What a wealth of culture and learning we have here in NYC!
The only thing holding us back from taking in all of the museums, gardens, zoos, and whatnot is time and money. We’ve been trying to make the time to take the kids out and do things with them whenever we can.
That leaves money!
It’s expensive taking a family out these days. Well, it was a most pleasant surprise to learn that Bank of America was extending it’s Museums on Us program. Not only did they extend it but they added museums and states that the program takes part in.
What is Museums on Us?
If you have a Bank of America card (debit or credit) then you are eligible for free admission to select museums and such during the first weekend of the month. Just walk up to the teller at the location and show them your Bank of America card (and ID). That’s it!
But they aren’t good museums are they? They must be small ones if they’re free!
Nope! Check out what’s part of the program in NYC: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Bronx Zoo, The New York Aquarium, Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, and the Whitney Museum of Art. These are world-class attractions! Also nearby is the Long Island Children’s Museum and the Liberty Science Center.
Here is the schedule for 2012:
Will you be taking advantage of BofA's free museum dates?
We recently took advantage of the program and visited the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum. We had never been there before and I can tell you it was awesome! Besides the USS Intrepid and the museum inside there is also a nuclear submarine you can go in and one of the actual Concorde supersonic planes that was used in transatlantic flight. On the Intrepid there are a number of planes and helicopters from different periods of service as well as a few foreign planes as well.
It was definitely a lot of fun seeing it all.
We also got to take our son on the NYC subway for the first time. He was a little scared on the platform but took the trip well. The pier next to the Intrepid has a wonderful little park on the water with a little water park for the kids. There’s also a bike trail that runs along the west side and you can rent bikes nearby. You can really make it a fun day if you plan it out!
If you are planning on going to a free Bank of America day, make sure you plan to leave early as it can get crowded on those days.
So if you have a Bank of America account you really should check out the Museums on Us site to see if there are participating attractions near you! The price is right!
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the information on the program.
Also don’t forget to check out your local library. Many have free passes to area attractions.
Here in Chicago, for example, at the Chicago Public Library branches you can get passes to the major museums and attractions including the Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum, and the Lincoln Park Zoo.
You simply need a library card to check out the passes.
Charlie@PayLessForFood.com’s last blog post..Use This Grocery Store Trick to Save Money at Home
I’ll have to keep an eye out at the library! Thanks for the tip.
Pretty cool promotion BOA is doing. I’ve been to a bunch of those museums on school trips when I was younger but haven’t been since. Not in NY right now but for those who are its def a great activity to do with a family or someone. You should try to take advantage of it.
The cool thing Craig is it’s not just NY. Check out the site and you might find some attractions near you that participate!
@ffb I’ll have to check it out and see what the list is for DC. I just opened a work account through BOA.
I’m actually impressed there are free museums in NYC. I thought those things are only for people in San Francisco
If you get a chance, you should definitely come out to SF since there’s a ton of free museums here..all year long.
But then..this is why California’s broke
Swing Trading’s last blog post..Swing Trading: A Collection of Investing Videos
@Craig: Just head down to area around the Mall. The Smithsonian and National stuff is free. Art, natural history, air & space, all that stuff. D.C. is a great place to find free stuff. And, it may not be a museum, but Shakespeare in the Park is one of my favorite free things in NYC…
Miranda’s last blog post..Bankruptcies: Most Caused By Medical Bills
If you check, most museums have a free day once a month. At least, public museums — ie, run by the city/state. Seattle Art Museum has it the first Thursday of the month.
There is also a “national” Free Museum Day (freemuseumday.org). Not all museums participate. But a lot of them do.
Generally, the free days don’t include special attractions.
.-= Abigail´s last blog ..Freebie Friday =-.
If parents have BOA cards, does that get their children in for free as well? Has anyone had any relevant experiences?
You should check with the museum before you go. I think for the most part the card only covers the cardholder. We’ve had at least one trip where we had to pay for the kids. Still, a kid’s admission if often much cheaper than an adult admission. And you can also look online to see of there are any deals for kid’s too.
{ 2 trackbacks }