It’s almost time for one of my favorite deals: Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day Live! will take place on Saturday, September 29, 2012. On Museum Day Live!, you can print an admission ticket good for free admission for you and a guest to one of hundreds of museums across the U.S.
The Museum Day Live! deal ranks among my favorites because the list of participating attractions often includes some venues that have few, if any, free or cheap admission days. Last year, I mistakenly redeemed my voucher during the mid-day rush, and the crowds made my first experience at the science museum less enjoyable. But I did see enough to find out it was worth going back to explore another day.
There’s a limit of one Museum Day Live! ticket per household. Be sure to choose your attraction carefully: Some of the participating venues are always free, so redeem your ticket at a museum that routinely charges admission.
Can’t make it out on Museum Day Live!? Try one of these ways to get free or cheap admission at a cultural attraction near you:
- Most museums & cultural attractions will offer a free day for the community–some do it on the first weekend of the month, others do it one weekend per year. If there’s a particular attraction you want to visit, check the ticketing page or call to find out details about any free days.
- Thanks to Target’s Arts + Culture program, you’ll find mix of free & cheap deals for museums & cultural attractions across the U.S. To find offers near you, select your city in the drop-down menu on Target’s Arts + Culture site.
- If you show your Bank of America or Merrill Lynch card, you’ll get free admission at 150+ participating museums & cultural attractions on the first full weekend of the month. The free admission offer is valid the cardholder only.
- You can check out more than books at many libraries. In Georgia, library cardholders can check out a pass to get free admission to state historic sites as well as Zoo Atlanta. Libraries in Denver, Miami and elsewhere also have museum passes they let patrons check out. Ask your library.
- Take advantage of reciprocal membership offers. I use my local art museum and botanical garden memberships to get free admission to other museums and gardens when I travel. A tip: You don’t need to leave the state to use all reciprocal admission offers; some of mine kick in when I’m more than 50 miles from the museum.