Nearly 1,400 museums across the country will offer free admission on Sept. 22 for Museum Day, including over a dozen in San Diego County.
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 San Diego County are:
- California Surf Museum in Oceanside.
- EcoVivarium in Escondido,
- The Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House in the Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego.
- Heritage of the Americas Museum in El Cajon.
- Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in Downtown San Diego.
- Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad.
Some national museums of interest also participating include:
- Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, Calif.
- Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix
- Wisconsin Historical Museum in Madison
- Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn.
- Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Fla.
- Newseum in Washington, D.C.
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.'
