Free museum days and events in South Florida

It's hot outside, and we're all looking for interesting things to do inside, in the air conditioning. South Florida museums offer lots of opportunities for fun and education indoors.

Most museums have regular free days. Some have discounts for residents, and some museums are even free.

Bank of America's Museum of Us free weekends

Bank of America's Museums on Us program offers free entry the first weekend of every month to anyone with a Bank of America credit or debit card. In South Florida, that program includes:

Miami-Dade County

• Miami Children’s Museum
• Perez Art Museum Miami
• The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach
• Coral Gables Museum
• HistoryMiami Museum
• Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA)

Broward County

• NSU Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale 
• Fort Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science

Palm Beach County

• Cox Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach
• Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach

Florida Keys

• History of Diving Museum in Islamorada

Free museum days and events

Many museums offer free days monthly or weekly. These are some of South Florida's free museum days and events.

Miami-Dade free museum days

• The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is free the first Saturday of the month, unless there is a special events. Details.
• The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach offers a free family day the last Sunday of every month. Miami Beach residents get free admission every day. Details.
• The Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami offers free admission from 7 to 10 p.m. the last Friday of every month as part of its Jazz at MOCA free concert. Details.
• The Coral Gables Museum offers free admission on the second Saturday of every month during Family Day on Aragon, which often includes entertainment and activities for children. Details.
• History Miami offers free admission the second Saturday of every month, with special family activities for kids. Details.
• Perez Art Museum Miami offers free admission the second Saturday of every month, with free family activities. Details.

Broward free museum days

The NSU Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale offers free admission the first Thursday of each month as part of the Sunny Days/Starry Nights event. Residents of Fort Lauderdale get free admission on Fort Lauderdale Neighbor Days, usually the last Sunday of the month. Details.

The Art and Culture Center of Hollywood offers free admission from noon to 4 p.m. the third Sunday of most months. Details.

Palm Beach County free museum days

The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum offers free admission the first Saturday of every month, with special activities for families. Details.

Other options for free or discount entry

If you bought the South Florida Adventure Pass, you can unlimited free entry to the Museum of Science & Discovery in Fort Lauderdale, plus three outdoor attractions.

The Summer Savings Pass offers unlimited entry to the Cox Science Center & Aquarium in West Palm Beach, plus three outdoor attractions.

If you have a SNAP card, you can get free or discounted admission to a number of South Florida museums all the time.

Miami-Dade residents also can check out free passes to museums and attractions through the Miami-Dade Public Library. Students 13 to 22 (and an adult) can get $5 passes for entry to many museums and attractions through Culture Shock Miami.

Residents and visitors in Palm Beach County can get discount coupons with the Palm Beaches Savings Pass.

Museums that are always free

And, of course, we have some museums and attractions that are always free.

Miami-Dade Free Museums

• Historic Homestead Town Hall Museum. Admission is always free.
• Institute of Contemporary Art. Admission is always free. FREE private guided tours for groups of 10 or more with advance notice of two weeks.
• The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum. This museum located at Florida International University’s Modesto Maidique campus is always free. There are curator tours every third Tuesday of the month at noon.
• The Wolfsonian is always free for Florida residents.

Broward Free Museums

• Old Dillard Museum, 1009 NW 4th Street, Fort Lauderdale 33311,  754-322-8828.
• Coral Springs Museum of Art, 2855 Coral Springs Drive, Coral Springs 33065, 954-340-5000
• Stonewall National Museum, 1300 E. Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, 954-763-8565 
• Plantation Historical Museum

Palm Beach County Free Museums and Centers

• Loggerhead Marine Life Center
• Historical Society Museum of Palm Beach County
• Sugar Sand Park Children's Science Explorium
• Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton

Here is a schedule of free museum days and events this week

This list also includes some outdoor events and attractions.

More museum events and exhibits