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The library hack you need to know to get free admission everywhere

The library hack you need to know to get free admission everywhere

July 17, 2025

Happy Thursday, Capital Region! Today, we’re letting you in on a little secret: Your public library is your free ticket to numerous local museums and other awesome venues. Thanks to the Albany Public Library, it’s easier than ever to be properly cultured in the Capital area 🎩

Also, our Top 5 Weekend Picks includes the yearly art bonanza known as Upstate Art Weekend, plus Summer Art Fest right here in Albany.

Let’s paint the town!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Today in The 518:

Don’t sleep on the museum passes at APL and elsewhere
Lake George tourism is sinking & a global hub for chip tech opens
YouthFX offers paid fellowships for young digital creators
It’s a properly packed weekend for art and music festivals

MASS MoCA is one of the many places you can visit for free, thanks to the Albany Public Library

The one library hack you need to know to get free admission everywhere 🎟️ 🥳

We’ve known about the Albany Public Library’s Museum and Adventure Pass program for awhile now.

But honestly, we haven’t bothered to get to a library branch to grab some free museum passes.

That’s before the library introduced its new digital option. And before we realized all of the awesome options available.

Instead of picking up and returning passes in person, patrons can now reserve them online through the APL website. Reservations are emailed to you, and they must be printed out to use. You’re limited to three at a time and can book them up to 30 days in advance.

This digital option is a huge improvement, in our view. APL Executive Director Andrea Nicolay agrees.

“Our Museum and Adventure Passes are more convenient and accessible than ever, just in time for summer,” she says.

Just take a look at some of these fantastic venues you can visit for free—and bring your family along, too:

Albany Institute of History & Art (2 adults, 2 children)
MASS MoCA (2 adults, 2 children)
The Hyde Collection (2 adults, 2 children)
The Wild Center in Tupper Lake (2 adults, 4 children)
Mabee Farm (2 adults, 2 children)
miSci (2 adults, 4 children, with a 50% discount)
Berkshire Botanical Garden (2 adults; children under 12 admitted free)
Olana State Historic Site (2 adults for walking landscape and house tours; children under 16 admitted free)

Check out the complete list of venues here.

Even better, the library added Albany’s Madison Theatre to this lineup, allowing cardholders to reserve up to four movie seats at a time. Limit 1 pass per person per week. Also returning to the program in the fall will be tickets to the Albany Symphony Orchestra and select shows at The Egg (presumably after its renovation wraps up in early 2026).

Here’s the one caveat: These passes are only available to Albany residents. The good news is almost every public library offers museum passes.

Colonie has a very similar digital museum pass program. Troy makes passes available to all Upper Hudson library card holders, but you need to check them out in person.

More library museum programs: Saratoga, Ballston Spa, Skidmore College, East Greenbush, Schenectady, Cohoes, Crandall, Voorheesville, Clifton Park-Halfmoon.

If you don’t see your library on this list, do a quick Google search or call your local branch.

Our public libraries are tragically underutilized. These museum passes are just one of many free resources you can find there.

For example, look at all of these things you can check out at the Guilderland Public Library! They’ve got movie projectors, WiFi hotspots, Bluetooth speakers, telescopes, karaoke machines, fishing poles and more. And yes, museum passes, too.

Do yourself a favor and find out what your public library offers. You’ll be surprised to find much more than books.

🛥️ Lake George businesses are reporting a dire drop in Canadian tourism this summer, with some restaurant owners seeing declines of 40–75%. Much of this is due to the man in the White House. While local businesses are adapting and seeing more visitors from nearby states like NJ and PA, they’re hoping our Canadian friends will come back soon. [News10].

🤖 NY Creates is celebrating the opening of the National Semiconductor Technology Center in Albany, backed by the CHIPS and Science Act. Featuring the only EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography) accelerator in North America—and one of only eight worldwide—the new facility is a major step toward making the Capital Region a global hub for chip research and manufacturing. [News10]

🎬️ YouthFX is seeking young artists and creatives ages 20-25 who live in the Capital Region to join its yearlong, paid Arts2Work Fellowship program. With a focus in digital filmmaking and media production, Youth FX Arts2Work fellows will train in all stages of film production, as well as cinematography, editing, screenwriting, budgeting, and more. For more details and to apply, click here.

