A trip to a museum can be exciting, fun, and educational, but also pricey, especially if you’re bringing the whole family. Luckily there are many FREE museum days in the Boston area which will give you FREE admission at least once a month, and sometimes even once a week. And some even have FREE admission for kids.
Check out the FREE museum days in the Boston area:
- Boston Children’s Museum. Ok, not FREE but just $1 from 5:00 to 9:00 pm every Friday.
- Boston Fire Museum. FREE Saturdays from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.
- The Commonwealth Museum. FREE always for your to learn about the land we live in.
- MIT Museum. FREE always for those under 5 AND the last Sunday of every month except July & August AND for active duty military personnel and up to 5 family members AND for Massachusetts Teacher’s Association members.
- Harvard Art Museum. FREE for those under 18 and for Cambridge residents always AND every Saturday 10:00 am-noon, MA residents only.
- Institute of Contemporary Art. FREE for those 17 and Under always AND from 5:00 to 9:00 pm every Thursday and FREE for up to 2 adults accompanied by children 12 and under the last Saturday of every month for Play Dates–a full day of activities for families–including hands-on art-making, performance, family gallery tours, films, and more. Also FREE for active duty military members and their families Memorial Day through Labor Day.
- John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Admission for kids 12 and under is always FREE.
- Boston University Art Gallery. Always FREE.
- Fuller Craft Museum. FREE for those under 12 always AND from 5:00 to 9:00 pm every Thursday.
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. FREE always for those 18 & under AND if your first name is Isabella AND on your birthday AND for military members and their families.
- Harvard Museum of Natural History. FREE every Sunday 9:00 am-noon, every Wednesday from September to May 3:00-5:00 pm, MA residents only.
- Museum of Fine Arts. FREE for those under 18 weekdays after 3:00 pm, weekends, and on Boston Public School Holidays AND for active duty military members and their families AND for University/College students with valid ID AND on four Open House days throughout the year. Plus every Wednesday after 4:00 pm admission is by voluntary contribution.
- Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethology. FREE every Sunday 9:00 am-noon, every Wednesday from September to May 3:00-5:00 pm, MA residents only.
Library Museum Pass Program. The Boston Public Library (and most surrounding metro town libraries) offers a chance to visit some of the best local museums and attractions for free. Visit your nearest branch library and get a museum pass valid on select days with your library card. The Museum Pass offers visitors free admission for a family of four to more than a dozen locations including the Boston Children’s Museum, the Boston Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium (September – June only), just to name a few. Know that passes get reserved early, so don’t wait until the last minute to reserve one.
In addition, there’s the Bank of America Museum on Us program. On the first weekend of every month, anyone with a Bank of America credit or debit card can get free admission to museums nationwide through the Museums on Us program. There are seven participating museums in Massachusetts including the Museum of Fine Art and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
If you know of any FREE museum days in Boston that I missed, let me know.
You might also be interested in more FREE & Cheap information:
- Half Price Entertainment–for discounted tickets to area shows
- Where and when Kids eat FREE–check out what restaurants will let your kids eat FREE on which night
- Birthday Freebies–Find out what restaurants, stores, and more will give you FREE food and more on your birthday
Entertaining out of town guests or are you being a tourist in your own backyard? Either way, there's plenty to do in Beantown with breaking the bank.
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