From historical homes to indoor and outdoor galleries, Austin has an eclectic mix of museums. If you time it right, you can visit most of them for free!
Always free:
- Art in Public Places (Review)
- Austin Fire Museum
- Austin Nature and Science Center (Review)
- Capitol Visitors Center (Review)
- Elisabet Ney Museum (Review)
- Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (Review)
- French Legation Museum (Review)
- George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center
- Goodwill Computer Museum
- Harry Ransom Center
- HOPE Outdoor Gallery (Review)
- Mondo Gallery (Review)
- O. Henry Museum
- Oakwood Cemetery (Review)
- People’s Gallery at City Hall (Review)
- Texas Governor’s Mansion (Review)
- Texas Military Forces Museum (Review)
- Texas Music Museum
- Texas State Cemetery (Review)
- The Joseph and Susanna Dickinson Hannig Museum (Photos)
- The Sheffield Education Center
- Women & Their Work
Free at certain times:
- Blanton Museum of Art (Review) – Free on Thursdays. Always free for kids age 12 and under.
- Bullock Texas State History Museum (Review) – Free on the first Sunday of every month.
- Contmeporary Austin at The Jones Center – Free on Tuesdays. Under 18 and military always free. Admission is also free to Bank of America customers on the first full weekend of every month through the Museums on Us program.
- Contemporary Austin at Laguna Gloria (Review) – Free on Tuesdays. Under 18 and military always free. Admission is also free to Bank of America customers on the first full weekend of every month through the Museums on Us program.
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Free during the month of January.
- LBJ Library and Museum (Review) – The Museum offers 8 free admission days each year. Children 12 and under, active military and UT students are always free.
- Mexic-Arte Museum – Free during the month of December. Always free on Sunday.
- The Thinkery (Review) – The Thinkery is now open! You can visit on Wednesday nights, from 5 – 8 p.m., when admission is by donation, or you can visit on Sundays from 5 – 6 p.m. when admission is free. Admission is also free to Bank of America customers on the first full weekend of every month through the Museums on Us program. Admission is free anytime through the Museum’s Open Door Policy (see a cashier for details).
The Blue Star Museums program offers free museum admission to military personnel, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Bank of America customers can visit the Thinkery and the Contemporary Austin for free on the first full weekend of every month (one free ticket per cardholder), through the Museums on Us program.
Bank of America customers can visit the Thinkery and the Contemporary Austin for free on the first full weekend of every month (one free ticket per cardholder), through the Museums on Us program.
For a more comprehensive list of local museums, visit the Austin Museum Partnership website, but note that not all of the museums listed are free. Mark your calendar for Sunday, September 21, 2014, the next Austin Museum Day, when you can visit more than 40 local institutions at no charge!
You may also be interested in Free and Cheap Field Trips in Austin.
