One of the best ways to save money on a trip to San Francisco is to pay attention to museum free days! Most museums in the City and the surrounding areas have a monthly free day. Below is listed the free days for many of the museums, along with other sites I thought would be of interest. This is a work in progress so if you notice a place I left out, please let me know!
San Francisco Museums
The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park
Asian Art Museum – free the first Sunday of the month
California Academy of Sciences – free the third Wednesday of the month
Cartoon Art Museum – first Tuesday of the month is “Pay What You Wish” day
Chinese Historical Society – free the first Thursday of the month
Conservatory of Flowers – free the first Tuesday of the month
Contemporary Jewish Museum – no set free day. Check their website to find the date of the next one.
de Young Museum – free the first Tuesday of the month
Exploratorium – free the first Wednesday of the month
Japanese Tea Garden – free on Monday, Wednesday or Friday if you enter before 10am
Legion of Honor – free the first Tuesday of the month
Museo ItaloAmerican – always free
Randall Museum – always free
San Francisco Cable Car Museum – always free
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – free the first Tuesday of the month and half-price Thursday evenings
San Francisco Zoo – free the first Wednesday of the month, but only for San Francisco residents
San Francisco Fire Department Museum – always free
SFO Museum – always free
Wells Fargo Museum – always free
East Bay Museums
The Oakland Museum of California in the East Bay
African American Museum and Library – always free
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive – free the first Thursday of the month
Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt – always free, but donations accepted
Chabot Space and Science Center – no free day
Children’s Fairyland – no free day
Dunsmuir-Hellman Historic Estate – walking the grounds is always free
Museum of Children’s Art – always free to view the gallery
Oakland Aviation Museum – no free day
Oakland Museum of California – free the first Sunday of the month
Oakland Zoo – no free day, but admission is free if you’re 80 years old or older!
Pardee Home Museum – no free day
Redwood Regional Park – fee for parking and bringing dogs into the park
Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Park – always free
USS Hornet – no free day
USS Potomac – no free day
South Bay Museums
The San Jose Museum of Art in the South Bay
Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose – no free day
History Park (at Kelley Park) – free during the week but now charging weekend admission
Japanese Friendship Garden – always free (no website – link is to Google search results)
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum – no free day, but discounts for AAA, AAM, KQED and Military
San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art - always free
San Jose Museum of Art – no free day
San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles – free the first Friday of the month
Tech Museum of Innovation – no official free day, but currently participating in Bank of America’s “Museum on Us” Program.
Winchester Mystery House – no free day
North Bay Museums
The Point Reyes Lighthouse in the North Bay
Bay Area Discovery Museum (Sausalito) – free the first Wednesday of the month
Charles M. Schulz Museum (Santa Rosa) – no free day
The Depot Park Museum (Sonoma) – free admission
Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society (Healdsburg) – free admission
Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (Novato) – free admission
Marin Museum of the American Indian (Novato) – no free day
Muir Woods National Monument (Mill Valley) - free days vary each year. Check website for the current list.
Pacific Coast Air Museum (Santa Rosa) – no free day
Petaluma Historical Museum (Petaluma) – free admission, but occasional fee for special exhibitions
Point Reyes Lighthouse (Inverness) – free admission
San Francisco Bay Model (Sausalito) – free admission
< photo credits – Glenn Franco Simmons – mark.hogan – rocor – km6xo >
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