California PreK-12 teachers and school staff get free general admission to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County with an ID, and it isn’t limited to teachers who work in L.A. County. It’s free, not discounted. The museum’s Free Hours and Admission page lists California PreK-12 teachers with ID, and California PreK-12 school staff with ID, under Free Museum Admission Daily.
If you’re scouting the museum before you bring a class, or you want a weekend with your own kids and would rather not pay at the door, you can walk up to a ticketing desk with your ID or reserve a free ticket online first. The part that takes a little care is the add-on tickets, so we’ve spelled out what the free ticket covers and what it doesn’t.
How To Get The Natural History Museum Of Los Angeles County Teacher Discount
There are two ways to do it. The admission page says free tickets are available at any museum ticketing desk when you show your teacher ID on arrival. It also says free admission for California teachers can be reserved online, and that you’ll be asked to upload your ID for verification on the checkout page.
The museum’s teacher resources page is the one that says what counts as the ID: a school ID or a current paystub. It words the group as California K-12 teachers, and it says free admission is good any day of the week. School staff are listed on their own line on the admission page, right under teachers, so if you work at a California school without leading a classroom, check that line before you assume you’re left out.
One detail that clears up a common mix-up: the only line on that free-admission list that names L.A. County is for county residents on Monday through Friday from 3 to 5 pm. That’s a separate group from California teachers, so you don’t need to live or teach in L.A. County to use the teacher line.
What The Free Ticket Covers
The free ticket is for museum admission. The admission page says add-on tickets must be purchased to see special exhibitions, the Butterfly and Spider Pavilion, the 3D Theater and other special ticketed experiences, and it says parking isn’t included with museum admission either. If you’re planning a day with your own kids and you want the Butterfly and Spider Pavilion or a 3D Theater show, budget for those tickets and for parking separately.
Teacher Preview Days And Classroom News
The teacher resources page says the museum also offers Teacher Preview Days for new exhibits so that you can see them first. It also has a sign-up for news from the museum’s School and Teacher Programs, including quarterly newsletters, classroom resources and professional development opportunities. The page doesn’t list preview dates, so the sign-up is the place to start if you want to hear what’s coming.
Bringing A Class
Your own free ticket is for you. For a class trip, the admission page says the museum offers free admission to California accredited school groups, along with free virtual school programs. That’s a different arrangement from the teacher line, so read the school group details before you plan a trip around it.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
Neither the admission page nor the teacher resources page mentions private schools, and the two pages word the group a little differently (PreK-12 on one, K-12 on the other), so we can’t say whether a private school teacher is covered or whether a pre-K teacher needs anything extra. The pages also don’t say how recent a paystub has to be, and they don’t give dates for Teacher Preview Days or say how you sign up for one. An Educator Welcome Day page says that on that day educators got a plus one, and also says there are no future occurrences of the event, so we didn’t treat a free guest ticket as part of the standing offer.
Q&A
Is the Natural History Museum teacher admission only for L.A. County teachers?
No. The admission page lists California PreK-12 teachers with ID. The only L.A. County line on it is the Monday to Friday 3 to 5 pm window for county residents.
Is it free or discounted?
Free. Both the admission page and the teacher resources page say free admission.
What ID do I bring?
The admission page says your teacher ID, and the teacher resources page says a school ID or a current paystub.
Can I reserve ahead online?
Yes. The page says free admission for California teachers can be reserved online and that you upload your ID on the checkout page.
Does the free ticket include the Butterfly and Spider Pavilion or the 3D Theater?
No. The page says those need add-on tickets, along with special exhibitions and other special ticketed experiences.
Is parking free?
The admission page says parking isn’t included with museum admission.
Do I get a free guest ticket?
We didn’t find one as a standing benefit. A guest ticket was part of a past Educator Welcome Day, and that page says there are no future occurrences.
More Information:
The details above come from the Natural History Museum’s own pages as they loaded when we checked, and programs change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
