Most states have a free day here and there. Missouri has whole free cities. St. Louis funds a regional Zoo-Museum District tax that keeps the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Saint Louis Science Center, and the Missouri History Museum free for everyone, every day — no resident requirement, no special date. Kansas City answers with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, free to all by its founders' bequest, and the contemporary Kemper, also free. So in Missouri the question isn't usually 'when is it free?' — it's already free. The recurring deals below are the bonus: the Magic House children's museum opens free one Friday a month for area residents, and the Albrecht-Kemper in St. Joseph opens free to everyone on the fourth Tuesday evening of the month. Every entry was checked against the museum's own admission page.
A few notes for planning: the always-free museums often charge separately for blockbuster special exhibitions and for add-ons like the Science Center's OMNIMAX, so the free part is general admission to the permanent collections — which is the bulk of what there is to see. In Kansas City, the paid history museums cluster cheaply: the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the American Jazz Museum sit in the same building in the historic 18th & Vine district but sell separate $15 tickets, and the National WWI Museum and Memorial offers free admission on a handful of patriotic holidays each year. St. Louis EBT cardholders also qualify for reduced admission at the Botanical Garden and other ticketed attractions through Museums for All.
Prefer somewhere free every single day? Jump to the 9 always-free museums ↓
St. Louis
The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum
Regularly $15St. Louis's beloved hands-on children's museum in Kirkwood opens free every third Friday of the month from 5 to 8 p.m. through Free Family Nights, sponsored by Emerson. A single family — up to two adults and four children — gets in at no cost. It is limited to residents of the seven St. Louis-area counties and proof of residency is required. First come, first served with no reservations, and capacity is limited, so arrive early.
🌐 Check current dates →Missouri Botanical Garden
Regularly $16 adultsOne of the oldest and grandest botanical gardens in the country — home of the geodesic Climatron and a serene 14-acre Japanese garden. St. Louis City and County residents pay $6 with proof of residency; everyone else pays $16, and kids 12 and under are always free.
🌐 Check current dates →St. Joseph
Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art
Regularly $10 adultsSt. Joseph's fine-art museum, in a 1935 mansion above the Missouri River, opens free to everyone on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 4 to 7 p.m. for Free Museum After Hours — no residency requirement and no membership needed. The regular rate is $10 adults / $7 students, with 6 and under always free.
🌐 Check current dates →Always Free in Missouri
Skip the calendar — these never charge admission, any day you show up.
Gear up for your museum day
A few inexpensive things that make a day of museum-hopping easier — and a couple of ways to bring the art home.
Bring the museum home
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