Savings
6 Ways to Visit Top Museums Across America for Free
Photo by Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com
Whether you hope to vacation or staycation this summer, museums are among the many easy ways you can keep costs down.
Thousands of institutions across the country offer free admission every day, or on certain days of the week, month or year. They include museums of art, history, science, culture and industry, as well as children’s museums.
We’ve rounded up top tips to help you take advantage of these freebies. Museum policies may change, so call to confirm before you go.
1. Institutions that are always free
You can find museums across that country where admission is always free for everyone. Here are a few examples to illustrate the variety:
- Arizona Capitol Museum, Phoenix
- Baltimore Museum of Art
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s museum and gold vault, New York City
- Houston Center for Photography
- Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago
- New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
- Smithsonian Institute (admission is free at all Smithsonian museums and galleries in Washington, D.C., and the National Zoological Park and at the American Indian Museum’s George Gustav Heye Center in New York City.)
- Texas Military Forces Museum, Austin, Texas
To find more, just do an internet search for “free museums” plus the city or state where you live or are traveling.
2. Institutions that are sometimes free
Many museums waive admission on a regular basis, such as on a certain day of the week or month. For example:
- DuSable Museum of African American History, Chicago — free on Tuesdays
- GLBT Historical Society’s archives and museum, San Francisco — free on the first Wednesday of the month
- MIT Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts — free on the last Sunday of the month (except July and August)
- Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles — free on New Year’s Day (the museum’s Historic Southwest Museum Mt. Washington Campus in L.A. is free everyday)
- Museum of History & Industry, Seattle — free admission to permanent exhibits on the first Thursday of the month
To find more, search for a phrase like “free museum admission days” plus a city or state, or check the websites of the museums you want to visit. Free days are often noted on the admission or hours page.
3. Institutions that waive admission for specific groups
Many museums also regularly waive admission for specific groups, such as local residents. A few examples (check with museums to learn their ID requirements for free admission):
- Detroit Institute of Arts — always free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties
- Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago — free on Tuesdays for Illinois residents
- National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis — free from 3 p.m. until closing on Mondays for Tennessee residents
- Oregon Historical Society museum and library, Portland — always free for Multnomah County residents
- San Diego Museum of Man — free on the third Tuesday of every month for San Diego County residents
Other such groups often include children, seniors, students and military members or veterans. Again, do a search for the applicable group or ask the museums you want to visit.
If you’re part of a military family, search for Blue Star Museums. Begun in 2010, this network now comprises some 2,000 institutions, all of which offer free admission to active-duty military personnel (including National Guard and Reserve) and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
