A free admission guide to Houston’s museums, zoo and gardens

Art Car Museum: Nicknamed “Garage Mahal,” the museum features imaginative, elaborate art cars, lowriders and mobile contraptions, plus revolving exhibitions by local, national and international artists. Free admission. 140 Heights,; artcarmuseum.com

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens: Located in River Oaks, the 14-acre facility of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and former home of philanthropist Ima Hogg, houses a collection of decorative art, paintings and furniture. Admission costs $5-$15, however, it offers free admission on Family Day, the third Sunday of selected months; the event features crafts, music, games and guided tours of select rooms. 6003 Memorial; mfah.org

Blaffer Art Museum: The non-collecting contemporary art museum located in the Arts District of the University of Houston campus, offers a variety of free public programs, art exhibits, performances and events. 4173 Elgin; blafferartmuseum.org

Buffalo Soldiers National Museum: The research center is dedicated to African-American soldiers with exhibits, workshops and reenactments. Admission $5-$10; free 1-5 p.m. Thursdays, 3816 Caroline; buffalosoldiermuseum.com

Children’s Museum of Houston: The museum offers a interactive exhibits that engage kids in fun learning experiences. Admission $13-$15, free 5-8 p.m. Thursdays, 1500 Binz; cmhouston.org

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston: The non-collecting institution founded in 1948 is dedicated to presenting international, national and regional art via exhibitions, lectures and educational programs. Admission is free. 5216 Montrose; camh.org

Czech Cultural Center Museum Houston: The multi-functional cultural organization’s mission is to educate about and celebrate Czech and Slovakian culture, art and history. Admission $6-$10, free 2-4 p.m. Thursdays; 4920 San Jacinto; czechcenter.org

The Health Museum: The museum offers interactive exhibits on health, medical science and the human body. Exhibits include the Amazing Body Pavilion, where visitors can get an up-close look at the human body and how it works, test reflexes and experience a 4D theater. Admission $8-$10, free 2-7 p.m. Thursdays, 1515 Hermann; thehealthmuseum.org

The Heritage Society: While there is paid admission to the museum’s gallery, visitors can use their cell phones to take a free guided tour of its historic buildings in Sam Houston Park. Instructions for the free tour are posted on signs in front of each building. 1100 Bagby; heritagesociety.org

Houston Center for Photography: The no-fee photography mecca features exhibitions, workshops and a state-of-the-art digital lab. 1441 West Alabama; hcponline.org

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft: The nonprofit visual arts center is dedicated to advancing education about the process, product and history of craft. Visitors can view innovative exhibitions, participate in free crafting workshops and shop for unique gifts at the Asher Gallery. 4848 Main; crafthouston.org

Houston Museum of African American Culture: The museum features art that represents the culture of Africans and African Americans across the state and geographical region. Admission is free, donations accepted. 4807 Caroline; hmaac.org

Houston Museum of Natural Science: The Museum is home to the Burke Baker Planetarium, Wortham Giant Screen Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center and permanent exhibit areas that cover everything from astronomy and space science to paleontology and wildlife. Admission $16-$25, free 2-5 p.m. Thursdays, 5555 Hermann Park; hmns.org

Holocaust Museum Houston: The museum recounts the story of the Holocaust, honoring survivors’ legacies and teaching the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy. Exhibits include a World War II Holocaust railcar of the same type used to transport millions to their deaths, footage taken during this dark time and handwritten letters from the victims. Admission $6-$10, free 2-5 p.m. Thursdays and on International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan. 27), Yom HaShoah (April 28), Walter Kase (May 5), Stefi Altman (May 15), Human Rights Day (Dec. 10) and Veteran’s Day for active servicemen and veterans (Nov. 11); 5401 Caroline; hmh.org

Houston Police Department Museum: The free and self-guided museum is located in the HPD headquarters lobby and features displays and a memorial wall honoring the ultimate sacrifice made by those officers that gave their lives in the line of duty. 1200 Travis; houstontx.gov/police/museum

Houston Zoo: Spread across 55 acres within Hermann Park, the zoo is home to more than 6,000 animals from more than 600 species. Exhibits include a tropical wetland, elephants in their habitat and a gorilla village. Admission $16.96-$21.20, free on the first Tuesday of each month, online reservations required. 6200 Hermann Park; thehealthmuseum.org

James Turrell Twilight Epiphany Skyspace: Built in 2012, the pyramidal structure located adjacent to the Shepherd School of Music on the Rice University campus, is acoustically engineered to host musical performances and to act as a laboratory for Shepherd School of Music students. The exhibition spaces are free and open to the public, some events and programs may require a ticket. 6100 Main, Campus Entrance; moody.rice.edu/james-turrell-twilight-epiphany-skyspace

The Jung Center: For more than 60 years, this nonprofit resource has offered a forum for dynamic conversations on psychological, artistic and spiritual topics via art exhibits and programs. Free, some events and programs require a ticket. 5200 Montrose; junghouston.org

Lawndale Art Center: The multidisciplinary contemporary art center engages Houston communities with exhibitions and programs that explore the aesthetic, critical and social issues of our time. Admission is free for all exhibitions and public programs. 4912 Main; lawndaleartcenter.org

Moody Center for the Arts: The state-of-the art, non-collecting institution serves as an experimental platform for creative thinking and original expression, with a library of exhibits and rotating installations open for free public viewing. 6100 Main; arts.rice.edu/constituent/moody-center-arts

The Menil Collection: The museum features a permanent collection of art from antiquity, the Byzantine world, tribal cultures and the 20th century, taken from the personal collection of the late Dominique and John de Menil. Admission is free, but donations are suggested. 1533 Sul Ross; menil.org

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: The museum’s collections of nearly 70,000 objects cover world cultures dating from antiquity to the present and include in-depth holdings of American art, European paintings, Pre-Columbian and African gold, decorative arts and design, photography, prints and drawings, 20th- and 21st-century painting and sculpture and Latin American art. Admission $12-$19, free on Thursdays, 1001 Bissonnet; mfah.org

Project Row Houses: Set in Houston’s Third Ward, the nonprofit art initiative aims to create a positive place for local artists to work. Some of the shotgun-style houses are dedicated to art and photography exhibits, while others are devoted to the literary and performing arts. 2521 Holman; projectrowhouses.org

Rothko Chapel: The spiritual sanctuary on the Menil campus offers a tranquil meditative environment inspired by the mural canvases of American painter Mark Rothko. 3900 Yupon at Sul Ross; rothkochapel.org

Station Museum of Contemporary Art: An exhibition forum for local, national and international artists, reflecting Houston’s cultural diversity. Admission is free. 1502 Alabama; stationmuseum.com

ana.khan@chron.com