A big reason why Washington, D.C., is one of the world's best cities for museum-going is that the Smithsonian Institution's attractions—including the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History (pictured), the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and many more—charge no admission to see their impressive collections.
On Saturday, September 21, museums across the entire United States will follow suit, opening their doors for free as part of Smithsonian magazine's 15th annual Museum Day.
More than 1,300 institutions in all 50 states as well as D.C. are participating, from the Abbe Museum of Bar Harbor, Maine, to the Zimmerman House of Gresham, Oregon, and scores of worthy spots in between—the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in New York City, the American Writers Museum in Chicago, the New Orleans Jazz Museum, the International Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame in Arlington, Texas, and on and on.
To get free admission to any of those places on September 21, all you have to do is go to the Museum Day website and search for a museum by name. If you'd like to see all the options near where you're going to be that day, enter the zip code.
Then just download your free ticket, which will be valid for admission for two people. You're allowed to download one ticket per email address.
Smithsonian magazine describes the event as a "celebration of boundless curiosity."
