‘Blue Star Museums' treats active-duty military members and their families to free admission

DOZEN MUSEUM SUMMER: Life can ease up during certain stretches of the calendar, depending upon school, work, and what you and your family have ahead. For many people, that ease-it-up time arrives around May or June, when graduations and classroom goodbyes have wrapped but back-to-school sales are still weeks away. You could make a family plan, one that is all about how to best fill that newly acquired time; say, taking a dozen hikes or enjoying a dozen swims or, yes, calling upon a dozen museums... or more. Enter the Blue Star Museums program, "a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense" as well as hundreds of museums and cultural institutions across the nation. The popular warm-weather offering is all about giving active-duty military members and their families a chance to call upon several museums in their region, or beyond, and enjoy free admission.

ARMED SERVICES DAY... is when the program traditionally launches — that's the third Saturday in May — and the wrap-up date? It's Labor Day, giving people a few months to decide when and where to go. There are a few things to keep in mind, such as the number of family members that may join — "up to five" is the word — and the fact that museum staffers will need to see particular forms of identification (everything is listed on the Blue Star Museums FAQ, so you'll know just what to expect). The active-duty military personnel "does not need to be present" but there are still a few things to know, like what ID will be accepted. Oh yes: Some always-free museums are part of the Blue Star line-up, if you're curious, as well as fee-charging destinations. And special limited-time exhibits, the kind of shows that may require an additional ticket? Those may not be included with your Blue Star admission, so do inquire in advance. Peruse all of the participating museums across California and the country, and decide if this is your "Dozen Museum Summer," or maybe two dozen; call it a festive family project with loads of memories already built in.