Museum Day Live 2016: Get Free Tickets to Maryland's Museums

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Museums locally and across the state, such as Historic London Town and Gardens in Edgewater, the Chesapeake Children's Museum in Annapolis and the Port Discovery Children's Museum in Baltimore, will offer free admission for visitors this weekend as part of Museum Day Live!

The annual event provides unique tickets for free admission this Saturday, Sept. 24, to participating museums across the country, including four historical sites in Anne Arundel County.

Historic London Town and Gardens is a 23-acre park featuring history, archaeology, and horticulture on the South River.

The Annapolis Maritime Museum —housed in the last oyster-packing plant in Annapolis — teaches children and adults about the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay and the maritime history of the city.

And the Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival site at City Dock celebrate the heritage of "Roots" author Alex Haley's ancestor, Kunta Kinte, who arrived in Annapolis in 1767 to be sold into slavery. The Kunta Kinte Heritage Festivalwill be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at Susan Campbell Park in Historic Downtown Annapolis. The family-friendly cultural celebration features live music, dance performances, world foods and artisan vendors, children's activities, and history.

Sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine, the national 12th annual Museum Live Day! event lets people order a free online ticket for themselves and a guest to visit participating museums.

Here's a list of the museums and cultural institutions in Maryland that will be part of Museum Live Day! this year (facilities with free admission every day are listed, too.):

Annapolis:

• Annapolis Maritime Museum (free every day)
• Chesapeake Children's Museum
• Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival (free every day)

Baltimore:

• B&O Railroad Museum Smithsonian Affiliate Museums
• Baltimore Lithuanian Museum (free every day)
• Baltimore Museum of Industry
• Evergreen Museum & Library
• Homewood Museum
• Maryland Historical Society
• Phoenix Shot Tower
• Port Discovery Children's Museum
• Reginald F. Lewis Museum (Smithsonian Affiliate Museums)
• The Baltimore Museum of Art (free every day)

Berlin: Calvin B. Taylor House Museum

Bowie: National Capital Radio & Television Museum Free everyday

Chesapeake Beach: The Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum Free everyday

College Park: College Park Aviation Museum Smithsonian Affiliate Museums

Dowell: Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center Smithsonian Affiliate Museums

Easton: Academy Art Museum

Edgewater: Historic London Town and Gardens

Ellicott City: B&O Ellicott City Station Smithsonian Affiliate Museums

Gaithersburg: Gaithersburg Community Museum (free every day)

Greenbelt: Goddard Visitor Center (free every day)

Hagerstown: Discovery Station at Hagerstown, Inc.

• Miller House Museum
• Washington County Museum of Fine Arts Free everyday

Hollywood: Historic Sotterley Plantation

Laurel: Montpelier Mansion

Linthicum Heights: National Electronics Museum

North Brentwood: Prince George's African American Museum & Cultural Center (free every day)

Ocean City: Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum

Piney Point: Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and Historic Park

Ridgely: Adkins Arboretum

Riverdale Park: Riversdale House Museum

Salisbury: Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art

Sandy Spring: Sandy Spring Museum

Solomons: Calvert Marine Museum

Go to the Museum Live Day! page on Smithsonian Magazine's website for more information about the event.

»Photo of Maryland Historical Society Museum by Greg Hambrick