The 50 Best Free Things to Do in the USA
Some of America's very best experiences cost nothing: the Smithsonian museums, the National Mall, great city parks, famous bridges and public markets. Here are fifty free things to do we would recommend to anyone. Some sites use free timed passes or charge for parking or extras — check ahead for details.
Entries 1–10
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National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC
One of the world's most visited museums, free like all Smithsonian museums, with icons of flight and spaceflight on the National Mall. Free timed passes may be required — check ahead.
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National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC
The Smithsonian's giant of natural history, home to the Hope Diamond, dinosaur hall and the famous elephant in the rotunda — free admission.
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National Museum of American History, Washington, DC
Free Smithsonian museum holding the Star-Spangled Banner flag that inspired the national anthem, plus treasures of American culture and invention.
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National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, DC
The Smithsonian's landmark museum of African American life, history and culture, in a striking bronze-latticed building on the Mall. Free; timed passes may be required — check ahead.
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National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
A world-class free art museum spanning da Vinci to modern masters, with a sculpture garden between its two buildings on the Mall.
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Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC
Two free Smithsonian art museums: American art through the centuries in the grand old Patent Office Building, and contemporary craft at the Renwick near the White House.
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Smithsonian's National Zoo, Washington, DC
A free zoo in Rock Creek Park caring for thousands of animals across hundreds of species. Entry passes or parking arrangements may apply — check ahead.
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Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
The marble temple to Abraham Lincoln at the west end of the National Mall, open to visit and unforgettable at dawn or after dark.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Washington, DC
The Stone of Hope rises beside the Tidal Basin, carrying Dr. King's likeness and inscriptions from his speeches — free and open to all.
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC
Maya Lin's black granite wall bearing the names of the fallen — one of the most moving places in the capital, free and always open.
Entries 11–20
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Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial, Washington, DC
A loop walk past the Jefferson, FDR and MLK memorials, world-famous in spring when the cherry trees bloom around the water.
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Library of Congress, Washington, DC
The largest library in the world, whose spectacular Thomas Jefferson Building is free to visit. Timed entry passes may be required — check ahead.
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United States Capitol, Washington, DC
Free tours run through the Rotunda and historic halls of the seat of Congress. Tours should be booked in advance — check ahead for details.
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National Archives Museum, Washington, DC
See the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in person — admission is free. Reservations may be recommended — check ahead.
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Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia
America's most hallowed ground, free to enter, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
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Central Park, New York City
Eight hundred and forty-three acres of lawns, lakes, woods and bridges in the middle of Manhattan — the greatest free attraction in New York.
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Brooklyn Bridge walk, New York City
Walking the wooden promenade of the 1883 bridge, with the skyline rising ahead, is a rite of passage — and completely free.
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Staten Island Ferry, New York City
The famous free ferry across New York Harbor, sailing straight past the Statue of Liberty with skyline views the whole way.
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The High Line, New York City
An elevated freight rail line reborn as a planted public park threading through Manhattan's West Side — free to walk end to end.
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Grand Central Terminal, New York City
Wander the great Beaux-Arts concourse beneath the celestial ceiling — one of the world's most beautiful railway stations, free to admire.
Entries 21–30
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Times Square, New York City
The neon crossroads of the world: overwhelming, undeniably iconic and free — best experienced at least once after dark.
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New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
The lion-guarded Fifth Avenue landmark, free to enter, with the magnificent Rose Main Reading Room upstairs.
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9/11 Memorial, New York City
The twin reflecting pools set in the footprints of the World Trade Center towers are free and open to all; the museum alongside is ticketed.
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Freedom Trail, Boston
A red brick line linking sixteen Revolutionary-era sites across Boston, from Boston Common to Bunker Hill — free to walk at your own pace.
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Boston Common and the Public Garden
America's oldest public park and its elegant Victorian garden neighbor, home of the Swan Boats' lagoon and the Make Way for Ducklings statues.
