Columbus Museum of Art
Free admission every Sunday.
Free museum days 2027Columbus · Ohio’s capital
Free museum and zoo days in Columbus, 2027.
Free and nearly free ways into Columbus museums and zoos in 2027, each one checked on the venue’s or program’s own page: two regular free days, one Bank of America Museums on Us partner, three Museums for All or EBT discounts and two library passes. Every row says who gets in, so you know before you go.
Every week or month
Regular free days at Columbus museums and zoos
Days a museum or zoo is free, straight from its own admissions page. The tag shows who gets in.
Everyone
Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Free on the first Sunday of each month for residents of Franklin County and the City of Columbus, with valid ID. No advance tickets on those days.
Bank of America cardholders
Museums on Us in Columbus
Active Bank of America, Merrill and Private Bank credit or debit cardholders get one free general admission on the first full weekend of each month. Bring the card and a photo ID; it covers the cardholder only. Bank of America’s partner list ↗
PlaceDaysWhenLink
Bank of America posts each weekend on its partner page; the next ones are under Coming up below. We don’t list 2027 weekends until Bank of America posts them.
SNAP and EBT
Museums for All and EBT discounts in Columbus
Museums for All gives families receiving SNAP benefits free or reduced admission with an EBT card and photo ID. Each venue sets its own price and group size, quoted from its page below. About Museums for All ↗
COSI (Little Kids Space)
COSI is proud to be a member of Museums for All Columbus. Through this program, COSI will offer $5 per tickets for up to eight visitors for those who qualify.
Columbus Museum of Art
As part of the national Museums for All initiative, Columbus Museum of Art offers free admission to visitors who participate in SNAP, WIC, or Medicaid programs. This includes both general admission and access to special exhibitions and applies to all members of the household.
Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Along with six other major cultural institutions in Columbus, the Conservatory participates in Museums for All, a national partnership of more than 500 cultural institutions that reduce barriers to access in visiting museums.
Library card
Free museum passes from Columbus libraries
Passes you can borrow with a library card, as the venue describes them.
Columbus Museum of Art
Columbus Metropolitan Library cardholders can borrow a one-time Culture Pass (in person, at all 23 branches) to visit CMA and The Pizzuti.
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
At select Columbus Metropolitan Library branches, cardholders can check out a Culture Pass for a free Zoo visit, used within two days.
Before 2027
Free days coming up this year
Dated free days still ahead in the next few weeks.
Nov1to Dec 6
Free first Sunday at Franklin Park Conservatory
Franklin Park Conservatory · Franklin Park
- Dates
- Nov 1, Dec 6
- Who gets in
- Free for Franklin County residents (bring proof of address)
Good to know The glasshouses and gardens, free on the first Sunday of the month for county residents.
Nov7to Dec 6
Bank of America Museums on Us weekend
Columbus Museum of Art · Columbus
- Dates
- Nov 7, Nov 8, Dec 5, Dec 6
- Who gets in
- Free general admission for Bank of America, Merrill and Private Bank cardholders (one per card, with photo ID)
Good to know Only the cardholder gets in free, so bring the card and an ID. Columbus Museum of Art is free with the card on Saturdays only.
Keep planning
More for little kids in Columbus
Free things to do in ColumbusFree days, free events and places that never charge
Indoor play in ColumbusIndoor playgrounds, toddler times and museums, with prices
Library storytimes in ColumbusBaby, toddler and preschool storytimes by day and branch
Ice skating in ColumbusHoliday and indoor rinks, skate aids and prices
Thanksgiving weekend in ColumbusParades, turkey trots and what’s open on Thursday
Noon Year’s Eve in ColumbusKid-friendly countdowns, home by nap
This week in ColumbusDated outings for ages 0–6, checked every ThursdayGood questions
Free museum days in Columbus: the FAQ
Columbus Museum of Art: Free admission every Sunday. Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: Free on the first Sunday of each month for residents of Franklin County and the City of Columbus, with valid ID. No advance tickets on those days. Each one is from the venue’s own page.
Columbus Museum of Art is a Bank of America Museums on Us partner. Active Bank of America, Merrill and Private Bank credit or debit cardholders get one free general admission on the first full weekend of each month; bring the card and a photo ID. Bank of America posts each weekend on its partner page.
Yes. COSI (Little Kids Space), Columbus Museum of Art, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens offer free or reduced admission to families with SNAP (EBT) benefits, most through Museums for All. Bring your EBT card and a photo ID; each listing below has the venue’s own price and limits.
Columbus Museum of Art: Columbus Metropolitan Library cardholders can borrow a one-time Culture Pass (in person, at all 23 branches) to visit CMA and The Pizzuti. Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: At select Columbus Metropolitan Library branches, cardholders can check out a Culture Pass for a free Zoo visit, used within two days.
Each free day and discount comes from the museum’s, zoo’s or program’s own page and links to it. If a page doesn’t say who gets in, we leave it out. We only list a date, time or price when that page shows it, and anything we can’t confirm stays off. These were last checked Oct 20, 2026, and we recheck them every month. How we choose and check.
Littles Weekly
Free museum days in another city
or nearby:
All 35 cities
- Free museum days in Austin
- Free museum days in Boise
- Free museum days in Buffalo
- Free museum days in Charleston
- Free museum days in Charlotte
- Free museum days in Chattanooga
- Free museum days in Cincinnati
- Free museum days in Cleveland
- Free museum days in Columbia
- Free museum days in Des Moines
- Free museum days in Detroit
- Free museum days in Grand Rapids
- Free museum days in Greenville
- Free museum days in Indianapolis
- Free museum days in Kansas City
- Free museum days in Knoxville
- Free museum days in Little Rock
- Free museum days in Memphis
- Free museum days in Milwaukee
- Free museum days in Minneapolis–St. Paul
- Free museum days in Nashville
- Free museum days in New Orleans
- Free museum days in Oklahoma City
- Free museum days in Orlando
- Free museum days in Pittsburgh
- Free museum days in Richmond
- Free museum days in Rochester
- Free museum days in Salt Lake City
- Free museum days in San Antonio
- Free museum days in Spokane
- Free museum days in Tampa
- Free museum days in Tucson
- Free museum days in Tulsa
- Free museum days in Wichita
- All cities on Littles Weekly
Free days, in your inbox.
One short email every Friday morning with the best things to do with little ones in Columbus that weekend, free days included.
