Summer seems to be an extra Patriotic time, beginning with Memorial Day at the end of May, Flag Day in mid-June, and of course….one of my favorite holidays, the 4th of July.  We are blessed to live in America, and I feel particularly proud to have worked with a number of non-profits that support our Veterans, active-duty Military Families.  Today, I learned about a fantastic program enabling the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, to visit a museum for free, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Want to know more…..read on!

According to their web site, Blue Star Families works to “bridge the gap between military family communities and the general public. Through our partnerships, Blue Star Families provides free resources, services, and opportunities to more than 1.5 million military families—making military life more sustainable.”

Each summer since 2010, they present one of their programs, Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and museums across America. Participating Blue Star Museums across the country offer the opportunity for active duty military families to visit a museum for free from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

What a fantastic benefit to all our active duty military families, particularly as so many families are taking vacations this summer.  Parents, if you are taking your kiddos to visit any of these fantastic museums, there’s a GREAT Blue Star Museum Parent Tool Kit, A Guide for Before, During, and After Your Family Trip to the Museum.

You can access a complete list of participating museums, organized by state, by clicking here.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Want to visit a museum for free?  Some of my personal favorites:

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC (Curious Cowgirl tips for visiting this museum here)
• The New York Historical Society
• National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C.
• Barns Foundation, Philadelphia
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• New Orleans Museum of Art
• Bullock Texas State History Museum, Austin
• Kimbell Art Museum, Ft. Worth
• McNay Art Museum, San Antonio
• California Historical Society, San Francisco

Bullock Texas State History Museum

And….because The Curious Cowgirl makes her home in Dallas, here’s some of my Dallas area favorites, if you have a hankering to visit a museum:

• Dallas Contemporary (I wrote a post on this museum here)
• Dallas Heritage Village
• Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance
• Dallas Museum of Art
• Frontiers of Flight Museum
• George W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum
• Meadows Museum
• Museum of Geometric and MADI Art
• Nasher Sculpture Center
• Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture

Old Red Museum of Dallas County

The military ID holder and up to five family members do not pay a dime. The military ID holder can be either active duty service member or other dependent family member with the appropriate ID card. The active duty member does not have to be present for family members to visit a museum and use the program. Just bring your DD Form 1173 ID Card, or DD Form 1173-1 ID Card, for active duty military family members.

To all our military families, your sacrifice is significant, and this nation is grateful!  We hope you enjoy your summer!!

God Bless America!