Free Museum Admission List
Please raise your hand if you’re shocked when I reveal that I started a massive project and never found the time to finish it. Ok people, not cool, put your hands down! A while back, I decided I wanted to put together a list of every museum in the U.S. that offered free admission. Turns out there are a lot of museums in our country.
Here’s what we’ve got so far on the free museum admission list. As you can see, we’ve only completed 42 states and D.C. (Holy crap, that’s way more than I’d originally thought.) I understand that glancing at it for the first time might lead to some sensory overdosing, but it’s really not all that confusing when broken down. If a museum’s name is blue, it’s been verified. If it’s red, somebody (perhaps you?!) needs to check it out.
Some of the lingo can be confusing to a newbie as well, but again, it’s designed to save space while conveying as much info as possible. Here are a few examples and how to interpret them:
Patterson Homestead – Dayton – This museum is located in Dayton and since there’s no additional markings, it’s free to everybody on every day.
Southeast Museum of Photography – Daytona Beach – FTA? – This museum is located in Daytona Beach and we’re not quite sure if it’s free or not because their site was unclear. Anything with FTA? is a perfect opportunity for somebody to pitch in and help us figure out what their admission policy is!
Sometimes we group museums together in cities that have a ton of them, thus allowing us to save space by not repeatedly putting the city after the museum name. Like these, which are under New York:
New York Botanical Garden Museum – FTA Wednesdays – This museum is free to everybody all day on Wednesdays.
American Folk Art Museum – 11AU & FTA Friday after 5:30pm – This museum is free every day to anybody 11 and under. It’s also free to all (FTA) on Friday’s after 5:30.
You have to login to edit the wiki, but since I’m cool, I’ve integrated the wiki with the forums! So if you already have an account on the forums, simply use that info to sign in. Otherwise, why not create a free account today and join in on the fun?
Here’s to hoping you find some free fun the next time you’re stuck visiting distant relatives in an unknown city! We have a thread on the forums where we talk, ask questions about, etc. the wiki as well. Come chime in!
Looks like you got my state, Oregon. Thanks so much. Looks like I’ll be visiting some free museums soon. Thanks Goob.
Thanks Carla, you’re more than welcome!
Thanks for this list. I live in Atlanta and wanted to offer one correction. The Atlanta Cyclorama is only free for ages 5 and under.
Hey Goob! Thanks for the info. as a home schooling mom I’m always looking for things in the area to get to and enjoy! I live in central PA and looked at the museums near by, the Palmer Museum of Art is located on the Penn State main campus and according to their web site is FTA!!! Yippeee!!!! Thanks Goob!
Little did I know, my local museum: The museum is open for FREE on Saturday mornings, 10am – 12pm
Hooray! I never even knew that.
The DeYoung Museum in san fransisco doesn’t offer any kind of free admissions. I think it’s $12 for students with school ID, and $20 for everyone else. That city is too expensive… Too bad they aren’t any museums around here
Here are some to add to your list:
Dixon Gallery, Memphis, TN http://www.dixon.org
Children ages 6 and under: FREE
Saturdays 10 a.m. – noon: FREE
School groups with advance registration: FREE
Brooks Museum, Memphis, TN http://www.brooksmuseum.org
PAY WHAT YOU CAN WEDNESDAYS
On Wednesdays, you set your own admission fee! From a penny to any dollar amount, you decide what you pay.
Children 6 and under: Free
Student groups scheduled through the Education Department: Free
Members always free.
I have another one for you in Neenah, Wisconsin: the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum. Free for all! Here is the website:
http://bergstrom-mahlermuseum.com/