Insider’s guide to vising many Georgia museums at no cost
Georgia public library cardholders can score free passes to visit the Worlds of Puppetry Museum in Atlanta to view iconic puppets such as Kermit the Frog and Big Bird. Courtesy Center for Puppetry Arts
Visiting a museum is a great way to get out of the scorching heat on a July afternoon. It’s even more enjoyable when you can do it for free.
To help you plan a cool getaway, Walton Gas has compiled a list of area museums you can visit at no cost anytime or on certain days. We also have the scoop on ways you can score free passes to several popular places.
Always FREE
• Atlanta Monetary Museum • Atlanta
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s museum showcases the history of money and provides a view of the Bank's automated vault where millions of dollars are counted, sorted and shredded daily.
• Georgia Capitol Museum • Atlanta
Check out what’s under the magnificent gold dome with free, self-guided tours at this National Historic Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Fernbank Science Center • Atlanta
Operated by the DeKalb County School System, the museum features kid-friendly science and astronomy exhibits. There is a charge for the planetarium shows.
• Museum of History and Holocaust Education • Kennesaw, Kennesaw State University
Explore the lives and experiences of World War II and the Holocaust through interactive galleries, personal stories and a theater playing movies focused on this compelling era.
• Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking • Atlanta, Georgia Tech campus
This internationally renowned resource on the history of paper and paper technology features more than 7,000 books, as well as a collection of over 10,000 watermarks, papers, tools, machines and manuscripts.
• Georgia Museum of Art • Athens, University of Georgia campus
The official art museum of the state of Georgia houses more than 10,000 works alongside a host of temporary exhibitions. The outdoor property features a sculpture garden highlighting women sculptors.
• Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall Sports Museum • Athens, University of Georgia campus
Bulldog athletics, both men's and women's, are celebrated in exhibits featuring the greatest moments in Georgia sports history and favorite UGA athletes. See championship trophies and a Heisman trophy.
• Museum of Aviation • Warner Robbins
The second largest museum in the U.S. Air Force, the 51-acre facility includes four climate-controlled exhibit buildings housing 85 historic U.S. Air Force aircraft, missiles, cockpits and exhibits.
• National Infantry Museum • Columbus
More than 70,000 artifacts, monuments, interactive exhibits and video presentations cover nearly 250 years of history and pay tribute to Army infantrymen.
• National Prisoner of War Museum • Andersonville, Andersonville National Historic Site
Former prisoners of war helped to create this museum, the only one in the nation dedicated solely to interpreting the American POW experience from the Revolutionary War to today. The exhibits feature many touchable items.
Select free admission days
• High Museum of Art • Atlanta
The largest museum for visual art in the Southeastern U.S. offers free admission on the second Sunday of each month from noon to 5p.m. with special family programming. Visitors still must have a reservation and a timed ticket to enter. Children under six are always free.
• Booth Western Art Museum • Cartersville
Visit the world’s largest permanent exhibition space for Western art — in paintings, sculpture photography and artifacts —for free on the first Thursday of each month between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. The 120,000-square-foot facility is an affiliate to the Smithsonian Institution.
Free with Georgia public library card
Cardholders at Georgia’s public libraries can check out passes to visit museums, state parks and historic sites in the state. Ask your local library how you can get free admission to:
• Worlds of Puppetry Museum • Atlanta
Fans of the Muppets and Sesame Street will especially enjoy getting a behind-the-scenes look at their favorite Jim Henson creations that reside at this museum celebrating all things puppetry. Georgia library cardholders can reserve up to four free passes to the museum. Free admission does not include puppet shows.
• Georgia Sports Hall of Fame • Macon
In a building that resembles a turn-of-the-century ballpark, find high-energy, interactive displays covering the state’s history in prep, college, amateur and professional sports. Check out a Macon Museum Pass at your local library to visit for free.
• Tubman African American Museum • Macon
The Tubman African American Museum is the largest of its kind in the Southeast dedicated to educating people about the art, history and culture of African Americans. Check out a Macon Museum pass at your local library to visit for free.
Free under select conditions
• Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum • Atlanta
Explore the legacy of the nation's 39th president, and the only Georgian ever to be president, amid a 30-acre greenspace. This is a free museum for kids 16 and younger, however there is an admission cost for adults and seniors.
• Museums On Us • Select museums statewide
Bank of America and Merrill Lynch offer their cardholders free general admission — during the first full weekend of every month — to cultural institutions throughout the nation. Among the Georgia locations is the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville. An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the 120,000-square-foot facility is a favorite for its fossils, minerals and science-in- motion exhibits.
• Southeastern Railway Museum • Duluth
• SCAD Museum of Art • Savannah
Residents of Savannah or any of its surrounding counties (Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, Liberty, Beaufort and Jasper) can visit free of charge on the second Sunday of every month. Affiliate with the renowned Savannah College of Art and Design, this premier contemporary art museum features works by emerging and established international artists.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Remember to always check websites for hours of operation, free pass blackout dates, exclusions and other policies associated with free admissions at any museum you intend to visit.