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Free Museum Days in San Francisco 2024 & 2025
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.
What to Expect on SF's Free Museum Days
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.
San Francisco Free Museum Days
This is the sign that the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park posts out front on their free admission day.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.
- Asian Art Museum: First Sunday of every month (sponsored by Northern California Kaiser Permanente)
- California Academy of Sciences: As of the summer of 2024, they no longer offer free days, but I hope they start them up again soon.
- Conservatory of Flowers: First Tuesday of every month
- Contemporary Jewish Museum: First Friday of every month (closing on December 15, 2024 for one year)
- de Young: First Tuesday of every month and every Saturday for locals in the 9 Bay Area counties
- Exploratorium: Four to five times a year
- GLBT: First Wednesday of the month (sponsored by the Bob Ross Foundation)
- Japanese Tea Garden: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for those that arrive between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.
- Legion of Honor: First Tuesday of every month and every Saturday for locals in the 9 Bay Area counties
- Museum of African Diaspora: Free on the second Saturday of every month.
- SF Museum of Modern Art: Free the first Thursday of the month from Noon to 8 p.m. for locals in the 9 Bay Area Counties
- SF Botanical Gardens: Second Tuesday of every month, as well as Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, & New Year's Day. They also offer free admission for anyone arriving daily at the Main Gate between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: They offer free days every Wednesday and the second Sunday of the 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.
Monthly Calendar of Free Days for San Francisco Museums
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.
Daily & Weekly Free Museum Days in San Francisco
- de Young & Legion of Honor: All Bay Area residents receive free admission every Saturday to both of these museums.
- Japanese Tea Garden: They offer free admission for anyone who enters between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
- Botanical Garden: It's free for anyone that enters through the Main Gate between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. daily.
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: They offer free admission to their San Francisco museum every Wednesday.
December 2024
One of the exhibits in the permanent collection at the de Young and one you will have access to on their monthly free museum day in San Francisco.Daily
- Contemporary Jewish Museum is free every day through December 15
Every Wednesday in December
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Every Saturday in December is a Free Day for Bay Area Residents at the de Young and Legion of Honor
- December 7
- December 14
- December 21
- December 28
Tuesday, December 3
- Conservatory of Flowers
- de Young Museum
- Legion of Honor
Wednesday, December 4
- GLBT Museum
Thursday, December 5
- SF Museum of Modern Art, Noon to 8 p.m. for all Bay Area residents with an ID
Saturday and Sunday, December 7 & 8
- Bank of America Museums on Us Free Days
Sunday, December 8
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Tuesday, December 10
- Botanical Garden
Saturday, December 14
- Museum of African Diaspora
Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day)
- Botanical Garden
>> Free San Francisco things to do in December
>> Popular San Francisco events in December
Tickets to Top SF Museums
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.
Fun Things to Do Around San Francisco
January 2025
Beautiful flowers at the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco with free admission on the first Tuesday of the monthEvery Wednesday in January
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Every Saturday in December is a Free Day for Bay Area Residents at the de Young and Legion of Honor
- January 4
- January 11
- January 18
- January 25
Wednesday, January 1 (New Year's Day)
- Botanical Garden
Thursday, January 2
- SF Museum of Modern Art, Noon to 8 p.m. for all Bay Area residents with an ID
Saturday and Sunday, January 4 & 5
- Bank of America Museums on Us Free Days
Sunday, January 5
- SF Asian Art Museum
Tuesday, January 7
- Conservatory of Flowers
- de Young Museum
- Legion of Honor
Saturday, January 11
- Museum of African Diaspora
Sunday, January 12
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Tuesday, January 14
- Botanical Garden
>> Free San Francisco things to do in January
>> Popular San Francisco events in January
February 2025
This is one of several pieces in the de Young's permanent collection that you will get to see on their free museum admission day.Every Wednesday in February
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Every Saturday in February is a Free Day for Bay Area Residents at the de Young and Legion of Honor
- February 1
- February 8
- February 15
- February 22
Saturday and Sunday, February 1 & 2
- Bank of America Museums on Us Free Days
Sunday, February 2
- SF Asian Art Museum
Tuesday, February 4
- Conservatory of Flowers
- de Young Museum
- Legion of Honor
Wednesday, February 5
- GLBT Museum
Thursday, February 6
- SF Museum of Modern Art, Noon to 8 p.m. for all Bay Area residents with an ID
Saturday, February 8
- Museum of African Diaspora
Sunday, February 9
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Tuesday, February 11
- Botanical Garden
>> Free San Francisco things to do in February
>> Popular San Francisco events in February
March 2025
A piece in the permanent collection at the SF Asian Art Museum that you can see when you visit on their free day, the first Sunday of every month.Every Wednesday in March
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Every Saturday in March is a Free Day for Bay Area Residents at the de Young and Legion of Honor
- March 1
- March 8
- March 15
- March 22
- March 29
Saturday and Sunday, March 1 & 2
- Bank of America Museums on Us Free Days
Sunday, March 2
- SF Asian Art Museum
Tuesday, March 4
- Conservatory of Flowers
- de Young Museum
- Legion of Honor
Wednesday, March 5
- GLBT Museum
Thursday, March 6
- SF Museum of Modern Art, Noon to 8 p.m. for all Bay Area residents with an ID
Saturday, March 8
- Museum of African Diaspora
Sunday, March 9
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Tuesday, March 11
- Botanical Garden
>> Free San Francisco things to do in March
>> Popular San Francisco events in March
April 2025
Every Wednesday in April
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Every Saturday in April is a Free Day for Bay Area Residents at the de Young and Legion of Honor
- April 5
- April 12
- April 19
- April 26
Tuesday, April 1
- Conservatory of Flowers
- de Young Museum
- Legion of Honor
Wednesday, April 2
- GLBT Museum
Thursday, April 3
- SF Museum of Modern Art, Noon to 8 p.m. for all Bay Area residents with an ID
Saturday and Sunday, April 5 & 6
- Bank of America Museums on Us Free Days
Sunday, April 6
- SF Asian Art Museum
Tuesday, April 8
- Botanical Garden
Saturday, April 12
- Museum of African Diaspora
Sunday, April 13
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
>> Free San Francisco things to do in April
>> Popular San Francisco events in April
More Discounted and Free Admission Day Programs
Bank of American Museums on Us Free Days
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:
- de Young Museum
- Legion of Honor
- Oakland Museum of California
- Computer History Museum in San Jose
Pay What You Wish Days
We also have two museums that offer Pay as You Wish Days.
- Cartoon Art Museum: Visit on the first Tuesday of the month and pay what you wish.
- Museum of Craft and Design: This museum offers pay what you wish every Wednesday.
Blue Star Museums
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.
- American Bookbinders Museum
- SF Asian Art Museum
- Museum of Craft and Design
- SF Museum of Modern Art
- Walt Disney Museum
More Free Things to Do in San Francisco
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?
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