An art museum in downtown Fort Lauderdale with Sensory Saturdays (next date to be announced): free mornings, with an RSVP, for children on the autism spectrum ages 6 to 17 and their families, in galleries with low lighting and reduced sound. The museum also posts a social narrative and a sensory exhibition guide. Children 12 and under get in free.
Sensory supports. Sensory Saturdays, social narrative, kids 12 and under free.
Hours
Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm; Sunday, noon to 5 pm; closed Mondays. Free First Thursday: the first Thursday of every month, 11 am to 7 pm. Holiday hours: closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day; open 11 am to 3 pm on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve; closed on July 4. The museum closes early, at 3 pm Nov 14 2026, for an evening event.
One East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
“NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale has launched Sensory Saturdays, a new sensory-friendly program FREE for children on the Autism Spectrum ages 6-17 and their families.”
“Join us in making art in workspaces and wandering through galleries that have been adjusted for low lighting and reduced sound.”
“Sensory-friendly materials will be available for all visiting children on the spectrum, including noise-canceling headphones, weighted lap pads, soft seating, sensory-friendly art materials, and a special gift for each child.”
“Stay tuned for upcoming Sensory Saturdays.”
Sensory Saturdays have been held from 9:30 to 10:30 am, before regular museum hours. Admission is free with a required RSVP, and space is limited. Registration opens one month before each date and closes at 5 pm the Friday before. Register only your own family, and tell the museum ahead of time if you can't come. For help registering, call 954-262-0204 or email MuseumEducation@nova.edu.
The museum's Sensory Saturdays social narrative walks through parking, the check-in table outside, leaving any bags (you get a small ticket for personal items you leave) and throwing away any food or drinks before going into the galleries, a visual schedule and a sensory map, and the gallery rules. It says a Sensory Bag with headphones and fidget toys is offered at the front desk (you can ask for one at any point and give it back when you leave), and it names two Calm Rooms: one outside on the first floor across the breezeway in the auditorium, and one on the second floor in the Marks Gallery.
The Sensory Exhibition Guide, also made for Sensory Saturdays, rates each exhibition for sight, sound, taste, scent and touch on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high). Exhibitions change, so check which ones are on view.
Visitors who need special accommodations to take part in museum activities should call 954-262-0240 or email the museum at least 7 days before the visit.
Sensory Saturdays: free with an RSVP, for children on the autism spectrum ages 6 to 17 and their families; the museum says to stay tuned for upcoming dates.
Children 12 and under and students 13 to 17 get in free.
Backpacks of any size are left behind the Admissions desk; bags larger than 11 by 17 by 6 inches can't go into the galleries.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude Surrounded Islands Documentation Exhibition (sight 3 and sound 3 of 10 in the museum's guide: “Projections, and bright space”; “Open space reverberates sound, videos playing”)not stated
Outside, downtown (“The area has lots of cars and construction that may be loud!”)not stated
Quieter, in the museum's words
A Backward Glance: Highlights from the William J. Glackens Collectionquiet zone
General admission: adults $16, seniors $10, military $8, college students with a valid ID $5. Free: students 13 to 17; US veterans and their dependents in the same household; NSU Art Museum members, NSU students, faculty and staff, Broward College students, and children 12 and under. Ticket pricing may change for special ticketed exhibitions.
Free First Thursday: free admission the first Thursday of every month, 11 am to 7 pm, with free public tours at noon and a free drop-in art-making project for all ages, Mini Muse, from 4 to 6:30 pm.
Museums for All: free admission with a SNAP EBT card and a valid photo ID, for four people per EBT card. Bank of America Museums on Us: free general admission for the cardholder only (not extra guests) on the first full weekend of each month, with the card and a photo ID; it doesn't include special exhibits, ticketed shows or fundraising events.
Fort Lauderdale Neighbor Day: every last Sunday of the month, Fort Lauderdale residents get in free with a photo ID, driver's license or residential utility bill showing a Fort Lauderdale address. The next ones are noon to 5 pm Nov 29 2026 and noon to 5 pm Dec 27 2026.
Parking: the Riverwalk Center Garage entrance is on SE 1st Avenue across from the Broward County Main Library, with another entrance on SE 2nd Street; pay at the centralized meters (the museum suggests at least two hours). There is also metered street parking nearby. With a valid disabled parking placard, the meters on SE 1 Avenue are free for up to 4 hours; check the posted rules before leaving the car.
Gallery rules: no food or drink, no flash photography, no phone conversations (turn the ringer off), and sketching in pencil only, in sketchbooks no larger than 8.5 by 11 inches.
The entrance, public areas and galleries are wheelchair accessible, all floors have elevator access, and wheelchairs are lent at the admission desk, first come, first served.
