Five museums offer free hours on Thursdays, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science now opens free on Tuesday afternoons; some require reservations.
Updated October 1, 2026.
Houston has several options for visiting museums without paying admission during specific hours of the week.
Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, Holocaust Museum Houston, Children’s Museum Houston, The Health Museum and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston maintain free access on Thursdays. Houston Museum of Natural Science offers now its free schedule on Tuesdays.
Conditions vary between museums: some require advance tickets, others limit free access to their permanent collections and certain exhibitions or experiences carry an additional cost.
Houston Museums Free Admission by Day
| Museum | Free Day | Hours | Main Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Soldiers National Museum | Thursday | 1–5 p.m. | General admission free |
| Holocaust Museum Houston | Thursday | 2–5 p.m. | General admission free |
| Children’s Museum Houston | Thursday | 5–8 p.m. | Requires ticket and the group must include a child |
| The Health Museum | Thursday | 2–5 p.m. | Online reservation required |
| Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | Thursday | All day | Only permanent collections |
| Houston Museum of Natural Science | Tuesday | 5–8 p.m. | Only Hermann Park permanent galleries |
Buffalo Soldiers National Museum is free on Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m.
Buffalo Soldiers National Museum offers free admission every Thursday from 1 to 5 p.m.
Outside of that time, general admission to the museum costs $10. Students, military personnel and seniors pay $5 with valid identification, and children 5 years old or younger enter for free.
Address: 3816 Caroline St., Houston, TX 77004.
Holocaust Museum Houston offers free admission on Thursdays
Holocaust Museum Houston opens free for all visitors on Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m.
Regular museum admission costs $22 for adults. Those under 18 and college students with ID enter free every day. Seniors 65+, AARP members and active-duty military pay $16.
Address: 5401 Caroline St., Houston, TX 77004.
Children’s Museum Houston maintains Free Family Night on Thursdays
Children’s Museum Houston offers its Free Family Night every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m.
Free tickets become available 48 hours in advance and are subject to availability. Each group must include at least one child 12 years old or younger.
Regular online or kiosk tickets currently cost $21.95 per person from age 1. At the box office it costs $23.95. Children under 1 year enter free.
Address: 1500 Binz St., Houston, TX 77004.
Related: Children’s Museum Houston: how Thursday Free Nights work.
The Health Museum is free on Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m.
The Health Museum offers Free Family Thursday every Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m.
Free museum tickets become available on Mondays at 10 a.m. for that Thursday and must be reserved online.
Regular admission costs $15 for adults and $12 for children aged 3–12 and seniors. Children 2 years old or younger enter for free.
Additional experiences carry a separate cost during the free hours. DeBakey Cell Lab costs $6 and organ dissection demonstrations cost $3.
Address: 1515 Hermann Dr., Houston, TX 77004.
Houston Museum of Natural Science is now free on Tuesdays
The Houston Museum of Natural Science offers free admission to its permanent galleries on Tuesdays from 5 to 8 p.m., with last entry at 7:30 p.m.
The free schedule applies only to the Hermann Park campus. Tickets are handed out at the box office on a first-come, first-served basis and are not available online.
The free access covers the permanent exhibits. Cockrell Butterfly Center, Burke Baker Planetarium, Giant Screen Theatre and pay-per-view exhibitions maintain their own fees.
Regular admission outside the free hours costs $25 for adults and $16 for children aged 3–11. Children under 2 enter free.
Address: 5555 Hermann Park Dr., Houston, TX 77030.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston maintains free admission on Thursdays
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston offers free access to its permanent collections throughout the day on Thursdays. The main campus remains open until 9 p.m. that day.
Special exhibitions are not included and require a separate All Access ticket.
Outside the Thursday free window, the All Access ticket costs $24 for adults and $20 for youth 13–18 and seniors. Children 12 and under enter free.
The free hours apply to the MFAH main campus. Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens and Rienzi have different hours and rates.
Address: 1001 Bissonnet St., Houston, TX 77005.
Which Houston museums are free on Thursdays
Thursdays concentrate the largest number of free hours: Buffalo Soldiers National Museum opens free from 1 to 5 p.m.; Holocaust Museum Houston and The Health Museum, from 2 to 5 p.m.; Children’s Museum Houston, from 5 to 8 p.m.; and the Museum of Fine Arts allows free access to its permanent collections all day.
Houston Museum of Natural Science uses a different schedule and offers its permanent galleries free on Tuesdays from 5 to 8 p.m.
For more free options, also check our guide to free activities in Houston.