⭐️ 🎨 It’s Upstate Art Weekend! Get ready for hundreds of art shindigs throughout the Hudson Valley. The New York Times just published a list of their 9 favorite events for the weekend. Among them is the show currently at The Campus in Claverack, which is definitely worth the drive. Most events are free.

⭐️ Bark, Brew & Tattoo in Saratoga features copious amounts of beer mixed with live tattoo artists. What could possibly go wrong? Impulsiveness can be a virtue too. Your impromptu ink benefits regional no-kill animal shelters that care for Bully breeds. Sat & Sun, 11a–6p, $25–$40.

⭐️ Albany Center Gallery’s interactive, all-ages Summer Art Fest takes over Quackenbush Square on Saturday. Featuring vendors, live music, screen printing, and more. We’re especially excited about the Zine Vendor Market curated by Paper Moon & Robert Cooper. Sat, rain or shine, 12–5p, free.

⭐️ Schenectady’s Stockade Street Fest takes place on Saturday, in conjunction with the Stockade Art and Nature Garden Tour. Featuring a market with antiques, music, vintage clothing, food and drink, local crafts, artists, homemade gifts, and more! Sat, 10a–4p, free.

⭐️ We’ve been sleeping on Art Night Schenectady. This week, we’re giving our neighbor some love. Check out this vibrant art walk, beginning at the Print Club of Albany (a national org with a local-sounding name), hear live music in Jay Square, and then stroll, map in hand, to find artist talks, exhibits, pop-ups, recycled art activities, plein air painting, fiber arts, and even tattoos. Close the night at Armory Studios NY for the Monthly Movie Challenge Showcase. Fri, 4:30–8p, free.

🎟️ MORE NOTABLE EVENTS

🎸 It’s Harbor Jam Concert Weekend in Schenectady, featuring two awesome tribute bands: BonJourney (Bon Jovi, of course) and Who’s Bad (the late great Michael Jackson).

🖼️ It’s the last weekend to catch Americans Who Tell the Truth at the Albany Institute of History & Art. We recently chatted with curator Diane Shewchuk about the show: Faces of courage: The one show at AIHA you can’t miss.

Remember, kids 12 and under get in free (along with an adult chaperone) all July and August.

🎭️ We had a fabulous time at opening night of “Once,” the new musical playing at theREP. If you’ve seen the hit movie, you’ll really enjoy watching this live version. “Once” tells the story of an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant who connect over music and more. It’s also the final show for Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill, theREP’s artistic director for 30 years. She smashes it with this funny and sweet swan song. Runs through Aug. 10.

TODAY

🎸 It’s Classic Rock Night at Albany’s Alive at Five, featuring Middle Aged Dad Jam Band (w/ Wild Adriatic). It’s been moved to the rain location at Corning Preserve Boat Launch.

🍔 Kicking off at 4p, the 2025 Biking, Burgers & Beverages on the Rail Trail in Bethlehem is your chance to walk or bike the trail, plus hit a food truck or two.

🎡 The New Salem Volunteer Fire Department and Auxiliary hosts the 82nd annual Punkintown Fair in Voorheesville.

FRIDAY

🎬️ On Friday, Live Score Movie Night in downtown Albany features the animated classic, The Iron Giant, screened with a live band!

SATURDAY

🧑‍🌾 Indian Ladder Farms puts on the humorously named Farming Man Festival with plenty of live music and craft beverages.

🧸 Are you furry curious? Check out Eufuria: Solarpunk at the Albany Capital Center this weekend.

👮‍♀️The 2025 Unite the County: Carnival and Skills Challenge brings community and law enforcement together for games and friendly competition. Free and open to all, at MVP Arena on Saturday.

🖼️ Variations, Tones of the Earth, featuring work by Renata Grec Gilman, Camille Grec and Ben Niese, opens at Varosy Studio in Greenwich, NY.

🍗 The Grafton Summer Festival is an all-day family-friendly affair, featuring a flea market, music and a BBQ chicken dinner.

🏓 Saratoga Pride invites you to a friendly pickleball tourney at Common Roots, South Glens Falls.

SUNDAY

🧘‍♂️ Girls Upstate invites you to Yoga on the Water at the Kayak Shak on the shores of Saratoga Lake.

🎷Capital District Jazz presents the inaugural Galway Jazz Festival at the Cock N Bull Restaurant.

📚️The Stop Scrolling and Read Book Club invite you to their July meeting at Arthur’s 1795 in Schenectady. It’s like a book club but each person brings their own book to read and discuss!