WE LOVE FREE and some of our favorite museums are offering free admission for National Museum Day on Saturday, September 21st!
Museum Day is an annual celebration of boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian magazine. Participating museums and cultural institutions across the country provide free entry to visitors. See who is participating in Metro Detroit and Michigan!
Cranbrook Art Museum
39221 Woodward Ave, Bloomfield Hills, 48303 | 11am to 5pm
Cranbrook Art Museum presents exhibitions of contemporary art, architecture, crafts, and design featuring work of regional, national, and international artists. The Museum presents an ambitious program of public lectures and educational programs designed to increase awareness of modern and contemporary art.
Detroit Historical Museum
5401 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48202 | 10am to 3pm
The Detroit Historical Museum is the only museum dedicated to chronicling our region’s history. Permanent exhibits include the Streets of Old Detroit, Allesee Gallery of Culture, Kid Rock Music Lab, Doorway to Freedom: Detroit and the Underground Railroad, Detroit: The “Arsenal of Democracy,” America’s Motor City, and The Glancy Trains. Changing exhibits rotate throughout the year in spaces including our Booth-Wilkinson Gallery, Community Gallery and Automotive Showplace.
Dossin Great Lakes Museum
100 The Strand, Detroit, MI, 48207 | 10am to 4pm
The Dossin Great Lakes Museum is dedicated to showcasing the story of the Great Lakes, with a special emphasis on Detroit’s role in regional and national maritime history. Permanent exhibits include Built by the River in the John A. and Marlene L. Boll Foundation Gallery, the Miss Pepsi vintage championship hydroplane, the Gothic Room from the S.S. City of Detroit III, the S.S. William Clay Ford pilot house, and one of the largest known collections of scale model ships in the world. Significant artifacts include a bow anchor from the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald and an 18th century British canon salvaged from the Detroit River. Note: A state park pass if required to drive on the island.
Meadow Brook Hall
350 Estate Dr, Rochester, MI 48309 | 10:30am to 4pm
A National Historic Landmark, Meadow Brook is the historic home built by one of the automotive aristocracy’s most remarkable women, Matilda Dodge Wilson, widow of automobile pioneer John Dodge, and her second husband, lumber broker Alfred Wilson. The expansive collection provides visitors and guests with insight into local history that has had an international impact, making this estate, with its family archives and original furnishing, unlike any place you have seen before.
Michigan Science Center
5020 John R St, Detroit, MI 48202 | 10am to 5pm
The Michigan Science Center inspires curious minds of all ages to discover, explore and appreciate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in a creative, dynamic learning environment. The hands-on museum is great for all ages starting with little ones who can’t do much more than stand. Kids Town offers kids up to age 5 a chance to get their hands wet in water, have fun in a ball pit, learn about health at the new grocery store and more!
Museum of Natural History
1105 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 | 9am to 5pm
The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History transforms hearts and minds by promoting understanding of the natural world, our place in it, and our impact on it. We bring campus and community together in participatory and inclusive learning experiences to explore the processes of science and to address urgent global and local challenges.
Plymouth Historical Museum
155 S Main St, Plymouth, MI 48170 | 1pm to 4pm
The Plymouth Historical Museum features an impressive collection of history including the early pioneers, businesses, railroads, President Lincoln, Civil War, Daisy Air Rifle, WWII and much more. Take a stroll in time down our 19th-century Victorian Main Street displaying numerous historical artifacts and large-scale scenes depicting a vibrant community – as it remains today.
Yankee Air Museum
47884 D St, Belleville, MI 48111 | 10am to 4pm
The Yankee Air Museum provides unique historical and educational experiences through aviation, military, and home-front history, such as local history focused on the Willow Run B-24 Bomber Plant. Explore the many exhibits within the museum, as well as a vast static aircraft collection ranging from World War I to the Vietnam era.
Plan a road trip and explore a museum outside of town.
Frankenmuth
Frankenmuth Historical Museum
613 S Main St, Frankenmuth, MI 48734 | 10am to 7pm
The Frankenmuth Historical Museum is a seven-gallery museum detailing the history and evolution of the community, a collections department housing thousands of artifacts and documents, an education department dedicated to presenting our story, and a unique gift shop offering locally crafted and European goods.
The Michigan Heroes Museum
1250 Weiss St, Frankenmuth, MI 48734 | 10am to 5pm
Michigan’s Military & Space Heroes Museum is unique in that it is the only museum devoted to the wartime experiences of men and women from the state of Michigan. With over 140 displays and a collection of over 700 exhibits, the museum hosts stories devoted to Michigan’s Governors, 15 Astronauts and 31 individual Medal of Honor Recipients, making it the nation’s largest Medal of Honor collection on display.
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids Art Museum
101 Monroe Center St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 | 10am to 5pm
The Grand Rapids Art Museum is internationally known for its distinguished design and LEED® Gold certified status. GRAM has grown to include more than 5,000 works of art, including American and European 19th and 20th century painting and sculpture and more than 3,000 works on paper.
Grand Rapids Public Museum
272 Pearl St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 | 10am to 5pm
The Grand Rapids Public Museum celebrates the cultural and natural history of the West Michigan region. The museum educates and entertains with three floors of engaging exhibits accompanied by special programs.
Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
435 W South St, Kalamazoo, MI 49007 | 11am to 5pm
The KIA holds more than 4,700 fine artworks in its permanent collection; presents touring and collection exhibitions in 10 galleries; offers four terms of art classes at the Kirk Newman Art School; and houses the KIA Gallery Shop, featuring artwork by area artists and international artisans.
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
230 N Rose St, Kalamazoo, MI 49007 | 9am to 5pm
The Kalamazoo Valley Museum features exhibits on science, technology and the history of Southwest Michigan.
Photo credit: Facebook
