Smithsonian Museum Day FREE Admission Nationwide Sept. 17

Reminder that Saturday, Sept 17 is FREE admission at more than 1,400 participating museums, zoos, botanical gardens and other cultural institutions nationwide.

It’s the Smithsonian Magazine’s 18th annual Museum Day, and you should download FREE tickets now through the Smithsonian magazine website

This year’s theme is The American Experience, showcasing arts, culture, sciences, innovation and history exhibits.

Plus, there’s a special promotion to win back-to-school kits every day through Sept. 17, 2022 and a chance to win a free trip to Washington, DC.

The goal is to get school-age kids into museums, and FREE admission is a great way to do it.

Note – This post is from 2022.

Smithsonian Museum Day

was cancelled in 2023, and cancelled again in 2024.

This post has been archived.

Links from 2022 may not work today.

Important – You can’t just walk in. You must download a free ticket, good for admission for two people.

One ticket is allowed per email address, and tickets are good for one person and a guest.

Your Smithsonian Museum Day ticket will be e-mailed, and you must print it and bring it with you for free entry.

Each ticket is only for general admission – it does not include special exhibits, parking or showing such as IMAX.

ecoxplorer tips for Museum Day 2022

If you are a group of more than two, register with different email addresses to receive admission for two with each ticket.
Whether you are part of a group or not, go early in the day, since museums have the right to make you wait in favor of paying customers if space reaches capacity.

Museum Day 2022 Participating Museums & Institutions

Participating institutions are still registering, but you can find a list of the venues here.

Just a small sample of cultural institutions already on the list –

American Space Museum, Titusville, Florida
Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, New York
Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, Tennessee
Portland Art Museum, Portland, Maine
South Haven, Michigan’s Michigan Maritime Museum;
International Museum of Art & Science in McAllen, Texas
The National WWII Museum, New Orleans

Museum Day 2022 Promotions to Win Stuff

Quaker Oats is sponsoring a back-to-school instant-win promotion everyday through Sept. 17, plus the chance to win one of 100 Smithsonian Science kits per day.

Five people can also win a trip to Washington D.C. to visit Smithsonian Museums.

Parents can enter the promotion once a day for a chance to win at quakerbacktoschool.com.

This year’s Museum Day is sponsored by the Quaker Oats Co. and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.