With extended evening hours during the weekend, it’s easier than ever to take advantage of the “Pay Once, Park Twice” program which offers same-day parking at both the Getty Center and the Getty Villa for one $15 fee. Best of all, admission to both sites and activities are free.
Getty Center
Drop in and play games that sharpen your art-looking skills at the Museum Game Zone, Fridays, June 19 and 26; Wednesdays, July 8, and 22; and Tuesdays, July 14 and 28, and August 5 and 11, from 11am to 2pm.
Get up close and personal with a single work in a half-hour gallery experience in Family Art Stops, offered Wednesdays–Fridays in July and August, at 11:30am. Or explore a work of art in the galleries in Art Adventures for Families, then create your own masterpiece inspired by what you see, Sundays in July and August, at 11:30am and 1pm.
Families can also join Art Lab: Still Lifes in Blossom, where you can enter into the mind of Dutch still-life master Jan van Huysum as you create your own representation of a flower, bug, or fruit that will become a giant collective still life. Friday and Saturday, July 31 and August 1 and Friday and Saturday, August 14 and 15, from 11am to 3pm.
In August, the Getty Center’s Central Garden fills with music on the weekends starting at 4pm with Garden Concerts for Kids, a free outdoor music series for kids and their families featuring some of the best children’s musical artists from across the nation. Musicians this year include Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards, Saturday and Sunday, August 1 and 2, Lisa Loeb, Saturday and Sunday, August 8 and 9, and The Not Its, Saturday and Sunday, August 15 and 16.
Finally, don’t miss the Family Room, open all day long for drop-in, hands-on activities highlighting objects in the Getty Museum’s collection, GettyGuide® family audio tours on iPod Touches, and Art Detective Cards.
Getty Villa
At the Getty Villa, travel back to the age of mythical monsters and heroes in Art Odyssey for Families. This 45-minute program combines a tour in the galleries with hands-on activities, Saturdays, July 4 and 18 and August 1, 15, and 29, at 11:45am. Additionally, ArtQuest!: Scent / Spice / Salve offers a hands-on workshop with artist Becca Lofchie to create your own herbal mixture from ingredients similar to those found in the Villa’s gardens, Thursday–Sunday, July 9–12 and Sunday and Monday, August 9 and 10, from 11am to 3pm. You can also learn how nature was a source of inspiration for ancient Roman artists and use papyrus paper to create nature-inspired drawings in Family Drawing Hour: Gardens. Saturday, July 11 and 25, at 11am. Learn how to draw lions and horses, popular subjects in the ancient world symbolizing wealth, prestige, and bravery in Family Drawing Hour: Animals, Saturday, August 8 and 22, at 11am.
The Villa also offers the GettyGuide® Family Audio Tour on iPod Touches and self-guided Art Detective Cards. The Family Forum is open all day for drop-in, hands-on play and engagement for young and old.
Admission to the Getty Center and Getty Villa is always free. Parking is $15. Advance, timed tickets are required for the Getty Villa. For Villa tickets and for more information about free family activities at both Getty sites this summer, call (310) 440–7300.