DC, Virginia Museums Celebrate Museum Day With Free Admission

WASHINGTON, DC/VIRGINIA — Smithsonian magazine's Museum Day is returning on Saturday, Sept. 18 to celebrate the reopening of museums across the country after long COVID-19-related closures by offering free admission to participating museums.

D.C. area residents are fortunate to have easy access to a plethora of free museums. Not every museum in Washington, D.C., is free, though. Two private museums in D.C. that normally charge a fee are offering free admission on Sept. 18: Dumbarton House at 2715 Q Street NW and the Museum of the Bible at 400 4th St. SW.

Many museums in Virginia also are participating in Museum Day, including:

• Ben Lomond Historic Site, Manassas
• Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre, Bristow
• Rippon Lodge Historic Site, Woodbridge
• The Weems-Botts Museum, Dumfries
• Gadsby's Tavern Museum, Alexandria
• Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, Alexandria
• George C. Marshall's Dodona Manor, Leesburg
• National Sporting Library & Museum, Middleburg

Tickets for the 17th annual Museum Day are now available for download on the Museum Day website. Each ticket grants the ticket holder and one guest free, timed access to any participating museum. 18. One ticket is permitted per email address.

The Quaker Oats Company, the corporate sponsor of Museum Day, will be holding a back-to-school giveaway program through Sept. 15. Participants can win a Smithsonian Science Kit.

Quaker also is hosting a grand prize giveaway in which five adults will each win a virtual Smithsonian museum tour and a private Q&A with a museum educator for up to 35 participants. Visit QuakerBacktoSchool.com for more information about the giveaways.

Visit the Smithsonian magazine website to see a full list of museums participating in Museum Day on Sept. 18.