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Faneuil Hall, Boston
The 'Cradle of Liberty', where revolutionaries once debated independence; the historic hall is free to visit. Check ahead for details.
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Harvard Yard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Stroll the leafy historic heart of America's oldest university and rub the shoe of the John Harvard statue like everyone else.
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Liberty Bell Center, Philadelphia
See the cracked bell that became a symbol of American independence — free admission in Independence National Historical Park.
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Independence Hall, Philadelphia
The room where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and signed. Entry is free but timed tickets are generally required — check ahead.
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Philadelphia Museum of Art steps
Run the 72 'Rocky Steps', high-five the Rocky statue and take in the view down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway — free, museum admission optional.
Entries 31–40
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Millennium Park and Cloud Gate, Chicago
Chicago's showpiece park, free to all, with Anish Kapoor's mirror-polished 'Bean', the Crown Fountain and free events at Pritzker Pavilion.
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Chicago Riverwalk
A promenade along the main branch of the Chicago River, threading beneath the city's famous bridges with skyline architecture on every side.
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Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago
One of the last major free zoos in America, open year-round in Lincoln Park a short bus ride from downtown.
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Navy Pier, Chicago
Strolling Chicago's lakefront pier is free, with skyline and Lake Michigan views; rides and attractions on the pier are ticketed.
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Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
Walking or cycling across the world's most famous bridge is free, with the classic viewpoints at the Welcome Center, Fort Point and the Marin Headlands.
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Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
A vast green rectangle running to the Pacific, with free gardens, meadows, windmills and the bison paddock; some attractions inside are ticketed.
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Pier 39 sea lions, San Francisco
The famous colony of California sea lions has been hauling out on the K-Dock floats since shortly after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake — free to watch, hear and smell.
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Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles
Free admission to the landmark observatory on Mount Hollywood, with telescopes, exhibits and the classic view over the LA basin and the Hollywood Sign. Parking is charged — check ahead.
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The Getty Center, Los Angeles
A hilltop museum of European art in a gleaming Richard Meier complex, with gardens and city-to-ocean views. Admission is free; parking is charged — check ahead.
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Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles
More than 2,700 brass-and-terrazzo stars set into the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street — free to wander any time.
Entries 41–50
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Santa Monica Pier and beach
The historic pier with its solar-powered Ferris wheel marks the symbolic end of Route 66; the pier and the broad Pacific beach are free.
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Venice Beach Boardwalk, Los Angeles
Street performers, muscle beach, skate park and murals along one of America's most famous stretches of sand — free people-watching at its finest.
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Pike Place Market, Seattle
One of the oldest continuously operating public markets in the US, free to explore, with the fish-throwing mongers and the original Starbucks nearby.
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Fremont Troll, Seattle
A beloved 18-foot concrete troll clutching a real Volkswagen Beetle under the Aurora Bridge in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood.
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Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle
The Seattle Art Museum's free outdoor sculpture park on the Elliott Bay waterfront, with major works set against water and mountain views.
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San Antonio River Walk
Stone paths along the San Antonio River wind beneath cypress trees through the heart of the city — free to stroll day and night.
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The Alamo, San Antonio
The 1836 battle site and former mission at the heart of Texas history. Entry to the church and grounds is free; reservations may be recommended — check ahead.
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Congress Avenue Bridge bats, Austin
In season, roughly a million and a half Mexican free-tailed bats pour out from under the bridge at dusk — one of America's great free wildlife spectacles. Seasonal — check ahead.
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French Quarter and Jackson Square, New Orleans
Iron balconies, street musicians and St. Louis Cathedral rising over Jackson Square — wandering America's most atmospheric old neighborhood costs nothing.
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Las Vegas Strip and the Fountains of Bellagio
The Strip itself is a free spectacle, headlined by the Bellagio's choreographed fountain shows, which run regularly through the afternoon and evening — check ahead.
Rankings are our editorial picks, not objective measurements. Details like hours, access and booking can change — always check ahead with the official site before you travel.