Free days at Charlotte museums - Charlotte On The Cheap (2024)

Mint Museums

Mint Museums: Both locations of the Mint Museum of Art are free on Wednesdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mint Museum Uptown’s free Wednesday night is part of Wednesday Night Live. Every Wednesday, from 5 to 9 p.m., The Bechtler, Mint Museum and Gantt Center are free to visit, and there will be a special performance, film, or other activity at one of them.

• Mint Museum Randolph, 2370 Randolph Road, Charlotte, NC
• Mint Museum Uptown, 500 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC

Mint Museum’s NexGen program for teens: Teens can visit either Mint Museum for free any day, and also participate in free events just for them, once they sign up for NexGen Mint, which is free to join.
2370 Randolph Road and 500 South Tryon Street

Gantt Center

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture: The Gantt Center has occasionally presents Gantt After Dark or Art after Dark. At these events, guests can enjoy exploring the galleries for free, as well as other entertainment, usually including live music, dance, film, light bites, and hands-on art activities. There’s a cash bar. We will update on our calendar when the next free evening is announced.

In addition, the Gantt Center is offering free admission on Wednesday evenings, through the Wednesday Night Live program, along with The Mint Museum Uptown and Bechtler Museum, both of which are also free on Wednesday evenings. 5 to 9 p.m.
551 South Tryon Street

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art: Bechtler Museum of Modern Art participates on Wednesday Night Live. Every Wednesday, from 5 to 9 p.m., The Bechtler, Mint Museum and Gantt Center are free to visit, and there will be a special performance, film, or other activity at one of them.

The Bechtler Museum is always free to active-duty and retired military personnel, National Guard, Reserve, and their families, all year.

The Bechtler is also free to individuals with disabilities and their companions. Please contact The Bechtler for details.
420 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC

Schiele Museum of Natural History

Schiele Museum of Natural History: The Schiele Museum is a natural history museum in Gastonia and well worth the short drive. If you have kids who go to Charlotte schools it’s very likely that they’ve enjoyed a field trip to the Schiele Museum at least once. It’s free on the second Tuesday of each month, from 4 to 8 p.m. That includes a ticket to the planetarium show, but you need to reserve your ticket in advance to guarantee entry.
1500 E. Garrison Blvd, Gastonia, NC

Bank of America’s Museums on Us

Bank of America’s Museums on Us: The first full weekend of every month, customers of Bank of America and Merrill Lynch can enjoy free admission to many museums around the country. You just need to bring your credit or debit card to get in for free. Admission does not include entry into special events or special exhibits. Right now the participating museums are Mint Museums, Bechtler Museum, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and Levine Museum of the New South, but that can change, so follow the above link.

Blue Star Museums

Blue Star Museums: This is a program that provides free admission to over 2,000 museums nationwide to active duty military personnel and their families. It runs from Armed Forces Day to Labor Day. The military ID holder can bring five family members with him or her, and those family members can include children, a spouse, aunts, grandparents, etc. If the military member is deployed the spouse can still participate in the program. In Charlotte, participating museums are Charlotte Museum of History, Wing Haven, Mint Museum and The Schiele. The Bechtler Museum is not part of this program but offers free admission for military families all year.

Levine Museum of the New South

Levine Museum of the New South: Levine Museum explores the history of Charlotte, and strives to connect visitors to the Charlotte community through stories, dialogue and celebration. After a period of closure, it has reopened in a new location. It’s free to visit any day it’s open.
401 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC

President James K. Polk Historic Site

President James K. Polk Historic Site: James Polk’s homesite in Pineville is free to visit. Learn about our 11th president and life in the 1800’s. There are special living history events regularly scheduled as well. 12031 Lancaster Highway, Pineville, NC

McColl Center

McColl Center: The McColl Center houses artist studios and over 5,000 square feet of gallery space. Admission is free. Make sure to check its website for hours, because it’s not open every day. It also holds special events and Open Studio Saturday, during which when visitors can explore the studios and watch the artists at work.
721 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC

Matthews Heritage Museum

Matthews Heritage Museum: The museum strives to nurture a healthy respect for the forward thinking of the early settlers and help guests reflect on the business environment, lifestyles and cultures of those early Matthews townspeople. It’s normally open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., although you should check for holiday closures. It’s free to visit.
232 North Trade Street, Matthews, NC

Gaston County Museum

Gaston County Museum: This museum in Dallas, NC is always free. It includes two floors of changing exhibits, on history and/or art, the Daniel Stowe Carriage House, featuring the state’s largest collection of horse-drawn vehicles, and the permanent Carolinas Textile Exhibit, showing the area’s primary commodity from the late 1800’s to mid-1900’s –- cotton mills and the lives that revolved around them.
131 West Main Street, Dallas, NC

Discovery Place

Discovery Place: This deal is not for everyone and it’s not quite free but it’s important to mention. All Discovery Place museums (Discovery Place Science, Discovery Place Kids Huntersville, Discovery Place Kids Rockingham, and Discovery Place Nature) offer $1/person admission to families showing an EBT or WIC Card, up to six people in a family. This program, which started in 2014, makes Discovery Place’s opportunities available to lower income families.

• Discovery Place Science, 301 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC
• Discovery Place Nature, 1658 Sterling Road, Charlotte, NC
• Discovery Place Nature, 105 Gilead Road, Huntersville, NC

Museum of the Alphabet

Museum of the Alphabet: This museum in Waxhaw is always free. It focuses on where writing began and how it came to be what it is today. Trace the history of writing systems, from the ancient world to today. See maps, paintings, and sculptures. Take quizzes. Examine a copy of the Rosetta Stone, a 150-year-old Torah scroll, and a handmade lyre. You can also print your name in Arabic, Assyrian, Hebrew, and Punjabi.
6409 Davis Road, Waxhaw, NC

Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society Museum

Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society Museum: The museum is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is free to visit. Make sure to check the museum’s website to confirm opening hours.
1100 N. Main Street, Mt. Pleasant, NC

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