Programs such as Museums for All and Blue Star Museums create new ways for visitors to access the Portsmouth Historical Society for less.

Museums for All is a signature access program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), administered by the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), to encourage people of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum-going habits. The program supports those receiving food assistance (SNAP) free admission with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. Similar free and reduced admission is available to eligible members of the public at more than 850 museums across the country.
In addition to Museums for All, the Portsmouth Historical Society has long been a part of Blue Star Museums, a program offering free admission to active duty military personnel and their families between Armed Forces Day, May 30, 2023, through Labor Day, September 4, 2023.

Portsmouth residents will now receive discounted admission to the John Paul Jones House, Portsmouth Historical Society, and all walking tours. As Portsmouth celebrates its 400th Anniversary the society invites all residents to discover more about their city’s past, make connections to its present, and contribute their personal experiences to the 2023 exhibitions and events.

“These new steps, such as joining Museums for All and extending discounted admission to all Portsmouth residents, are part of Portsmouth Historical Society’s broad commitment to seek, include, and welcome all audiences,” said Emma Stratton, Portsmouth Historical Society Executive Director.

The 2023 season at Portsmouth Historical Society celebrates the 400th anniversary of European settlement in Portsmouth with the exhibition “A Sense of Place” featuring objects that have made Portsmouth home to so many over the past 400-plus years and the exhibition “Reinventing Portsmouth” which examines the urban development of Portsmouth in the late 70s/early 80s that shaped much of modern Portsmouth.