Gardner Museum in Boston expands free admission to every Thursday

Driving the news: The year-round Free Thursday Nights initiative launches July 9, offering free reservations from 5-9pm.

• The free admission includes access to the galleries, seasonal courtyard displays and various workshops and is funded by philanthropic donations.

Flashback: The Gardner had offered free admission on the third Thursday of the month, followed by the first Thursday, for years.

• The museum has since joined the city's Boston Family Days initiative, offering school-aged children and two guests free entry the first two Sundays of the month.

Zoom in: The museum also offers free admission on community days and three holidays — Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples' Day — as well as year-round for military members and their families and others.

Be smart: Reservations fill up fast, so museum staff encourages people to sign up as soon as tickets go live (usually at 10am on Tuesdays).