Free Art and Music Activities in Santa Monica

73.   Immerse yourself in the arts at Southern California’s largest art gallery complex, Bergamot Station. Visit over 35 contemporary art galleries, studios, and architecture design firms.

74.   Visit The Getty Villa, an educational center and museum dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. Museum-goers can stop by the Santa Monica Visitor Center on Main Street to arrange same‐day passes to the Villa.

75.   Join in on a free Docent Tours of the Annenberg Beach House. Tours are offered daily from May‐October at the old Marion Davies/Hearst Beach house site at 415 Pacific Coast Highway.

76.  Go back in time at the annual Pico Art Walk & Vintage Auto Show that takes place at Virginia Avenue Park on one Saturday in October. Double- decker bus ride along Pico Blvd.

77.   Get a glimpse of the wall mural depicting ocean scenes outside of the newly remodeled Santa Monica Aquarium on Ocean Front Walk.

78.   Take advantage of Santa Monica's ideal year‐round weather and “Walk Santa Monica” to take in the city’s many historical landmarks (self‐guided Santa Monica Conservancy tour map available from SM Visitor Centers).

79.   The Santa Monica Library offers a dazzling public facility, showcasing cutting‐edge environmental technology and featuring solar panels and an energy efficient roof. Events include author talks, concerts and presentations.

80.   Explore the Santa Monica Museum of Art, displaying innovative exhibits that foster diversity, and pivotal moments in the history of contemporary art and history.

81.   Schedule a special visit to The Eames House, a landmark of mid‐20th century modern architecture. Constructed in 1949 by husband and wife design pioneers Charles and Ray Eames, the Eames' gracious live‐work lifestyle continues to be an influential model in design and architecture. (www.eamesfoundation.org)

82.   Enjoy a mirror‐and‐lens panorama that has documented Santa Monica for more than 100 years. Stop by Camera Obscura – a life size, walk‐through pinhole camera – only one of three in the US along Palisades Park.

83.   Experience “culture within culture” along Santa Monica’s Design District, featuring showrooms of modern design for home or business.

84.   Hang out and strum a vintage guitar at legendary McCabe’s Guitar Shop. Opened in 1958, McCabe’s specializes in acoustic and folk instruments and offers thousands of books and recordings.

85.   Show off your talents, whether it is poetry or comedy, at Open Mic nights at Un‐Urban Cafe on Pico, or The Novel Cafe.

86.   Hit the beach in search of art. West of Pico Blvd., in the sand, is “Singing Beach Chairs,” a pair of playfully oversized lifeguard chairs by Douglas Hollis. In a strong wind, the aluminum tubes that form the backrests become 14‐ft‐tall panpipes.

87.   Check out “Open Mic” at M.i.'s Westside Comedy Theater on the Third Street Promenade; come practice your 3‐5 minute stand‐up routine, showcase a new sketch or show a short video.

88.   Experience “Art Nights” at the 18th Street Arts Complex that provokes public dialogue through contemporary art making.

89.   Check out the schedule of free feature films that are screened at the Main Library, Martin Luther King Auditorium.

90.   Enjoy Free Docent Tours of the Santa Monica Library on the 3rd Friday of every month.

91.   Pick up a Santa Monica Art Trek Map which offers a comprehensive guide to public art works around the City.

92.   Discover hidden art! Find Manfred Miller's haunting public art installation Twilight and Yearning consisting of three wooden boats lashed to the pilings underneath the boardwalk. Also find a huge concrete stamp roller that imprints a map of Los Angeles into the wet sand.

93.   Attend a lecture at Santa Monica Community College. The college presents more than 100 distinguished speakers all year and is open to the public.

94.   Learn about the Artists Web, a cooperative store on Main Street displaying local artists' work. Similarly, “Ten Women” is owned by a group of artists who craft handmade items such as jewelry, fine art and ceramics

95.   Music to your ears. The award winning Santa Monica Symphony presents four free concerts a year at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

96.   Free live music concerts for children come to the Pier on Sunday afternoons February through May at the Santa Monica Pier.

97.   Stroll down Adelaide Drive to admire the elegant early Craftsman homes built by Santa Monica’s founding residents.

98.   Visit the Third Street Historic District, south of Ocean Park Boulevard. Architecturally, the buildings chronicle the evolution of design from the Victorian era through the revival styles of the 1920s and 1930s.

99.   Enjoy great buildings from world‐renowned yet local architect Frank Gehry – from the Edgemar Building on Main Street to his one time home of corrugated metal and chain link on 22nd and Washington, his talents are showcased right here in Santa Monica.

100. Discover the classic Streamline Moderne architecture of the original Merle Norman Cosmetics building at 2525 Main Street. Giving hope to the community during the great depression, the skincare and cosmetics company started here in the 1930s.

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