Living in Southern California can be expensive. No surprise there. But you may be surprised to know how many things you can do for free. Seriously. Always free (except sometimes for parking.)

So why spend a fortune to take the family out for the day? Here are some cool things you can do without even opening your wallet. And if you know of something I missed, let me know!

Vasquez Rocks: This unique county preserve is worth the scenic drive toward the Antelope Valley, as it offers some of the most photographed rocks anywhere. Vasquez Rocks has been the scene of many a movie and TV shoot as the closest “other-worldly” place to replicate for shows such as “Star Trek.” There are pleasant nature walks, and kids will love climbing on the rocks. Bring lots of water. There’s a small visitor center. Wear sensible shoes and sneakers. Warning: It’s hellishly hot in the summer. 10700 Escondido Canyon Road, Agua Dulce. parks.lacounty.gov (search “Vasquez Rocks”)

Orange County Museum of Art: This institution is on the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus and was designed by award-winning architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis Studios. The collection includes some 4,500 pieces on rotating exhibit. You will need to print out a free ticket that can be obtained online. Open Wednesdays-Sundays. 3333 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa. Adjacent paid parking. 714-780-2130 or ocma.art

Turtle Rock Nature Center: This 5-acre nature preserve is a great place for kids to run off steam, or just relax. It offers a paved trail, garden, a walking labyrinth and interpretive center. Open Mondays-Saturdays. 1 Sunnyhill Drive, Irvine. 949-724-6738 or cityofirvine.org (search “Turtle Rock Nature Center”)

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center: Museum of Discoveries is free. Botanical garden, turtle pond and dinosaur statues. Parking is $10. Open Saturdays and Sundays. 7621 Granite Hill Drive, Jurupa Valley. jmdc.org

Powder Canyon Family Hike: This 2-mile easy hike in the Puente Hills Preserve is on packed earth. The Black Walnut trailhead starts out a little steep but gets mostly level and easy for most families. Trees along the way provide shade. Nothing too dramatic to look at, but a pleasant time out of the city. More rigorous hikes are also available here, along with biking and riding terrain. The parking and entrance are on Fullerton Road in the preserve. Habitatauthority.org

Heritage Hill Historical Park: The 1863 Serrano Adobe, the 1890 El Toro Grammar School and the 1891 Episcopal Mission are features of this park. Building interiors are open only during the free tours at 11 a.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. No reservations necessary. Meet at the Serrano Adobe. Free parking. 25151 Serrano Road, Lake Forest. 949-923-2230, ocparks.com/heritagehill

Rancho Los Cerritos: This remaining 4.74 acres of one of the huge ranchos that once covered California includes a historic adobe and allow visitors to imagine themselves as early Californios. The “Ranch of the Little Hills” once was part of a 300,000-acre Spanish land grant settled by soldier Juan Nieto. It eventually became a 27,000-acre working ranch that included two adobes and facilities for his descendants. Online reservations are requested but not mandatory. Open Wednesdays through Sundays. 4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach. 562-206-2040 or rancholoscerritos.org

The Broad: This modern art museum always has free admission, but get advance tickets to avoid the long walk-up line. This museum in downtown L.A. features contemporary art from the collection of late developer Eli Broad. The general collection is always free to view. There’s a parking garage that charges a few bucks, though if you’re lucky you might find free street parking Sundays. Open Tuesdays-Sundays. 221 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. 213-232-6250 or thebroad.org

California Science Center: This fascinating museum in L.A.’s Exposition Park is open daily, free to visit and chock-full of things to see. Kids love this place, but so do adults. All permanent exhibits are free, but there’s an extra charge for the IMAX theater shows and some attractions, including the current show on Leonardo da Vinci, which closes Sunday. (Note that the space shuttle Endeavor is temporarily off exhibit.) Parking is $20 (ouch!), or you can ride the Metro. 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles. californiasciencecenter.org

Getty Center: The world’s richest museum offers priceless art treasures, including Van Gogh’s “Irises,” which was the most expensive painting ever sold when the Getty bought it. The billion-dollar white complex sits atop a hill in West Los Angeles. Kids enjoy riding the free tram to the top from the parking garage. Bring your lunch and nonalcoholic drinks. Admission is free, but timed admission tickets must be ordered online. Parking costs $20, or $15 after 3 p.m. Active and veteran U.S. military with ID park free. Open Tuesdays through Sundays. 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. 310-440-7300, Getty.edu

Griffith Observatory: Located in scenic Griffith Park , this observatory built in 1935 is well worth seeing and includes an Egyptian sundial and a Foucault pendulum. The planetarium shows cost $6-$10. Every night that it’s open and the sky is clear, free telescopes are available to observe the sky. A monument remembers James Dean, who starred in the movie “Rebel Without a Cause,” which has a climactic scene at the observatory. Look for the Hollywood sign behind the building. Parking is expensive; park down at the Greek Theatre and walk up, or ride the bus for 50 cents. Open Tuesdays through Sundays. 2800 E. Observatory Road, Los Angeles. 213-473-0800, griffithobservatory.org

Museum of Contemporary Art: MOCA is free to visit, with advance tickets available online. There are two facilities: A striking sandstone building across from Walt Disney Concert Hall that was designed by architect Arata Isozaki, at 250 S. Grand Ave.; and the Geffen Contemporary, in an old police car warehouse renovated by architect Frank Gehry, in Little Tokyo at 152 N. Central Ave. Open Tuesdays through Sundays. moca.org/visit

UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden in Westwood: This is one of the few free public gardens around, encompassing 7.5 acres and harboring California natives, desert plants, ferns, palms and bromeliads with an herbarium and more. You can bring your leashed pooch, too. Open daily. Main entrance is at La Kretz Garden Pavilion, 707 Tiverton Drive, Los Angeles. Campus parking in Structure 2 costs $4-$16, or look for street parking. botgard.ucla.edu

Placerita Canyon State Park: This preserve in the San Gabriel Mountains foothills offers bird walks in oak woodlands, a hummingbird garden, a nature center, a seasonal stream and more than 12 miles of trails. One trail is wheelchair-friendly. Open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. 19152 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall. placerita.org

Museum of the San Fernando Valley: Founded in 2005, this facility is at the historic Rancho Cordillera del Norte. Exhibits have explored the history of author Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the “Tarzan”series and founder of the neighborhood of Tarzana, and “The Hollywood Shorties,” who were actors and stunt men ranging in height from 3-foot-5 to 4-foot-9 who played baseball and basketball games for charity. Open Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. 18904 Nordhoff St., Northridge. 818-347-9665, themuseumsfvnow.org

Oak Glen Preserve: If you drive up to apple country for the day, you can look for wildflowers and hummingbirds while strolling this property near Yucaipa owned by the Wildlands Conservancy, which includes the entire Los Rios Rancho apple farm. You can check out the Southern California Montane Botanic Garden and Children’s Outdoor Discovery Center. Bring a picnic and walk on miles of trails. 39611 Oak Glen Road, Oak Glen. wildlandsconservancy.org/preserves/oakglen

Hilbert Museum of California Art: There’s a recent expansion at this always-free museum near Chapman University. It specializes in California scene painting but also has Disney art and more. Open Tuesdays through Saturdays. 216 E. Chapman Ave. Orange. Park on the street or in the city lot in back. 714-516-5880, hilbertmuseum.org

Getty Villa Museum: On a spectacular site, this replica of a Roman country house contains the Getty’s collection of Greek and Roman antiquities. The villa itself is an attraction, with its mosaics, art, gardens and architecture. It’s modeled after the Villa dei Papiri, which was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., which destroyed Pompeii. Picnics are allowed, so bring your lunch and nonalcoholic drinks. Admission is free, but timed admission tickets must be ordered online. Parking costs $20, or $15 after 3 p.m. Open Wednesdays through Mondays. 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades. getty.edu/visit/villa/

Point Vicente Interpretive Center: This place is guaranteed to lift your mood. It’s located on a rocky point with a spectacular ocean view, and you might see whales here. The small but interesting museum explores the history of the area. Check the route before you go, because shifting land has forced some road closures. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes. And, while you’re in the area, you can also take one of the hikes in the scenic nature preserve. rpvca.gov/1204/Visit-Point-Vicente-Interpretive-Center

California Citrus State Historical Park: You can learn about the era when citrus was king in Southern California, visit 200 acres of groves that produce navel and Valencia oranges, grapefruits and lemons, and stop by the museum visitor center. Bring a picnic! Tables are available. Hiking and biking trails are available. Citrus tastings are sometimes available. Parking is $7. The visitor center and museum are open Fridays through Sundays. 9400 Dufferin Ave., Riverside. 951-780-6222, parks.ca.gov/?page_id=649

Mount Rubidoux Park: You can get outside and take a walk along the wide, paved trail in this landmark, 161-acre city park, which offers fabulous views and even a historic bridge and tower toward the top. It takes around 60 to 90 minutes to hike the hilly 3.2 mile loop trail. Park at Boniminio Park nearby and use the restroom there. Bring water. 4706 Mount Rubidoux Drive, Riverside. 951-351-6250, riversideca.gov (search “Rubidoux park”)

Norton Air Force Base Museum: Located in the former NCO Club, this small museum tells the history of the base, which trained 30,000 pilots and became a jet aircraft maintenance facility, among other uses. The base closed in 1994. The museum is still looking for donations of historical items. Always free, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays. 1601 E. Third St., San Bernardino. nafbmuseum.org

Fort MacArthur Museum: This interesting bit of military history allows visitors to take a look at underground bunkers and weaponry that were built to protect Los Angeles Harbor from enemy attacks. It was part of the Army coastal defense system from 1914 to 1974. Movies such as “Pearl Harbor,” “The Usual Suspects,” “Private Benjamin,” “Tora! Tora! Tora!” and more have been filmed here. Open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Note that the Angels Gate Park with its Korean Friendship Bell is nearby. 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro. 310-548-2631, ftmac.org

Point Fermin Park and Lighthouse: People who love lighthouses should not miss this historic, 1874 Victorian structure, one of the first of its type in the region. The park is open every day and has beautiful coastal views, especially at sunset. Look for whales on their way to or from Baja California in season. There’s also a playground and picnic area. The lighthouse is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, but you must take a (free) tour at 1, 2 or 3 p.m. (Check for special closures.) 807 W. Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro. 310-241-0684, sanpedro.com (search “Point Fermin Lighthouse”)

Got more suggestions? Email me at mfisher@scng.com.