Blue Star program provides free summer admission to military and their families

The South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is all about honoring those who have served in uniform since our nation’s beginning. So we are once again proud to participate this summer in the Blue Star Museums initiative, which provides free admission to currently-serving U.S. military personnel and their families.

The 2023 program will begin on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 20, 2023, and end on Labor Day, Sept. 4, 2023.

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 participating museums across America. Find the list of participating museums across the country at https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/blue-star-museums.

Under this program, the Relic Room will provide free admission to military personnel and up to five family members every day of operation during the summer.

“Our exhibits and programs exist for all the people of South Carolina, but especially those who have stepped forward to serve our nation in times of war,” said Allen Roberson, the director of the Relic Room. “In light of that, it is always an honor to participate in the Blue Star program.” The museum provides free membership to veterans and active-duty personnel a number of times each year, and this allows the Relic Room to expand on that.

“We thank the 2023 Blue Star Museums who invite military personnel and their families to experience the many wonders they have to offer, whether it’s a glimpse into the past, an encounter with awe-inspiring art, or a moment of discovery,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Blue Star Museums include children’s museums, art, science, and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses, and more, in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military — Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force, members of the Reserves, National Guard, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.

Follow Blue Star Museums on Twitter: @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily, #bluestarmuseums.

About the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum

Founded in 1896, the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is an accredited museum focusing on South Carolina’s distinguished martial tradition through the Revolutionary War, Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Vietnam, the War on Terror, and other American conflicts. It serves as the state’s military history museum by collecting, preserving, and exhibiting South Carolina’s military heritage from the colonial era to the present, and by providing superior educational experiences and programming. It recently opened a major new exhibit, “A War With No Front Lines: South Carolina and the Vietnam War, 1965-1973.” The museum is located at 301 Gervais St. in Columbia, sharing the Columbia Mills building with the State Museum. For more information, go to https://crr.sc.gov/.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts Learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. To learn more, visit arts.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

About Blue Star Families

BlueStar Families (BSF) is the nation’s largest chapter-based military and veteran family support organization. Its research-driven approach fosters strong communities with a focus on human centered design and innovative solutions. Since its founding in 2009, BSF has delivered millions of dollars in benefits and impacted more than 1.5 million people each year. For more information,  follow along with Blue Star Families on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.