Museum Day Live!

On Saturday, September 29, 2012 the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College along with over 1,400 venues will participate in the eighth annual Museum Day Live! Visitors to the Arboretum can pick up a free gift in the Wister Center from 11 am to 3 pm that day as well as be eligible for special membership offer. This immensely successful program, which began at the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, DC-based facilities, encourages learning and the spread of knowledge nationwide.

Fall leaves decorate the lawn outside of the rear entrance of Parrish Hall. photo credit: D. Mattis

Inclusive by design, Museum Day Live! fulfills Smithsonian Media’s mission to make cultural education accessible to everyone. For one day only, over 1,400 participating museums, gardens, and venues will grant free access to visitors who download a Museum Day Live! ticket at Smithsonian.com. As an institution that is free and open to the public 365 days a year, the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College is offering a free gift to visitors that day. Visitors can also take advantage of our one day special membership offer for 2013 and receive the rest of 2012 free. Last year’s event drew over 350,000 museum-goers, and this year’s Museum Day Live! is expected to attract close to 400,000 participants nationwide.

A hidden view of the Clothier Bell Tower through fall foliage. photo credit: D. Mattis

“I’m very proud to be part of a living museum that is free and open to all, every day, dawn to dusk, not just on rare occasions. Museum Day Live! highlights our unique situation and complete accessibility, possible in part thanks to our past philanthropic supporters and the values of Swarthmore College. We offer many educational programs free and open to the public here as well, in addition to visiting  the campus-arboretum itself,” noted Claire Sawyers, director of the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College.

An ideal spot to study among the plants of the BioStream. photo credit: H. Kalish

September is a wonderful time to visit the gardens as you can experience the BioStream in full bloom, feel the variety of textures in the John W. Nason Garden, and witness rare trees like Franklinia in bloom.

The wonderful colors of red, yellow, and orange decorate the ground underneath the Maple Collection. photo credit: R. Robert

The Museum Day Live! ticket is available to download at Smithsonian.com/museumday. Visitors who present the Museum Day Ticket will gain free entrance for two participating venues for one day only. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address. For more information about Museum Day Live! 2012 and a list of participating museums and cultural institutions, please visit Smithsonian.com/museumday.