Engaging Experiences for All Ages

From Family Free Days, to tours designed with families in mind, to drop-in art making for all ages, there is something for everyone at the Albany Institute.

Upcoming Family Events

12:00pm–3:00pm Free with museum admission.* Art Cart offers interactive and up-close experiences with artifacts and hands-on art creation inspired by objects in our collections, all guided by an educator. *Art Cart is an initiative of the Albany Institute of History & Art's Free Summer Admission Program: children 12 and under plus one accompanying adult caretaker received free museum admission from July 1 to August 31, 2026. Generously supported by the Carl E. Touhey Foundation and Opalka Family Philanthropies, with additional support from Wallace Altes, Eileen Howe Bird, Mary Ellen and Anders Tomson, and Capital Bank.

5:00pm–7:00pm Join us for Music on the Lawn, the Albany Institute's lively outdoor concert series! Enjoy great local music, free gallery admission, and a relaxed evening on the museum’s lawn. The concert series is free and open to the public, and held on the following dates: August 19, September 16, and October 21, all from 5–7PM. Music on the Lawn is cosponsored by the Music Performance Trust Fund and arranged by the Albany Musicians Association. Music on the Lawn is supported by M&T Bank.  

3:00pm–5:00pm Free with admission.* Young Artists Lab is a weekly drop-in program for children and teenagers to express their creativity through inquiry and artmaking. Each week, participants will be given a critical thinking prompt and a variety of materials and tools to create artwork based upon the exhibitions on view. This program is led by local teens and emphasizes open-ended creativity. *Young Artists Lab is an initiative of the Albany Institute of History & Art's Free Summer Admission Program: children 12 and under plus one accompanying adult caretaker received free museum admission from July 1 to August 31, 2026. Generously supported by the Carl E. Touhey Foundation and Opalka Family Philanthropies, with additional support from Wallace Altes, Eileen Howe Bird, Mary Ellen and Anders Tomson, and Capital Bank.

11:00am–11:45am Enrich your experience of our current exhibitions through an insightful docent-led tour of the galleries. Docent tours are an excellent way to learn more about the artworks and objects on display, in addition to the stories they tell. Interaction and questions are encouraged and visitors of all ages are welcome. The tour is free with museum admission, no registration required. Please meet in the museum atrium main level near the admission desk before the tour begins.