National Air and Space Museum is always free — general admission never costs anything. Free timed-entry pass required for all ages. Book online; passes release on the 1st of the month at noon ET, two months out. Entry slots run hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., up to nine passes per reservation. If your date shows as full, check back because more passes may open up. Members get a separate pass pool. Verified on National Air and Space Museum's own page, last checked 2026-10-02.
| Free day | Always free |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Everyone |
| Reservation | Free timed-entry pass required for all ages. Book online; passes release on the 1st of the month at noon ET, two months out. Entry slots run hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., up to nine passes per reservation. If your date shows as full, check back because more passes may open up. Members get a separate pass pool. |
| What's included | All open galleries, including the 1903 Wright Flyer and the Apollo 11 spacesuit. Free docent highlights tours (times at the Welcome Center). |
| Regular adult price | $0 — always free (timed pass required) |
| Source | airandspace.si.edu · checked 2026-10-02 |
Air and Space Museum doesn't need savings math — the ticket line is free for everyone, every open day. The only costs left are the extras — special exhibitions, parking and food are where the day's budget actually goes.
National Air and Space Museum doesn't need a calendar — general admission is free every day it's open, which changes how you plan compared with a free-day museum. There's no crowd spike to dodge and no reservation race — though note the entry mechanics: free timed-entry pass required for all ages. Book online; passes release on the 1st of the month at noon ET, two months out. Entry slots run hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., up to nine passes per reservation. If your date shows as full, check back because more passes may open up. Members get a separate pass pool.. The date that matters here isn't an admission date at all: it's whichever ticketed special exhibition you might want to add, since those (all open galleries, including the 1903 Wright Flyer and the Apollo 11 spacesuit. Free docent highlights tours (times at the Welcome Center).) run on their own schedules and prices.
Regular tickets ($0 — always free (timed pass required)) are on airandspace.si.edu — book direct, there's no markup. A membership card from another city's museum or zoo might work here too — the reciprocity lookup answers it in one search.
National Gallery of Art (always free) · Smithsonian Museums & National Zoo (always free) · Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (always free) · Smithsonian's National Zoo (always free) · Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (National Air and Space Museum) (always free) · Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (always free) · National Museum of American History (always free) · National Portrait Gallery (always free) — or see the full free museum days in Washington guide.
One short email a month with Washington's verified free days — the dates, the resident rules, nothing else.
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Admission is always free, but every visitor, regardless of age, needs a free timed-entry pass. Passes go live on the first of each month at noon ET for the month two months ahead (April passes on February 1). You can book up to nine per reservation.
Free timed-entry pass required for all ages. Book online; passes release on the 1st of the month at noon ET, two months out. Entry slots run hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., up to nine passes per reservation. If your date shows as full, check back because more passes may open up. Members get a separate pass pool.
All open galleries, including the 1903 Wright Flyer and the Apollo 11 spacesuit. Free docent highlights tours (times at the Welcome Center).
$0 — always free (timed pass required). That's what a well-timed visit saves you.
Yes — general admission is free for all visitors, every open day, no residency requirement. All open galleries, including the 1903 Wright Flyer and the Apollo 11 spacesuit. Free docent highlights tours (times at the Welcome Center)..