Free museum days in the Bay Area for families

Bay Area families can get into a museum free most weekends if they know the schedule. The Oakland Museum of California is free on the first Sunday of every month. The de Young and Legion of Honor are free every Saturday for residents of the nine Bay Area counties. Bank of America cardholders get in free at several Bay Area museums on the first full weekend of each month. A few places, like SFMOMA for kids and the Cantor Arts Center for everyone, are free every day.

Free first Sundays: Oakland Museum of California

On the first Sunday of every month, the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) offers free admission to its galleries of California art, history and natural sciences. Its special exhibitions are now included too. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm.

• Book ahead: OMCA encourages booking online to get your preferred entry time and shorter waits. Tickets are also available at the admissions desk, first come, first served.
• Next dates: the first Sundays of the next two months fall on November 1 and December 6, 2026.

Free Saturdays: de Young and Legion of Honor

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco offer free general admission every Saturday to residents of the nine Bay Area counties, at both the de Young and the Legion of Honor. It covers the permanent collection galleries only. Special exhibitions still need a full-price ticket. The museums’ page explains how residency is checked.

Museums on Us: the first full weekend of each month

Bank of America’s Museums on Us gives Bank of America, Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank credit and debit cardholders one free general admission on the first full weekend of every month. Bank of America lists the next weekend as November 7 and 8.

Read the fine print before you plan a family trip:

• It’s one admission per card. The cardholder gets in free; the offer isn’t transferable. Kids pay the museum’s usual price unless the museum lets them in free anyway.
• Bring your card and a photo ID. You need the active card and a valid government-issued photo ID.
• Special exhibitions cost extra. Ticketed exhibitions and add-ons aren’t included.

Bay Area museums on Bank of America’s partner list include:

• de Young Museum and Legion of Honor, San Francisco
• Oakland Museum of California, Oakland
• Computer History Museum, Mountain View
• San José Museum of Art, San José (Sundays only)
• The Tech Interactive, San José (October only)
• Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Sonoma
• The Napa Valley Museum of Art & Culture, St. Helena, and Napa Valley Museum Yountville

Our Museums on Us page keeps the upcoming weekends and the full rules in one place.

Free every day, or free for kids every day

• Cantor Arts Center, Stanford. The Cantor says it’s always free, with no reservation needed for regular visits. It’s closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Parking on campus is limited and paid through ParkMobile.
• SFMOMA. Admission is free for anyone 18 and younger, every day. Adults pay, so a parent with kids pays for one or two tickets, not four. SFMOMA lists any extra free days on its free-days page.
• California Academy of Sciences. Children 2 and under get free daytime admission every day (Cal Academy). Military personnel get free daytime admission on Veterans Day (November 11) and during Fleet Week, with valid military ID or proof of service.

Free museum passes from your library

Many Bay Area libraries run Discover & Go, which lets cardholders reserve free passes to museums and other attractions. In San José, for example, San José Public Library’s Discover & Go works like this:

• You need a San José ZIP code on your library record, and you must be 14 or older (some venues require 16 or 18).
• You can hold two active reservations at a time.
• Once you print or download a pass, you can’t cancel it. If a venue needs a printed pass, a phone won’t do.

The California Academy of Sciences also takes Discover & Go passes from participating libraries for cardholders 14 and older. If you live outside San José, check your own library’s site. The rules and the venues differ from system to system.

Tips for free museum days

• Go when doors open. Free days can be busier than regular days.
• Reserve timed tickets where the museum offers them, like OMCA on first Sundays.
• Check what’s included. Free general admission usually leaves out special exhibitions.
• Confirm the day before. Holidays and closures can move a free day, and the museum’s own page is the final word.

See the free events near you

The live list below picks up free museum days and free-admission events posted on official calendars across the Bay Area for the next 60 days. See also our national free museum days page and free kids events in San Francisco, Oakland and San José.