Kind of thing · 4 ideas
Museums & galleries
The mistake is trying to see all of it. Pick one wing or one show, give it an hour, and leave while you still like it. Museums are also the best indoor option in weather that is too hot, too cold, or too wet.
- Typical price
- Big art museums $20–30; many city and university museums are free or pay-what-you-wish. Galleries are always free.
- How long
- One to two hours is plenty.
How to do it cheaper
- Most major museums have a free day or free evening each month. It's on their site, usually under Visit.
- Public libraries in many cities lend museum passes for free. Ask at the desk.
- Pay-what-you-wish admission means that. Pay what you wish.
- University museums are free almost everywhere and rarely crowded.
- First Friday or similar gallery nights are free and come with wine.
Works for
The ideas
$0–30
1–2 h
Museums & galleries
One wing of the art museum
An hour with one collection, a bench in front of one painting, and out before your feet hurt.
- Best when
- Weekday afternoons or the free evening
- Cheaper
- Nearly every big museum has a free day or evening monthly. Libraries lend passes too.
- Skip it if
- You're going to try to see all of it. Don't.
- Bring
- Nothing. Bags get checked anyway.
Free
2 h
Museums & galleries
First Friday gallery walk
A dozen galleries open late, free wine in plastic cups, and art you can argue about on the sidewalk.
- Best when
- The first Friday of the month, 6–9 pm, in most cities
- Cheaper
- Free, including the wine. Dinner after is where you spend.
- Skip it if
- You need the art to be good. Some of it is.
- Bring
- Walking shoes. It's a loop of a mile or two.
$5–15
1 h
Museums & galleries
The small, strange museum
Every city has one: neon, typewriters, pinball, a dentist's collection. One room, one obsession, forty-five minutes.
- Best when
- Any afternoon it's open; hours are odd
- Cheaper
- Many are run by volunteers and are donation-based. Give $5.
- Skip it if
- You want a gift shop and a café. There is a card table.
- Bring
- Curiosity. The person at the desk knows everything.
$10–20
1 h
Museums & galleries
A planetarium show
Reclined seats, a dark dome, a calm voice explaining the sky. The best forty minutes of a hot afternoon.
- Best when
- Afternoon shows, any season; evening laser shows on weekends
- Cheaper
- Often included with science museum admission, which itself has a free day.
- Skip it if
- You fall asleep in dark rooms. You will.
- Bring
- A sweater. Domes are kept cold.