Here in the Bay Area we’re undeniably lucky to have a wealth of resources in the worlds of art, culture, science, and technology. Here we’ve rounded up the most essential San Francisco museums that you’ve got to visit at least once, from SFMOMA to the Academy of Sciences. Read on for a breakdown of the best exhibitions to visit at each one, how and when you can snag free admission, and everything in between.
1. SFMOMA
As one of the modern art world’s most respected institutions, SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) is easily one of SF’s most famous museums. Enjoy a frequent rotation of large- and small-scale art exhibitions to help you think critically about contemporary art in today’s society, celebrating both local creators and world-renowned contemporary artists. They also put on fun events every month including gallery talks and parties.
Temporary exhibitions to see right now at SFMOMA
- 2022 SECA Art Award Exhibition – through May 29, 2023
- Conversation Pieces – through June 25, 2023
- Ragnar Kjartansson: The Visitors, Again! – through Jan. 2, 2024
How to get free admission to SFMOMA
SFMOMA grants free admission to Bay Area residents on the first Thursday of every month from 1-8pm. All residents from the nine Bay Area counties may reserve their free spot online for first Thursdays by entering their zip code as a promo code. These are released 2 weeks in advance and sell out quickly — limit two adult tickets per reservation.
Free admission is also available for EBT or Medi-Cal cardholders via Museums for All, and for SF Public Library cardholders via Discover and Go.
🎟️ Get tickets to SFMOMA.
📍 151 3rd St, San Francisco
🕗 10am-5pm Friday-Tuesday, 1pm-8pm Thursday
2. de Young Museum
The de Young Museum has been one of SF’s most iconic fine art museums since it was founded in 1895. It forms one-half of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco along with the Legion of Honor, although they are different museums at different locations. Their collections include African art, arts of the Americas, oceanic art, photography, and textiles. The building features a 144-foot observation tower offering 360-degree views of Golden Gate Park, and it’s free for the public to visit whether or not they hold a museum ticket.
Temporary exhibitions to see now at the de Young Museum
- Lhola Amira: Facing the Future – through Dec. 3, 2023
- Nampeyo and the Sikyátki Revival – through Sept. 15, 2024
- Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence – coming soon Mar. 18 2023–Oct. 15, 2023:
- Ansel Adams in Our Time – coming soon Apr. 8, 2023–July 23, 2023
How to get free admission to the de Young Museum
The de Young Museum offers free admission for Bay Area residents every Saturday. Reserve online and redeem your free admission onsite with a driver’s license or postmarked envelope. Non-residents can get free admission to the de Young on the first Tuesday of every month. Free admission is also available for EBT or Medi-Cal cardholders via Museums for All; for SF Public Library cardholders via Discover and Go; and for Bank of America, Merrill, of Bank of America Private Bank (U.S. Bank) cardholders on the first full weekend of every month.
🎟️ Get tickets to the de Young Museum.
📍 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
🕗 9:30am-5:15pm Tuesday-Sunday
3. Legion of Honor
The Legion of Honor‘s collections span 6,000 years, and in contrast to the de Young, they tend to focus more on European art. The building itself might look familiar because it is a replica of the Palais de la Légion d’Honneur in Paris. Discover an exciting combination of painting, sculpture, ancient art, contemporary art, and decorative works.
Temporary exhibitions to see now at the Legion of Honor
- Michelle Erickson: Wild Porcelain – through Apr. 2, 2023
- Sargent and Spain – through May 14, 2023
- The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England – coming soon June 24 – Sept 24, 2023
How to get free admission to the Legion of Honor
The Legion of Honor offers free admission for Bay Area residents every Saturday. Reserve online and redeem your free admission onsite with a driver’s license or postmarked envelope. Non-residents can get free admission on the first Tuesday of every month. Free admission is also available for EBT or Medi-Cal cardholders via Museums for All; for SF Public Library cardholders via Discover and Go; and for Bank of America, Merrill, of Bank of America Private Bank (U.S. Bank) cardholders on the first full weekend of every month.
🎟️ Get tickets to the Legion of Honor.
📍100 34th Avenue, Lincoln Park, San Francisco
🕗 9:30am-5:15pm Tuesday-Sunday
4. California Academy of Sciences
The modern-day California Academy of Sciences building opened in 2008, although its origins date back all the way to 1853. One of the most eye-catching elements is the Academy’s living roof, a marvel of building design that has influenced countless other such roofs over the years. With some of the most advanced research facilities in the world, this famous San Francisco museum is capable of putting together some seriously fascinating and creative exhibits including a four-story indoor rainforest aflutter with free-flying birds and butterflies.
And of course take advantage of the Academy’s Thursday NightLife series.
What to see at the CA Academy of Sciences
How to get free admission to the CA Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences does not currently offer standing free admission days, but there are still a few options if you can’t swing tickets. EBT or Medi-Cal cardholders can get passes via Museums for All, and SF Public Library cardholders can look into Discover and Go.
🎟️ Get general admission tickets and NightLife tickets to the California Academy of Sciences.
📍 55 Music Concourse Dr, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
🕗 9:30am-5pm Monday-Saturday, 11am-5pm Sunday
5. Exploratorium
The Exploratorium isn’t your average museum experience – in fact, they’ve been making their own interactive exhibits since 1969. Explore and play with over 650 fun exhibits including the “Anti-Gravity Mirror,” where you can create gravity-defying illusions; “Bacteriopolis,” a colorful wall made out of a living terrarium; and “Disagreeing About Color,” which compares individuals’ different perceptions of colored lights. It’s a great place for kids, but adults have a great time as well, especially at their monthly 21+ After Dark events.
