3 Portland institutions with verified free admission. Portland is honest-but-thin on free days: the Art Museum runs a first-Thursday free day and OMSI publishes $5 discount dates, while the Oregon Zoo — despite a persistent internet myth about free second Tuesdays — has no free day at all, only seasonal discount days.
| Institution | Free day | Who qualifies | Reservation |
|---|---|---|---|
| OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) | No regular free day | Everyone | Required |
| Oregon Zoo | No regular free day | Discounts: Oregon/Washington income-assistance participants | See page |
| Portland Art Museum | 1st Thursday monthly 10am–7pm | Everyone | Required |
Bank of America cardholders get free general admission at participating Portland 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 Portland institutions for traveling members.
↥ Check another museum → Browse all free museum & zoo days →
None of the Portland institutions we track are free every day, but 3 run regular free days — see the table above.
Some do. OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) and Portland Art Museum require advance free tickets; each institution's page here says exactly how it works and links the official booking page.