I’ve written before about how much I love the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. It is amazing that we have these resources available for FREE. And now we can thank them again, as they offer their “Museum Day Live!” program, which is a day that museums around the country are offering free admission. This year, it is on Saturday, September 27 and two local (SLC) museums are participating:
- Discovery Gateway
- The Leonardo
- Above are links to the museum’s pages on the Smithsonian site, whereas here are the links to the museum’s pages themselves: Discovery Gateway; The Leonardo
Once you register, you can download a voucher for 2 free admission tickets (which you can conveniently show on your smart phone — printing hard copies is so last decade). On the Smithsonian site is also a comprehensive list of other museums around the state that are participating, but I thought these two were the most relevant to a SLC and child-oriented audience.
For your consideration, here are the detailed comparisons between the two options:
- Discovery Gateway
- Open from 10am-8pm on Saturday, Sept. 27
- Usual Admission price: $9.50 for anyone over age 2
- The Leonardo
- Open from 10am-5pm on Saturday, Sept. 27
- Usual Admission prices: $9 for adults, $7 for children age 6-11, Free for children 5 and under
- The Leonardo has special exhibitions that you can “upgrade” to see by paying an additional fee
We have been to both museums and I think they are both great. Being value-minded, I tend to consider which one is the most “bang for your buck” in terms of getting free admission. So it will of course depend on the size of your family and the ages of your children, plugging in the formula of how much it would cost you to pay on a regular admission day vs. this free museum day.
But I think it is a great opportunity to check out a place you may not have been before, or take advantage of a favorite and visit it again!
Adventures with Theo 