The last day of school is already behind us here at my house, and I'm suddenly feeling that touch of panic. You know, the one where you think "OMG, I should've been more on the ball about summer programs and potential fun before right now." And that's where the Blue Star Museums 2017 freebie comes in.
Every year like clockwork, Blue Star Families and the National Endowment for the Arts partner to connect military families with free museum entrances nationwide.
Blue Star Museums 2017: Who Can Get In
Like last year, the program has over 2,000 museums registered to give free admittance to qualifying military families. What does "qualifying" mean? Active duty members, National Guard and Reserve members, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps members, NOAA Commissioned Corps members -- and up to five family members with each ID card holder. In short, veterans and retirees don't qualify for this one (sorry!).
Blue Star Museums 2017: Who Is Participating
In 2016 over 900,000 military members and their families used the program, officials said -- that's an all-time high, up from the estimated 840,000 who used it in 2016.
“This fantastic collaboration with the NEA brings our local military and civilian communities together and offers families fun and enriching activities in their home towns. We are thrilled with the continued growth of the program and the unparalleled opportunities it offers," Kathy Roth-Douquet, Blue Star Families chief executive officer said in a statement.
With summer considered peak PCS season, visiting your free local museum is a great way to get to know your new hometown, cap-off your stay at your old one or break-up that never ending cross-country drive you're taking.
Blue Star Museums 2017: Get There!
You can see a list of participating museums over here on the National Endowment for the Arts website. They also have a neat family toolkit to use. You can also follow Blue Star Museums on Twitter @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily, #bluestarmuseums, on Facebook, and read the NEA Art Works blog for weekly stories on participating museums and exhibits.
