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Museums / Cultural Institutions

Free Monthly Museum DaysFree Monthly Museum Days
By - posted 4/1/2024
Get Out: Events, Museums / Cultural Institutions

Whether the economy is strong or sour, most of the museums in San Francisco and the Bay Area throw their doors open once a month to allow free admission to all comers. Generally on the first Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of each month, these free days are often crowded, but if more...

SF’s Brand New Rare Stinky “Corpse Flower” is About to BloomSF’s Brand New Rare Stinky “Corpse Flower” is About to Bloom
By - posted 2/23/2024
Brand New, Get Out: Events, Museums / Cultural Institutions, Only in San Francisco, Wow

Thanks to KRON4 for sharing the news about this brand new corpse flower from SF’s California Academy of Sciences! Hold your breath! California Academy of Sciences’ well-known stinky corpse flower is about to open up its first bloom. This huge flower will open up in the museum’s greenhouse, Osher Rainforest, sometime more...

MCD's Free Museum Weekend (December 9-10)MCD’s Free Museum Weekend (December 9-10)
By - posted 12/3/2023
Freebies, Get Out: Events, Museums / Cultural Institutions, Only in San Francisco, Partner, San Francisco, Sponsored

Celebrate the holiday season in Dogpatch during MCD’s Free Weekend December 9-10, 2023. During MCD’s Free Weekend explore what peaceful design might mean to you through MCD’s current exhibition Designing Peace. Designing Peace features 30 artists and designers from over 20 countries looking at ways to create and sustain more durable more...

SF's 1886 Victorian Haas-Lilienthal House Closes Until Spring 2024SF’s 1886 Victorian Haas-Lilienthal House Closes Until Spring 2024
By - posted 11/17/2023
Bay Area Updates, Goodbye, Museums / Cultural Institutions, San Francisco

Thanks to SF Gate for sharing the unfortunate news that the historic Haas-Lilienthal House has closed for the remainder of 2023. The 137-year-old Queen Anne home unfortunately hasn’t rebounded since the pandemic and is struggling financially. The 11,500-square-foot mansion will remain open to private events, but tours are suspended for the more...

Oakland's Free Friday Night Fall Block Parties w/ Off the GridOakland’s Free Friday Night Fall Block Parties w/ Off the Grid
By - posted 9/27/2023
Museums / Cultural Institutions, Oakland, Outdoorsy, Sponsored

Reconnect with family, friends, and community during Friday Nights at OMCA. These free events provide a gathering place each week, including live music, hands-on activities, Off the Grid (OTG) food trucks, and late-night access to our galleries and special exhibitions with a Museum ticket. Limited flat rate parking for Friday more...

Check Out SF's New Bruce Lee Mural in ChinatownCheck Out SF’s New Bruce Lee Mural in Chinatown
By - posted 7/3/2023
Artsy Fartsy, Community, Murals, Museums / Cultural Institutions, San Francisco

Last week, San Francisco’s Chinese Historical Society of America Museum and  Bruce Lee’s daughter, Shannon, actress Olivia Cheng, and actor Richard Ting, for the unveiling of the new Bruce Lee mural on Joice Street alley in the place of his birth—San Francisco Chinatown—to celebrate the premiere of season 3 of more...

SF’s Rare Stinky “Corpse Flower” is Blooming!SF’s Rare Stinky “Corpse Flower” is Blooming!
By - posted 6/30/2023
Museums / Cultural Institutions, Wow

The Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park has announced that one their rare super smelly “corpse flowers” is just about ready to bloom. And that means it’s going to start smelling like rotting flesh. Nice!   UPDATE – As of July 4, 2023 (1:06pm) We’re open regular hours today and it’s our more...

de Young Museum Hosts 8 Free Weekends in 2023de Young Museum Hosts 8 Free Weekends in 2023
By - posted 3/18/2023
Brand New, Museums / Cultural Institutions, San Francisco

The US Premiere of “Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence” at the de Young Museum received grant from Google.org providing eight weekends of free admission to the exhibition and support for vital public programming, including school and youth curriculum. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (the “Museums”) just announced the more...

Lawrence Livermore Lab's Discovery Center Reopens After 3 Year ClosureLawrence Livermore Lab’s Discovery Center Reopens After 3 Year Closure
By - posted 3/14/2023
East Bay, Museums / Cultural Institutions, Reopening

By Tony Hicks, Bay City News There are probably more secrets inside Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory than any single square mile in Northern California. One of them, ironically, isn’t one they try to keep: the existence of the lab’s Discovery Center. In an outbuilding of approximately 1,110 square feet on the lab’s more...

Oakland's New "Nature Playspace" for Kids at OMCAOakland’s New “Nature Playspace” for Kids at OMCA
By - posted 11/17/2022
Fun & Games, Museums / Cultural Institutions, Oakland, Sponsored, Things to Do

Calling all kiddos and future scientists! The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) invites you to experience its new interactive OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace for kids ages 2 to 5, their families, and caregivers. Explore the natural world from a kids’ eye view and learn about animals and plants that live more...

SF's First Ever "Free Museum Weekend" Coming Dec. 3-4SF’s First Ever “Free Museum Weekend” Coming Dec. 3-4
By - posted 11/9/2022
Brand New, Freebies, Museums / Cultural Institutions, Only in San Francisco

Thanks to an anonymous donor, San Francisco is getting its first ever Free Museum Weekend on December 3-4, 2022. Celebrate the reawakening and revitalization of a city that has long championed creativity, experimentation, and innovation. San Francisco Free Museum Weekend is a collaborative initiative that highlights the city’s vibrant arts and more...

SOMArts' Día de Los Muertos Returns for First Public Opening Since 2019SOMArts’ Día de Los Muertos Returns for First Public Opening Since 2019
By - posted 9/21/2022
Artsy Fartsy, Community, Healing, Museums / Cultural Institutions, Sponsored

SOMArts’ Día de Los Muertos returns with its first public opening reception since 2019, on Friday, October 7, 2022. Now in its 23rd year and founded by beloved artist René Yañez, SOMArts’ annual Día de Los Muertos exhibition is one of the most internationally diverse Day of the Dead celebrations more...

San Francisco's Opera at the Ballpark Returns (Nov. 11)San Francisco’s Opera at the Ballpark Returns (Nov. 11)
By - posted 9/16/2022
Artsy Fartsy, Get Out: Events, Museums / Cultural Institutions, Outdoorsy, San Francisco

Opening night for Verdi’s “La Traviata” will be bigger than ever with the return of Opera at the Ballpark, a free community event held at Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. Enjoy your opera with a side of garlic fries, in one of the most scenic venues in town more...

Smithsonian's Annual Free Museum Day 2022 (Sept. 17)Smithsonian’s Annual Free Museum Day 2022 (Sept. 17)
By - posted 9/2/2022
Museums / Cultural Institutions

Smithsonian Magazine’s annual Museum Day returns on Saturday, September 17, 2022 as participating museums and cultural institutions nationwide open their doors free of charge to all visitors who download the Museum Day Ticket. Museum Day brings together museums, zoos, and cultural centers from all 50 states to offer free admission to all Museum more...

SF's Treasure Island Museum is GrowingSF’s Treasure Island Museum is Growing
By - posted 7/6/2022
Bay Area Updates, Museums / Cultural Institutions

The Treasure Island Museum recently announced it’s completing a new and larger exhibit space in the historic Building One on Treasure Island. Visitors will enter through a proposed entrance from the new Building One plaza opposite the ferry landing and transportation center. A space of 3,500 to 4,000 square feet more...