Each year museums and cultural destinations that are affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution participate in Smithsonian Museum Day, offering free admission for you and a guest. In 2012 the official date for Smithsonian Museum Day is Saturday, September 29, 2012. The listings below are for admissions on that day, unless otherwise indicated.
You must present the Smithsonian ticket for the free admission. You can get it online and there is no charge. The free admission applies to general admission only. There may be a charge for special exhibits or activities at the museum.
Phoenix Museums Participating in Smithsonian Museum Day
- Arizona Historical Society Museum at Papago Park
Phoenix
Description: "The Museum at Papago Park interprets central Arizona's history with special emphasis on the 20th Century. Exhibits include desert water use and Arizona's World War II Home Front."
Call for information: 480-929-9499
- Arizona Museum of Natural History
Mesa
Description: "Have Fun with History, and explore the Spanish Southwest, Territorial Arizona, and Arizona’s historic 5 Cs in the History Courtyard..."
Call for information: 480-644-2230 - Casa Grande Valley Historical Society and Museum
Casa Grande
Description: "Experience the 19th Century mining boom as you tour the exhibit. See the miniature agricultural display. Learn how irrigation turned sandy plains into lush cotton fields. See what Casa Grande looked like in 1879 when the railroad ended here and the city was named Terminus....Tour the historic Heritage Hall and the Rebecca Dallis School House."
Call for information: 520-836-2223 - Cave Creek Museum
Cave Creek
Description: "The mission of the Cave Creek Museum is to preserve the artifacts of the prehistory, culture and legacy of the Cave Creek/Carefree foothills area through education, research and interpretive exhibits."
Call for information: 480-488-2764 - Deer Valley Rock Art Center
Phoenix
Description: The Deer Valley Rock Art Center has the largest concentration of Native American petroglyphs in the Phoenix Valley. Visitors hike a quarter-mile trail to view over 1,500 petroglyphs made between 500 and 7,000 years ago. The museum aims to promote preservation, connection and respect for the site and is a destination for families to learn about archaeology in their own backyard. The Center is managed by one of the top archaeology programs in the country – the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University.
Call for information: 623-582-8007 - Desert Botanical Garden
Phoenix
Description: "Nestled amid the red buttes of Papago Park, the Desert Botanical Garden hosts one of the world’s finest collections of desert plants. One of only 44 botanical gardens accredited by the American Association of Museums, this one-of-a-kind museum showcases 50 acres of beautiful outdoor exhibits. Home to 139 rare, threatened and endangered plant species from around the world, the Garden offers interesting and inspiring experiences to more than 300,000 visitors each year."
Watch a short video about this museum.
Call for information: 480-941-1225 - Heard Museum
Phoenix
Description: "The mission of the Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is to educate the public about the heritage and living cultures and arts of Native peoples, with an emphasis on the peoples of the Southwest."
Watch a short video about this museum.
Call for information: 602-252-8848 - Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park
Phoenix
Description: "Pueblo Grande Museum is an archaeological site museum and repository. We collect, preserve, research, interpret, and exhibit cultural materials from the site of Pueblo Grande and the Greater Southwest. The Museum, part of the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department since 1929, is dedicated to enhancing the knowledge of prehistory, history, and ethnology of inhabitants of the Southwest, and promoting a greater understanding of the diversity of cultures past and present, for our guests and the citizens of Phoenix."
Watch a short video about this museum.
Call for information: 602-495-0901 - River of Time Museum
Fountain Hills
Description: "Experience the majesty of the Lower Verde River Valley. From its geologic origins to its present day panorama, follow our timeline." From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Call for information: 480-837-2612 - Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Downtown Scottsdale
Description: "The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art [SMoCA] is an educational institution dedicated to presenting exhibitions on contemporary and modern art, architecture, and design. Global in its focus, SMoCA is a gathering place for experiencing contemporary art and culture."
Call for information: 480-874-4666 - Superstition Mountain Museum
Apache Junction
Description: "The Superstition Mountain Museum collects, preserves and displays the artifacts, history and folklore of the Superstition Mountains, Apache Junction and the surrounding region."
Call for information: 480-983-4888
All dates, times, prices and offerings are subject to change without notice.
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Visit the official Smithsonian Museum Day web site for more information and for participating museums in Arizona outside the Phoenix area.
