Free Museum of Science Admission for Salem Residents Returns

The Boston Museum of Science will be free for Salem residents to visit in September.

The program is dubbed September Salem Days and is funded by the Norman H. Read Trust.

During September, Salem residents and their families can visit the museum’s 700 interactive exhibits, live presentations, indoor lightning show and hands-on demonstrations for free one time. Salem residents will also be able to watch an IMAX film in the Mugar Omni Theater or a show in the Charles Hayden Planetarium for free.

It is the sixth straight year that the benefit has been offered to Salem residents.

Getting there will even be free for two days - Saturday, Sept. 6 and Sept. 27. A free ride on the MBTA commuter rail from Salem to North Station in Boston will be available on those two days on the 10:38 a.m. train from Salem.

The special, free commuter rail tickets for Salem residents headed to the museum will be distributed at Salem Station from 9:45-10:30 a.m. for passengers who have passes to the Museum of Science and proof of Salem residency. They will be given free round-trip tickets for the train, with the return ticket valid on any regularly scheduled train from North Station to Salem on the same day.

Train riders can walk to the museum from North Station or pay to take the green line one stop to Science Park Station.

In Salem, train riders can park for free at the former Universal Steel site on Bridge Street, next to the F.W. Webb building.

The museum passes are being mailed to every Salem home, plus passes will be available to Salem residents at Salem City Hall, Salem Public Library and Salem Parks and Recreation Department. The passes will also be distributed in Salem public school classrooms.

The passes will admit up to four people and can be presented at the museum entrance with a valid Massachusetts driver’s license or identification card showing you are Salem resident.

The planetarium and Omni Theater passes must be exchanged, along with showing valid identification, for a timed ticket. Salem residents get a pass before showing up at the museum. The passes for Salem residents will not be available at the museum.

Museum hours in September are Saturday through Thursday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. The museum will be closed on Tuesday, Sept. 2. On Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1, the museum hours are 9 a.m.–7 p.m.