The Guilford Free Library is excited to offer digital checkouts and reservations for participating museums in Connecticut. For digital passes, you may reserve a pass up to one week in advance. You can only have one museum pass checked out or reserved at any given time. The pass will be emailed to the address connected to your library card. You may print the confirmation email at home and bring it with you or pull it up on your smartphone at the museum. Digital passes are valid for one day and expired passes will not be honored at the museum when you visit.
For physical passes from museums which do not yet participate in digital museum pass programs, the rules are different. Physical passes for Connecticut museums cannot be reserved and they have a loan period of one day. They may be picked up at the library in the children’s department on a first-come, first-served basis on the day they are to be used, and may be returned in the book drop, later the same day or by 9:00 the following morning (Monday morning if checked out on a Saturday).
See which museums are using digital versus physical passes, and how you go about using the passes, in the table below. Be sure to check the museum’s website before you plan your visit, as the pandemic may have impacted regular operating hours and brought on new restrictions.
Museum Info:
| Museum: | Pass Info: | Digital or Physical: | Usage Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barker Character, Comic, & Cartoon Museum Cheshire, CT | Buy one admission, get one of equal or lesser value free. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. No large groups/tours. The same pass can be used more than once for the same family entering at the same time. |
| Beardsley Zoo Bridgeport, CT | Pass will admit up to six people for $10 each (adult or child). One family per day. | Physical – Borrow the day you’re going | Pass accepted at the door. If you have more than 6 people, those extras must purchase their tickets online ahead of time. |
| Connecticut’s Old State House Hartford, CT | Free admission for up to two adults and two children. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| Connecticut Science Center Hartford, CT | Grants 20% off up to four admissions, OR 10% off continued membership purchase. | Physical – Take from the library any time | Pass accepted at the door. Limit one per family at a time. |
| Eric Sloane Museum (formerly known as Sloane-Stanley Museum) Kent, CT | Free admission for up to two adults and two children. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| Florence Griswold Museum Old Lyme, CT | Free admission for up to two adults and two children. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| Harriet Beecher Stowe Center Hartford, CT | Free admission for up to two people. | Digital – Click here to reserve | After reserving your pass through the library, the museum recommends calling to make sure there is space on the day and time for the tour you plan on attending: 860-522-9258 ext. 317. |
| Henry Whitfield State Museum Guilford, CT | Free admission for up to two adults and two children. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| Hungerford Park Nature Center Berlin, CT | Free admission for up to four people. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| Mattatuck Museum Waterbury, CT | Free admission for up to two adults and their children. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| Mystic Seaport Mystic, CT | Grants 50% off regular admission for up to two adults and three children; discounts at various restaurants and seaport stores. | Physical – Borrow the day you’re going | Pass accepted at the door. |
| New Britain Museum of American Art New Britain, CT | Free admission for up to four people. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| New Britain Youth Museum New Britain, CT | Free admission for up to four people. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| New England Air Museum Windsor Locks, CT | Grants 50% off regular admission for up to five people. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| New England Carousel Museum & Museum of Fire History Bristol, CT | Free admission for up to four people. Includes one free carousel ride per child. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass grants admission to both museums. Fire museum is located inside the carousel museum and has the same hours. Pass accepted at the door. |
| Niantic Children’s Museum (formerly known as the Children’s Museum of Southeastern CT) Niantic, CT | Grants 50% off regular admission for up to four people. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine East Granby, CT | Free admission for up to two adults and two children. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| Prudence Crandall Museum Canterbury, CT | Free admission for up to two adults and two children. | Digital – Click here to reserve | After reserving your pass through the library, the museum recommends calling to make sure there is space on the day and time for the tour you plan on attending: 860-546-7800. |
| Shore Line Trolley Museum East Haven, CT | Grants 50% off regular admission for up to four people. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. |
| Slater Memorial Museum Norwich, CT | Free admission for up to five people. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door. May also present valid Guilford Free Library card in lieu of pass. |
| Stamford Museum & Nature Center Stamford, CT | Free admission for up to two adults and their children of the same household. On Festival & FamilyFest days, this pass offers 50% off special event admission. | Physical – Borrow the day you’re going | Pass accepted at the door. Includes free admission to the museum and its grounds, Bendel Mansion Galleries, Heckscher Farm, Nature’s Playground, access to the Animal Embassy’s live exotic animal exhibit, as well as free admission to the Observatory and Astronomy Nights programs. |
| State Parks and Forests Day Pass | Free admission for up to two adults and four children at Dinosaur (Rocky Hill, CT), Fort Trumbull (New London, CT), and Gillette Castle (East Haddam) State Park Museums. | Physical – Borrow the day you’re going | Parking for CT registered vehicles is free at all CT state parks, however the indoor museums & exhibit areas still charge admission. This pass waives parking fees for out of state vehicles and offers free admission as described. Does not cover camping or special events. Pass accepted at the door. |
| Stepping Stones Museum for Children Norwalk, CT | Buy one admission, get one of equal or lesser value free (limit 3 per pass). | Physical – Borrow the day you’re going | Pass accepted at the door. |
| Wadsworth Atheneum Hartford, CT | Free admission for up to two adults. | Digital – Click here to reserve | Pass accepted at the door, however it is recommended to call the museum at 860-838-4100 to preregister for daily public tours after reserving your pass, as tours currently require a limited capacity. Not valid for group tours or special events. Children aged 17 & younger are free with or without museum pass. |