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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Florida Museum of Natural History is offering free admission to all fee-based exhibits for active-duty military personnel and their families from Armed Forces Day, May 15, through Labor Day, Sept. 6, as a part of the nationwide Blue Star Museums initiative.

This is the ninth time the Florida Museum has partnered with Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums across the United States.

“We are so pleased to participate in this important national program as a way to thank active-duty military personnel and their families for their contributions to the nation,” said Darcie MacMahon, director of exhibits and public programs at the Florida Museum. “After unfortunately not being able to participate in 2020, because of closures due to the pandemic, we are happy to be able to show our support again this year.”

Free admission to paid exhibits is available to all active-duty U.S. military and up to five family members: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps.

The Florida Museum requires masks at all times and asks guests to practice social distancing.

For more information, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/event/blue-star-museums.

For more information on Blue Star Museums, visit https://bluestarfam.org/family-life/blue-star-museums.

About the museum
The Florida Museum of Natural History has been inspiring people to value and protect the biological richness and cultural heritage of our diverse world for more than a century. Located on the University of Florida campus, the Florida Museum is home to more than 40 million specimens and artifacts, one of the nation’s largest natural history collections. For more information, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu or follow us on social media, @FloridaMuseum.