Touring Hollywood is a cheap way to see places you may recognize from TV and movies. Drive along Sunset Boulevard to see much homage to the movie industry, including the footprints of stars at Mann's Chinese Theater and look-alike actors playing famous movie characters on the street.
Strolling, bicycling or rollerblading your way through a park is always a low-cost and fun activity. Two famous parks in southern California are Griffith Park (laparks.org) located near Hollywood, and Balboa Park (balboapark.org) in San Diego. Griffith Park is home to the Griffith Observatory and the Autry National Center among other things. Balboa Park has the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad that you can ride on and a carousel that features the brass ring game.
Relaxing in the sun on soft, warm sand is a very low-cost activity for California visitors and residents. Beaches vary in what they have to offer in southern California, however Malibu is known for beach houses that are inches from the shore. Santa Monica has the famous Pacific Park (pacpark.com), which is an amusement park located on the Santa Monica Pier. Huntington Beach (referred to as Surf City) is the perfect place to try surfing or relax and watch others surf.
Visiting museums can be fun, educational and low-cost. There are some museums in southern California that are absolutely free, and others have certain days where there is no charge. One museum that is very popular and free is the J. Paul Getty Museum (getty.edu) in Los Angeles. Located on a hilltop overlooking LA, this museum boasts Monets and Cezannes. The California Science Center, (californiasciencecenter.org) also in LA, is also free. Learn with "hands-on" experiences about human innovations and inventions among other things.
