Here is a roundup of free museum days Boston families can enjoy this year, including picks with always-free admission!

We’re collecting free days for family-friendly museums and zoos around Boston on our interactive map & calendar. More free days are added as we hear about them, so check back often for opportunities to enjoy free Boston family fun.

Your reviews and likes help other parents discover something new! Chime in below to share your experience or let us know about other Boston museum free days we should add to the list.


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2023
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    Worcester Art Museum Free First Sundays

     (451.9 mi)

    02/05/2023

    04/02/2023

    05/07/2023

    Free Days first Sundays

    Tracy Snyder Molina:  The Worcester Art Museum hosts free days on the first Sunday of each month. Families and children are encouraged to visit the Worcester Art Museum to explore, experience and learn about art. Every weekend there are family activities such as interactive art carts, arms and armor demonstrations and other hands-on activities.

    Fuller Craft Museum - Brockton

     (492.9 mi)

    Always free admission, donations welcome

    Closed Mondays

    Tracy Snyder Molina:  Fuller Craft Museum always offers free admission so you can discover the world of contemporary craft! Each year, Fuller Craft Museum presents a robust array of exhibitions in their galleries to delight, challenge, inspire, and educate their visitors.

    Waterworks Museum

     (493.1 mi)

    Always free admission

    Closed Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday

    Amanda Banta:  The Waterworks Museum always offers free admission. The highlight of the Waterworks Museum is the set of towering 19th century steam engines that once pumped millions of gallons of fresh water into Boston. Kids can learn about one of the first metropolitan water systems through a variety of exhibits and special events.

    Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

     (496.8 mi)

    Always free admission for visitors 17 & under & visitors named Isabella

    Tracy Snyder Molina:  The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum always offers free admission to kids under 17 as well as visitors named Isabella. Set in a beautiful 15th-century Venetian-style palace with 3 stories of galleries including a gorgeous flower-filled courtyard, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a unique museum with lots to look at and enjoy for visitors of all ages. Family guides are available free of charge at the information area in the Living Room. The Education Studio offers Saturday drop-in art activities for kids over 7.

    Harvard Art Museums Free Days

     (497.0 mi)

    01/29/2023

    02/05/2023

    02/12/2023

    Free Days Sundays

    Tracy Snyder Molina:  The Harvard Art Museums host free days on Sundays. The Harvard Art Museums are comprised of three separate museums—the Fogg Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, and Arthur M. Sackler Museum—each with a different history, collection, philosophy, and identity. The recent renovation and expansion builds on the legacies of these three museums and unites their remarkable collections under one roof. The museum's mission is to encourage and engage visitors in critical looking and thinking.

    Harvard Museum of Natural History Massachusetts Resident FREE Days

     (497.1 mi)

    01/02/2022

    01/05/2022

    01/09/2022

    Free Days for MA residents Sundays 9am-12pm & Wednesdays (Sept-May) 3-5pm

    Tracy Snyder Molina:  The Harvard Museum of Natural History hosts free days for Massachusetts residents every Sunday morning and Wednesdays from September to May. Explore 16 galleries showcasing dinosaurs, mammals, meteorites, birds, rare minerals and gemstones, and more. The Harvard Museum of Natural History is the most-visited attraction at Harvard—for its historical collections, its temporary exhibitions, and its new permanent galleries.

    Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology Massachusetts Resident FREE Days

     (497.2 mi)

    01/25/2023

    01/29/2023

    02/01/2023

    Free Days for MA residents Sundays 9am-12pm & Wednesdays (Sept-May) 3-5pm

    Tracy Snyder Molina:  The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology offers free days for Massachusetts residents every Sunday and Wednesdays from September to May. The Peabody Museum cares for a large and historic collection of anthropological materials from across the globe, including more than 1.2 million individual cultural items, 500,000 photographic images, and associated archival records.

    Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East

     (497.2 mi)

    Always free admission

    Tracy Snyder Molina:  The Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East always offers free admission. This Museum explores the rich history of cultures connected by the family of Semitic languages. Exhibitions include a full-scale replica of an ancient Israelite home, life sized casts of famous Mesopotamian monuments, authentic mummy coffins, and tablets containing the earliest forms of writing.

    Commonwealth Museum

     (499.3 mi)

    Always free admission

    Closed weekends

    Tracy Snyder Molina:  The Commonwealth Museum always offers free admission. Explore the unique history of Massachusetts at this museum. Massachusetts has always been a leader for equal rights with the first public schools, the first battles for American independence and the first abolitionist newspaper. The Commonwealth Museum brings the story to life with state of the art interactive exhibits and galleries with important historic documents. This museum would be best suited for grade-school age children and older.

    Boston Children's Museum - $1 Sunday Afternoons

     (500.3 mi)

    01/29/2023

    02/05/2023

    02/12/2023

    $1 Sundays, 1:30-4:30pm

    Tracy Snyder Molina:  The Boston Children's Museum offers $1 admission on Sunday afternoons. This museum provides a unique environment where play and learning converge. There are abundant opportunities for rich exploration and discovery.

    Boston Fire Museum

     (500.3 mi)

    Open Saturdays only

    Always free admission

    Tracy Snyder Molina:  The Boston Fire Museum always offers free admission. The collection includes fire alarm displays and artifacts, firefighting equipment, antique fire apparatus, and photographs. Kids will especially love visiting Sparky the Dalmatian, a real-life fire house dog who can usually be found at the entrance just waiting to greet visitors and be petted. The museum also organizes children's birthday parties!

    The Institute of Contemporary Art Free Days

     (500.7 mi)

    01/26/2023

    01/28/2023

    02/02/2023

    Select Free Days noted above

    Free Days Thursdays 5-9pm

    Always free for youth

    Tracy Snyder Molina:   The Institute of Contemporary Art offers free days on select days: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Labor Day, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. They also have free admission every Thursday evening, and, when accompanied by kids 12 and under, up to 2 adults per family can be admitted free the last Saturday of every month (except November and December). The ICA features exhibits on contemporary photography, painting, sculpture, architecture and video performance art in styles that appeal to even the youngest viewer.

Primary photo:   Boston Children’s Museum © Lex Piccione

Upparent collects community-submitted recommendations and reviews, and any ideas that are shared reflect the opinions of individual contributors.

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