Sept. 26, 2009 Free day at 900 Museums

For a dose of free museum-going, circle Sept. 26 on your calendar and check out the fifth annual Museum Day, organized by the Smithsonian. More than 900 museums across the country will open their doors for free.

And while you won’t make it to all of the museums, you can likely visit one or two. Just go to www.smithsonian.com/museumday to see a complete list of participating museums and download a Museum Day admission card, which provides museum access for two people (limit one card per family).

Among the participating Southern California locations are the Craft And Folk Art Museum, Japanese American National Museum, Museum of Neon Art and Skirball Cultural Center. Or you can make a day trip up to the Museum of Ventura County or down to the San Diego Museum of Natural History or out to Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert in Rancho Mirage.