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Spring is a great time to check out the many local entertainment venues in Southern California. Since all the tourists have gone home and is spring break over, many local tourist spots in Southern California are offering exclusive discounts to residents only. Better yet, some tickets are even free (a small service fee applies)!
So here’s a roundup of the best free spring entertainment deals in Southern California for families! As always, if you find a great deal that you like, make sure to purchase it immediately. Once tickets are sold, they are gone forever.
Happy Field Tripping!
Jilleen
Southern California Entertainment Discount Tickets
Los Angeles
Complimentary Tickets to The Queen Mary, Long Beach
Larger and faster than the Titanic — and with 1001 successful trans-Atlantic crossings to the Titanic‘s zero — the Queen Mary is rich with history, elegance and grandeur. Decommissioned in 1967 after 30 years ferrying movie stars, royalty and World War II-era soldiers between the United States and England, this floating hotel and Southern California icon is filled with stories to experience. The First-Class Passport is your ticket to all the best activities the Queen Mary has to offer, including access to the model ship gallery, museum, the brand new 4-D theater and two tours that showcase the ship’s glitzy and haunted history.
Complimentary Tickets to The Battleship Iowa Museum, San Pedro
Board a historic battleship and see history come to life before your eyes. Named one of the best exhibits to see with your kids by CBS Local, the Battleship Iowa Museum is the West Coast’s only battleship open to the public. Walk the wooden decks and check out the guns, missile decks, bridge, mess areas and the world famous Captain’s Cabin — with the only bathtub installed on a battleship for a president. Known as “The Battleship of Presidents,” Iowa has hosted three presidents: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. New for 2017, you’ll get an up-close look at a Korean War-era Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever helicopter, fully restored and sitting on Iowa’s flight deck. You’ll also be able to have an augmented reality HUP Experience of flying an actual HUP helicopter, as well as take a simulated ride in a virtual reality Navy Flight Theater. The Battleship Iowa is located at the L.A. Waterfront, former home to the US Navy Battleship fleet prior to World War II and an area rich in maritime history
Complimentary Tickets to The Museum of Failure, Los Angeles
For every mega-success like the iPhone, VCR and Ford Mustang, there’s a couple of Apple Newtons, Betamaxes and Edsels that crashed and burned before them — and the pop-up exhibition known as The Museum of Failure celebrates these marketing missteps in all their glory. This primo collection of product blunders, curated by a Swedish innovation researcher, brings the best worst ideas together in an Instagram-friendly collection at DTLA’s A+D (Architecture and Design) Museum. You’ll see artifacts spanning from the 17th century right up to the present, including a Trump-based board game, Casio’s tiny color TV, New Coke and plenty more. No word on whether Ishtar is included in this Hollywood edition, however.
Complimentary Tickets to Circus Vargas: Dreaming of Pirates, Santa Ana
Avast, ye scurvy dogs! Circus Vargas is back with an all new show that’s sure to spark joy in the hearts of landlubbers and swabbies alike. America’s favorite traveling big top circus adds a fantastical new level of swashbuckling spectacle to its music-filled extravaganza with Dreaming of Pirates. Jam-packed with aerial feats, acrobatics and clowning, not to mention a colorful cast of characters, world-class performers, singing, comedy and more, Dreaming of Pirates has plenty of treasures for the whole family to enjoy. Before the show, kids have the chance to step into the ring and learn circus skills. After the show, stick around to meet and take pictures with the cast.
Complimentary Tickets to Snow White: A Pint-Sized-Play for the Family @ Pico Theatre, Los Angeles
Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to the woods Snow White will go! Creating Arts Company is proud to present the classic tale of a beautiful young princess who is banished into the woods by her evil stepmother the Queen. After taking refuge in the seven dwarfs cottage, the magic mirror informs the Queen that Snow White is still the fairest of all. Outraged, the Queen decides to take matters into her own hands with a poisoned apple! Help Snow White escape the evil Queen’s plan in this one-hour, interactive, immersive, cinematic experience that will thrill the whole family at the Pico Playhouse in Los Angeles.
