The Getty Villa, Malibu

Free , but must reserve tickets online. Worth the drive. Parking $15, or $10 after a certain time (3 or 4pm ?). Beautiful museum art art. Absolutely love the Greek statues. Went on Percy Jackson Day, best time ever and took self guided auditory Percy Jackson tour w/free earphone checkout . Try to go on a day where you have a special event. Great museum pieces and garden is breathtaking. Make time to see the beach sunset or get in some rays.

Been wanting to visit the Getty Villa for a while (despite what I had heard) and brought out-of-town family on a weekday afternoon. It's free, but you need to make a reservation and pay for parking, $10 if I remember correctly. The museum building itself is nice and the grounds are beautifully kept. Some of the design does border on "suburban Italian restaurant" though. The collection, let's face it, is of neither historical nor artistic significance. There isn't a single item attributed to an artist. The collection pieces are basically the garden gnomes of ancient Rome and Greek. Just because something is old doesn't mean it is of artistic value. Then there are the Googly-Eye bronze statues. I don't know what they are supposed to be, but they are creepy to say the least. Maybe I was expecting too much from the Getty Villa. I thought it would be something inspired, along the lines of the Cloisters in NYC. I was way off.