Indoor Activities in Los Angeles: 8 Picks for Any Weather

Indoor activities in Los Angeles work best when you pick by interest and check the weekday. Every museum below closes on a different day, so a wet Monday or Tuesday needs a different choice. If you want an art museum with a ticket you can buy ahead, start with LACMA tickets and read the entry on it below.

Should you book a tour or go on your own? For the museums, go on your own. The tickets we picked are plain entry tickets with no guide, and each museum also sells its own ticket, so compare the two prices before you pay. A guide only adds something at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, where the guide takes you through the back lot and the sound stages.

Key Takeaway The Petersen Automotive Museum is open every day. The Broad and MOCA close on Monday, the Academy Museum closes on Tuesday, and LACMA closes on Wednesday.

1. Petersen Automotive Museum: cars for a rainy afternoon

The Petersen is the best indoor pick when you are not sure which day you will go, because it is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. The museum's visit page says check-in closes at 5:30 pm. It is closed on November 26 and December 25.

Most visitors spend two to three hours, plus more time in the Vault. The Vault holds "over 300 of the rarest vehicles ever assembled," and children under 4 are not allowed in. Petersen's ticket page lists an adult ticket with the Vault at $52. General admission for adults is $23.

Parking is $18 for the first two hours and $24 a day at most, with admission. The garage entrance is on Fairfax Avenue.

This general admission ticket is from €19.58 per person. Petersen Automotive Museum is the provider, and the meeting point is 6060 Wilshire Blvd. The 4.8 rating comes from 848 reviews. The ticket is wheelchair-accessible and covers three floors of cars and motorbikes. On 22 October 2026 it showed free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance. Petersen's own site says its online tickets are non-refundable, so compare both sets of terms before you book. The listing gives no group size, no visit length and no "not suitable for" list, and the museum itself says to plan two to three hours. Do it on your own: this is a plain entry ticket with no guide, so the museum's $23 adult ticket buys the same visit.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

2. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures: film history, closed Tuesday

The Academy Museum is open Wednesday to Monday from 10 am to 6 pm and closed on Tuesday. Its visit page lists an adult ticket at $25, with a senior ticket at $19 and free entry for visitors 17 and under. Plan about two hours.

Advance reservations are encouraged but not required, and walk-up tickets are first come, first served. Film screenings are a separate ticket and museum entry is not needed to attend one. Bags under 16 by 16 inches are allowed, and larger items go to the coat check.

The museum sits next to the Petersen on Wilshire Boulevard, so you can read more at the Academy Museum page. The Academy Museum ticket is from €22.25 per person. The listing names Eguide Pty Ltd as the provider, not the museum. Its rating is 4.5 from 237 reviews. The ticket covers the three-level exhibitions and the temporary show, but not film screenings or the Oscars Experience. The listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book. The meeting point is the museum itself at 6067 Wilshire Blvd, and you enter at the time you pick. The listing gives a group size of up to 9 and no visit length, and it names no one the ticket is not suitable for. This is an entry ticket with no guide, so you can also buy on your own from the museum.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

3. LACMA: the biggest art museum, closed Wednesday

LACMA is the largest art museum on this list, and it is closed on Wednesday. LACMA's visit page lists adult tickets at $25 for LA County residents and $30 for everyone else. Youth and teens in the county are free.

Walk-up tickets are sold, but timeslots can sell out, and LACMA says advance timed entry is highly recommended. On a wet weekend, book ahead. The Metro D Line stops at Wilshire/Fairfax, which is next to the museum.

LACMA is free for all visitors on the second Tuesday of the month. County residents also enter free after 3 pm on weekdays.

The neighboring La Brea Tar Pits museum is closed for a two-year rebuild, according to the tar pits' own page. Many outdoor areas of the park stay open, so it does not help on a wet day.

The best museum on a rainy day is the one you can reach before the weather changes.

4. The Broad and MOCA: free contemporary art downtown

The Broad and MOCA Grand Avenue both have free general admission, and both close on Monday. The Broad recommends a timed ticket, and walk-ups are open daily. Its hours are 11 am to 5 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 11 am to 8 pm on Thursday and 10 am to 6 pm on weekends. The Infinity Mirrored Room needs an advance reservation.

MOCA is across the street. It recommends advance reservations, and it is open 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday to Friday and 11 am to 6 pm on weekends. The two are an easy pair for a rainy date, and both sit in Downtown Los Angeles.

Pro Tip Book The Broad's Infinity Mirrored Room first, then use the free walk-up time slots for the rest of the museum.

