High Museum of Art: ticket discounts and free admission days
Reserve your FREE admission at the High, for the Second Sunday program.
The High Museum of Art is one of Atlanta’s most popular attractions. It has more than 15,000 works of art in its permanent collection, and sponsors special exhibits several times a year.
With so many reasons to visit often, Atlantans are always looking for admission deals, coupon codes, and ticket discounts for the High Museum.
This page will keep track of all the current discounts available, so be sure to bookmark it and visit often. You can also subscribe to our daily newsletter for reminders of all upcoming free days and discounts.
Did you know…
The Woodruff Arts Center campus is the permanent home of a Rodin sculpture cast in bronze. The Shade was donated by the French government as a memorial, in honor of 106 art patrons from Atlanta who died in a 1962 plane crash at Orly Field near Paris.
The statue was cast in bronze in 1968, from Rodin’s original 1880 mold. The life-sized figure stands on an inscribed granite block, and is encircled by a low wall containing the names of the Atlanta Art Association members who lost their lives on that June day.
This is public art, meant for everyone to enjoy.
The next time you find yourself on Peachtree Street in front of the Arts Center, take a moment to visit this famous work by Auguste Rodin.
The Shade, by Auguste Rodin, at the High Museum of Art. Photo retrieved from the Library of Congress archive of works in the public domain.
High Museum discounts & free admission days
NEW! Get a Museum Pass for just $4 a month
If you love going to the High, this is a deal that you just can’t beat.
You can purchase the new Museum Pass for just $4 a month, with a 12-month commitment — or pay $48 all at once, if you choose.
The digital pass gives you unlimited FREE admission to the museum’s permanent collection and most special exhibits. It also includes FREE access to daytime programs like Toddler Thursdays as well.
If you sign up for the $4/monthly plan, you must agree to have $4 debited from your account automatically for the next 12 months. After that, you are free to continue monthly or cancel at any time. Be sure to view the enrollment agreement and read the FAQs before you sign up.
This is even cheaper than the $83 individual membership — although a membership comes with other perks, like free parking, discount at the Museum Store, and access to special events.
Note that the pass does NOT give you free access to evening events like First Fridays.
It also does NOT include the Obama Portraits Tour exhibit — you must buy a special timed ticket for that, and all the info you need is in the section below.
Free admission for military every day
The High Museum offers FREE admission for all military personnel (active and veteran status), PLUS one guest — for a total of two free tickets per household. This is a really good deal. Most military freebies we see only include one person.
The offer is good during regular museum hours, on a walk-up basis — but it does NOT include the Obama Portrait Tour exhibit, which requires a special timed ticket (see the info below).
FREE parking in the Woodruff Arts Center deck is also available for military.
You’ll need proof of service, of course. More info here
You may also be interested in the Blue Star Museum program, which offers FREE admission to active military families during the summer months each year.
Free admission on Second Sundays each month
On Second Sundays of each month at The High Museum of Art, museum admission is free from noon until 5:00 p.m. There is also special programming that might include live performances and art-making activities.
It’s a good idea to reserve your free tickets in advance, on the High website. Your ticket is good all day, and you don’t have to reserve a specific time slot. You may also be able to just show up at the museum.
To get a ticket:
Just go to the ticketing page and pull up the date of a second Sunday. You’ll see the price is listed as $0.00. You can choose the number of tickets you need to reserve for your group.
Reserve now!
Heroic Head of Pierre de Wissant by Auguste Rodin, on display at the High Museum of Art, on load from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Photo: Atlanta on the Cheap.
See the major Rodin exhibition for FREE on a Second Sunday!
Auguste Rodin is one of the most well-known sculptors of the modern age — perhaps most famous for his sculpture The Thinker. From October 21, 2022 to January 14, 2023, a temporary exhibit at the High Museum features 45 sculptures (including The Thinker) and 25 works on paper.
Yes, you’ll actually be able to view a bronze cast of The Thinker up close. On loan from the Baltimore Museum of Art, it is over 6 feet tall and weighs roughly 2,000 pounds!
The collection includes several other large sculptures and some smaller ones, in various media, including plaster, bronze, marble, and terracotta.
The exhibit’s run includes THREE free Second Sunday dates, so consider reserving tickets now for one of them. They include:
- Sunday, November 13, 2022
- Sunday, December 11, 2022
- Sunday, January 8, 2023
NOTE that you may also qualify for FREE admission thru Bank of America’s Museums on Us program. That info is just below the photo.
The Thinker, Auguste Rodin, large version modeled in 1903 and cast in bronze in 1928. This image is owned by The Baltimore Museum of Art and is used with permission.
Free admission monthly through the Museums on Us program
That credit or debit card in your wallet just might gain you FREE admission to the High Museum of Art once a month, through the Museums On Us program.
The program allows qualified card holders to visit certain museums for free on one weekend per month — including a Saturday and Sunday. It’s usually the first weekend of the month, unless the first weekend is split over two different calendar months (for example Saturday is on Jan. 30th and Sunday is on Feb. 1st).
The qualifying cards include credit/debit cards from Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and U.S. Trust.
Note that only the cardholder gets a free ticket. If you’re taking your family, regular prices apply to non-cardholders. The program also excludes special events, special exhibitions, and ticketed shows.
This is how it works:
- Go to the High’s ticketing page to reserve your time slot on a free Museums on Us day.
- Use the promo code BOA2020 to redeem the free ticket offer. You’ll also be able to buy regular-price tickets for anyone coming with you.
- Take your qualifying Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card AND a photo ID to the museum with you for free entrance.
Learn more about Atlanta attractions that participate in Museums on Us.
View all 2023 dates for Museums on Us free admission.
Free Teacher Appreciation Days
The FREE Teacher Appreciation Days are scheduled somewhat irregularly. You can check for upcoming educator events here.
Educators are admitted free and may bring one free guest. School ID required.
More for your buck on First Fridays
The popular First Fridays program doesn’t discount admission prices — instead, it adds MORE to what you get for the price of a ticket, to sweeten the deal. This event happens on the first Friday of each month, from 6 to 9 p.m.
There is generally a limited cash bar, music performances, gallery talks, and special activities or workshops that follow a monthly theme. To see the special programming planned for the current First Friday event, check the High Museum’s calendar page.
Getting there & parking
The High Museum of Art is located at 1280 Peachtree St., in the heart of Atlanta’s busy Midtown area. If you drive, you can park in the attached parking deck, but it is pricey — usually a minimum of $15.
Considering the cost of parking, it often makes sense to take Uber or Lyft to get to the High Museum.
There’s also MARTA. With the Arts Center Station right across the street from the back of the Woodruff Arts Center campus, this is one of the simpler venues to get to on the train.
MARTA has a handy guide for getting to the High Museum.
Directions with MARTA
- Take any red and gold line train to the Arts Center MARTA station.
- Exit the train and follow the signs pointing to Arts Center Way, which requires going up three levels (avoid exiting via West Peachtree Street).
- Once you’ve reached street level, the High is just across the street. You’ll find a stairway and elevator that lead directly to the courtyard.
Note: If you are commuting from the blue or green line, you have to travel to the Five Points MARTA station and transfer to the first northbound train.
Reserve your FREE admission at the High, for the Second Sunday program.
The Second Sunday of each month is free for everyone.
What days are free or at the lowest cost for a Disabled Veteran and his Octogenarian wife?