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If your favorite museum is on the pricey side, take note: Museums across the country are opening their doors to visitors for free on Saturday, Sept. 18 — and tickets are available online now.

Sponsored by Smithsonian magazine, a membership publication of the Smithsonian Institution, Museum Day began in 2005 to celebrate the magazine's 35th birthday. Last year's day was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, so participants this year are particularly excited for the return of the mega-popular event (more than 100,000 tickets were downloaded in 2019), which gives visitors across the country the chance to experience world-class art and exhibitions free of charge.

"It gives us a way to provide people valuable access to these incredible gems that could be right in their backyard, but they have not had the opportunity to take advantage of,” says Amy Wilkins, chief revenue officer for Smithsonian Media.

Among the options this year: Los Angeles’ California African American Museum, the Museum of Flight in Seattle, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans and the Baltimore Museum of Art. There are also quirkier picks, such as the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas, and the American Bookbinders Museum in San Francisco.

Zoos, gardens and other cultural centers, like the Alabama Aquarium and UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, are also in the mix — and there are serious savings to be had at destinations like the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, where ticket prices typically start around $27, and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, where admission costs $31 for adults 65 and up.