Blue Star Museums Program

May 20 to September 3, 2023

Free admission for Active-Service Members and Family

Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America, offering free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel. The offer is extended to National Guard, Reserve, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, and NOAA Commissioned Corps.

The 2023 Blue Star Museums program began on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 20th and ends on Labor Day, Monday, September 4th (the Museum is closed on Labor Day).

Armed Forces Day was established in 1949 for citizens to come together and thank military members for their service.

Qualified service members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card for complimentary admission.

Picnic in the Cocoanut Grove

While the Café des Beaux-Arts is closed for the season, the Museum’s Picnic is available for purchase in the H. M. Flagler and Co. Museum Store and can be enjoyed outside in Whitehalls’ Cocoanut Grove, where tables and chairs offer respite in the shade of palm trees.

The Picnic menu options include a Tuscan Grilled Chicken Sandwich Box, Charcuterie Platter, and Hummus Box. Beverage choices include lemonade and iced tea from Harney & Sons.

For dessert, Lavender Cookies, which are inspired by Victorian-era tea cakes, and Poinciana Cupcakes are available. The menu is subject to change.

Founder’s Day

Monday, June 5, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Free Admission

On June 5th each year the Flagler Museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding by opening to the public free of charge in honor of the Museum’s founder, Jean Flagler Matthews.

Whitehall was built by Standard Oil partner Henry Flagler in 1902. Flagler spent winters in Palm Beach with his wife Mary Lily until his death in 1913. Flagler’s granddaughter, Jean Flagler Matthews, rescued the estate from demolition and established the Flagler Museum on June 5, 1959.

Self-guide tour brochures, in five languages, are available to lead guests through Whitehall’s first and second floors, as well as Railcar No. 91 in the Flagler Kenan Pavilion.

Organ and Piano

Demonstrations

Sundays at 3:30 p.m.

September 3rd through November 19th

Included with general admission

On select Sundays in September, October and November, visitors may enjoy the sounds of the

These two original instruments will be played by local musicians as part of the Museum’s conservation program. A variety of popular music will be performed including secular and spiritual pieces published or composed during the Gilded Age.