Minnesota's museum scene is anchored by one of the great free art museums in America: the Minneapolis Institute of Art, where general admission is always free, every day. Around it, the Twin Cities cluster their deals on weeknights and weekends. The Walker Art Center is free every Thursday evening and free all day on the first Saturday of the month; the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul is free on Thursday nights (with free parking, too); and the Minnesota Children's Museum opens free on the first Sunday of each month. Add the always-free university art museums in Minneapolis and Duluth, and a careful traveler can fill a whole trip without a ticket. Every entry below was checked against the museum's own admission page — and one popular 'free' deal turned out to be discontinued (see the note below).
A few more angles: the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, home of the giant Spoonbridge and Cherry, is free and open daily. Bank of America cardholders get free admission to the Minnesota History Center on the first full weekend of each month, and the Minnesota Historical Society also holds about four statewide free-admission days a year. The Minnesota Children's Museum's All Play program offers deeply discounted tickets to families receiving EBT, WIC, or school-lunch benefits, and Museums for All brings $1–3 admission to many ticketed museums statewide. Heads up on the American Swedish Institute: its old 'Free After 3' Thursday program has ended (see below), though it still keeps extended Thursday hours.
Minneapolis
Walker Art Center
Regularly $18 adultsOne of the country's leading contemporary art centers gives away two regular slots: free gallery admission every Thursday night from 5 to 9 p.m., with guest artists and programs, and a free family day with gallery access the first Saturday of each month, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Visitors 18 and under are free any day, and the adjacent Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is always free. Regular admission is otherwise $18.
🌐 Check current dates →St. Paul
Minnesota History Center
Regularly $15 adultsThe Minnesota Historical Society's flagship museum stays open late on Thursdays, and from 4 to 8 p.m. both admission and parking are free — a genuinely good deal in downtown St. Paul. Regular admission is otherwise $15 ($8 for kids 5–17, free for ages 4 and under). Bank of America cardholders also get in free the first full weekend of each month through Museums on Us.
🌐 Check current dates →Minnesota Children's Museum
Regularly $18 onlineThree floors of hands-on play in downtown St. Paul open free to everyone on the first Sunday of each month, sponsored by Securian Financial. The catch is timing: free tickets are released at 10 a.m. on the Monday two weeks before each free Sunday and go fast, and a reservation is required. Regular admission is otherwise $18 online ($20 at the door), with deeper discounts for families on EBT, WIC, or school-lunch benefits.
🌐 Check current dates →Always Free in Minnesota
No free day needed — these flagship museums never charge general admission.
Free days that recently ended
Still listed on many older round-ups — verified gone as of June 2026:
- American Swedish Institute — Free After 3 (Thursdays) — Ended — the American Swedish Institute has discontinued its 'Free After 3' Thursday program, per its own visitor FAQ, though it still keeps extended Thursday hours. Many local calendars and round-ups still list free Thursday admission. Regular admission is $17 (free for ages 5 and under, $1 for income-qualified visitors through Museums for All).