America turns 250 only once — and military families are uniquely positioned to celebrate in style. From free national park passes to Blue Star Museums to cruise lines rolling out special America 250 promotions, your service unlocks a year of adventures the whole family will remember.
California Highlights
Attractions and Events
Around San Diego, visit the San Diego Botanic Garden (Encinitas, CA) for free through Blue Star Museums and perhaps use your annual active duty free entrance to SeaWorld. On July 25, San Diego’s former naval station, Liberty Station, will host a Military Heroes Festival for active military families, Gold Star Families, and active-duty reservists.
In San Francisco, free opportunities for active duty military include riding BART and exploring the Disney Family Museum. At PIER 39, visit the second floor’s California Welcome Center for a free PIER 39 Fun Pack and one free hour of parking. Great Wolf Lodge offers 40% off for active duty, retired, and veteran military in San Francisco, Anaheim, and locations across the country.
Check out events across California and the U.S. through VetTix.org. After registration, many shows offer raffles or ultra low-cost tickets — usually just paying transfer fees. For more discounts, contact your MWR office for tickets to additional attractions.
California Museums
The USS Midway Museum in San Diego offers free access to active duty, reservists, and kids three and under. At Yorba Linda’s Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, explore America 250: A More Perfect Union (open through Jan. 31, 2027) — including an interactive exhibit where you can toss a crate of tea just like the Boston Tea Party.
Simi Valley’s Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum features America: 250 Years in the Making — 10,000 square feet of historic artifacts including a Gettysburg cannon, letters from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and even the Louisiana Purchase (on view September 1–20). Active duty military and kids two and under enter free.
San Francisco’s SFMOMA offers free general admission for active duty plus one guest. The Children’s Creativity Museum offers free summer admission through Blue Star Museums.
Outdoor Adventures
Yosemite is a deservedly popular family destination. Joshua Tree, Lassen, and Channel Islands National Parks are other standout options. See below for details on the free military national park pass.
National Ideas
Adventures, Attractions, and Cruises
Princess Cruises offers up to $250 free onboard spending money for active or retired military and disabled veterans. Select Disney Cruise Line sailings on the Disney Wish and Disney Dream from Florida (through December 31, 2026) include a $250 credit toward Port Adventures, merchandise, food and beverage, and more — combinable with special military rates.
Other perks include the Disney World Military Salute ticket and free annual tickets for active duty and up to three dependents to Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, or Sesame Place locations across the country.
National Museums
The Blue Star Museums program offers free admission through Labor Day at locations nationwide, including children’s museums in New York, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Washington state.
Other standout options include the Honolulu Museum of Art, Philadelphia’s Please Touch Museum, the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the American Museum of Natural History and Guggenheim in New York City, and aviation museums in Atlanta and Seattle.
For military history, consider West Point Museum (the largest display of U.S. military artifacts), Dayton’s National Museum of the United States Air Force, or Boston’s USS Constitution Museum. For Boston lodging, Marriott Bonvoy is offering 25% off and two free Freedom Trail tickets for America’s 250th.
Annapolis, Maryland is worth the visit for its maritime, Revolutionary, and arts offerings — including the Paca House and Garden, the 18th-century home of Founding Father William Paca.
Washington, D.C.
The nation’s capital is packed with free Americana. Highlights include the Smithsonian museums (especially the National Museum of American History with its Star-Spangled Banner and First Ladies Collection), free Capitol tours, the Supreme Court, and White House garden tours (typically in October).
Reserve free tickets for the Library of Congress to see the recreation of Thomas Jefferson’s library and the new section for ages 8–15. This summer, the Library will also debut The Declaration’s Promise, featuring Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Just outside the city at Fort Belvoir, enjoy a free visit to the National Museum of the United States Army. And in Williamsburg, VA, Colonial Williamsburg offers free Veterans Day admission for active duty, reservists, National Guard, retired military, veterans, and up to three dependents, thanks to The Home Depot Foundation.
National Parks Annual Pass
A Military Annual Pass gets active duty members and dependents into all national parks for free — finally, that trip to Arches or the Grand Canyon. Veterans and Gold Star Families can get a free Military Lifetime Pass. Get your digital pass at Recreation.gov or present your military ID in person.
Free admission days for everyone: July 3–5, August 25, September 17, October 27, and November 11 — expect crowds.
Wherever your celebrations take you — a national park trail, a museum gallery, or a cruise ship deck — this milestone year is full of ways to explore together. Your family’s service has earned you a front-row seat, so get out there and enjoy it.
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