Blue Star Museum’s Program

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and museums across America. Each summer since 2010, Blue Star Museums have offered free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve. For more information on Blue Star Museums, please see the Frequently Asked Questions. The 2022 Blue Star Museums program begins on Saturday, May 21, 2022, Armed Forces Day, and ends on Monday, September 5, 2022, Labor Day (please check back next spring to confirm these dates for 2022).

The United States Conference of Mayors has issued a resolution about Blue Star Museums, urging mayors and their local arts agencies “to promote the Blue Star Museums program and to encourage museums in their communities to participate in this national program serving active duty personnel and their families.”

Participant Requirements

The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes:

• Active duty U.S. Military
• Activated members of the National Guard and Reserve
• U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
• NOAA Commissioned Corps
• Up to five family members

Your visit may not include limited-time museum exhibits in this free admission program. For questions about individual exhibitions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the museum directly.

Admissions

While a majority of our programs are open to veteran and retired communities, free admission to participating museums is currently available for active-duty families with valid IDs. Many museums offer discounts and specials for military families at all levels. Check with your museum choice for current admission and events.

Many Colorado Museums offer FREE admission or discounts for Seniors, college students, children under a certain age, etc. Each museum info-marker in our Google Maps displays a link to their website and phone number. Contact museums for more information.

2021 Program Notes

The Blue Star Museum program runs for the summer months only. Free winter museum access is up to individual museums. Please call or visit a website for more information. Each of our Google Map info-markers displays a phone number and website link. There are a handful of museums that may display both.

The 2021 museum list may have changed throughout the summer as museums signed up or left the Blue Star Museum Program.

2022 Program Notes for Museums

Museums interested in participating in Blue Star Museums in summer 2022 (the following page will be updated early 2022) should signup at Blue Star Museums Registration Page. For more information, email bluestarmuseums@arts.gov.