San Francisco’s museums aren’t cheap, but with a little planning you can see most of them for free. Here’s every recurring free day and discount we could verify as of fall 2026, organized so you can plan a month of outings.
Monthly Free Days
de Young Museum
General admission is free for everyone on the first Tuesday of the month, and every Saturday for residents of the nine Bay Area counties (bring ID). Visitors 17 and under are always free to the permanent collection. Special exhibitions cost extra.
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, Golden Gate Park · Free & reduced admission
Legion of Honor
Same policy as the de Young: free first Tuesdays for everyone, free Saturdays for Bay Area residents, and always free for 17 and under. The Lincoln Park setting and Golden Gate views are a bonus.
100 34th Ave · famsf.org
Asian Art Museum
Free for everyone on the first Sunday of every month, and free for kids 12 and under every day. Special exhibitions are discounted on free Sundays.
200 Larkin St · Upcoming free Sundays: Oct 4, Nov 1, Dec 6, 2026 · asianart.org
Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)
Free for everyone on the second Saturday of each month, and always free for kids under 12. MoAD is closed through September 29, 2026 for a new installation.
685 Mission St · moadsf.org
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
The galleries are free for everyone every Wednesday, open until 8pm, and always free for visitors 17 and under.
701 Mission St · ybca.org
Museum of Craft and Design
A small, delightful design museum in Dogpatch that’s free on the first Thursday of each month and always free for kids 12 and under.
2569 Third St · sfmcd.org
Always Free
Randall Museum
Live animals, a model railroad and hands-on science, with no admission fee ever.
199 Museum Way · Tue–Sat 10am–5pm · randallmuseum.org
Cable Car Museum
Watch the giant wheels that pull the city’s cable cars from the viewing gallery. Free, and now closed Mondays.
1201 Mason St · cablecarmuseum.org · More in Nob Hill
Musée Mécanique
Free to walk in; you only pay to play the antique coin-operated machines.
Pier 45, Fisherman’s Wharf · museemecaniquesf.com
Free for Kids & Teens
SFMOMA
Visitors 18 and under are always free (reserve a ticket). SFMOMA also holds occasional Free Family Days; the next is October 25, 2026. Its Free First Thursdays have been paused since early 2026.
151 Third St · sfmoma.org/free-days
Discounts & Passes
SF Public Library Discover & Go
SF library cardholders can reserve free passes to places like Cal Academy, the Exploratorium, SFMOMA, the de Young and the Asian Art Museum. Book up to three months ahead; weekend passes go fast.
Bank of America Museums on Us
Bank of America, Merrill and U.S. Trust cardholders get one free general admission on the first full weekend of each month at participating museums, including the de Young and Legion of Honor.
Upcoming weekends: Oct 3–4, Nov 7–8, Dec 5–6, 2026 (dates can shift) · Details
California Academy of Sciences
There’s no longer a regular free day, but kids 2 and under are always free, EBT cardholders pay $5, and you get $3 off for arriving by foot, bike or transit.
Exploratorium
The one public free day is a pay-what-you-wish Community Day on Mother’s Day. Year-round, $3 tickets are available with EBT or Medi-Cal, and kids 3 and under are free.
The Walt Disney Family Museum
No public free day, but kids 5 and under are always free, and families on public benefits get in free through SF Museums for All.
Free Events Coming Up
Outer Sunset Farmers Market & Mercantile
Family Studio: Spiders at SFMOMA
Sunday Streets Excelsior
Truong Tran: How to Exi(s)t Launch Party
Thacher Thursday Chamber Ensembles at USF
From the E: Excelsior Night Market
Policies were checked in September 2026 and can change. Always confirm on the museum’s site before you go.
More Guides
Day Trips from San Francisco Without a Car: Sausalito, Muir Woods, Napa
Car-free day trips from San Francisco: the ferry to Sausalito, Muir Woods reservations and fees, Angel Island, Alcatraz booking and getting to…
Read the guide →Outside Lands 2027: Dates, Tickets and Getting There
Outside Lands 2027 is August 6-8 in Golden Gate Park. What the festival has announced so far: dates, ticket types, the shuttle…
Read the guide →Lunar New Year Flower Fair in San Francisco Chinatown
San Francisco's Chinatown Lunar New Year Flower Fair: where it is, the 2026 dates and hours, what is for sale, and when…
Read the guide →Questions People Ask About Free (and Almost Free) Museum Days in San Francisco
What day are San Francisco museums free?
The first Tuesday of the month is the big one: the de Young, the Legion of Honor and the Conservatory of Flowers are all free to everyone. The Botanical Garden is free on the second Tuesday and before 9am daily, and Bay Area residents get free Saturdays at the de Young and the Legion with ID.
Is the Academy of Sciences ever free?
Not on a regular monthly schedule. It runs an annual pay-what-you-can Academy Day, offers five-dollar admission to EBT and Medi-Cal cardholders year-round through Museums for All, and takes three dollars off if you arrive on foot, by bike or by transit.
Do you need to book free museum days in advance?
For the de Young and Legion free Saturdays, yes: reserve online and bring proof of Bay Area residency. First Tuesdays are usually walk-in but get busy, so go early in the day.
What is Museums for All?
A program that gets EBT, CalFresh and Medi-Cal cardholders free or roughly five-dollar admission at more than twenty-five Bay Area institutions, including the Exploratorium, the Academy of Sciences, SFMOMA, the Zoo and the Golden Gate Park gardens. Bring the card and matching photo ID.
More to Explore
Happening Soon
- Treasures of the Pharaohs Sat, Aug 1, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027 · de Young Museum
- Ferry Plaza Farmers Market Sat, Sep 12 – Dec 31 · Ferry Building Plaza
- Heart of the City Farmers Market Sun, Sep 13 – Dec 31 · Fulton Plaza, Civic Center
- Civic Center Soundtrack: Free Lunchtime Concerts (Tue & Thu, through October) Thu, Oct 1–29 · Fulton Plaza
Places to Check Out
- Alta Plaza Park Parks & Playgrounds
- Angelo J. Rossi Playground Parks & Playgrounds
- Aquarium of the Bay Attractions
- Asian Art Museum Museums
Cite this page: Project SF, “Free (and Almost Free) Museum Days in San Francisco”, projectsf.com/guides/free-museum-days-san-francisco/ (updated ).