Who doesn’t love a good deal? Philly has so many wonderful museums, and lots of opportunities to visit them at no or little cost to you.
Here’s our guide to seeing Philly’s finest cultural institutions for little or no money. Bookmark this segment so you know the best times and ways to hit up these museums!
☀️ Set Aside a Sunday
If you love art, pencil a museum day into your calendar on the first Sunday of the month, when the Philadelphia Museum of Art offers pay-what-you-wish admission (be ready for crowds!) and the Barnes Foundation has free admission with prior registration.
On second Sundays, check out the American Swedish Historical Museum in FDR Park at no cost. Or, if your zip code is 19130 or 19121, pay a visit to Eastern State Penitentiary during their free neighbor days. (Each qualifying household can bring up to two friends who don’t live in one of those zip codes.)
For Sundays later in the month, the Woodmere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill is your best bet for a free weekend gallery stroll — it offers free admission every Sunday.
📅 Watch the Calendar
Some museum’s free admission days aren’t a regularly recurring thing, but they do pop up every once in a while, so keep your eyes on their event calendars.
The African American Museum in Philadelphia, for example, has some free hours this Saturday, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts has a free admission day coming up on Nov. 24. In the past, the National Constitution Center has offered free admission and special programming on some holiday weekends.
🪿 Wait Until Wawa Welcome America
The annual local extravaganza — which typically stretches from mid-June to early July — usually features a series of complementary admission days at many of Philly’s top museums and historical sites, including spots where it can be difficult to find a deal on tickets otherwise. Just be aware that some museums’ free admissions days will land on weekdays, and some sites are limited capacity and require pre-registration.
🎟️ See If You’re Eligible for These Free or Low-Cost Programs
If you’ve got a Bank of America credit card, the bank will cover the cost of your visit to PAFA, AAMP, PMA, the Museum of the American Revolution, or the Independence Seaport Museum on the first full weekend of the month.
If you qualify for food assistance, you can get free or reduced (usually $2) admission at a bunch of museums — all the time — by showing your EBT card and photo ID. Here’s where you can search for participating locations.
Students at Philly high schools — public, private, or charter — can visit 20 museums and cultural sites throughout the city for nothing. And if you’re a teacher, you also might be able to get into some museums for free, like the Penn Museum, the Museum of Illusions (on Tuesdays), or The Franklin Institute.
College students, military members, and veterans often qualify for discounts as well. Between Armed Forces Day in mid-May and Labor Day, active-duty military and five of their relatives get free admission at Philly’s nine participating Blue Star Museums.
Before you go to any of these, make sure you check ID or registration requirements.
🤑 Go to a Museum That’s Always Free To Everyone
Whether you’re into science, art, technology, or firefighting history, there’s one for you!
