Join a “National Celebration of Boundless Curiosity” on September 21. It’s free!
For 15 years, Smithsonian Magazine has encouraged museums, zoos, and cultural centers in all 50 states to offer free admission on one Saturday each September, usually close to the autumn solstice. The Smithsonian’s Museum Day represents “a nationwide commitment to access, equity, and inclusion.”
This year’s Museum Day is on September 21, 2019.
Each unique email address can download a ticket good for one adult plus one guest; over 250,000 people downloaded tickets for 2017’s event. (Typically, if the museum you elect to visit offers children free admittance, they won’t count as a guest. Otherwise, children will need a ticket.)
You can locate museums in your state, get more information, and download tickets here.
Research has proved the importance of museum visits to child development. Visiting museums can instill an appreciation of our world, help children develop skills, and spark a lifelong love of learning.
But, spending time in a museum, zoo, or cultural venue can also spark the inner child in you, even when you’re a fully-grown adult. They can help you see the world differently, learn, experience something completely new, and be inspired in your own life. This is particularly important if you’re retired!
As an association of museums in Manitoba puts it, “Museums are institutions created in the public interest. They engage their visitors, foster deeper understanding, and promote the enjoyment and sharing of authentic cultural and natural heritage. Museums acquire, preserve, research, interpret, and exhibit the tangible and intangible evidence of society and nature.”
Life is more than an endless to-do list, chores, golfing, or bingeing shows on television. Make plans to get personally engaged with your local community’s cultural treasures, starting with Museum Day this year. Spread the word, and make it an annual tradition!