Explore Movie Magic at The Academy Museum
We had a special guest in town recently, and we made that the perfect excuse to finally make our way over to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. We love movies, and we had been anticipating this experience for a while. And then we saw a commercial promoting it during the Oscars this year, and we refused to let any more time pass before we got there to check it out.
And we’re so happy we did!
At the time of our visit, there was a spectacular Godfather exhibit (The Art of Moviemaking: The Godfather) that included early drafts of the script, pieces of the sets, actual costumes (with side-by-side images from the film), and an array of props.
We also got to tour the Casablanca exhibit (Significant Movies and Moviemakers: Casablanca), which included Sam’s famous piano.
The Academy Museum’s Short History
Although this great homage to cinema and film history had been in the works for quite some time, it has only been open since 2021. The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures officially opened in the fall of 2021, though it was originally scheduled to open a year before. Due to the pandemic, the grand opening was delayed, and the museum finally opened its doors to the public on September 30, 2021.
A long list of donors helped budget this incredible construction project, and the Board of Trustees includes Hollywood royalty and notable names like Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, Laura Dern, and Ryan Murphy.
While the museum has only been open for a few years, the art of cinema is well over a century old, so there is so much to draw from, including the classics like The Godfather and Casablanca, global cinema, and the ever-changing technological achievements we see in movies year after year. In addition to the multiple levels of exhibits, the Academy Museum also hosts a number of events, film screenings, and educational programs.
Planning Your Trip
Since it is still relatively new, the Academy Museum is a popular spot for Angelenos and out-of-towners. Weekends are going to be busy, but there are sweet spots where you’ll be able to visit the museum without huge crowds. If you can make the trip on a weekday after work or after the kids are out of school, you’ll likely encounter smaller crowds. But any day is a great day to visit this homage to cinema, and there is plenty to see and level after level of exhibits to lose yourself in.
We decided to go on a Friday with the idea of combining our trip to the Academy Museum with a picnic at LACMA Jazz. We scheduled our trip for 4:00 PM hoping to beat the summer LACMA picnickers. However, we underestimated our fellow Angelenos and it took a little longer than we expected to find a parking spot. Still, we got very lucky and landed a spot right across the street from the Pritzker parking garage.
We picked up some fried chicken and a couple of sides to share at Gus’s and packed some wine and soft drinks. After parking, we headed over to the museum and spent a couple of hours there — getting absolutely lost in The Godfather exhibit and all three levels of the Stories of Cinema exhibit.
There are plenty of spots for great photo ops or Instagram moments. We couldn’t resist getting a cheesy selfie in front of the North By Northwest backdrop of Mount Rushmore — looks real, doesn’t it?!
Getting Tickets
We highly recommend getting tickets in advance. When you purchase your ticket, you will book your time slot, which is actually very convenient in terms of visiting. And it’s not necessarily a dealbreaker if you don’t quite get there right on time or if you’re late due to parking (more on parking in a moment), but do your best to arrive at the time you are scheduled for. We happened to be a few minutes late because we happened to go on a Friday during LACMA Jazz season, so we had a hard time finding reasonable parking.
Tickets for adults are $25 and kids under 17 are free. The pricing breakdown for tickets at the Academy Museum is as follows:
- Adult Tickets: $25
- Senior Citizen Tickets (age 62 and up): $19
- Students (age 18 and up with a student ID): $15
- Children (17 and under): Free
- Museum Members, Academy Members, and CA EBT cardholders: Free
Parking at the Academy Museum
The museum has a valet area on the east side of Fairfax just north of Wilshire, and there’s the Peterson Automotive parking garage across Wilshire on the east side of Fairfax and the Pritzker parking structure north of the museum on 6th Street, but if you’re like us you’ll probably want to grab a spot at a parking meter on the south side of 6th Street or — better yet — opt for free self-parking on the north side of 6th Street.
- Self-Parking: Free on the north side of 6th Street or $1 – $2 per hour at a meter on the south side of 6th Street
- Valet: $21 or $17 with validation from the museum or Fanny’s
- LACMA Pritzker Parking Garage: $20
- Peterson Museum Parking Garage: $21
We have rarely ever had trouble finding parking on 6th Street, so if you don’t mind a quick walk across the beautiful LACMA grounds, then you can easily save the 20 bucks or so on valet or the parking garages.
Hours of Operation
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is open seven days a week. Occasionally, they will close for maintenance or on major holidays, so be sure to check the schedule before you plan your trip.
- Sunday thru Thursday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Friday & Saturday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Fanny’s Restaurant
For all of the Los Angeles foodies out there, the Academy Museum has a charming restaurant called Fanny’s — however, if you’re like us and looking to do Los Angeles on a budget, then this may not be the place to have dinner. That said, we’ll entertain the idea of one day stopping in for a drink and sharing a cheese board.