What to see at the Exploratorium
How to get free admission to the Exploratorium
The Exploratorium does not currently offer standing free admission days. However, EBT or Medi-Cal cardholders can get passes via Museums for All, and SF Public Library cardholders can look into Discover and Go.
🎟️ Get general admission tickets and After Dark tickets to the Exploratorium.
📍 Pier 15, Embarcadero, San Francisco
🕗 10am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday, 12pm-5pm Sunday
6. Asian Art Museum
This stunning San Francisco museum is home to over 18,000 magnificent works of Asian art, ranging from ancient ceramics to contemporary video installations. The museum began over 50 years ago, and has since evolved several times to keep up with the changing artworks and mediums.
Temporary exhibitions to see now at the Asian Art Museum
- Delightful Luxury: The Art of Chinese Lacquer – through Sept. 18, 2023
- Past Continuous Tense – through Sept. 18, 2023
- Beyond Bollywood: 2000 Years of Dance in Art – coming soon Mar. 31, 2023-July 10, 2023
How to get free admission to the Asian Art Museum
The Asian Art Museum grants free admission for the general public on the first Sunday of every month, with special exhibition tickets at discounted prices.
The museum also offers free admission for EBT or Medi-Cal cardholders via Museums for All, CA library cardholders via Discover and Go, caregivers or friends accompanying a visitor with special needs, and guests with active Military ID via the Blue Star Museums program.
🎟️ Get tickets to the Asian Art Museum.
📍200 Larkin St, Civic Center, San Francisco
🕗 10am-5pm Friday-Monday, 1-8pm Thursday
7. Museum of the African Diaspora
Photo credit: Tinashe Chidarikire
San Francisco’s extraordinary Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) has served as a vital Bay Area institution since 2005. It’s one of the world’s few museums focusing solely on African Diaspora culture, and we are very lucky to enjoy it right here in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena neighborhood. The museum works to spark difficult conversations and learning while celebrating art, artists and cultures from the African Diaspora. Its exhibitions have long engaged with the Bay Area community and beyond by lifting up Black art and artists of African descent.
Temporary exhibitions to see at MoAD
- The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion – through Mar. 5, 2023
- Ashley Ross – 10/27/03 – through Mar. 5, 2023
- Black Venus – coming soon Apr 5, 2023 – Aug 20, 2023
How to get free admission to MoAD
The Museum of the African Diaspora offers free admission to the general public on the second Saturday of every month. Free admission is also available for EBT or Medi-Cal cardholders via Museums for All, and for SF Public Library cardholders via Discover and Go.
🎟️ Get tickets to the Museum of the African Diaspora.
📍 685 Mission St, Yerba Buena, San Francisco
🕗 11am-6pm Wednesday-Saturday, 12pm-5pm Sunday
8. Museum of Craft and Design
This exciting museum endeavors to make creativity accessible to everyone through fun, interactive exhibits for all ages. See distinctive craft- and design-focused programming that changes throughout the year, challenging the future of creative expression.
Temporary exhibitions to see now at the Museum of Craft and Design
- Proxistant Vision – through Mar. 19, 2023
- Concrete Journals: Anne Hicks Siberell – coming soon Apr. 15, 2023 – Sept. 10, 2023
- Fight and Flight: Crafting a Bay Area Life – coming soon Apr. 15, 2023 – Sept. 10, 2023
How to get free admission to the Museum of Craft and Design
The Museum of Craft and Design hosts “Pay what you can Wednesdays” every single Wednesday. Visitors, including both residents and non-residents, can pay whatever they wish for admission. Free admission is also available for EBT or Medi-Cal cardholders via Museums for All, and for SF Public Library cardholders via Discover and Go.
🎟️ Get tickets to the Museum of Craft and Design.
📍 2569 3rd St, Dogpatch, San Francisco
🕗 10am-5pm Wednesday-Saturday, 12pm-5pm Sunday
9. Contemporary Jewish Museum
San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum endeavors to share Jewish history, culture and art in a contemporary context. The museum has no permanent collection, but rather rotates in a diverse lineup of exciting exhibitions each year through its collaboration with other institutions.
Temporary exhibitions to see now at the Contemporary Jewish Museum
- Gillian Laub: Family Matters – through Apr. 9, 2023
- Cara Levine: To Survive I Need You to Survive – through Jul. 30, 2023
- We Become [Vessels] – coming soon Mar. 23 – Jan. 28
How to get (almost) free admission to the Contemporary Jewish Museum
The Contemporary Jewish Museum offers free admission to the general public on the first Friday of every month. Free admission is also available for EBT or Medi-Cal cardholders via Museums for All; for SF Public Library cardholders via Discover and Go; and for Bank of America, Merrill, of Bank of America Private Bank (U.S. Bank) cardholders on the first full weekend of every month.
🎟️ Get tickets to the Contemporary Jewish Museum.
📍 736 Mission St, SoMa, San Francisco
🕗 11am-5pm Thursday-Sunday
10. Walt Disney Family Museum
This fascinating museum in the Presidio is dedicated to the legacy of Walt Disney. Learn about his life and extensive career through exhibitions of his awards, a giant model of Disneyland, train cars from his backyard railroad, and much more. They also have a screening room for Disney films.
Temporary exhibitions to see now at the Walt Disney Family Museum
- Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book: Making a Masterpiece – through Mar. 5
- Spirit of the Season: A Community Art Exhibition – through Mar. 20, 2023
- Chris Miller: Kaleidoscope – through Mar. 20, 2023
How to get free admission to the Walt Disney Family Museum
The Walt Disney Family Museum offers free admission to active and retired military personnel with ID and military families through the Blue Star Museums program.
🎟️ Get tickets to the Walt Disney Family Museum.
📍 104 Montgomery St, Presidio, San Francisco
🕗 10am-5:30pm, Thursday-Sunday