle Endeavour stands upright in launch position in the new building, free with a reservation and a $4 per person fee.

  10. 09 | The Broad: infinity in one minute

    Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirror Room fits up to four people, one minute each. Mirror room tickets are released once a month, so book the day they drop; if you miss out, the website releases same-day tickets daily.

  11. 10 | MOCA + Hauser & Wirth: both free

    One sits among the high-rises on Grand Ave, the other in an old flour mill in the Arts District, with a chicken coop and herb garden in the courtyard; afterward, stay for dinner at Manuela.

  12. 11 | Chinese and Japanese American LA

    The Chinese American Museum is in an old red brick building in El Pueblo, suggested admission $3; JANM is under renovation until January 23, 2027, and the new permanent exhibit includes an incarceration camp barrack.

  13. 12｜Westside：Hammer＋Museum of Jurassic Technology

    One is free and airy, the other dim and enough to make you question reality >_< Give MJT 60–90 minutes, and always finish upstairs with tea in the rooftop garden with the dovecote.

  14. 13 | The Huntington: from The Blue Boy to a Suzhou garden

    The Blue Boy, a Gutenberg Bible and the Chinese garden Liu Fang Yuan, all on one campus. You must book timed tickets ahead; the first Thursday of the month is free, but tickets go fast.

  15. 14 | Norton Simon: one small museum, a whole wall of Impressionists

    Degas's ballerinas, Van Gogh, Monet, with a sculpture garden and pond out back. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and free on the first Friday of the month, 4–7pm.

  16. 15 | Free days, put them on your calendar

    Always free: both Gettys, The Broad, MOCA, the Hammer, Hauser & Wirth. The Huntington the first Thursday of the month, LACMA the second Tuesday, Norton Simon the first Friday evening.

  17. 16 | Closed days: don't make a wasted trip

    Mondays: the Getty Center, The Broad, MOCA, the Hammer, CAM. Tuesdays: the Getty Villa, the Huntington, the Academy Museum, Lucas. Wednesdays: LACMA.

  18. 17 | Four museum routes

    The three on Museum Row are walkable; take the E Line to Exposition Park; DTLA is one afternoon; take your time in Pasadena. 'Don't put the Getty Center and the Villa on the same day.'

  19. 18 | Two-city mirror

    In Taipei, a weekend at the National Palace Museum means lining up for the Jadeite Cabbage; in LA, a weekend means driving up the hill and riding a little tram. 'In Taipei, a museum is an outing; in LA, a museum is a whole day.'

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An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).