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by Jill Loeffler •
Many San Francisco museums offer free days at least once a month and it's a great way to visit if you are on a budget. During these days, you gain access to each museum's permanent exhibits.
Most of the monthly free admission days are on the first Sunday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.
While some museums offer a free day every month, a handful, such as the Exploratorium, offer free days just four to five times a year.
Unfortunately, the California Academy of Sciences no longer offers free days. I hope they start this program again soon, and I'll add them to my list when they do.
Disclaimer: I receive a small commission from some of the links on this page.
During these days is that it's usually a little busier than it would be normally. I'm always surprised, though, as the museums never feel overly crowded.
I arrive first thing when they open, which I've found is a great way to avoid some of the crowds these days.
From my experience, most people arrive an hour or two after opening, so if you get there first thing, you can visit part of the museum before more people come.
Another tip is to arrive in the last two hours of the day, which is also when you will find it less crowded.
Some of these museums offer free tickets online, but they rarely ask me for them when I arrive. So, booking your tickets online in advance feels unnecessary now.
Here are the current free museum days for each SF museum, in alphabetical order. You can also scroll down to see a list of dates for each museum by month.
San Francisco and the Bay Area are also home to several always-free museums. You can find the latest list of free San Francisco museums. This is the most up-to-date list of free museums around the SF Bay Area.
To make it easier, I've also created a monthly calendar for all of the San Francisco museums mentioned above. Scroll down or click on these links to jump ahead to a specific month.
In addition to the monthly free days at our local museums, there are also a few other programs that offer free and discounted admission days a certain times of the year.
These include the Bank of American Museums on Us, museums with Pay What You Wish Days, and the Blue Star Museums program. Find details for these free and discounted admission days here.
Can't make it during these free museum admission days in San Francisco? You can pick up your tickets in advance to enjoy these museums during your stay.
Every Wednesday in November
Every Saturday in November is a Free Day for Bay Area Residents at the de Young and Legion of Honor
Friday, November 1
Saturday and Sunday, November 2 & 3
Sunday, November 3
Tuesday, November 5
Wednesday, November 6
Thursday, November 7
Saturday, November 9
Sunday, November 10
Tuesday, November 12
Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving Day)
>> Free things to do in San Francisco in November
>> Popular San Francisco events in November
Every Wednesday in December
Every Saturday in December is a Free Day for Bay Area Residents at the de Young and Legion of Honor
Sunday, December 1
Tuesday, December 3
Wednesday, December 4
Thursday, December 5
Friday, December 6
Saturday and Sunday, December 7 & 8
Sunday, December 8
Tuesday, December 10
Saturday, December 14
Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day)
>> Free San Francisco things to do in December
>> Popular San Francisco events in December
Every Wednesday in January
Every Saturday in December is a Free Day for Bay Area Residents at the de Young and Legion of Honor
Wednesday, January 1 (New Year's Day)
Thursday, January 2
Friday, January 3
Saturday and Sunday, January 4 & 5
Sunday, January 5
Tuesday, January 7
Saturday, January 11
Sunday, January 12
Tuesday, January 14
>> Free San Francisco things to do in January
>> Popular San Francisco events in January
Every Wednesday in February
Every Saturday in February is a Free Day for Bay Area Residents at the de Young and Legion of Honor
Saturday and Sunday, February 1 & 2
Sunday, February 2
Tuesday, February 4
Wednesday, February 5
Thursday, February 6
Friday, February 7
Saturday, February 8
Sunday, February 9
Tuesday, February 11
>> Free San Francisco things to do in February
>> Popular San Francisco events in February
Every Wednesday in March
Every Saturday in March is a Free Day for Bay Area Residents at the de Young and Legion of Honor
Saturday and Sunday, March 1 & 2
Sunday, March 2
Tuesday, March 4
Wednesday, March 5
Thursday, March 6
Friday, March 7
Saturday, March 8
Sunday, March 9
Tuesday, March 11
>> Free San Francisco things to do in March
>> Popular San Francisco events in March
Every Wednesday in April
Every Saturday in April is a Free Day for Bay Area Residents at the de Young and Legion of Honor
Tuesday, April 1
Wednesday, April 2
Thursday, April 3
Friday, April 4
Saturday and Sunday, April 5 & 6
Sunday, April 6
Tuesday, April 8
Saturday, April 12
Sunday, April 13
>> Free San Francisco things to do in April
>> Popular San Francisco events in April
Bank of America offers free museum days in San Francisco through their Museums on Us program. This program offers Bank of America, Merrill, or Bank of America Private Bank credit or debit cardholders free admission on the first full Saturday and Sunday of the month to the following SF museums:
We also have two museums that offer Pay as You Wish Days.
The Blue Star Museums program is for active military personnel and their families, including the National Guard and Reserve.
It offers you the chance to get in free to local San Francisco and Bay Area Museums with your military ID.
It runs yearly from mid-May to Labor Day Weekend.
The annual Blue Star Museums program is finished for 2024.
These are the museums that participated in 2024. I'll update this for 2025 once they announce the new list in the spring.
In addition to these free museum admission days, here are a few other free things to check out during your stay in San Francisco.
Lombard Street: Have you heard about San Francisco's famous crooked street? It's called Lombard Street and a fun place to check out during your visit. You can walk or drive down this famous street with eight hairpin turns. For those walking, you will find a set of stairs on both sides where you can watch others as they try to maneuver around each turn. Learn more about visiting Lombard Street in San Francisco.
Painted Ladies of Alamo Square: Another fun thing to do in San Francisco is to check out the famous Painted Ladies of Alamo Square. You will find them next to Alamo Square Park. They are six identical historic Victorians with a beautiful view of downtown SF behind them. Learn more about visiting Alamo Square here.
Street Art: One of the cool things about SF is that you will find street art all around town. My guide offers details on where to find the best pieces and which neighborhoods have the largest concentration. Learn more seeing the best San Francisco murals here.
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
I would love for you to join me in my private Facebook group!
It's a great place to interact with me and others who know the area well.
You can ask questions, get advice for your upcoming stay, and then share your photos and advice with others when you return home. It's a great community and the fastest way to get answers to those nagging questions about your visit!