5. Natural History Museum: dinosaurs on a budget

The Natural History Museum is the cheapest paid pick here, and it is open daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm. It is closed on the first Tuesday of every month and on some holidays, according to the museum's ticket page.

The museum's prices are $18 for adults, $14 for seniors, students and ages 13 to 17, and $7 for children 3 to 12. Special exhibitions, the 3D Theater and the Butterfly and Spider Pavilion cost extra. The car park is $20 flat.

This entry ticket is from €16.02 per person. The museum itself is the provider, and the rating is 4.6 from 538 reviews. The ticket includes general admission but not special exhibits. The listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book. The meeting point is 900 W Exposition Blvd, and the listing gives no group size, no visit length and no "not suitable for" list. It is an entry ticket with no guide, so you can also buy on your own at the museum's site. The page for the Natural History Museum has more.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

6. Madame Tussauds Hollywood: wax figures on Hollywood Boulevard

Madame Tussauds Hollywood is a good short stop when you are already on Hollywood Boulevard. The attraction's site lists online tickets from $29 per person and advises you to pre-book to guarantee entry. It shows seven themed zones, including Music, Making Movies and Illusions of Horror, and a 4D film.

We could not find a visit length on that page, so ask the venue. This ticket is from €25.82 per person. Meet at 6933 Hollywood Blvd. The price covers admission, the Jumanji 4D film and interactive displays, but not food and drinks. Rating: 4.6 from 587 reviews. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance was shown on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

7. Warner Bros. Studio Tour: sets and sound stages, rain or shine

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour is indoor in parts, but it is not a fully dry plan. The studio's FAQ says the tours "operate rain or shine" and tells you to dress for the weather. A guide takes you to the back lot in a tour cart for about 45 to 60 minutes, and the self-guided part starts at Stage 48. Allow about three hours in total.

Children under 5 are not permitted, and ages 5 to 17 need an adult. The studio recommends booking well ahead because walk-up tickets are limited and not guaranteed. It lists parking at the tour center at $20 per vehicle.

This studio tour is from €70.33 per person. Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood runs it, with groups of up to 14, and the meeting point is 3400 Warner Blvd in Burbank. Stage 48: Script to Screen and the Friends boutique are included, but tips and transport are not. The rating is 4.6 from 8,833 reviews. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance was shown on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book. The listing says the tour is not suitable for children under 5, and it gives about 3 hours. The studio runs this listing itself, so the guide is part of the ticket. The studio's FAQ page did not give a price, so we cannot compare it with the listing. Our Hollywood and Beverly Hills tours page has other ways to see studio sights.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

8. Cosm: a film inside a giant dome

Cosm is a night-out pick, and its program changes, so check what is playing. The venue in Inglewood is open year-round and sells entry only during event hours, according to its help center. Parking in the adjacent lot is validated for four hours with a purchase.

This dome ticket is from €55.28 per person. The listing shows a Harry Potter film on an 87-foot wraparound screen, with reserved dome seating, for about 160 minutes. Cosm Los Angeles runs it, and the rating is 4.2 from 55 reviews. On 22 October 2026 the listing showed no free cancellation and called the activity non-refundable. Read its terms before you book, and check that the film is still the one on offer.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

How to choose indoor activities in Los Angeles

Choose by the day of the week first, then by interest and budget. The table shows when each pick is closed and what it costs.

Things to Do in Los Angeles' count of GetYourGuide listings on 22 October 2026 found 25 entry tickets, and six of them cost under €25 per person, from €15.58.

On a Monday, choose the Petersen, the Academy Museum or LACMA. On a Tuesday, choose the Petersen, LACMA, The Broad or MOCA. On a Wednesday, skip LACMA. If you can only book one, the Petersen Automotive Museum is open on all three days, so it is the one plan that survives a change of day.

On a very hot day, pick the galleries over the outdoor parts. The official pages do not say whether the museums are air-conditioned, so ask the venue if that matters. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour is partly outdoors, and the Natural History Museum has outdoor nature gardens.

If you want a science museum, the California Science Center is the main one in the city. Its website blocked us on 22 October 2026, so we cannot give its price. It publishes its own prices, so check them there. For a priced science-style pick on this list, the Natural History Museum charges adults $18.

The limits are real. A museum is a poor plan if your group wants to be outdoors, and the best tickets sell out on weekends. Parking at these museums costs $18 to $24 or more, so the Metro is the cheaper way to reach several of them.