Jersey Family Fun’s mission is to get our readers and their families out to all the fun and educational places our region has to offer. We do know though, that that can get EXPENSIVE. Luckily we are also committed to saving families money! We have compiled some great ways to save money on admission to museums, and some of the best museums in the country are within our reach here in New Jersey. Don’t let costly ticket prices stop you from enjoying the arts, history, and general culture with your kids of all ages. Keep reading for our best tips to get into museums for free and let us know if we’ve missed anything!
Here are the best ways to get into museums for free
1) Use our website to look for free admission or pay what you wish days.
We keep an updated list of museums in New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York City that offer FREE admission days! Some may be “pay what you wish” which means a small donation, or free – whatever you’re comfortable with. Days and times might be limited and the museum may be crowded during these times but they’re a great way to try out someplace new.
The Noyes Museum of Art is one that offers free admission every day.
There are a few museums that have designated free admission days. We have them organized by state or city. You can read about them in these blog posts.
- Free Places to Visit in New Jersey
- New York City Museums with Free Admission
- Philadelphia Museums with Free Admission
From our blogging friends you can learn about more museums, across the country, that offer free admission.
- Free museums in Illinois
- Free museums in Indiana
- Free museums in Missouri
These New Jersey museums also offer free admission days. Click on the museum name below to get their free admission schedule.
- Free Admission Days at the Museum at the Station in Glen Rock
- Free Admission Days at WheatonArts
- Free Admission Days at The West Milford Museum
- Free Admission Days at Proprietary House
- Free Admission Days at the Montclair Art Museum
- Free Admission Days at The Abraham Staats House
- Free Admission at The Crane-Phillips House Museum Tour
2) Ask your library to offer a museum pass program or check our listing of New Jersey libraries with Museum Pass programs.
One of our favorite ways to visit museums is to take advantage of your local library’s museum pass program. Usually sponsored by the local friends of the library, your library will lend you passes to some really great area museums and attractions and all you have to do is return the passes by the due date! Jersey Family Fun has a great list of the libraries that offer these programs.
Read more and find out about participating libraries by clicking the link below.
3) Use your Bank of America card on Bank of America Weekends
Get one free admission to many local museums when you show your Bank of America card on the first weekend of each month. You’ll have to pay for your guests but you can also combine with the other free programs we share in this article! If you have a large family and need extra free admissions this can be the way to add on.
Read more and find out about participating museums by clicking the link below.
4) Register for the Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day Live to get into museums for free. – NOTE THAT THE 2020 DATE HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
Museum Day Live is an annual event hosted by the Smithsonian Magazine. The program has been running for over 10 years. Museum Day Live will be April 4, 2020. During this event select museums around the country offer free admission to guests holding a Free Museum Day ticket. With so many museums participating there is something for all families to enjoy.
How do I get Free Museum Day tickets?
- Visit the Smithsonian Magazine website to find a local participating museum.
- Starting February 27, 2020 you’ll be able to fill out an online form to request tickets (Please note that only one ticket per household for 2 people).
- Tickets will then be emailed to you. Print the tickets out and bring them to the museum you selected.
- The ticket will gain you access into the museum only, if there is a charge for parking or special exhibits you will need to pay additional for those.
- Also please note if the museum reaches capacity, you will not be able to enter until space becomes available.
New Jersey Museums with FREE admission for Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day Live (list may change by year)
- Historical Society of Princeton – Princeton
- Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum – Teterboro
- Cooper Gristmill – Chester
- Cornelius Low House – Piscataway
- East Jersey Old Town Village – Piscataway
- Hamilton House – Clifton
- John F. Peto Studio Museum – Island Heights
- Hunterdon Art Museum – Clinton
- Dey Mansion – Wayne
- Museum of Early Trades and Crafts – Madison
- New Jersey State Museum and Planetarium – Trenton
- New Jersey State House – Trenton
- Passaic County Arts Center – Hawthorne
- Red Brick Schoolhouse Museum- Chatham
- 1719 William Trent House Museum – Trenton
- Liberty Hall Museum – Union
- Morven Museum – Princeton
- Newark Museum of Art – Newark
- Historic Smithville Mansion – Eastampton x
- Historic Speedwell – Morristown
- United States Golf Association Museum – Far Hills
- Wheaton Arts – Millville
5) Take advantage of military discounts.
Have you or a member of your family served in the military? Are you actively serving? In this article, we share local museums that offer free admission to members of the military or their families. Some offer this discount year-round while some only offer it in the summer. Take a look.
6) Use your current museum memberships to get in free to other museums across the country.
Reciprocal visiting is popular among the larger museums in the country. Don’t hesitate to ask if anything is offered that could get you a discount or free admission!
7) Visit a museum’s website
As great as Jersey Family Fun is, we do miss some of these freebies! Maybe a museum is celebrating its anniversary, or a local festival and admission is free to all. Maybe they acknowledge Mother’s Day or Grandparents Day? Always check out the website before you plan your visit!
8) Follow their social media accounts
Something we find as we scour the internet for the best deals and events is that many organizations are inconsistent on updating their website vs. their social media accounts. They may post events and in the details offer free admission or discounts. Log on, like, follow and save!
9) Buy group tickets
A “group” doesn’t have to be an organized group like Scouts or a camp! Many locations will offer a group discount and you might even qualify for a special tour or other perks. Grab a few friends or family members and make your own group. You can save a few bucks and have a memorable day out (you’ll even save on gas and parking if you carpool!)
10) Check Groupon for B1G1 deals
Groupon deals come and go quickly so if you are thinking about a museum to visit, its wise to check daily. You’d be surprised what you can find there! Groupon also runs sales often so you’ll get even further discounts on already reduced admissions. We keep a list of the best NJ Groupon deals in our article linked here.
TWO more BONUS way to get into museums for free!
Call them directly and ask about free admission days or ticket deals.
Sign up for one of the Jersey Family Fun newsletters! If you’re on our event newsletters, you’ll see when we’ve added another free museum day to our Calendar of Events. If you are on the statewide or regional newsletter, you’ll be notified when we create a NEW article about another museum offering free admission.
Do you have a secret to getting into museums for free?
We’d love to know about it share it below.
Free Ann Arbor Museums | Ann Arbor with Kids
Friday 11th of October 2019
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