The Museum Adventure Pass is a free pass from public libraries in Minneapolis, St. Paul and the Metro Area. Each pass gives the holder two or four free admissions to a museum or attraction.
Twenty museums, galleries, zoos and historic sites in Minneapolis and St. Paul are offering free admissions this year. The organizations in the scheme change every September.
Library card holders can visit one of the hundreds of libraries in the Twin Cities, and ask for a free Museum Adventure Pass.
Each Museum Adventure Pass is valid for one week. Only one pass can be checked out at a time, but there's no overall limit to how many can be checked out - you can go to all twenty - or how many times a pass for a location can be checked out.
Each library has a limited number of passes for each museum, and the most popular ones go quickly, especially during the summer. Visit the library mid-week for the best chance of getting a popular pass, like for the Minnesota Zoo.
It's really, truly free, and there's no catch. Some organizations even have special offers for Museum Adventure Pass holders, like discounts in the museum store or restaurants, free gifts, or savings on memberships.
If you are not yet a library card holder, it is free to join. Visit a library location in the city where you live with a photo ID, and the library can issue a library card.
Here's a list of the currently participating organizations for the 2007-2008 season.
Organizations that admit four visitors
American Swedish Institute
Bell Museum of Natural History
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Minnesota Museum of American Art
The Landing - Minnesota River Heritage Park (formerly Historic Murphy's Landing)
The Museum of Russian Art
Weisman Art Museum
Organizations that admit two visitors
The Bakken Museum of Electricity and Magnetism
Hennepin History Museum
Historic Fort Snelling
Minnesota History Center
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Minnesota Zoo
The Works: A Technology Discovery Center
TRACES Museum Center for History and Culture
Walker Art Center
Sirens, Signals and Whistles Pass - two people may visit one of the following:
- Firefighters Hall & Museum
- Minnesota Transportation Museum Jackson Street Roundhouse
- Twin City Model Railroad Museum
Observant people will notice that a couple of the above - the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Como Zoo and Park, Weisman Art Museum, and Minnesota Museum of American Art, have free general admissions anyway. Visit the Museum Adventure Pass website for each of these destinations to see valuable special offers and discounts for Museum Adventure Pass holders.
