AUSTIN, Texas -- On Sunday, visitors were able to explore Austin-area museums for free.

The 21st Annual Austin Museum Day is a celebration of art, culture, history, music, nature, and science. More than 43 museums in Central Texas were open for visitors with special programming, including guided exhibition tours and hands-on activities for visitors of all ages.

The Austin Museum Partnership has coordinated Austin Museum Day since 1998. It's an event that offers free admission to museums across the area.

"We always like to go to the Blanton Museum of Art, Bob Bullock is always on our radar for sure," museum visitor Priscilla Lopez said. 

Nearly 50 museums Austin participated in Austin Museum Day.

"There's a lot of things to do, a lot of fun places to be at. It's not very expensive to come out and just check out these things," museum visitor Giovanni Lopez said.

LBJ Museum Education Specialist Amanda Melancon said Austin Museum Day is marked as one of the LBJ Museum's highest visitor turnout. She said the best part about this day is getting to feel like a tourist in your own town.

"There's so many treasures that we don't even remember that we have, or we keep saying 'I'm going to do that one day.' So it's really great to be able to have a day where you can actually go and do it for free," Melancon said.

The day is a chance for museums to engage the community through culture, science, art, and history.

"So to be able to see all sorts of different things in such a small area is really unique. Austin has that really special vibe to it," Melancon said.

Each year, Austin Museum Day is held on the second to last Sunday of September.

Below is a map of participating museums (Courtesy: Austin Museum Partnership):