UPDATE: Smithsonian Magazine has announced it will not hold Museum Day in 2023 at all.
Please check back when we update for 2024.
You can see the cancellation announcement here
Info below the line is from a prior year and is not current.
Museum Day 2022 will be hosted by Smithsonian magazine on Saturday, September 17th, 2022. This FREE admission day happens every year, typically in September.
Around the country, participating museums will provide free admission to anyone holding a Museum Day ticket. The 2022 event is expected to include 1000 museums and historic sites, nation wide.
There are usually several participating museums within a 90-minute drive of Atlanta. For your convenience, we will list all the 2021 venues here when details become available. .
If you’re traveling that weekend, you can still find a participating museum you’d like to visit — just click here. This will lead you to a search page, where you can filter your search by museum name, museum type, or a zip code location.
Visit the Museum Day 2022 webpage
Photo Courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine
Get a ticket in advance
Tickets will be available to download beginning on Wednesday, August 17, 2022.
To get started, go to the Museum Day search page.
You can search for a museum by name, zip code, or state. When you find one you’d like to attend — and click “Get a Ticket” next to that museum’s name.
You’ll be able to download your ticket right away, or have it emailed to you.
The Carlos Museum is an Atlanta attraction participating in Free Museum Day.
Know before you go
One ticket provides general admission for two people.
The ticket gives you free entry only — it doesn’t apply to special exhibits, parking fees, IMAX films, or anything else that carries an additional charge outside of admission.
The ticket is valid for one day only — the designated Museum Day.
If a museum is at capacity when you arrive, it may need to limit your entry until other guests leave and space is available.
If you want to bring your whole family, you may need to pay full price for some members (because a ticket is only good for two admissions). Alternatively, multiple family members can download a ticket — but the rule is one ticket per email address.
If a museum usually admits children for free, your child will not count as a guest on your Museum Day ticket.
The Museum Day website advises you to choose your one free museum wisely — suggesting that each ticket is good at only one venue that day.
Before you go, verify whether you need a printed ticket or if you can show a digital ticket via smartphone.
Questions? View the Museum Day FAQ page.
Participating museums near Atlanta in 2022
There are several participating museums close enough to Atlanta to be considered a day-trip excursion. Why not use this opportunity to get out and explore something that’s not right in your own backyard?
Note that some of the museums listed here are always free — so we recommend choosing one that you’d normally have to pay for, and visiting those that are always free at your leisure.
REMEMBER — you only need one ticket for two people.
And if you’re traveling out of state on Sept. 17th, you can search for a FREE museum by state online.
- Archibald Smith Plantation Home
935 Alpharetta Hwy
Roswell, GA 30075
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Get a Ticket
- William Root House Museum & Garden
80 N Marietta Parkway NW
Marietta, GA 30060
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Get a ticket
- Barrington Hall
535 Barrington Drive
Roswell, GA 30075
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Get a ticket
- Bulloch Hall
180 Bulloch Ave.
Roswell, GA 30075
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Get a ticket
- David J. Sencer CDC Museum
(Always FREE)
1600 Clifton Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30329
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Get a ticket
- Marietta History Center
1 Depot Street
Marietta, GA 30060
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Get a ticket
- Woodlands Garden
(Always FREE)
932 Scott Blvd
Decatur, GA 30030
Get a ticket
