Most San Francisco residents know that many museums in the City by the Bay offer one free admission day every month, usually at the beginning of the month. Since I haven't found any post about this, I thought I would post. Tourists should find this list helpful too!

This list will be updated periodically to reflect the latest dates and details. Click on each site for hours. Free days, based on a check of museums' Web sites, are accurate as of 4/18/09.

BANK OF AMERICA MUSEUMS ON US 2009-2010 Free admission every first full weekend (Saturday and Sunday) of each month from May 2009 until January 2010 (more 2010 dates to come) at participating museums nationwide with your Bank of America card and photo ID. Check out the BofA program Web site here for details. For participating San Francisco museums, please see below.

SPECIAL ONE-TIME FREE MUSEUM DAYS

None

REGULARLY SCHEDULED FREE MUSEUM DAYS

Every Day
Cable Car Museum (always free)
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory (always free) - Not a museum, but tourists should find this very interesting if they happen to be in Chinatown.
Musee Mechanique - Mechanical Museum (always free) - Used to be at Cliff House.
San Francisco Botanical Garden (always free)

Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 9am to 10am
Japanese Tea Garden - [unofficial Web site] thanks FatWallet member texascountrymama - no official Web site (if you know of one, please PM me)

Every Monday through Friday
Wells Fargo Museum (always free)

Every Tuesday in 2009
Museum of Craft and Folk Art

Every Tuesday through Saturday
Randall Museum (always free)

Every Tuesday through Sunday
Museo ItaloAmericano - Italian American Museum (always free)
San Francisco Museum of Craft+Design (always free, donation requested)
San Francisco Railway Museum (always free)

First Tuesday of Each Month - Next One: Tuesday, 12/1
Cartoon Art Museum
Conservatory of Flowers
de Young Museum - free admission does NOT include the King Tut exhibit. Discounted tickets with audio tour at Costco / Tue-Fri 10/1-11/25 and 1/5-2/26 3pm-Close - 50% Off Youth Admission Day-Of Tickets at Box Office when you present a PDF of Flat Anubis from this link / Friday Night Discounts (10/2-11/20 and 1/15-2/26)
Legion of Honor
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art - SF MOMA
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Galleries

First Wednesday of Each Month - Next One: Wednesday, 12/2
Exploratorium
San Francisco Zoo

Third Wednesday of Each Month - Next One: Wednesday, 12/16
California Academy of Sciences - Click here for the 2009 California Academy of Sciences Neighborhood Free Days Calendar for San Francisco residents.

Every Thursday through Sunday
San Francisco Fire Museum (always free)

First Thursday of Each Month - Next One: Thursday, 12/3
Chinese Historical Society of America

Every Friday
Federal Reserve Bank (always free) - 12noon

Every First Full Weekend - Saturday and Sunday of Each Month from May 2009 to January 2010 (More 2010 Dates to Come)* - Next One: 12/5 and 12/6
*with Bank of America card and photo ID only - check BofA's Museums on Us Web site for more details
Contemporary Jewish Museum - new for the 2009-2010 season - does not have a monthly free day outside of this program
de Young Museum - free admission does NOT include the King Tut exhibit. Discounted tickets with audio tour at Costco / Tue-Fri 10/1-11/25 and 1/5-2/26 3pm-Close - 50% Off Youth Admission Day-Of Tickets at Box Office when you present a PDF of Flat Anubis from this link / Friday Night Discounts (10/2-11/20 and 1/15-2/26)
Legion of Honor - new for the 2009-2010 season
Museum of the African Diaspora - does not have a monthly free day outside of this program

First Sunday of Each Month - Next One: Sunday, 12/6
Asian Art Museum

Please PM me any additions and inaccuracies.

great post. thx

Fantastic and extremely helpful summary, baileysf!

Thanks so much for putting the time & effort into crafting this post, and a (slightly be-earlied) Happy New Year to you, as well.

Thanks, OP.

It's that time again - Free museum admission for the next couple weeks, for the most part. Enjoy and explore San Francisco!

It's that time again - Free museum admission for the next couple weeks, for the most part. Enjoy and explore San Francisco!

Very cool! Thanks OP!!

Thanks Bailey.

Bailey said:Musee Mechanique - Mechanical Museum - Used to be at Cliff House

You scared me for a minute. I read "used to be the Cliff House..." I thought they had closed down the restaurant and made it into a museum. LOL

bump

Don't forget about this weekend's...

Asian Art Museum's 40th Anniversary Celebration!
Saturday, 6/17 and Sunday, 6/18 - 10:00am–5:00pm

Link for more information