One of my favorite things about living in Southern California is the abundance of great museums that are only a short drive away. There is a saying that goes “those who can’t, teach,” it applies in my case as “those who can’t, admire the works of those that can.” As a result, I absolutely love art museums and could spend hours on end studying the paintings and sculptures.

As far as art museums go, the Getty Center in Los Angeles is one of the best around. It is fabulously located in the Santa Monica Mountains and offers magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean and Los Angeles. The architecture of the museum is beautiful, with large white and tan buildings that circle a courtyard of fountains and trees and the Central Garden. The museum gives off a very clean, open and crisp feeling, built with lots of windows so visitors can enjoy the great views from many angles.

The massive Central Garden sits in the middle of the buildings and is, in itself, a work of art. With its shrub-maze, waterfalls, pond, an abundance of trees and flowers, and outlooks with sweeping views, visitors can easily spend time just taking in the beauty around them in the giant piece of art as they can admiring those that hang in the buildings. Find a shaded bench or a soft patch of grass and soak it all in. It’s easy to think about how God created lines and dimensions, so many different shapes, textures and colors, all of which are present in the garden. Let that blow your mind.

The works of art themselves, as well as the artists behind them, easily amaze. The Getty Center offers countless ways to be astounded. There are five different buildings to house all the art, which include European paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, drawings, and photographs. The museum also has an exhibit of furniture, which I love to look at and imagine the people who lived out their daily lives around these pieces. There are also temporary exhibits, which rotate throughout the year.

Another one of my favorite parts of the Getty is the tram that takes you up from the parking garage to the museum itself. I always love non-car transportation and the tram provides great views of the city as it winds up the mountains, putting its passengers in a very peaceful state before enjoying beautiful art.

The Getty is always free, but parking is usually $15, which can easily be split among a car full of people. Seeing as the point of this column is to provide ideas for free activities, I was very happy to discover that parking is free on Saturdays after 5 p.m., which, since the Getty is open until 9 p.m. on Saturdays, gives fours hours to explore and savor for free (I was delighted because not only can I now go to the Getty without spending any money, but I can now share it with you, my readers).

I highly, highly recommend you visit the Getty if you have never been.