Here’s the scoop. The museums participating this year run the gamut from the Gibbs Museum of Pioneer & Dakota Life in St. Paul, Minnesota and Fort Worth Log Cabin Village to Conner Prairie Interactive History Park and Tampa Bay History Center. To take advantage of the special day it is essential to register on line at the Museum Day website and download Museum Day Live! tickets. The annual event provides two free tickets to each registered household.

This year more than 1,200 museums are participating in the event. The helpful Museum Day website enables searches by area of the country and zip code making choices easy. The museum locations represent the diversity of America’s museum community—size, location and subject—and offer exceptional learning opportunities for families. A Museum Day Live! admission ticket is required however many of the locations will accept your ticket on the screen of your smartphone. 

Gibbs Museum of Pioneer & Dakota Life in St. Paul - Prairie Life. Costumed interpreters portray the realities of daily life for nineteenth century pioneers and Dakotas in Minnesota through stories, crafts, gardening, and animal husbandry. The complex includes original and replica buildings of the area - a log-and-sod home, the original Gibbs farmhouse and barn, tipi, Dakota summer bark lodge, and one-room schoolhouse. (Gibbs Farm 2097 West Larpenteur Avenue Saint Paul, Minnesota 55113. (651) 646-8629 or www.rchs.com/gibbs-farm)

Log Cabin Village in Fort Worth - Living History. Sitting in the woods across from the Fort Worth Zoo this living history village is a secret North Texas treasure. Interpreters of North Texas history depict the lifestyle of Texans from 1840 through 1890.   The complex includes several furnished log cabins, a water-powered gristmill, a one-room schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, and an herb garden. (Log Cabin Village 2100 Log Cabin Village Ln, Fort Worth, TX 76109. (817) 392-5881 or www.logcabinvillage.org)

Aerospace Museum of California - Let Your Imagination Soar. Just minutes from downtown Sacramento, the Aerospace Museum showcases more than 40 military and civilian aircraft, rocket engines, flight simulators, and interactive aviation and aerospace exhibits. (3200 Freedom Park Dr. McClellan, CA 95652. (916) 643-3192 or www.aerospaceca.org)

Booth Western Art Museum – See America’s Story. In addition to showcasing contemporary Western artwork, and hundreds of Native American artifacts, the Museum also features Sagebrush Ranch – an interactive children’s gallery and hosts the annual Southeastern Cowboy Festival each October. (Cartersville, GA 30120. (770) 387-1300 or http://boothmuseum.org)

 
The Adler - Visit America's First Planetarium. In a word awesome! Perched on Chicago’s lakeshore, this engaging location features three full-size theaters, including the renovated Grainger Sky Theater, the all-digital projection Definiti® Space Theater and the 3D Johnson Family Star Theater. However it is known for truly awesome interactive activities and Explorer's Tool Belts for families. (1300 South Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60605. (312) 922-STAR or www.adlerplanetarium.org)

Tampa Bay History Center – So Many Stories to Tell. Browse 12,000 years of Tampa Bay history told with pictures, kid-friendly activities, stories, and hands-on interactive exhibits featuring the first native inhabitants, Spanish conquistadors, pioneers, community leaders and sports figures. The Museum has created a Family Backpack Adventures program enabling parents to enjoy sharing the experience with your kids. (801 Old Water Street Tampa, FL 33602. (813) 228-0097 or www.tampabayhistorycenter.org) 

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Content researched and posted by by Nancy Nelson-Duac, Curator of the Good Stuff for the Family Travel Files. Images courtesy Adler Planetarium in Chicago, and, Conner Prairie, and Gibbs Farm in St. Paul. Copyright updated 2015.