Visit the Seattle Museum of Flight for Free — One Day Only

Visit the Museum of Flight for Free
Visit the Museum of Flight for Free

Here’s your chance to sign up for free tickets to visit the Museum of Flight in Seattle or 1,000 other museums participating in Smithsonian Museum Day.

Save the Date!  September 22, 2018 is Museum Day

Admission tickets to the Museum of Flight usually cost $22 per person, but on Saturday September 22, 2018 admission is free thanks to the Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day program.  You can get a ticket for two people via the Smithsonian Museum Day program, so that is a $44 value!

Not in Seattle?  There are 47 other aviation museums offering free admission through the Smithsonian program this year.  In fact, the Seattle Museum of Flight is just one of over 1,200 art, science, history, natural history, children’s and aviation museums that will admit ticketed patrons for free on September 22, 2018.  Many of the participating museums normally charge admission, though some of the smaller museums are always free.

Smithsonian Museum Day TicketYou must register online in advance to order a ticket and there is a limit of one ticket per email address.  Each ticket admits two people.  The ticket is valid only for free general admission. It does not include entry to special exhibits or IMAX screenings.

If you’re in Washington, DC, you can get a free ticket to the Kreeger Museum of modern art, the National Building Museum, or the Newseum.

In New York City, check out The Intrepid, the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt design museum, the Museum of the City of New York, or the Jewish Museum.

In Baltimore, the Museum of Industry and the Trolley Museum are great choices for families.

Find a museum in your locale with this online search tool.

Discover Quirky Attractions Near You on Museum Day

The best thing about the Smithsonian Museum Day is the database of smaller museums.  Many museums that may not be on your radar participate in the program because if offers them national exposure.

  • Consider these options:
  • The Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez Museum in Jamestown, New York.  Where else can you play with an interactive Vitameatavegamin set?
  • The Ancient Spanish Monastary in North Miami Beach, Florida.  This is an actual 12th century Cistercian cloisters that was  dismantled and shipped to the United States in 1925.
  • The Leonardo in Salt Lake City, Utah.  This is a really fun hands on science museum.
  • Gropius House in Lincoln Massachusetts.  If you are into Bauhaus architecture this is your place.
  • U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. It’s the largest space flight museum in the world!

You can find a museum in your locale with this online search tool.

 

 

Museum Free-For-All in Los Angeles January 31, 2015

Museum Free-For-All in Los Angeles January 31, 2015
Open House at 20 Los Angeles Museums

Twenty Los Angeles area museums open their doors to the public on Saturday January 31, 2015 for the tenth annual Museum Free-for-All.

The list of participating venues includes diverse art, cultural heritage, natural history, and science museums.

There are a number of top attractions participating — such as the Los Angeles Museum of Art and the California Science Center, but if I had my druthers I would head over the the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits.

Kids love dinosaurs and what could be better than an active excavation site for dinosaur fossils?   We spent half a day at the Tar Pits when we last visited LA with our then school-aged daughter.  Regular admission is $15 per adult and $8 per child, so free admission is a really great deal for families!

 Los Angeles Museums Participating in 2015 Free-for-All

Here are links to the museums that are participating in this year’s open houses.  The Jan. 31 offer is good for general  admission only and does not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 
Annenberg Space for Photography 
Armory Center for the Arts 
California African American Museum 
California Science Center
Chinese American Museum 
Craft Folk & Art Museum 
Fowler Museum at UCLA 
The Getty Center 
The Getty Villa (Timed tickets required)
Hammer Museum 
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) 
Museum of Latin American Art 
Museum of Tolerance (Feb. 1)
The Paley Center for Media 
The Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits 
Pasadena Museum of California Art
Santa Monica Museum of Art 
Skirball Cultural Center
The Torrance Art Museum 
USC Pacific Asia Museum 
William S. Hart Museum 
Zimmer Children’s Museum (Feb. 1)

Weekly/Monthly Free Admission Days in Los Angeles and Other Major Cities

If you can’t make it this coming weekend, plan to take advantage of the regularly scheduled free admission days at Los Angeles area museums.

FreeMuseumDay.org publishes a calendar of free museums and free museum days for LA and for these major cities:

Check it out!

2014 Fodor’s Travel Guides: Now Free on iTunes

Fodor's Rio City Guide App
Fodor’s Rio City Guide App

Fodor’s has updated its series of 22 free travel guides for iPhone and iPad and the 2014 editions are now available on iTunes.

Just in time for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, city guides for Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo have been added!

Each App features:

Expert info:  Read about things to do and get expert tips
– Interactive Local Maps:  Discover what’s nearby
Booking Tools:  Book hotels, tours, and more
– Planner:  Save favorites and create lists

Fodor’s local travel experts vet every recommendation.  You’ll find information on neighborhoods, cheap things to do, kid-friendly attractions, shopping, nightlife, performing arts, and more.  These are not your parent’s stuffy travel books!

Fodor's Apps Feature Interactive Maps
Fodor’s Apps Feature Interactive Maps

The interactive maps make it easy to find nearby hotels, sights, restaurants, bars, and clubs and to access reviews from the map.

Listings are searchable by destination, price range, or category of interest.  Look for properties designated “Fodor’s Choice,” representing the best of the best.

The Fodor’s apps were recognized as the “2013 Travel App of the Year” by the Society of American Travel Writers, and were featured in Wired Magazine’s 2012 App Guide as a Best Travel Reference App.

How can Fodor’s afford to give away its guidebooks for free?  The apps include the ability to book hotel rooms via Expedia, buy event tickets via Tickets Now, and make restaurant reservations via Open Table.  Fodor’s is likely earning a commission if you make purchases via the app.

Fodor's 2014 Travel Guides Free on iTunes
Fodor’s 2014 Travel Guides Free on iTunes

Here are links to the city travel guides:

Fodor’s U.S. City Guide Apps

Fodor’s International City Guide Apps

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Consumer Survey: Priceline Consistently Offers Lowest Rates

A multi-city survey by Washington Consumers’ Checkbook finds that hotel rates on Priceline are 40 percent lower than on other online booking services.

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The nonprofit organization compared prices for a specific 4 or 5 star hotel in seven cities, and the Priceline rate was consistently the lowest.

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