If you're looking for a fun way to spend some of the hotter days of summer, you're going to really love the annual Blue Star Museums program.
Now in its sixth year, the program works with museums in all 50 states, D.C., Peurto Rico and Guam to offer free entrance to Active Duty, Guard and Reserve service members -- basically, anyone with an active ID card (sorry retirees, this one leaves you out). An ID card holder and up to five accompanying family members (including sisters, cousins, aunts, you name it) can get into participating museums for free between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The Gallier House in New Orleans, La. is one of the museums free for military to visit in the summer of 2015 through the Blue Star Museums program.
Every year it's in operation the Blue Star Museum program, run in part by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and Blue Star Families, expands a little bit. This year it has over 2,000 museums, with new additions including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville, Florida or the Duluth Children's Museum in Minnesota.
NEA officials said more than 700,000 people used the free museum program in 2014 (including my family). The program doesn't cost the government anything because the free entrance tickets are donated by the participating museums.
Want to see a list of museums taking part in the program? Go here.
