Museums on the cheap? Yes, if you know the schedule. Several Charlotte area museums have free days. Some of the free days are for everyone, some are for kids and some are for customers of a certain bank. Read on to learn which days are the cheapest for each museum. Also, when free days come up they are regularly published in Charlotte on the Cheap. So make sure to subscribe to the daily emails and also check the Free Event List for updates and reminders. Last but not list, this Saturday, January 10th, is ASC’s Connect with Culture Day and museums all over the city are offering free admission and special performances.
Mint Museums: Both locations of the Mint Museum of Art are free on Wednesdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. In addition, about once a month, one of them hosts an ArtFusion event at the same time, which extends an exhibit through music, dance, poetry, food or other means. Often there’s a hands-on component to the ArtFusion activity. ArtFusion is also free. You can visit the Mint Museum website to get the schedule for ArtFusion events. They’ll also be included on Charlotte on the Cheap’s Free Event List. 2370 Randolph Road. 500 South Tryon Street.
Levine Museum of the New South: The Levine Museum of the New South is free on Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission is only for groups smaller than 10 people. So leave the rest of the football team at home. Also here’s a useful hint about parking: Every day you can park at 7th Street Station and bring your parking ticket to the Levine Museum (next door) and get it validated for two hours. But on the weekend you can get it validated for all day. So you can park at 7th Street Station and visit Uptown Charlotte all day. 200 East 7th Street.
Schiele Museum of Natural History: The Schiele Museum is a nature museum in Gastonia and well worth the short drive. If you have kids who go to Charlotte schools it’s very likely that they’ve enjoyed a field trip to the Schiele Museum at least once. It’s free on the second Tuesday of the month from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. 1500 East Garrison Boulevard, Gastonia.
Bank of America’s Museums on Us: The first weekend of every month, customers of Bank of America and Merrill Lynch can enjoy free admission to many museums around the country. You just need to bring your credit or debit card to get in for free. Admission does not include entry into special events or special exhibits. Right now the participating museums are Mint Museums, Bechtler Museum, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and Levine Museum of the New South, but that can change, so follow the above link.
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art: Various Saturdays throughout the year, every couple months, the Bechtler Museum holds Family Day. Kids are admitted free and accompanying adults are admitted for just $4. There are always special hands-on art activities on these days. Visit the above link for a schedule. In addition, it’s free all year for active and retired military, National Guard, Reserve, and their families. Also you’ll find Family Days listed on Charlotte on the Cheap’s Free Event List. 420 South Tryon Street.
Mint Museum’s Sunday Fun Day: One Sunday a month, one of the Mint Museums holds Sunday Fun Day from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Kids are admitted for free and accompanying adults are admitted for just $5. Special hands-on art activities will be available those days. Visit the above link for a schedule. Also you’ll find Family Days listed on Charlotte on the Cheap’s Free Event List.
President James K. Polk Historic Site: James Polk’s homesite in Pineville is always free to visit. Learn about our 11th president and life in the 1800’s. There are special living history events regularly scheduled as well. 12031 Lancaster Highway, Pineville.
McColl Center for Visual Art: The McColl Center houses artist studios and over 5,000 square feet of gallery space. It’s always free to visit. Make sure to check its website for hours, because it’s not open every day. It also holds special events and Open Studio Saturday once a month, when visits can explore the studios and watch the artists at work. 721 North Tryon Street.
Matthews Heritage Museum: The museum strives to nurture a healthy respect for the forward thinking of the early settlers and help guests reflect on the business environment, lifestyles and cultures of those early Matthews townspeople. It’s normally open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., although you should check for holiday closures. It’s free the first Saturday of the month. It’s always free for ages 10 and under. 232 North Trade Street, Matthews.
Discovery Place: This one is not for everyone and it’s not quite free but it’s important to mention. All Discovery Place museums (Discovery Place, Discovery Place Kids Huntersville, Discovery Place Rockingham, and Charlotte Nature Museum) offer $1/person admission to families showing an EBT or WIC Card. This new program makes Discovery Place’s opportunities available to lower income families.
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