Blue Star Museums to provide free admission for military families to 2,000+ attractions this summer

The 2019 Blue Stars Program, which provides free admission for current military members and their families to museums and other attractions, will begin earlier than in past years. It will run from Saturday, May 18 (Armed Forces Day) through Monday, September 2, 2019 (Labor Day).

Blue Star Museums is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums nationwide. First Lady of the United States Melania Trump and Second Lady of the United States Karen Pence are honorary co-chairs of Blue Star Museums 2019.

The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard as well as members of the Reserves, National Guard, U. S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps — and up to five family members. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID) or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.

This year’s participating organizations in Central Pennsylvania include the Appalachian Trail Museum, Ephrata Cloisters, Hands-on House, Lancaster Science Factory, Pennsylvania National Fire Museum, the State Museum of Pennsylvania, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, and the York History Center. Additionally, many popular attractions in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are participating; see the full list of participating attractions at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

“We’ve seen the tremendous impact the Blue Star Museums program brings to our military families, and we’re thrilled to be celebrating a decade of support,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, chief executive officer of Blue Star Families. “Not only are museums fun to explore but they are also great for making memories and strengthening military families as a whole.”

Blue Star Families builds communities that support military families by connecting research and data to programs and solutions, including career development tools, local community events for families and caregiver support. Since its inception in 2009, Blue Star Families has engaged tens of thousands of volunteers and serves more than 1.5 million military family members. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org.