Spend less and experience more with these free museums and free museum days in Boston!
Named one of the “world’s best cities,” Boston is home to some awe-inspiring museums, but those admission fees can add up if you’re looking to experience them all. However, if you time your visit right, you can get free or discounted admission to many of Boston’s world-class museums.
1. The Museum of Fine Arts, Back Bay
All US active duty military or veterans and up to five of their guests receive free admission to the MFA. University students and faculty also receive free admission with a valid ID. If neither of these sound like you, are you a Bank of America cardholder?
Then you qualify for the MFA x Bank of America ” Bank of America’s Museums on Us Program.” Any BOA cardholder qualifies for free admission on the first weekend of every month or a $7(reduced price) ticket to limited-edition exhibitions.
Admission to the Museum is free to all Massachusetts residents on the following days:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth
- Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Find it at 465 Huntington Ave in Boston.
2. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Seaport
At the ICA, youth 18 and under always receive free museum admission. Plus, every Thursday night the museum offers free admission to everyone, with free reservations available online at 10am on the day of the event. If you snag those tickets quickly, it’s an excellent weekday activity (or weekend if this 4-day workweek proposition ensues).
Find ICA at 100 Northern Ave in Boston.
3. Harvard Museum of Natural History, Harvard Square
You can qualify for free admission at The Harvard Museum of Natural History if you have a current Harvard ID, you’re a Massachusetts teacher (K-12), or if you present an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. With an EBT or WIC card not only do you qualify for free admission, but so do up to 5 of your guests!
Find it at 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge.
4. Peabody Museum Of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard Square
The Peabody Museum is free for people with Harvard IDs (+1 guest). Similar to the Museum of Natural History, it’s also free for Massachusetts residents every Sunday morning from 9 AM to 12 PM and Wednesday afternoons (except in Summer) from 3 PM to 5 PM. And similar to other museums, its free for EBT/WIC cardholders, active-duty military, veterans, and K-12 educators.
Find it at 11 Divinity Avenue in Cambridge.
5. Boston Children’s Museum, Seaport
Boston Children’s Museum, dedicated to all things educational, offers $1 (almost free!) admission every Sunday from 1:30- 4:30 PM courtesy of TJX! There are also a variety of free discounts for certain qualifying IDs and half-price tickets to check out and reserve your visit!
Find it at 308 Congress Street in Boston.
6. Harvard Art Museum, Harvard Square
Harvard’s Art Museums offer free admission to all on Sundays! Free admission is also available for Harvard ID holders and their plus one, youth under 18, Cambridge residents with proof of residency, and all Massachusetts residents on Saturdays from 10 AM to noon! It’s a great spot to get an art history education.
Find it at 32 Quincy Street in Cambridge.
7. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Fenway
The first Thursday of every month, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum offers free admission from 3 PM to 9 PM! Half garden, half museum, this ethereal beauty is one of Boston’s historic gems! Visitors 17 and under, U.S. Military and family and members always recive free admission here too.
Bonus points if your name happens to be “Isabella,” you receive free entry for life.
Find it at 25 Evans Way in Boston.
8. Boston University Art Galleries
With two locations in the city, the BU Art Galleries offer a taste of both student and professional art. Find everything from sculptures to paintings. These galleries are always free and open to the public.
855 and 808 Commonwealth Ave
9. MassArt Art Museum
Another university museum, this museum showcases work from Massachusetts College of Art and Design students and alumni! You might find clothing, creative architectural shapes, drawings and more as collections shift. This free museum in Boston is open to students and non-students.
621 Huntington Ave.
10. Museum of Bad Art, Dorchester
Yes, you read that right. There’s a museum in Dorchester dedicated to bad art, and the good news is, it’s always free.
1250 Massachusetts Ave.
11. Boston Fire Museum, Fort Point
Built in 1891 and formerly and active firefighter station, the museum seeks to preserve the history of Boston firefighting and is Boston’s second-oldest fire station, second to The Eustis Street Fire House in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The always free museum highlights variety of hand and and horse drawn fire apparatus before modern trucks, and covers the importance of fire safety.
344 Congress St.
12. USS Constitution Museum, Charlestown
The museum is free and ship is free to tour on a first-come-first-serve basis, but the museum does have a suggested “pay-what-you-wish” donation structure. All about “Old Ironsides,” this free museum highlights America’s maritime heritage.
Building 22, Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown.