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Free Museums in Connecticut To Visit with Kids
Free museums in Connecticut offer families great fun at the right price. When you're home with the kids and b-o-r-e-d, free museums days are the perfect solution! Connecticut has piles of history, and there's a museum for just about everything. From Indigenous culture to art and puppets, Connecticut museums have something for every kid. Even better, most of Connecticut's greatest museums offer families free admission for some, if not all, of their kids (and even some adults).
Looking for more information? Check out our complete Connecticut museum guide which offers many first-hand visits by staff, and our list of Connecticut museums with sensory-friendly hours.
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Connecticut's museums feature unique works of art. Ballard Institute of Puppetry photo by Adam Lobelson.
Free Museums in Connecticut For All Kids
These Connecticut museums offer free admision for all children throughout the year.
- Bellarmine Museum of Art
- Weir Farm National Historic Site
- Yale University Art Gallery
- Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry
- Eli Whitney Museum - summer camp programs offered
- Submarine Force Library - Closed on Tuesdays
- CT Antique Machinery Association - by donation, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, May through October
- Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center (Knights of Columbus Museum)
Free Museums in Connecticut For Kids Under 1
The littlest kids enjoy free entry to the following Connecticut museums:
- Kidcity Children's Museum
- The Lutz Museum - reservations required
- Stepping Stones Museum for Children - open daily 9-5pm
- Niantic Children's Museum
Free Museums in Connecticut For Kids Under 2
Some museums provide free admission for Connecticut kids under two years of age.
- The Children's Museum - in new location
- New England Carousel Museum - closed Mondays and Tuesdays
- Institute for American Indian Studies - closed Mondays and Tuesdays
- Connecticut Trolley Museum - open April through December
Free Museums in Connecticut For Kids Under 3
Babies and toddlers don't have to pay for the following attractions in Connecticut:
- Peabody Museum of Natural History - closed for renovations
- The Maritime Aquarium
- Stamford Museum and Nature Center
- New England Air Museum
- The Barker Character and Comic Museum
Multi-age classes and hands-on experiences are just 2 of the kid-friendly offerings at the New Britain Museum of American Art. Photo courtesy of the museum
Free Museums in Connecticut For Kids Under 5
- Bruce Museum of Arts and Science
- Mashantucket Pequot Museum
- Eric Sloan Museum
- Dinosaur State Park
- Connecticut Historical Society
Free Museums in Connecticut For Kids Under 6
Free Museums in Connecticut For Kids Under 12
- Florence Griswold Museum
- Mattatuck Museum
- Aldrich Museum - free for under 13 and educators
- Lyman Allyn Art Museum
Free Museums in Connecticut For Kids Under 18
- Wadsworth Atheneum - free for under 17
- New Britain Museum of Art
Updated 1-13-2023
Places featured in this article:
Stepping Stones Museum for Children
The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art
Bellarmine Museum of Art
Weir Farm National Historic Site
Peabody Museum of Natural History
Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut
Lyman Allyn Art Museum
The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry
Bruce Museum
Yale University Art Gallery
New Britain Museum of American Art
Kidcity Children's Museum
Children's Museum of Southeastern CT
The Children's Museum
Mattatuck Museum and Arts Center
New England Air Museum
The Institute for Native American Studies
The Discovery Museum
Barker Cartoon Museum
