Every Wednesday this April you can visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture without having reserved passes.

Individuals who walk up without timed-entry passes may enter the museum on a first-come, first-serve basis Wednesdays, April 4, 11, 18 and 25.

The museum already has issued advance timed passes for the entire month of April and walk-up entry is subject to building capacity, the museum said.



The Smithsonian museum said "Walk-Up Wednesdays" is a pilot program to test no-pass entry.

“Walk-Up Wednesdays in April will help us to determine how to manage visitor demand,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, the museum’s founding director. “We are honored and humbled to have struck such a chord with our visitors. They stay an average of four-and-a-half hours on weekdays. We don’t want to disappoint our visitors by reaching capacity and having them wait in long lines for space to become available inside the galleries. The goal of this pilot program is to provide greater access for the public while maintaining the safety and security of our visitors.”

Visitors who have advance timed-entry passes for Wednesdays in April may enter according to the time stated on their passes.

The museum will continue to require advance timed passes for groups of 10 or more. All groups are required to present passes to gain entry to the museum.

Same-day online passes will not be issued on Wednesdays in April, the museum said.

Check here for more information.