Free & discount museum days in New Castle County
Delaware has more genuinely free and deeply-discounted family outings than most parents realize — you just have to know which night to go. These are the standing deals we plan around: the $2 museum evening, the free art-museum night, the winter zoo, and the library card that gets you into state parks and the zoo for nothing. Times and dates do shift, so we link the source for each — confirm before you go.
1. Delaware Children's Museum
Wilmington
CAPs Night is the best-value family evening in the state that nobody talks about: $2 admission from 5–8 PM on the third Wednesday of most months. Same exhibits, a fraction of the price.
2. Delaware Art Museum
Wilmington
Thursday evenings are free, April through December. Skip the galleries entirely on a nice day and just do a stroller loop of the (always-free) Copeland Sculpture Garden.
3. Brandywine Zoo
Wilmington
December through February the zoo is free (special events aside). It's a small zoo, but a free winter walk past the animals is a real cold-weather outing.
4. Rockwood Park & Museum
Wilmington
The grounds and trails are always free; the mansion tour is one of the venues you can get into free with a Delaware Libraries museum pass. Grand Victorian house, zero dollars.
5. First State Heritage Park
Dover
Admission to the Dover historic sites is free, and the First Saturday programs each month are built for drop-in family visits. A free history day in the state capital.
Good to know
- • Delaware Children's Museum CAPs Night: $2 admission from 5–8 PM on the third Wednesday of most months (excluding September); members free. source
- • Delaware Art Museum: general admission is free on Thursdays, 4–8 PM, April through December. source
- • Brandywine Zoo: admission is free December through February (special events excepted); seasonal paid admission the rest of the year. source
- • Delaware Libraries Museum Pass program: adult library cardholders can reserve free passes to Delaware State Parks and the Brandywine Zoo — one pass per card at a time, up to five a year. The Brandywine Zoo pass admits two adults and four children. source
- • Delaware State Parks charge a per-vehicle entrance fee only March 1 through November 30 — entry is free December through February, and walking or biking in is free year-round. source
Questions parents ask
What's the cheapest museum night near Wilmington?
CAPs Night at the Delaware Children's Museum — $2 per person from 5–8 PM on the third Wednesday of most months. The Delaware Art Museum is fully free on Thursday evenings (April–December).
How does the library museum pass work?
With a Delaware library card, adults can reserve a free pass to Delaware State Parks or the Brandywine Zoo through the Delaware Libraries Museum Pass program — one pass at a time, up to five a year. Reserve online before you go.
Are the state parks ever free?
Yes — the per-vehicle fee only runs March through November, so December through February is free to drive in, and walking or biking in is free all year. You can also reserve a free day pass with a library card.
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More guides
Checked against each place’s current info.
Admission and hours come straight from each place’s guide. Last reviewed June 16, 2026. Confirm anything dated on the source before you go.