Use Your Summer Friday to Go to a Museum

The summertime is a great time to get out and see more of Boston. “Free Fun Fridays” is a program sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation. Every Friday from June 23 through August 25, museums and attractions all over Boston and Massachusetts are offering free admission or special programs. Participating organizations include the Boston Athenaeum, Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, Eric Carle Museum, Franklin Park Zoo, and ICA Boston. You can see a complete schedule here.

Also, as an Emerson staff member, you can check out passes for the MFA and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum anytime! The MFA pass provides free admission for one adult, and you can check out up to four passes. Currently on view are exhibits on the Summer of Love and David Ortiz.

The Gardner Museum passes are coupons that reduce the entrance fee to $5 per person for up to four guests. Each coupon is only good for a specific day, so you must decide on which day you’re going. The museum’s contemporary exhibit Listen Hear: The Art of Sound is running through September 5.

Additionally, the Boston Public Library has museum passes at its Central library location and several branches. And, as an employee in Massachusetts, you are eligible for a BPL card…even if you don’t live in Boston! Check out available passes and policies on BPL.org.

November 2017 Update: Your Emerson ID now gets you in to the MFA for free; the library no longer has passes for checkout. If you want to bring a non-Emerson guest to the MFA, the BPL has passes you can borrow.

Cate Hirschbiel (Iwasaki Library)