San Francisco Bay Area Museum Free Admission Days, Tickets
San Francisco Bay Area Museum Free Admission Days, Free Tickets: San Jose, East Bay, Oakland, Berkeley, Palo Alto, Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda, Santa Clara
Free Admission Days, Tickets Museums Bay Area 2026
Below are a list of free admission days and ways to get free passes to museums across the San Francisco Bay Area. I put together this guide as several other sources have outdated information about dates, fine print etc.
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San Francisco Free Museum Days
SFMOMA Free Museum Days
Legion of Honor Free Museum Days
First Tuesdays (All), Saturdays for Bay Area Residents (w/ proof)
De Young Free Museum Days
First Tuesdays (All), Saturdays for Bay Area Residents (w/ proof)
MoAD Free Museum Days
Museum of African Diaspora Free Days: 2nd Saturdays
San Francisco Botanical Garden Free Admission Hours, Days
7:30am-9am Daily, Second Tuesdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day
Japanese Garden Free Museum Days
Free Hour: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9am – 10am
California Academy of Sciences Free Museum Days
Very limited, I post dates in my newsletter (sign up to be notified of next date).
Asian Art Museum Free Museum Days, First Sunday of the Month
Free admission to Conservatory of Flowers,First Tuesday of the Month
GLBT Historical Society Museum, First Wednesdays of the Month
Bay Area Discovery Museum, First Wednesdays of the Month
Museum of Craft and Design, Free Every First Thursday
San Francisco Zoo Free Admission Day: Usually first Wednesdays for SF residents
Miltary Personel, Primary Caregivers For People w/ Disability
Exploratorium Free Admission Days
Select days, subscribe to Eddie’s List free email to be notified of next date.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Free Admission Day: First Wednesdays
Cartoon Art Museum, First Tuesdays (Pay What You Will), Fisherman’s Wharf
East Bay Free Museum Days: Alameda, Contra Costa
First Thursday of the Month – Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA)
Oakland Museum (OCMA) Free Admission Days: First Sundays
Chabot Space and Science Center Free Telescope Viewing Fri/Sat Nights
Not Museum Admission
San Mateo/Peninsula Free Museum Days
Cantor Arts Center, Stanford (always free, registration recommended)
Foster Museum, Palo Alto
San Jose, South Bay Area Free Museum Days
First Friday of the Month - San Jose Museum of Art
South Bay Historical Railroad Society Free Admission Days
Every day they are open, Tuesday evenings & Saturdays
Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano Free Museum Days
Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito
Very limited free days, sign up for Eddie’s List for next free date.
Museum of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa Free Admission Day: 2nd Saturdays
Free Museum Day Admission, Passes Bay Area
Submit tips, updates and more below!
Bank Of America Bay Area Free Museum Days 2026
First full weekends on the month.
Jan 3-4, 2026, Feb 7-8, 2026, Mar 7-8, 2026
Apr 4-5, 2026, May 2-3, 2026, Jun 6-7, 2026
July 4-5, 2026, Aug 1-2, 2026, Sep 5-6, 2026
Oct 3-4, 2026, Nov 7-8, 2026 Dec 5-6, 2026
See pages directly as offerings change for BofA cardholders.
Computer History Museum, Mountain View
Legion of Honor, San Francisco
SFMOMA (June - September), San Francisco
de Young Museum, San Francisco
The Napa Valley Museum of Art & Culture, St Helena
Haggin Museum, Stockton
National Steinbeck Center, Salinas
Discover & Go Bay Area: Free Tickets Library Card Holders
Free Tickets, List of Venues, Museums San Francisco
Info here. Tickets vary by location, limited per day. Check in advance (weeks in advance). Check other Bay Area libraries for specific offers, details.
Exploratorium
Free admission for 2 people.
Passholder must present either their library card or valid ID upon entry. Not valid for After Dark Thursday events, 6-10:00 p.m.
Legion of Honor
Free admission for 1 person. Good towards general admission ticket only. General admission tickets allow you to see the permanent collection and select exhibitions in the museum.
NOTE: Discover & Go passes only allow you to see the permanent collection and select exhibitions in the museum. Separate tickets that include General Admission plus the Special Exhibition are required to view special exhibitions too.
Charles M. Schultz Museum
Free admission for 1 child between the ages of 4-18. Child must be accompanied by a paying adult. (Children 3 and under are always free.)
BAMPFA
Free BAMPFA gallery admission for up to two people. (Visitors 18 or under are always free. One accompanying adult is free with each child 13 and under.) Good for gallery admission only - does not include films at the Barbro Osher Theater, or separately ticketed events.
San Jose Museum of Art
Free admission for 4 family members. Children under 6 are always free. Children must be accompanied by an Adult.
Best efforts have been made to accommodate blackout days and holidays; please consult the attraction website to verify open days and hours prior to visiting: sjmusart.org/hours-and-admissions.
UC Berkeley Gardens Free Tickets
UCBG is a partner of Discover & Go, a nationally recognized museum-pass program that provides current California library cardholders with free and discounted admission to local museums and cultural institutions. The Garden pass includes 1 free adult and 1 free youth admission.
Best Free Museums San Francisco Bay Area
Beat Museum, North Beach (temporarily closed)
Counterculture Museum, Haight
Musée Mécanique, Fisherman’s Wharf
Maritime Museum, Fisherman’s Wharf
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