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 could also subscribe to our daily newsletter for reminders of all upcoming free days and discounts.
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.
UPDATE: You now need to reserve a timed ticket to participate in this free admission day. The number of visitors is limited, and there will be no special programming. No walk-ups will be admitted on Second Sundays. One capacity is reached, tickets will no longer be available.
The next Second Sunday FREE days are April 10th and May 8 (which is Mother’s Day!)
Reserve now!
From the High website:
- No person will be admitted without a reserved timed ticket.
- Each ticket holder will be required to arrive by their designated time slot.
- No person(s) will be admitted after a 10-minute window has passed. There will be no exceptions.
- No walk-ups are permitted on Second Sundays.
See the Obama Portraits on Second Sundays in February & March
NOTE that you MUST reserve a special timed ticket to get into the gallery where the Obama portraits are displayed. This is NOT the same as a general admission museum ticket.
For complete info on seeing the Obama Portrait exhibit with either a paid admission or on a FREE day, please see the section below.
Free admission 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 next free days through Museums on Us are February 5th & 6th, 2022.
Note that you will NOT receive free admission to the Obama Portrait Tour exhibit. You’ll have to buy a ticket for that.
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 2022 dates for Museums on Us free admission.
Free Teacher Appreciation Days
The next FREE Teacher Appreciation Day is Saturday, February 22, 2020.
Educators are admitted free and may bring one free guest. School ID required.
More info here.
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.
See the Obama Portraits at the High
The official portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be on display at the High Museum from January 14th through March 13th, 2022.
We’re lucky to have them here in Atlanta, as only five cities are included in the national tour. The tour is sponsored by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, where the paintings have a permanent home. The Portrait Gallery, located in Washington, D.C., holds the nation’s only complete collection of U.S. presidential portraits that is accessible to the public.
The special exhibit at the High also includes an 8-minute video about the portraits, including context about the national collection of presidential portraits.
Images of the portraits that you see here have been used with permission.
Obama Portrait ticket info
You must buy a special timed ticket to see the Obama portraits — NOT a museum general admission ticket.
The Obama Portrait ticket includes access to the entire museum, either before or after your time slot for the portrait gallery. Tickets are on sale now.
Tickets are $16.50 for the general public (age 6 and up), including Museum Pass holders.
Children age 5 and under will be admitted FREE, but will still need a ticket.
If you have a membership, you can buy tickets for $8.25.
There is a limit of 6 tickets per transaction.
Where to buy tickets:
You should purchase the Obama Portrait Tour tickets in advance through the High’s website.
Be sure to buy the special exhibit tickets. A general museum admission ticket will NOT get you into the portrait gallery.
There are no refunds or exchanges for exhibition tickets, and you can’t transfer the ticket to another person.
Walk-up tickets may be available daily, but are not guaranteed for any specific time slot.
A list of FAQs is posted online, and includes more specifics about ticketing and tips for planning your visit.
Reservations for the four FREE days open on Monday, January 24th, 2022.
See the Obama Portrait exhibit for FREE
The High Museum is hosting a total of four FREE days, when you don’t have to pay to see the Obama portraits.
NOTE that you’ll still need to reserve a ticket in advance — you just won’t have to pay for it.
Free dates include:
♦ Two Second Sundays (Feb. 13 and March 13)
♦ President’s Day (Monday, Feb. 21)
♦ Wednesday, March 9, 2022
To get your free tickets, go to the Portraits tour ticketing page and select one of the free dates above. You’ll then pick a time slot. Once you get the tickets in your cart, the price will show as $0.00 and you can check out for free.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you are reserving a Portraits Tour ticket, and NOT a regular museum admission ticket.
Obama Portraits: Know before you go
You”ll be limited to ten minutes in the actual portrait gallery, so that as many people as possible can enjoy the experience safely.
The exhibit will stay open for extended hours — till 7 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. The main museum will still close at 5 p.m.
Please print your tickets at home OR be prepared to show them on your phone, upon arrival.
If you arrive late for your 10-minute time slot, your admission is not guaranteed. PLEASE don’t be late! You should build in lots of extra time for traffic and parking delays. Consider taking MARTA — the Arts Center Station is right across the street. We have details about getting there on MARTA just below.
A list of FAQs is posted online, and includes more specifics about ticketing and tips for planning your visit.
“Barack Obama” by Kehinde Wiley, oil on canvas, 2018. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian
Institution. The National Portrait Gallery is grateful to the following lead donors for their support of the Obama portraits: Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg; Judith Kern and Kent Whealy; Tommie L. Pegues and Donald A. Capoccia. © 2018 Kehinde Wiley. Courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
“Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama” by Amy Sherald, oil on linen, 2018. National Portrait
Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. The National Portrait Gallery is grateful to the following lead donors for their support of the Obama portraits: Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg; Judith Kern and Kent Whealy; Tommie L. Pegues and Donald A. Capoccia. Courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
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?