From now through Labor Day, museums around Lancaster County and across America will show their appreciation for the service of active-duty members of the military by welcoming them and their family members in with free admission.
Through the annual Blue Star Museum program, select museums offer military members free admission between Armed Forces Day — which fell on May 16 — and Labor Day, which is Monday, Sept. 7.
Active-duty members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force and Coast Guard — including Reservists and those in the National Guard, or U.S. Public Health or NOAA Commissioned Corps — are eligible for the program. Military ID is required; military members can bring up to five family members with them to the museums in the Blue Star program at no cost.
(Though military veterans and retirees are not included under the scope of the Blue Star Museums program, many institutions offer special discounts for former members of the military.)
READ:Â ‘Like family’: Lititz Purple Heart vet reps Pennsylvania in honor trip across New York
Lancaster County museums, science centers
Lancaster County museums and other institutions participating in the Blue Star program include:
— The National Watch and Clock Museum, 514 Poplar St., Columbia; info:
museum.nawcc.org.
— The Historic Ephrata Cloister, 632 W. Main St., Ephrata; info: ephratacloister.org.
— The Hands-on House Children's Museum, 721 Landis Valley Road, Lancaster; info: handsonhouse.org.
— The North Museum of Nature and Science, 400 College Ave., Lancaster; info: northmuseum.org.
— The Lancaster Science Factory, 454 New Holland Ave., Lancaster; info:
lancastersciencefactory.org.
— Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Road, Lancaster. The museum offers the military the Blue Star benefit throughout the year. Info: landisvalleymuseum.org.
— The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 Gap Road, Strasburg; info:
rrmuseumpa.org.
Other museums
Outside Lancaster County, Blue Star Museums include:
— The State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North St., Harrisburg. You might want to visit this museum museum soon, however. The 62-year-old institution will close to the public Aug. 2 for a $55 million renovation project, and isn't expected to reopen until early 2029. Info: statemuseumpa.org.
— The Pennsylvania National Fire Museum, 1820 N. 4th St., Harrisburg; info: pnfm.org.
— York County History Center, 121 N. Pershing Ave., York; info: yorkhistorycenter.org.
— The Keystone Kidspace, 10 E. Hamilton Ave., York; info: keystonekidspace.org.
— The World War II American Experience, 845 Crooked Creek Road, Gettysburg; info: visitww2.org.
— Beyond the Battle Museum, 625 Biglerville Road, Gettysburg; info: gettysburgbeyondthebattle.org.
— The Chester County History Center, 225 N. High St., West Chester; info:
mycchc.org.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Barnes Foundation, The Museum of the American Revolution and the National Constitution Center are among the Blue Star Museums in Philadelphia.
The Baltimore Museum of Art and the Maryland Center for History and Culture in Baltimore; the Concord Point Lighthouse and Keeper's Museum and the Steppingstone Farm Museum in Havre de Grace, Maryland; and the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library near Wilmington, Delaware, are also on the list.
Other participating Blue Star Museums, which can be found in all 50 states and U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, are listed at arts.gov/BlueStarMuseums.
The Blue Star program is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and the U.S. Department of Defense.
