Section
28 listings in 17 counties. Museum free days and library museum passes. Every listing links to its source.
Every listing links to its source · Updated
4 picks
Art galleries and downtown Berkeley's only movie theater. Galleries are free for all on the first Thursday of each month.
Free passes to Bay Area museums and other venues for Berkeley Public Library cardholders 14 and older who live in the City of Berkeley.
California art, history and natural sciences under one roof. Galleries and special exhibitions are free on the first Sunday of every month. Closed Wednesday, Oct 28.
2 picks
The Victorian mansion that became the final home of John Muir and his family. Free admission and a small free parking lot.
Visitor Education Center on the Richmond waterfront telling the stories of civilians on the WWII home front. Free admission and free parking; plan 1-2 hours.
1 pick
Working hydraulic model of San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Fully accessible.
1 pick
Dioramas by Disney animator Ben Sharpsteen, the restored Sam Brannan Cottage, a stagecoach and exhibits on the Wappo people. Kid-friendly with a free scavenger hunt.
4 picks
Civic Center museum with docent talks and Thursday night programs. Timed tickets let you stay as long as you like.
Free general admission to the permanent collection every Saturday for Bay Area residents, and for everyone on the first Tuesday of each month. Special exhibitions cost extra.
Free general admission to the permanent collection every Saturday for residents of the nine Bay Area counties, and for everyone on the first Tuesday of each month. Special exhibitions cost extra; ages 17 and under are always free.
1 pick
A free museum of modern and contemporary American art. Visitor parking is paid via ParkMobile.
1 pick
County history museum preserving and interpreting El Dorado County's past through artifacts, documents, exhibits and programs since 1974.
1 pick
Free county history museum on the first floor of Auburn's historic Courthouse, from the Nisenan people to the late 20th century, with the Placer County Gold collection, the Pate Collection of American Indian artifacts and Thomas Kinkade's original "Auburn Centennial". A docent-led Old Town walking tour starts here Saturdays at 10am.
2 picks
Admission to the Capitol and its museum is free, with public tours and exhibits on California history.
Free and low-cost museum, zoo and science center passes for cardholders 16 and older in the library's service area; up to two reservations. Government-issued ID required; the person named on the reservation must be present.
2 picks
Home of the Yolo County Historical Collection, 13,000 objects from the 1830s to the 1930s showing early county life. Current exhibition: Glass From the Past, through May 15, 2027.
UC Davis art museum with rotating exhibitions, including the ongoing Together Again, 1956-2026, plus the Margrit Mondavi Sculpture Garden. Art Spark offers drop-in art-making for all ages Saturdays 1-4pm. No timed tickets.
1 pick
Guided tours of the Warren P. Miller house, a Gothic Revival landmark, tracing Marysville from trading post to Gold Rush city through exhibits, artifacts and period furnishings. Free street parking nearby.
1 pick
Four art galleries and the Arbor Gallery presenting local, regional, statewide and national artists.
1 pick
Art and local history in Victory Park, now showing an exhibit celebrating the Stockton Symphony's 100 years. Free for everyone on the first Saturday of the month (Nov 7, Dec 5).
1 pick
A free community museum in downtown Modesto with exhibits on Modesto and Stanislaus County history.
1 pick
Small natural history museum founded on Laura Hecox's collections, with exhibits and fossil collections near the East Cliff shore. Free for everyone on the first Friday of every month.
1 pick
Exhibits on Oroville Dam, the area's geology, wildlife, hydropower and cultural artifacts, plus a theater, a 47-foot observation tower with lake views, and access to the Dan Beebe Trail.
3 picks
Grace Hudson's artwork, Pomo basketry and Carpenter-Hudson family history, the 1911 Sun House, and the current exhibition Deep Valley: People, Places, Memory (through Feb 7, 2027). Docent-led Sun House tours generally Fri-Sun 12-3pm.
The Mendocino Headlands visitor center in an 1854 house, with a scale model of Mendocino in 1890, historic photographs, tools and relics of the logging and lumber-shipping era, and free videos on request.
An 1861 house museum overlooking the ocean. The current exhibit, Art of Resistance (through Feb 28, 2027), shows protest and activism art from Mendocino's history.