Culture Pass program offers free admission to Phoenix attractions

Want to visit Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix Art Museum or Arcosanti for free? Here's how.

February 28, 2024

Spring flowers bloom at the Desert Botanical Garden, one of the Phoenix attractions that participate in the Culture Pass program. Jennifer Goldberg

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The landscape of metro Phoenix is dotted with cultural institutions, most of which charge admission fees.

But to get into more than two dozen attractions in central Arizona for free, all you need is a library card.

The Culture Pass program offers free admission to the following locations in central Arizona:

Arcosanti
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Besh Ba Gowah Archaeological Park
Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Cave Creek Museum
Desert Botanical Garden
Desert Caballeros Western Museum
Gilbert Historical Museum
The Heard Museum
Mesa Historical Museum
Phoenix Art Museum
Reid Park Zoo
River of Time Museum & Exploration Center
S'edav Va'aki Museum
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Sedona Heritage Museum
Superstition Mountain Museum
The Arb at Flagstaff
University of Arizona Museum of Art
Verde Valley Archaeological Center

Passes can be checked out at local libraries. Each pass is good for two free admissions to the attraction. Once the pass is checked out, you've got seven days to use it. The selection depends on which attractions' passes are already checked out. More than 175 libraries across the state offer the program.

The Culture Pass program is administered by Act One, an arts nonprofit dedicated to making the arts more accessible, and is sponsored by SRP. Since taking over management of the Culture Pass in 2013, Act One has offered more than 3 million passes to Arizona families.

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Jennifer Goldberg is the Music and Culture editor of Phoenix New Times. She joined the New Times staff in February 2016. In her role, Jennifer writes and publishes profiles of both local and regional musicians, previews upcoming performances and provides guides on the best of Phoenix’s entertainment scene. She also oversees the Best of Phoenix. Jennifer previously worked for Jewish News of Greater Phoenix. During her career, Jennifer has received awards from the Arizona Press Club, the Arizona Newspaper Association and the American Jewish Press Association. She holds a bachelor’s of arts in English from Arizona State University.

Contact: Jennifer Goldberg

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Instagram: @editorjen