Free Things to Do in Los Feliz: A Neighbor's Guide

Yes. Griffith Observatory is a free-admission facility on the south side of Mount Hollywood. The building, the grounds and the public telescopes cost nothing. It is open Tuesday to Friday from noon to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. The address is 2800 East Observatory Road, Los Angeles, CA 90027.

The one thing that costs money is parking close to the building. The Observatory's own lot and the parallel parking on West Observatory Road are paid during operating hours, and the pay stations take credit cards only.

You can skip the parking question entirely. LADOT's DASH Observatory/Los Feliz bus runs from the Vermont/Sunset Metro station, stops at the Greek Theatre, and ends at the Observatory's front driveway, starting at 10 a.m. every day. Or arrive on foot: the Observatory recommends the hiking trails that start near the Greek Theatre and at Fern Dell.

Griffith Park sits right at the top of the neighborhood, and its trails are free. Three are easy to start from Los Feliz:

• Fern Dell. A shady, winding trail with more than 50 fern species near the park's Western Canyon entrance, at 2333 Fern Dell. It is also a trailhead for the climb up to the Observatory, which makes it a good first half of a free morning.
• Mount Hollywood Trail. This trail climbs from the Observatory parking lot to the summit of Mount Hollywood, the park's highest peak. It is part of a 53-mile trail network that closes at dusk.
• Bird Sanctuary. One of Griffith Park's special gardens, in Vermont Canyon just past the Greek Theatre at 2900 North Vermont Avenue. A short, quiet stop.

Griffith Park's trails close at dusk, so plan a sunset hike to end on the trail or at the Observatory, which stays open until 10 p.m. every day except Monday.

Barnsdall Art Park, at 4800 Hollywood Boulevard, is a hilltop City park open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Parking at the top and bottom of the hill is free but limited, so a weekday or an early start helps.

Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright's first Los Angeles commission and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sits on the same hilltop. Walking the grounds around it is part of your free park visit. Going inside is a paid, self-guided visit, Thursday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Los Feliz Branch Library at 1874 Hillhurst Avenue, in Los Feliz Village, is the Los Angeles Public Library's neighborhood branch. It is open Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It is closed on Sunday.

The places above are open most of the year. Dated events are where the rest of the free fun is: park concerts, gallery openings, neighborhood council meetings, volunteer days and community festivals.

1. Open the Los Feliz events calendar for this week. You can switch between a list and a month view.
2. Type "free" in the search box, or open the event page to see the cost when the organizer lists one.
3. Tap This weekend on Friday to see only Saturday and Sunday.
4. Save anything you like to your phone. Every event page has buttons to add it to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook.
5. Sign up for the free weekly "What's on in Los Feliz" email so the list comes to you.

Events come from neighbors who submit them and from the official public calendars of Griffith Observatory, the Greek Theatre, Friends of Griffith Park and the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council, which the site reads every morning. If you know about a free event we are missing, submit it here. Listing an event is free.

• Going to the Observatory on a Monday. It is closed Mondays. Every other day it is open until 10 p.m.
• Driving up without a credit card. The paid parking closest to the Observatory takes cards only. The DASH bus or the trail from Fern Dell avoids the question.
• Starting a hike too late. Griffith Park's trails close at dusk.
• Planning the art gallery for a Tuesday. The Municipal Art Gallery is open Thursday to Sunday, and it closes between shows.
• Expecting Hollyhock House to be free inside. The park and grounds are free. Going into the house is a paid visit, Thursday to Saturday.
• Trusting an old post for event times. Times change. Check the event page, and the organizer's link on it, the day you go.

Here are three ways we would spend one. Each costs nothing in admission.

The morning climb. Start at Fern Dell while it is cool, hike up to Griffith Observatory when it opens at 10 a.m., and look out over the basin. Take the DASH bus back down, or hike back the way you came.

The art afternoon. Head up the hill at Barnsdall Art Park, walk the grounds around Hollyhock House, then spend an hour in the Municipal Art Gallery before it closes at 4 p.m. Finish with a look at the events happening today for an evening plan.

The easy day. Spend the morning at the Los Feliz Branch Library on Hillhurst, then check the weekend calendar for a free concert, market or community event nearby.

Los Feliz Events is a free community calendar for Los Feliz, Los Angeles, from Rooster Homes, the Los Angeles real estate brokerage led by Brandon S. Arlington and Sarah Arlington. We live in Los Feliz Village. No business paid to be on this list, and we recheck every place on it every few months.

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in Los Feliz, you can meet Brandon and Sarah or reach out to Rooster Homes here. We are always glad to talk about the neighborhood, whether or not you are moving.