Explore Boston’s rich culture and history on a budget with this list of free museums and attractions that will help maximize your Boston experience.
Many Boston Public Library locations provide Museum Passes that give discounted admission to local attractions. Visit your library of choice to learn more and reserve one today.
Metropolitan Waterworks Museum
Boston is one of the world’s premier cities, boasting an abundance of cultural offerings that can quickly add up in museum admission fees. Thankfully, however, the city’s museums provide free or reduced admission days throughout the year so visitors can experience Boston’s incredible museum collection without breaking their budgets.
The Metropolitan Waterworks Museum is an exceptional museum dedicated to telling the history of Philadelphia’s municipal water supply system. Featuring well-preserved mechanical engineering instruments housed in an historic building on Chestnut Hill, it plays an integral part in documenting city history. Furthermore, this National Historic Landmark status makes this institution truly remarkable.
This museum is perfect for anyone interested in mechanical history. Additionally, there are photos from historic waterworks machines in the city. Admission to this free museum is suggested; donations are accepted.
One of the many great things about visiting the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum is its free admission during weekdays – making it ideal for family outings!
Another outstanding aspect of this museum is its variety of exhibits. Each season brings something fresh to see and enjoy at this museum which is open Sunday mornings all year long as well as Wednesdays from September until May; admission for Massachusetts residents is also free!
There are also many free museums to visit in Boston, such as MIT List Visual Arts Center and Fuller Craft Museum. For a more comprehensive museum pass experience, Go City Pass may be your best option, offering discounted admission to over 30 museums throughout Boston.
No matter if you live or visit Boston, these free museums will ensure an amazing time! From learning more about its culture to entertaining themselves, these attractions won’t disappoint – make sure you stop by at least one or more on this list next time you’re here – you might find you enjoy it even more than expected!
Fuller Craft Museum
Fuller Craft Museum is an unparalleled destination for anyone interested in contemporary craft-based art from all genres and origins. Boasting both permanent and rotating exhibits spanning various mediums such as polymer clay sculptures to fantasy teapots, this museum also provides workshops and classes so visitors can gain insight into these artists’ techniques used.
The Museum is situated in Brockton, Massachusetts – 25 miles south of Boston – and open daily. Residents in Brockton can access it free-of-charge. With its diverse permanent collection containing studio furniture, glass, ceramics, jewelry, wood and textiles; featuring both emerging as well as professional artisans – The Museum welcomes a range of artists – both amateurs as well as professionals – making regular contributions.
Since 1968, the museum has focused on educating and enriching its community through creative processes of making. Their goal is to produce art that touches peoples hearts and souls – their mission being to challenge perceptions while cultivating discovery and active dialogue.
The Brockton Museum has evolved over time to reflect its mission, hosting more events and exhibitions with social or political themes. Furthermore, its exhibits aim to become more relevant to everyday lives; to this end it offered free entrance for Brockton residents in 2017 while featuring various exhibits covering diverse subjects.
Food Justice,” a recent exhibition hosted by Pittsburgh’s Contemporary Craft Museum, used food as an interactive medium to address structural classism and corporate agriculture. It featured 19 unique installations that went beyond canvas.
The Museum features a private library for lactation, nursing and quiet/sensory needs that is free to use but must be scheduled in advance. In addition, the space features wheelchair and walker lifts with an ADA accessible entrance and provides wheelchair/walker lift services to make access easy. In addition, classes, workshops, summer camps are all part of its programs for both children and adults – though please be aware that any program or workshop not meeting minimum enrollment requirements could be cancelled by the Museum.
MIT List Visual Arts Center
Boston offers some of the country’s finest free museums for those seeking an art experience without breaking the bank. Perfect for art enthusiasts or visitors simply looking for ways to entertain visiting friends and family, these museums can help get children involved with arts and culture while making for a wonderful way to keep visiting family entertained!
Among Boston’s free museums is MIT List Visual Arts Center – one of the city’s most notable contemporary art spaces that is open to the public and features exhibits that explore various topics. Furthermore, this place has introduced numerous artists who have gone on to become household names.
The Wiesner Building at 20 Ames Street on MIT’s Kendall Square campus houses the museum and regularly presents six to nine special exhibitions each year, in addition to housing a robust collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings and tapestries as well as nineteenth-century American works of art, prints and photographs spanning five centuries.
As well as its impressive collections, the museum provides various educational programs free of charge for all MIT students, faculty and staff. These events include artist panels and curator-led tours; lectures related to its current exhibits are also frequently hosted here.
Admission to the museum is complimentary for MIT students and staff as well as Massachusetts residents every Sunday morning (year-round) and Wednesday afternoons from September through May; discounted tickets can also be purchased at $8 each ticket for non-residents.
The MIT List also offers a free online map of its campus’s public art collection, available to anyone on campus and available 24/7. The map allows visitors to discover and gain more insight into works on display across galleries in MIT’s museum. Featuring activities and exhibits to engage children of all ages as well as an on-site cafe where food and drinks can be purchased until 4:00pm each day, visiting this museum is essential if interested in art-science interactions and development.
Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts is one of the world’s premier museums and is well worth a visit if you have time. Its extensive collection is legendary, while admission can often be quite costly (though children and members of MFA programs can visit for free). But don’t despair: there are ways you can visit this institution on a budget or even for free!
Start off right by visiting the MFA during one of its discount days; admission costs are significantly discounted or even free on certain days during the year, usually promoted through social media and their event calendar. Furthermore, local students may get in for free on certain Wednesday afternoons after 4pm; additionally if you want to save even more money when visiting other museums consider investing in a Go City Pass; it offers access to many museums at once at significantly discounted admission prices!
Another great way to save on MFA admission is taking advantage of their reciprocity with nearby museums. If you are a member of Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or are majoring or minoring in music at Berklee, your ID can grant entry into the MFA at no charge – the MIT Museum allows people with Harvard IDs and guests free admission every Sunday morning and Wednesday afternoon during summer sessions as well.
Boston museums also provide discounts for people with specific IDs during certain days or times of the week, like at the Boston Children’s Museum which offers free admission on Sunday afternoons between 1:30-4:30pm for Massachusetts residents and EBT/WIC cardholders; similarly, Cambridge residents and EBT/WIC cardholders receive free admission from 1:30-4:30pm at MIT Museum while discounted or free admission may also be granted on other days – offering opportunities such as Cambridge residents enjoying free entry on last Sunday of each month and students, seniors, military members etc.
