Other Free Museum Days in HoustonWhile Thursday is the main free museum day, a couple of other local attractions have their own special free admission days: Houston Zoo — Free the first Tuesday of each month September through May from 12 pm until close.
Public planetarium shows are free and suitable for all ages, and are given by current astronomy graduate students. Content varies with presenters, but commonly includes discussion about the current night sky, constellations, astronomical phenomena, and more!
PARKING. Free parking is available at the Sam Houston Monument (Lot A), the large central parking lots in front of the Houston Zoo (Lots G and F) and across the street (Lot H), near Miller Outdoor Theatre (Lots E and D). A for-pay parking garage is available at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
With the galleries of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and our house museums—Rienzi and Bayou Bend Collection & Gardens—open, each of us plays a role in our safety, with social distancing, face masks, and additional precautions in place.
It's simple. If it's a Thursday, general admission to the MFAH is completely free, to everyone, courtesy of Shell Oil Company. The only exception is specially ticketed exhibitions. Plus, the Museum is open late on Thursdays, until 9 p.m. So you can bring the entire posse for free after work.
However, unvaccinated people remain unprotected, so both groups should avoid medium and large gatherings at museums where safety protocols -- such as physical distancing -- aren't being followed, the CDC has advised.
You may bring in your own food to eat at designated eating areas. Limited seating is available at tables spaced for physical distancing. You may also eat outdoors on our front lawn.
The Museum of Science participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) reciprocal program and Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) passport program. Our members can use their membership card for free or discounted admission to nearly 500 zoos, aquariums and science centers worldwide.
Admission at the Museum of Science and Industry is free for Illinois residents on the following dates:
- April 14, 2021.
- May 12, 2021.
- June 9 and 19, 2021.
- July 14, 2021.
- Aug. 11, 2021.
- Sept. 8 – 9, 15 – 16, 22 – 23, and 29 – 30, 2021.
- Oct. 27, 2021.
- Nov. 3, 10, and 17, 2021.
The California Science Center is well worth visiting. Plan on spending 3-4 hours. There is no charge for admission but there is a charge for the special traveling exhibits.
The Museum is easily reached by bike on the beautiful lakefront path, just across Lake Shore Drive from the Museum. (From downtown, the ride is approximately eight miles.) Just north of 57th Street, follow the ramp down into the underpass below Lake Shore Drive, then left into the underpass below 57th Street.
A typical walk through Tellus takes at least three hours, not counting a planetarium show or a tour of the Solar House.
How long should I stay? Most visitors stay in the aquarium for between 2 and 3.5 hours. Check out the exhibits below to see what you can find during your visit.
Flash photography is ONLY allowed in the Grand Hall and the rainforest of the Cockrell Butterfly Center. Selfie sticks, tripods and camera stands are not allowed anywhere in HMNS, HMNS at Sugar Land and the George Observatory. Photography is not allowed in certain exhibitions.
Did you know? HMNS has free wi-fi! Tag us in your photos from within the museum using #HMNS. Van Nguyen and 94 others like this.
The Houston Museum District is an association of 19 museums, galleries, cultural centers and community organizations located in Houston, Texas, dedicated to promoting art, science, history and culture.
Enjoy it! over a year ago. With a 6 yr old child, it would take you about 1-2 hours.
Recommended visiting time to the Natural History Museum is around three to four hours; but one could easily spend the entire day wandering around all four of the museum's coloured zones.
The median time had increased to 21 seconds (the mode remained unchanged at 10 seconds). These results suggest that cell phones haven't changed the amount of time people spend in front of art that drastically.
Entry to the Natural History Museum is free. There are admission charges for some of the special exhibitions and events.
Food and drink: Food and drink are prohibited from collections and laboratory areas.
