Morrill Hall to offer free admission Sept. 21

The University of Nebraska State Museum at Morrill Hall will open its doors free of charge Sept. 21, as part of Smithsonian’s 15th annual Museum Day Live.

On that day, participating museums across the United States celebrate boundless curiosity by emulating the free-admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, D.C.-based museums.

The event represents Smithsonian’s nationwide commitment to access, equality and inclusion. Nationally, more than 450,000 people downloaded tickets for the 2018 event, and this year’s event is expected to attract more museum visitors than ever before.

“The Museum Day Live program celebrates museums, and it’s a perk of the UNSM being a Smithsonian affiliate,” said Susan Weller, director of the University of Nebraska State Museum. “We give everyone an opportunity to visit and explore our galleries free of charge.”

The Museum Day Live ticket is available here. Visitors who present the ticket will gain free admission for two on Sept. 21. One ticket per household and per email address is permitted.

Morrill Hall visitors can view major attractions including Elephant Hall — showcasing mammoths and mastodons of Nebraska’s past. The newly renovated fourth-floor features “Cherish Nebraska,” an exhibition celebrating the state’s natural heritage. Other popular exhibitions include “Minerals and Meteorites,” “Bizarre Beasts,” “Hall of Nebraska Wildlife,” “Weapons Through Time” and “First Peoples of the Plains.” Young visitors can enjoy digging for fossils in the Marx Discovery Center. Visitors are also encouraged to view the temporary exhibitions “Museum Builders: A Story of Fossils and Friendship” and “Sun, Earth, Universe.”

Learn more about the NU State Museum.