Active military families offered free admission to historic and cultural landmarks

Men and women serving in the U.S. military will get a free opportunity to learn more about the country’s history this summer.

Three historic sites in Milledgeville join thousands of other cultural points of interest in opening their doors to active military and up to five family members.

Georgia College is offering free admission to Georgia’s Old Governor’s Mansion and the Sallie Ellis Davis House from Memorial Day until Labor Day.

“It’s just a very simple way for us to say thank you to our service members and their families,” Matt Davis, director of the Governor’s Mansion, stated in a news release.

This is the eighth year the college has joined the National Endowment for the Arts, Department of Defense and Blue Star Families in the program that offers free admission to more than 2,000 museums across the country.

Andalusia Farm, the Milledgeville home of author Flannery O’Connor, also is one of the nearly three dozen participating museums in Georgia.

In Atlanta, military families have 10 sites to choose from, including the Atlanta History Center, High Museum of Art and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum.

The offer is for active members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserve.

Georgia College has participated since the program began in 2010. It gives families, who may have limited time and resources, a chance to spend quality time together.

“We’re really proud to have been participants in this program from the very beginning,” Davis said.

After more than 900,000 military families visited museums across the country last year, Blue Star Families is hoping to break the million mark this summer.

For more information visit bluestarfam.org.

This story was originally published May 27, 2017 at 7:07 AM with the headline "Active military families offered free admission to historic and cultural landmarks."