So this is very sad. For the first time in, basically, forever (barring 2020), Smithsonian Magazine will not host its annual Free Museum Day event.
Although we have a ton of free days at Wichita museums, and a healthy number of discounts, I just have a sentimental feeling towards the Smithsonian Free Museum Day because 1) it was such a fun thing to look forward to every year 2) my first visit to Cowtown, Strataca, and a few other local places was on Free Museum Day, and 3) my first post ever at Wichita on the Cheap was about Free Museum Day.
Each year, there was a good list of participating museums here in Wichita, KS, and an even longer list of musuems nationally. Whether you were at home or traveling, you could enjoy FREE admission to hundreds of museums and cultural institutions across the U.S.
You and one other person in your family could get a FREE admission voucher to use at participating museums in Wichita or elsewhere when you request your free tickets at the Smithsonian website.
Related: Discounted and Free Museum Days in Wichita
Smithsonian Magazine continued this annual event for many years, and every year I tried to use my free tickets to visit a museum I hadn’t been to before or hadn’t visited for a long time.
Kansas would have quite a few participating museums each year, and some of them were not cheap if you were buying tickets for a large family. Others were already pretty affordable, but two free tickets for your family made it even better!
Although admission was FREE, you DID need a ticket. There was a limit of one ticket per email address – each ticket was valid for up to two people.
Related: Free Museum Days and Museum Discounts in Wichita
Your biggest problem was just choosing which museum to visit since so many of them in our area participated each year.
And as I mentioned, if you were going out of town – or even out of the state – that weekend, you could find a museum to visit for FREE during your trip.
Museum Day was a national promotion, so there are participating museums throughout the United States.
To get started, we visited the Museum Day site, and searched for participating museums in our area. Participants were allowed to download one ticket per e-mail address. Each ticket provided complimentary general admission for two people. Tickets were often available starting in August.
Limit one ticket per email. If you were planning a group excursion, each pair needed to download their own admit-two pass.
Participating Museums near Wichita
These are the Wichita-area museums that have participated in recent years; more may be added as we get closer to the event. They’re all great. Please note: you must have tickets to get free admission on Museum Day.
- Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson
- Museum of World Treasures in Wichita
- Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum in Wichita
- The Wichita Art Museum (always free on Saturdays)
- Great Plains Nature Center, (Free Monday through Saturday)
- Ulrich Museum of Art at WSU
- The Orignal Pizza Hur Museum (Free Monday through Friday)
- Old Cowtown Museum
- Keeper of the Plains, (Always Free)
Kansas museums that would participate in past years
Other Kansas museums participated in Free Museum Day. Here are the ones that have participated in the past. Sometimes more may be added as we approached Free Museum Day, and some may have chosen not to participate every year.
The only way to knew to find out was to go to the Free Museum Day website and see which tickets were available.
Abilene
- Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home (It’s temporarily closed.)
Baldwin City
- Quayle Bible Collection (always free)
Bonner Springs
- National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame (suggested donation of $5)
Emporia
Fort Riley
Gardner
Hanover
Hays
Kansas City
Lincoln
LeCompton
Manhattan
- Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art (confirmed for 2021, but also free every day)
Marysville
McPherson
Overland Park
- Museum at Prairiefire (confirmed for 2021)
Pleasanton
Republic
Topeka
Tickets were usually available about a month before the event.
Related:
Free Museum Days in Wichita
Free admission to Wichita Art Museum on Saturdays
Free admission to Old Cowtown Museum on Sundays
6 Responses
Theres no where does it say that i can find that its one ticket per household, it does say however that it’s one ticket per email. Please direct me to where it syates this? My husband and I have each gotten one ticket each and taken our children with our ticket every year and I’ve not had a problem doing that. So I’m wondering if they changed something this year.
At one time it said one ticket per household, because I remember reading that and being a bit disappointed about having to add that wording here. But if they don’t say that anymore then yay! Even better!
are masks required for the museums?
Each museum likely has its own policy on masks, unless a city/county/state mandate is issued. Some museums are city-owned and will follow guidelines for city-owned properties. I don’t think any are federal, so that mandate won’t apply.
The best way to know for sure is to call or visit the website of your chosen museum before you go. We don’t know what it will be like in September.
Greetings Carolyn!
I appreciate you and all you do all of the information with this email every week!!!!
Thank you bunches and take care!
Holly. 😉
Holly, thanks so much for taking the time to say this! I appreciate you too!!