5 Denver institutions with verified free admission. Denver's free days exist because of the SCFD — a metro-area sales tax that funds cultural institutions, which publish exact free dates each year rather than a weekly pattern. That makes Denver one of the easiest cities to plan: the dates below are the institutions' own published calendars.
| Institution | Free day | Who qualifies | Reservation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus | Published dates | Open to everyone | See page |
| Denver Art Museum | Published dates | Open to everyone, no proof/ID required | Required |
| Denver Botanic Gardens | Published dates | Open to everyone | Required |
| Denver Museum of Nature & Science | Published dates | Open to everyone | Required |
| Denver Zoo | Published dates | Open to everyone | Required |
Bank of America cardholders get free general admission at participating Denver institutions on Museums on Us weekends (first full weekend, monthly). If you hold a membership at a museum, zoo or science center elsewhere, check our reciprocity checker — NARM, ASTC and AZA reciprocity often cover Denver institutions for traveling members.
↥ Check another museum → Browse all free museum & zoo days →
None of the Denver institutions we track are free every day, but 5 run regular free days — see the table above.
Some do. Denver Art Museum and Denver Botanic Gardens and Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Denver Zoo require advance free tickets; each institution's page here says exactly how it works and links the official booking page.