Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean we can’t go for some amazing indoor adventures!  All across the United States there are free art museums, factory tours, train museums, historical sites and galleries that offer indoor destinations for mega memory making opportunities!  Whether you live in Alabama, California or somewhere in between, there are ideas here to get your next local adventure started!

*Do you know a FREE indoor destination that is not on this list?  Just send me a message or leave a comment and I’ll get it added to this ultimate list of free indoor destinations!

This post includes affiliate links.

Ultimate List of FREE Indoor Family Destinations

Whether you are staying close to home or looking for something a little farther down the road, I’ve got some great ideas for you divided by states. And ALL of these ideas are FREE! (Some of these ideas may have suggested donations to tour the facilities.)

Just click on the links and discover some amazing destinations to fit into your Fall break plans.

Alabama

• Calera (Near Birmingham):  Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
• Columbiana: George Washington Museum
• Montgomery:  Hyundai Factory Tour
• Tuskegee:  Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

Arkansas

• Bentonville:
  • Walmart Museum
  • Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
  • Museum of Native American History

• Little Rock:  Arkansas Art Center

California

• Fairfield:  Jelly Belly Factory Tour
• Los Angeles:
  • The Getty Center
  • The Broad – Contemporary Art Museum

Expert Tip: Do an internet search for free museum days + the name of your city/state to see what comes up! You might be surprised to find that there are specific days that you are able to tour your favorite museum for FREE just by going at the right time!

Colorado

• Boulder: Celestial Seasonings Factory Tour
• Boulder:  Leanin’ Tree Card Making Factory Tour
• Colorado Springs: FREE Museums and things to do
• 10 FREE Museums in Colorado
• 100 Best Things to do in Colorado (many indoor things on this list)

Florida

• Jacksonville:  Cummer Museum
• Pensacola: National Naval Aviation Museum 
• Tampa:  Tampa Firefighters Museum

Georgia

• Columbus: National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center
• Warner Robins:  Museum of Aviation
• Atlanta:

• • Martin Luther King Jr Historic Site
  • Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking

Expert Tip: Some cities offer bonus free days just for local residents! Call your local Visitors Bureau and ask them if they participate in hometown tourist days!

Illinois

• Chicago:  Check out Free Museum Days in Chicago 
• Tampico: Ronald Reagan Birthplace Museum

Iowa

• Des Moines: Des Moines Art Center
• LeClaire: Antique Archaeology Store
• Moline:  John Deere Pavilion 
• Waterloo:  John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum

Kentucky

• Corbin: Colonel Sanders First KFC
• Georgetown: Toyota Factory Tours
• Knob Creek: Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home 
• Mill Springs:  Mill Springs Visitor Center
• Lexington:  University of Kentucky Art Museum
• Lexington:  Boone Creek Creamery
• Louisville: Speed Art Museum (FREE on Sundays)
• Winchester: Ale-8-One Bottling Company

Maryland

• Baltimore – Baltimore Museum of Art
• Gaithersburg: Truffle Factory Tour (Chocolate)

Massachusetts

• Boston:  Free Museums in Boston
• Springfield: Springfield Armory

Michigan

• Chelsea:  Jiffy Mix Plant Tour
• Lansing: Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum in East Lansing

Use this list to get your brain started thinking outside the box! Have you visited the art museum in your city? Do you have a university near you that might have a special exhibit that you have not explored? Is there an amazing architectural building that you would love to visit? Just because it’s cold outside, that’s no reason to not go on a free indoor adventure!

Minnesota

• Austin: The SPAM Museum
• Free Twin Cities Museums
• Minneapolis –
  • Minneapolis Institute of Art home
  • Mall of America

Mississippi

• Bay St Louis: Bay St Louis Mardi Gras Museum 
• Jackson: Museum of Mississippi History (Free on third Saturday of each month)

Missouri

• Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City
• St Louis:
  • The Saint Louis Museum of Art
  • James S. McDonnell Planetarium
  • St Louis Zoo

North Carolina

• Raleigh:
  • North Carolina Museum of History
  • North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

New York

• New York City:
  • New York City Public Library
  • Staten Island Ferry
  • American Folk Art Museum

Ohio

• Cleveland:  Cleveland Museum of Art
• Cincinnati:
  • William H Taft Presidential Home
  • Cincinnati Art Museum
  • Jungle Jim’s International Market
• Dayton:
  • National Museum of the Airforce
  • Aviation Heritage National Historical Center
  • Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site
• Jackson Center – Airstream Factory Tour
• Toledo:  Toledo Art Museum

Pennsylvania

• • Hershey: Hershey’s Chocolate Tour
  • Nazareth:  Martin Guitar Tour
  • Philadelphia:
    • Independence National Park
    • Reading Terminal Market
    • Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia

South Dakota

• Mitchell: World’s Only Corn Palace

Tennessee

• • Athens:  Mayfield Dairy Factory
  • Knoxville: Sunsphere & World’s Fair Park
  • Nashville:
    • Antique Archaeology Store
    • Tennessee Agricultural Museum
    • Cooter’s Place Museum
    • Tennessee State Museum

Texas

• Dallas –Dallas Museum of Art

Virginia

• Fairfax:  Firearm Museum
• Roanoke: Black Dog Salvage

Washington

• Seattle –Frye Art Museum

Washington DC

• National Museum of American History
• Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
• National Gallery of Art
• Ford’s Theatre
• Museum of Natural History

Vermont

• Quechee: Vermont Toy Museum

Wisconsin

• Kohler: Kohler Factory Tour
• Madison: Henry Vilas Zoo
• Pleasant View: Jelly Belly Visitors Center

Other Resources for Free Museums & Destinations

• Across the United States – Cabela’s
• Free Museums and tips from Trip Savvy