Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum a 2024 Blue Star Museum

Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum to offer free admission to military personnel and their families this summer

Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum will join museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer. The 2024 program will begin on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 18, and end on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2. Learn more and find the list of participating museums at arts.gov/BlueStarMuseums.

Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and participating museums across America.

“We are grateful to the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum for participating in this summer’s Blue Star Museums program and we hope military families will take this opportunity to create meaningful, lifelong memories,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, Ph.D., chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “Whether you are traveling this summer, getting to know a new duty location, or exploring what your community has to offer, Blue Star Museums is a wonderful opportunity to create connection and find inspiration.”

Blue Star Families CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet said, "Military families love Blue Star Museums, and we couldn’t run this program without the National Endowment for the Arts and the museums across the nation who show they care by participating. Access to museums enriches military families, creates wonderful family memories, and helps us feel connected to our communities so that we can thrive and do the hard job we have to do for the country. I am delighted for us to launch the 14th year of this very special program."

In addition to the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, the Blue Star Museums program includes children’s museums, art, science and history museums, zoos, gardens and lighthouses, and hail from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The current list of participating museums will continue to grow over the summer, as organizations are welcome to register to be a Blue Star Museum throughout the summer.

The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the U.S. military: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force, 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), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.

Follow #bluestarmuseums on Twitter @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily.

To learn more, visit www.carrouselmuseum.org.

​​Blue Star Families (BSF) is the nation’s largest chapter-based military and veteran family support organization. Its research-driven approach fosters strong communities with a focus on human-centered design and innovative solutions. Since its founding in 2009, BSF has delivered more than $200 million in benefits and impacts more than 1.5 million people each year. For more information, click here.