The Northeast United States offers a variety of museums with free admission, some consistently and others on specific days or for certain programs. Here's a breakdown by state:
### Connecticut
Always Free:
* Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry (UConn – Storrs)
* Connecticut College Arboretum (New London)
* Connecticut State Museum of Natural History & Archeology Center (Storrs)
* Davison Art Center (Wesleyan University – Middletown)
* Flanders Nature Center (Woodbury)
* Knights of Columbus Museum (New Haven)
* Museum of Connecticut History (Hartford)
* Nautilus & Submarine Force Museum (Groton)
* New England Civil War Museum (Vernon)
* Soundwaters Environmental Education Center (Stamford)
* Weir Farm National Historic Site (Wilton)
* White Memorial Conservation Center (Litchfield)
* William Benton Museum of Art (UConn – Storrs)
* Yale Center for British Art (New Haven)
* Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven)
Free for specific groups or on certain days:
* Many Connecticut museums offer free or reduced admission through the "Museums for All" program for those receiving SNAP benefits.
* The Wadsworth Atheneum is free for visitors under 17.
* The New Britain Museum of American Art is free on the third Saturday of each month.
### Maine
Always Free:
* The Hudson Museum at the University of Maine (Orono) is free and open to the public Monday-Friday, 9 am-4 pm, and during Collins Center for the Arts events.
Free for specific groups or on certain days:
* The Portland Museum of Art offers free admission every Friday from 4-8 p.m. They also participate in "Museums for All," providing free admission to those with SNAP/EBT cards, and "Museums on Us," offering free admission to Bank of America and Merrill Lynch cardholders on the first full weekend of every month.
* Several Maine museums participate in the "Museums for All" program, offering free or reduced admission to those receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits). These include the Brick Store Museum, Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine, Historic New England properties (Castle Tucker, Hamilton House, Marrett House, Nickels-Sortwell House, Sarah Orne Jewett House Museum, Sayward-Wheeler House), L.C. Bates Museum, Maine Maritime Museum, Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor, Our Heroes Military Museum, Owls Head Transportation Museum, Portland Museum of Art, and Victoria Mansion.
### Massachusetts
Always Free:
* MAAM (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) is Boston's only fully free contemporary art museum.
* The McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College.
* The Davis Museum at Wellesley College.
* Addison Gallery of American Art at Philips Academy.
* Massachusetts Historical Society.
* MIT List Visual Arts Center.
Free for specific groups or on certain days:
* Harvard Art Museums offer free admission to the public in the summer of 2023 and are free for Massachusetts residents every Saturday from 10 am – 12 pm. They also have free evenings on the last Thursday of each month from 5-9 p.m.
* The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) offers free admission on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, and Indigenous Peoples' Day, as well as Thursdays from 5-9 p.m. Bank of America cardholders also get free admission on the first Sunday of the month.
* The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is free every first Thursday from 3-9 p.m., always free for those 17 and under, and always free for anyone named "Isabella."
* The Harvard Museum of Natural History and Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology are free to Massachusetts residents on Sundays from 9 am-12 pm and Wednesdays from 3-5 pm, and always free for K-12 teachers in the state.
* The Worcester Art Museum offers "August Adventures" with free admission during August.
* Boston Public Library members can reserve museum passes for free or discounted entry to a range of local museums and attractions, including the Boston Children's Museum, Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, and the USS Constitution Museum.
* Boston Family Days, a pilot program by the city, offers free admission to some of the city's top attractions on the first and second Sundays of each month for Boston students (Pre-K to K-12) and two guests. Participating institutions include the Boston Children's Museum, Franklin Park Zoo, the ICA, the MFA, the Museum of Science, the New England Aquarium, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the JFK Presidential Library, and the Museum of African American History.
### New Hampshire
Always Free:
* New England Ski Museum (Franconia and North Conway)
* Franconia Heritage Museum (Franconia)
* Forest Society North at the Rocks (Bethlehem)
* The Cog Railway Museum at the Marshfield Base Station of the Mount Washington Cog Railway.
* Hood Museum of Art (Dartmouth College)
* Tuck Memorial Museum (Hampton)
Note: Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth is New Hampshire's first Smithsonian Affiliate and offers tours and events, but it charges admission.
### New Jersey
Always Free:
* Heritage Glass Museum (Glassboro)
* Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum (Oradell)
* Long Pond Ironworks (Hewitt)
* Marine Mammal Stranding Center (Brigantine)
* Millville Army Air Field Museum (Millville)
* National Guard Militia Museum (Sea Girt)
* New Jersey Museum of Boating (Point Pleasant Beach)
* New Jersey State Museum (Trenton)
* Paterson Museum (Paterson)
* Princeton University Art Museum (Princeton)
* Rutgers Geology Museum (New Brunswick)
* Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park (Edison)
* Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University (New Brunswick)
* Noyes Art Museum (Atlantic City, Hammonton)
* Twin Lights (Highlands)
* Washington Headquarters Museum (Morristown)
* The Raptor Trust and Sea Life Museum (Millington)
* All Sports Museum of Southern New Jersey (Bridgeton)
* NJ State Police Museum and Learning Center (West Trenton)
Free for specific groups or on certain days:
* Bank of America cardholders can get free admission to certain NJ museums on the first weekend of the month, including the Montclair Art Museum.
