Weekend Getty Visitors Can Skip Parking Reservations

Beginning today, visitors to the Getty Center will no longer need parking reservations to visit the center on the weekends, officials said Friday.

Parking is still $5 per car; admission to the center is free.

Since it opened three years ago at its location off the San Diego Freeway at Getty Center Drive, parking reservations have been required. But officials have relaxed the requirement on Saturdays and Sundays to encourage more impromptu visits by families and local visitors.

Besides weekends, the center, which includes the J. Paul Getty Museum, no longer requires parking reservations for visits after 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. Also, college students with valid identification can visit the center any time without parking reservations, depending on availability of space.

Parking reservations are still required for weekday parking and for groups of 15 or more, even on weekends. Reservations are also needed for seating at the center’s events, including performing art programs and lectures.