49 institutions where general admission is free every open day — no free-day calendar to plan around. The only fine print is what's not included (special exhibits, parking) and the odd timed-entry reservation; each entry below links its official page.
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| California Science Center | Los Angeles | Core exhibit galleries free; IMAX, special exhibits and parking are paid |
| Griffith Observatory | Los Angeles | Building, exhibit galleries, grounds, public telescopes. Excludes Samuel Oschin Planetarium shows, which are separately ticketed. |
| The Broad | Los Angeles | Third-floor permanent-collection galleries. Excludes some special exhibitions/events and Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room, which carry a separate charge. |
| The Getty Center | Los Angeles | General admission free; parking $25 per car ($15 after 3pm, $10 after 6pm, free Saturdays after 6pm) |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| National Gallery of Art | Washington | Galleries, special exhibitions and guided tours are all free |
| Smithsonian Museums & National Zoo | Washington | Free admission at all locations except Cooper Hewitt in NYC |
| Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture | Washington | Entire museum; open daily 10am-5:30pm (Mondays from 12pm; last entry 4pm) |
| Smithsonian's National Zoo | Washington | All zoo grounds and animal exhibits (parts under renovation: Africa Trail; the Arabian Leopard exhibit opens 2029) |
| National Air and Space Museum | Washington | All open galleries, including the 1903 Wright Flyer and the Apollo 11 spacesuit. Free docent highlights tours (times at the Welcome Center). |
| Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History | Washington | All permanent halls, including the Hall of Fossils – Deep Time, the Hope Diamond in the Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals, Sant Ocean Hall and the O. Orkin Insect Zoo. |
| National Museum of American History | Washington | All three floors of exhibitions, including the Star-Spangled Banner. Also Wegmans Wonderplace (ages 0–6) and Draper Spark!Lab (ages 6–12). |
| National Portrait Gallery | Washington | All galleries, including America's Presidents, plus the Kogod Courtyard, which is shared with SAAM. |
| Smithsonian American Art Museum | Washington | Collection galleries from the colonial period to the present. Free multilingual audio guides (English, Spanish, ASL, Descriptive Audio). |
| Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Washington | Museum galleries and the plaza (open daily 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.), plus free guided tours and kids' programs at the Welcome Desk. |
| National Museum of the American Indian | Washington | All exhibitions, the imagiNATIONS Activity Center and the free highlights audio guide (English and Spanish). |
| National Museum of Asian Art (Freer Gallery and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery) | Washington | Both galleries, including the Peacock Room. It was temporarily closed Sept 24–Oct 1, 2026. |
| Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum | Washington | Craft and decorative art from SAAM's collection. Walk-in docent tours daily, 12–1 p.m. and 2–3 p.m. (when open). |
| Smithsonian National Postal Museum | Washington | All galleries plus regular free docent-led tours. |
| Anacostia Community Museum | Washington | Rotating exhibitions on urban community life. |
| Library of Congress (Thomas Jefferson Building) | Washington | Thomas Jefferson Building: the Great Hall and exhibitions, including the Treasures gallery. Open Tue–Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.), Thursdays until 8 p.m.; closed Sundays, Mondays and select federal holidays. |
| United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | Washington | Permanent Exhibition (with a timed ticket), Daniel's Story and other special exhibitions. Open daily 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (last Permanent Exhibition entry 4:30 p.m.); closed Yom Kippur and Christmas. |
| United States Botanic Garden | Washington | The Conservatory (subtropical, tropical and arid collections, plus orchids and medicinal, economic, endangered and Hawaiian plants), the gated National Garden, Bartholdi Fountain and Gardens, and all seasonal exhibits. Closed Dec. 25. |
| National Archives Museum | Washington | The Rotunda's Charters of Freedom (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights), the new permanent exhibit The American Story, and the Discovery Center. Open daily 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (last admission 30 minutes before closing); closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. |
| United States National Arboretum | Washington | The grounds and gardens, and the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum (closed on federal holidays from November through February). Restrooms and maps are in the Administration Building until 4:30 p.m., and at Arbor House until 5 p.m. |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Park Zoo | Chicago | General zoo admission and grounds. |
| National Museum of Mexican Art | Chicago | Full museum admission. |
| National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture | Chicago | Full museum admission. |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard Art Museums | Cambridge | All galleries (Fogg, Busch-Reisinger, and Arthur M. Sackler collections) |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Museum of Art | Baltimore | General admission free; special exhibitions ticketed separately |
| Walters Art Museum | Baltimore | Entire collection and special exhibitions |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis Institute of Art | Minneapolis | Permanent collection free; special exhibitions ticketed |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art | Kansas City | Museum galleries and Rozzelle Court Restaurant access (with check-in) |
| Saint Louis Art Museum | St. Louis | Permanent collection always; main special exhibitions on Fridays |
| Saint Louis Science Center | St. Louis | General exhibit halls/700+ interactive experiences across 10 galleries |
| Saint Louis Zoo | St. Louis | General zoo admission |
| Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art | Kansas City | Permanent collection, special exhibitions and community programs |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art | Las Vegas | All exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and community activities |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Museum | Brooklyn | General admission galleries |
| Queens Museum | Queens | Museum admission (galleries incl. the Panorama of the City of New York) |
| National Museum of the American Indian — George Gustav Heye Center | New York | All exhibitions, the imagiNATIONS Activity Center and the audio guide (English and Spanish). |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Art Museum | Cincinnati | General collection galleries |
| Cleveland Museum of Art | Cleveland | Permanent collection galleries |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| The Frick Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh | Gardens and grounds, The Frick Art Museum permanent collection, the Greenhouse, part of the Car and Carriage Museum, and free parking (Reynolds Street entrance) |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee State Museum | Nashville | Six permanent exhibitions plus rotating temporary exhibits |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Museum of Art | Dallas | Permanent collection (always) plus ticketed special exhibitions (First Sundays), Open Studio, docent tours, family guides, scavenger hunts |
| Amon Carter Museum of American Art | Fort Worth | Permanent collection and most special exhibitions |
| Kimbell Art Museum | Fort Worth | Permanent collection, always |
| Menil Collection | Houston | Entire campus: main building, Cy Twombly Gallery, Richmond Hall, Menil Drawing Institute |
| Institution | City | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (National Air and Space Museum) | Chantilly | Two hangars with 3,000+ objects, including 200+ aircraft and spacecraft such as Space Shuttle Discovery and the SR-71 Blackbird. Also the restoration hangar and free docent highlights tours. Open daily 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., closed Dec 25. |
↥ Check another museum → Browse all free museum & zoo days →
General admission is. Special/ticketed exhibitions, IMAX, parking and timed extras usually cost money, and several always-free institutions still ask you to book a free timed-entry ticket on busy days. Each entry here lists the catch.
Public funding, endowments and founding charters. The Smithsonian is federally funded; the Getty and the Menil are endowed; Cleveland Museum of Art's founders required free general admission in perpetuity.