* WheatonArts offers free admission on "Wheaton Wednesdays" in the summer.
* The Newark Museum of Art is free for Newark residents and students.
* Many museums offer free or reduced admission to those with SNAP benefits/EBT cards through the "Museums for All" program.
### New York
Always Free:
* American Folk Art Museum (NYC)
* The Bronx Museum of the Arts (Bronx)
* Goethe Institut (NYC)
* Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology (NYC)
* National Museum of the American Indian (NYC)
* Queens Botanical Garden (Flushing) is free from November to March.
* Queens Museum (Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens)
* MoMA PS1 (Long Island City) is always free for all New York state residents.
* Poster House (NYC).
Free for specific groups or on certain days:
* American Museum of Natural History (NYC) has suggested admission prices and is pay-what-you-wish for NY, NJ, and CT residents.
* Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (NYC) is free on the first Friday of the month from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm for residents. As of January 2024, it's free for all New York State residents every Friday from 5:30-8:30 pm.
* Neue Galerie (NYC) is free on the first Friday of every month.
* New-York Historical Society (NYC) is "Pay As You Wish" on Fridays from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
* Whitney Museum of American Art (NYC) is free every Friday from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm and free all day on the second Sunday of every month. It is also free for anyone under 25 starting December 11th, 2024.
* Guggenheim Museum (NYC) is "Pay as You Wish" on Saturdays and Monday evenings.
* The Jewish Museum (NYC) is free every Saturday and on select Jewish Holidays.
* The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) is "Pay what you wish" for New York state residents.
* El Museo del Barrio (NYC) has suggested admission prices.
* Museum of the City of New York (NYC) is "Pay what you can" for New York State residents, and Wednesday admission is free for everyone.
* Staten Island Museum (Staten Island) has suggested admission prices.
* International Center for Photography (NYC) is pay-by-donation with a minimum of $5 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Thursday.
* The Morgan Library & Museum (NYC) has free Friday programs from 5-8 p.m.
* Brooklyn Museum (Brooklyn) is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and offers "First Saturdays" from 11am to 11pm.
* Museum at Eldridge Street (NYC) offers free admission on Mondays and Fridays.
* Wave Hill (Bronx) offers free admission on Thursdays.
* Museum of the Moving Image (Queens) offers free general admission every Thursday 2-6 p.m.
* Brooklyn Children's Museum (Brooklyn) offers free admission every Thursday 2-5 p.m.
* New York Botanical Garden offers free grounds admission to NYC residents all day and to all other visitors between 10-11 a.m. on Wednesdays.
* Museum of Jewish Heritage (NYC) offers free admission from 4-8 p.m. on Thursdays.
### Pennsylvania
Always Free:
* Steamtown National Historic Site (Scranton)
* Center for PostNatural History (Pittsburgh)
* The Westmoreland Museum of American Art (Greensburg)
* Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum (Gettysburg)
* Allentown Art Museum (Allentown)
* Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia)
* The Fabric Workshop and Museum (Philadelphia)
* United States Mint at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
* Institute of Contemporary Art (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia)
* The Rodin Museum (Philadelphia) is "Pay What You Wish" every day.
* Independence Hall (Philadelphia) is always free, but timed tickets are required from February through December.
* The Liberty Bell Center (Philadelphia) is always free.
* The Museum of Indian Culture (Allentown)
Free for specific groups or on certain days:
* The Frick Art Museum (Pittsburgh) permanent collection is free to see. (Special exhibitions may have a fee).
* The Philadelphia Museum of Art is "Pay What You Wish" every Wednesday evening from 5 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. and the first Sunday of each month.
* The Barnes Foundation (Philadelphia) has PECO Free First Sunday Family Day, offering free admission and activities on the first Sunday of each month.
* The African American Museum in Philadelphia offers free admission on Juneteenth (June 19).
* The National Constitution Center (Philadelphia) offers free admission on various holidays, typically including Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, and Constitution Day.
* Woodmere Art Museum (Philadelphia) is free every Sunday for all ages and always free for children.
### Rhode Island
Always Free:
* WaterFire (Providence) is a captivating art installation and street fair.
* Rhode Island State House (Providence) offers free tours.
* Providence Public Library (Providence) offers free guided architectural tours.
* The Athenaeum (Providence) is a free independent library and cultural center.
* Museum of Natural History and Planetarium (Providence) is Rhode Island's only natural history museum and public planetarium. (Note: Planetarium shows may have a fee).
Free for specific groups or on certain days:
* The RISD Museum (Providence) is free on Sundays.
### Vermont
Always Free:
* Ethan Allen Homestead Museum and Historic Site (Burlington)
* Fleming Museum of Art (University of Vermont, Burlington)
* ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain (Burlington) features interactive exhibits on the natural history of the region.
* Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (Vergennes) offers free admission.
Free for specific groups or on certain days:
* The Vermont History Museum (Montpelier) offers free admission to members, children under 6, and active-duty military personnel. Vermont public libraries can also sign up for a Family Pass for their patrons.
* Shelburne Museum (Shelburne) offers free admission for children under 5 and active military.
Keep in mind that museum policies can change, so it's always a good idea to check the specific museum's website before planning your visit.