Connecticut museums offering free admission for children throughout the summer. Here are which ones are in your backyard.

More than 130 Connecticut museums will again offer free admission this summer for children, as well as an adult accompanying them.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday that the Connecticut Summer at the Museum program will return for a second year.

From July 1 through Sept. 5, Connecticut residents under age 18 — as well as one adult Connecticut resident accompanying children — may receive free admission to a participating museum. Specific circumstances may differ depending on the organization.

The program originated a year ago when museums were starting to reopen following the shutdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Connecticut Summer at the Museum is supported by funds the state received through the federal American Rescue Plan. It is administered jointly by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Office of the Arts and Connecticut Humanities in partnership with the Office of the Governor, Connecticut State Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood and Office of Tourism.

Museums can participate by simply offering free admission, but they are also available for grant funding through the program. Of the 135 participating museums, over 120 received grants of $1,000 or more based on what children’s admission fees typically amount to.

At least one Connecticut museum was inspired by the state’s summer program to implement its own year-round policies. In September 2021, just after the governor’s program had ended, the New Britain Museum of American Art announced that it would continue to offer free admission for children.

There are three dozen Connecticut Summer at the Museum participants in Hartford County alone: The 1865 Pine Grove Schoolhouse and the Avon Historical Society in Avon; Auerfarm in Bloomfield; the American Clock & Watch Museum, Bristol Historical Society, Imagine Nation, Memorial Military Museum, New England Carousel Museum in Bristol; Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine in East Granby; Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor; Farmington Historical Society, Hill-Stead Museum and the Stanley-Whitman House in Farmington; Historical Society of Glastonbury; Connecticut Historical Society, Connecticut Landmarks, Connecticut Science Center, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Mark Twain House & Museum, the Old State House, Real Art Ways and Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford; Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester; the New Britain Museum of American Art and the New Britain Youth Museum; Simsbury Historical Society; Wood Memorial Library & Museum in South Windsor; the Barnes Museum in Southington; the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society and The Children’s Museum and the University of Saint Joseph Art Museum in West Hartford; the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum and Wethersfield Historical Society in Wethersfield; the Windsor Historical Society and the Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut in Windsor; and the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks.

The Wadsworth already offers free admission to all Hartford residents, but the Connecticut Summer at the Museum program expands that to children (and accompanying adults) throughout the state.

Among the many outdoor (or partially outdoor) attractions around the state offering free children’s admission through the program are Connecticut’s two major aquariums (the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk and Mystic Aquarium), Mystic Seaport, the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, the Railroad Museum of New England in Thomaston, Essex Steam Train & Riverboat in Essex and Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam.

The brand-new Katharine Hepburn Museum, which opened earlier this week, is also on the list.

A complete list of the 135 participating museums is at ctvisit.com.

“We are thrilled to bring back this popular summer enrichment program for Connecticut kids and families at a time when affordability is top of mind for so many households,’” Lamont said in a statement. “The world-class museums and cultural institutions across Connecticut offer unmatched educational and recreational experiences that will keep kids engaged all season long and spark curiosity for years to come.”

Liz Shapiro, the Economic and Community Development department’s director of arts, preservation, and museums, noted that this is the only program of its kind in the United States. As with others supporting the program, she sees it as a valuable educational opportunity for Connecticut youth.

“We applaud all participating museums and encourage everyone to take advantage,” Shapiro said.

Those taking advantage of free admission to explore the state’s museum are invited by the program to share their experiences on social media at #CTSummerMuseums.

Christopher Arnott can be reached at carnott@courant.com.