Visit a Museum for Free in May

Bring the kiddos to the Bay Area Discovery Museum on their free day on Wednesday, May 1. Photo: Bay Area Discovery Museum.

Did you know you can visit most of the Bay Area's major museums and cultural attractions for free day every month? Just about all museums have one day a month set aside as a free day. They all aren't on the same day, too, so if you plan it right you can take in several museum outings without having to pay a thing.

Note that most museums charge for admission to special exhibitions and usually only the special exhibition fee is charged on free days. Also, groups are generally not admitted on free days; check with each museum for their free day group policy.

First Wednesday of the Month—May 1

• Bay Area Discovery Museum

Every Saturday—May 4, 11, 18, & 25

• de Young Museum and Legion of Honor — free general admission for San Francisco Bay Area residents.

Bank of America Museums on Us—May 4 & 5

Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card holders get free general admission on the first full weekend of every month. Present your card and a photo ID for admission (one free general admission per cardholder). Get full details here. Participating museums include:

• de Young Museum
• Legion of Honor
• Contemporary Jewish Museum
• Oakland Museum of California

First Sunday of the Month—May 5

• Asian Art Museum
• Oakland Museum of California

First Tuesday of the Month—May 7

• de Young Museum
• Legion of Honor

First Thursday of the Month—May 9

• Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
• SFMOMA — free general admission for San Francisco Bay Area residents from 4–8 pm

Mother's Day—Sunday, May 12

• Exploratorium (pay what you wish)
• Charles M. Schulz Museum (mothers get in free)

Second Tuesday of the Month—May 14

• San Francisco Botanical Garden

If you can't make it to the museum on any of these free days, don't worry—the Marin County Free Library offers Discover & Go museum passes for patrons to check out. These passes provide free or discounted admission at many San Francisco Bay Area museums, including the Asian Art Museum, the Lawrence Hall of Science, the California Academy of Sciences, the Exploratorium, the Charles M. Schulz Museum, and more. You can even log in with your library card number and print a pass online! You can also check out passes to the Bay Area Discovery Museum at your local Library. Visit their website for more information.