Nearly 1,400 museums across the country will offer free admission on Sept. 22 for Museum Day.
The 14th-annual event is sponsored by Smithsonian magazine, which encourages museums to allow free entry just as the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, D.C.-based facilities do each day.
All you have to do to get a free entry is visit Smithsonian.com/museumday. Once you find the museum you want to visit, click the “Get a Ticket” button, enter your name and email, and download the branded ticket. You get two entries per ticket, but only one ticket is allowed per email.
Among the participating museums in Louisiana are:
- 1850 House, New Orleans
- Acadian Memorial and Museum, St. Martinville
- African American Museum, St. Martinville
- Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria
- Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, New Orleans
- Bayou Teche Museum, New Iberia
- Capitol Park Museum, Baton Rouge
- E.D. White Historic Site, Thibodaux
- Hermann-Grima + Gallier Historic Houses, New Orleans
- LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge
- Longue Vue House and Gardens, New Orleans
- Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame, Winnfield
- Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest History Museum, Natchitoches
- Louisiana Old State Capitol, Baton Rouge
- New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans
- Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans
- Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Lafayette
- Shadows on the Teche, New Iberia
- Southern Food and Beverage Museum, New Orleans
- T.R.E.E House Children's Museum, Alexandria
- The Cabildo, New Orleans
- The Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans
- The National World War II Museum, New Orleans
- The New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint, New Orleans
- The Presbytere, New Orleans
- Vermilion Living History Museum & Folklife Park, Lafayette
- Wedell-Williams Aviation and Cypress Sawmill Museum, New Orleans
- West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen
- Zigler Art Museum, Jennings
The theme of this year’s Museum Day is “Women Making History,” and aims to recognize women who are trailblazers in the arts, sciences, innovation and culture.
One special exhibit tied to the “Women Making History” theme will be held at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. Called “Defying Gravity: Women in Space,” it’s a mixed-reality experience where visitors wear Microsoft HoloLens (a headset computer with holographics) and listen to former NASA astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison describe women’s pivotal contributions to space exploration.
“Now, more than ever, we recognize the importance of Museum Day in making our country’s knowledge and culture accessible to everyone,” says Amy Wilkins, Chief Revenue Officer at Smithsonian Media. “Given the strides women are making in society, our theme - Women Making History - encourages participating museums and museumgoers alike, to celebrate and honor the female heroines that help shape the world around us.”