If you’re looking for something to do with the family now that school will be getting out soon, we’ve compiled a list for you of all the local museums offering free (or lowered) admission!
- Boston Fire Museum – Saturdays only
- Always free
- You can see fire alarm displays and artifacts, firefighting equipment, antique fire apparatus, and photographs
- Visit Sparky the Dalmatian
- Also hosts children’s birthday parties
- Coit Observatory Public Open Night
- Public Open Nights most Wednesdays (weather permitting)
- These nights allow visitors to utilize telescopes to observe the night sky and learn about astronomy
- Tickets are free, but must be reserved online in advance as space is limited
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
- Free admission to visitors 17 and under & visitors named Isabella
- Free admission on the first Thursday of every month
- There are also family guides available (for free!) at the information area in the Living Room
- Drop-in art activities available for kids on Saturdays in the Education Studio
- Boston Children’s Museum
- $1 Sunday Afternoons
- 1:30pm – 4:30pm
- $1 Sunday Afternoons
- Institute of Contemporary Art
- Free admission every Thursday night from 5pm – 9pm and on select national holidays
- Springfield Museums
- On the first Wednesday of every month through 2026, you can get free admission to the museums!
Check out this page for more museum deals including the Harvard museums, the Commonwealth Museum, and many more!