Free Kelp Tank and Sports Lab at California Science Center
Free hands-on science for a rainy LA afternoon, with timed entry to see Endeavour upright in the new space hall from November 13.
🎟️ Free, Ticketed and Opening Nov 13
The core galleries are free and need no reservation. Start in Ecosystems at the giant kelp forest tank, where kelp grows as large as a tree, then work through the Island Zone and the Rot Room.
GAME ON! is the free sports lab next to the kelp tank on the same floor, where pro athletes virtually coach you through baseball, soccer, basketball and swimming. Go early: final entry is 2:15 p.m. and it closes at 3.
The tickets are the exception: IMAX films on a seven-story screen and some special exhibitions are sold separately, so book online before you arrive.
Space shuttle Endeavour returns on November 13, when the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center opens and the orbiter stands upright in launch position, the only complete Space Shuttle System on display anywhere. That hall is free to enter as well, but timed entry is its own reservation and costs 4 dollars a person, waived for members, and the museum asks guests to book ahead. Until the 13th, Endeavour is off display.
