Summer is coming, and you might be looking for things to do with the family. Or perhaps you need a day on your own for some hard-earned self-care. Why not visit one of Connecticut’s many museums? Don’t let the steep entrance fees scare you off—did you know you can borrow museum passes from the Kent Memorial Library using your library card? We offer several passes for free admission, and others that offer a decent discount. Thanks to the Friends of KML for their support of these passes.
The Children’s Museum in West Hartford is about a 30 minute drive away but will keep the kiddos entertained for hours! They offer hands-on fun with science and nature for younger children, their caregivers, community organizations, and schools. The KML pass provides one free with each paid admission with a maximum four free admissions, and includes entrance to the Roaring Brook Nature Center!
The pass to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art admits free two adults and four children. This one’s in Amherst, but well worth the drive.
The Carle offers visitors of all ages many ways to experience picture books. Listen to stories or read a favorite book. Make art. Enjoy a picnic or take a wildflower walk!
If you want to stay local, visit the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks. This summer, they will feature an exhibit titled: The Tuskegee Airmen–Their Untold Stories in addition to their permanent exhibits. The KML pass allows up to six people 50% off of regular admission. Ages 3 and under free.
Head in to Hartford for all kinds of cool stuff. The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is the oldest continuously-operating public art museum in the United States, opening its doors to the public in 1844. It offers a collection of nearly 50,000 works of art, spanning 5,000 years and encompassing European art from antiquity to contemporary as well as American art from the 1600s through today. The KML pass admits free two adults. Ages 17 and under are always free!
Just down the street from the Wadsworth, you’ll find Connecticut’s Old State House. This building served as a home to all three branches of Connecticut state government from 1796 to 1878. Today, Connecticut’s Old State House serves as a history museum, gathering spot and place of civic exploration for thousands of local, national and international visitors each year. The KML pass admits free for people of any age.
Head over to the city’s West End to visit the Connecticut Historical Society Museum & Library. The CHS’s collection includes more than four million manuscripts, graphics, books, artifacts, and other historical materials. One of the permanent exhibits is Inn & Tavern Signs of Connecticut. The collection numbering more than 60 signs is by far the largest and most spectacular in the country. Currently through September, they also offer The Bicycle Game, an interactive and playful exhibition designed for visitors of all ages. Visitors will find the history of the bicycle transformed by an angry villain into a series of games and puzzles that must be solved.
The KML pass admits two adults and four children.
These are just a few of the museums you can visit with a KML Museum Pass. Check out all our offerings – and download your passes – here: https://www.eventkeeper.com/mars/tkflex.cfm?curOrg=SUFFIELD