Free museum admission! Whee!

September 28, 2006 12:12 PM

"On September 30, 2006, for one day only, museums across the country will join the Smithsonian Institution in its long-standing tradition of offering free admission to visitors."
posted by moss (27 comments total)

Oh, cool! Thanks for the heads up!
posted by brundlefly at 12:20 PM on September 28, 2006

Cool, thanks for the heads up! I'm going to go try to check out the Cooper-Hewitt museum.
posted by saladin at 12:21 PM on September 28, 2006

Whoa, that was weird.
posted by saladin at 12:21 PM on September 28, 2006

Jinx! I think I'm gonna check out the California Academy of Sciences.
posted by brundlefly at 12:23 PM on September 28, 2006

Being a Northern VA resident, I'm spoiled in the sense that museums charging for admission came as a surprise to me later in life.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 12:29 PM on September 28, 2006

That's neat. I'm from DC, and I'm so spoiled that when I travel, I'm always slightly taken aback when I go to a museum and I have to pay.
posted by amarynth at 12:31 PM on September 28, 2006

OK, so what's the deal with the downtown Chicago museums not participating? The Field, the Planetarium, the Aquarium? If this is a Smithsonian-run event (in that, it's of that scale), those would be the first Midwest museums I would expect to see on the list.

*sigh*

I may still go to them this weekend, as I may have inadvertently blabbed about this to my children before properly investigating it.
posted by thanotopsis at 12:34 PM on September 28, 2006

I had no idea that my city is home to The Bunny Museum. (Sorry to say that their website is less than adorable. My eyes! My eyes!)
posted by malocchio at 12:36 PM on September 28, 2006

Forget the Shedd, thanatopsis. Where the hell is the Art Institute?
posted by Iridic at 12:36 PM on September 28, 2006

Pretty much, XQUZYPHYR. Sometimes museums will grant free admission to students, but general free admission is pretty rare I think.
posted by brundlefly at 12:42 PM on September 28, 2006

Yeah, free museums is the thing i miss most about DC...
posted by jrb223 at 12:44 PM on September 28, 2006

Yale University Art Gallery

Free, all the time.
posted by fluffycreature at 12:54 PM on September 28, 2006

Woohoo for St. Louis and it's always free museums! Art! History! The Zoo! and even Science! They're all free! Just one of many reasons St. Louis is awesomer than your city.
posted by Science! at 12:59 PM on September 28, 2006

I lived in New York for 4 years and the only museums I was forced to pay admission for were the private ones like MOMA.

Huh? Most of the good museums in NY are private and cost money. Besides MOMA, there's the Guggenheim, the Frick, the Whitney, AMNH, etc.

I think the only one where payment is optional is the Met.
posted by smackfu at 1:02 PM on September 28, 2006

Just one of many reasons St. Louis is awesomer than your city.

You mean the only reason? Right? Barbecue too I guess.
posted by Keith Talent at 1:03 PM on September 28, 2006

Flat pizza and Schlafly beer as well.
posted by Science! at 1:21 PM on September 28, 2006

In addition to what fluffycreature said, the Yale Center for British Art is free all the time too. The go see the dinosaurs at the Peabody Museum, which isn't free all the time.
posted by pretzel at 1:25 PM on September 28, 2006

Just one of many reasons St. Louis is awesomer than your city.

But on the downside, Nelly.
posted by sonofsamiam at 1:26 PM on September 28, 2006

Iridic, I think the Art Institute is already free one day a week (Ford Free Tuesday) so maybe they don't feel obliged to participate?
posted by anjamu at 1:40 PM on September 28, 2006

I'M IN UR MUZEUM, CONSUMING YR CULTUREZ
posted by bardic at 1:48 PM on September 28, 2006 [2 favorites]

I wish the Boston Museum of Science was participating. I bet I could convince someone to drive me up there.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 1:50 PM on September 28, 2006

The museums in San Francisco are free the first Wed of the month, so if you ever come out to visit, take note..otherwise it costs about ten bucks or so.
posted by Holy foxy moxie batman! at 1:53 PM on September 28, 2006

SWEEEEET. I had no idea there was a Whaling Museum on Long Island!

The one at Luna Park is better.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:59 PM on September 28, 2006

I think the Art Institute is already free one day a week

...on Thursday nights as of June 3. I was happy to see the Art Institute start opening its doors in the evening, but a bit bothered about the now required admission the rest of the time. I liked being able to give proportionate to the time I'd be spending (especially since I have tax dollars going to it already); $2 to walk around for an hour or so. I can't imagine a lot of people did that, but I also can't imagine I'm the only one.
posted by pokermonk at 5:25 PM on September 28, 2006

Very, very cool -- I think I'll go check The World Forestry Center out. Thanks very much, moss.
posted by melissa may at 2:17 AM on September 29, 2006

Thank you so much for the post! Everyone should note that you have to print out the special card to take advantage of this.
I'm SO EXCITED to now have weekend plans!!!
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 7:28 AM on September 29, 2006

I took #2 son to the Washington State Historical Society Museum. He really wanted to go to the Burke Museum at the UW, but they weren't participating. It's a great program. Most Seattle-area museums are open free the first Thursday of the month, though...
posted by lhauser at 6:21 PM on September 30, 2006