Arts endowment program allows military families to tour 600 US museums for free this summer

600 museums offer military families free admission

WASHINGTON — More than 600 museums nationwide are offering free admission to military families all summer in a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

The list includes some of the nation’s premier art museums, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as science centers, children’s museums and other sites in all 50 states.

The program, called Blue Star Museums, is being announced Monday in San Diego, where 14 museums will participate.

It was the brainchild of Kathy Roth-Douquet, chairwoman of the group Blue Star Families. Her husband, Marine Corps Col. Greg Douquet, is on his third deployment to Afghanistan.

She says military bases are sometimes far from cultural centers, though museums can be a good escape.