Looking for family fun and adventure, for free?

Museums throughout Placer County will offer free admission on select Saturdays all summer as the Heritage Trail Museums Tour returns for its 10th year.

A total of 21 museums will be participating, from Roseville to North Lake Tahoe. Free museum days are grouped geographically to allow easy trekking between museums in a day.

“This summer, families can explore where Valley Nisenan Maidu Indians lived for thousands of years, seek fortune by panning for gold or reconnect with nature during a Donner Summit hiking tour, just to name a few,” said Ralph Gibson, Placer County Museums administrator. “The Heritage Trail offers an excellent opportunity to learn about our county's rich history, enjoy a variety of our beautiful landscapes and even save a couple of bucks, while making memories."

A full list of participating museums, free dates, opening hours and activities is available on the Heritage Trail Museums Tour blog here. Check out this fun video promoting the tour here.

Fun, family-friendly activities are spread throughout the free weekends, including live music, historical reenactments and much more. Trail visitors are also encouraged to pick up a ‘Get Up and Go’ card at any participating museum; those who fill the card with stamps from at least eight of the participating museums will be eligible for a gift basket drawing.

New this year is the Placer County student Scavenger Hunt. Students who will be entering 1st grade through 12th grade in a Placer County school (or who are home-schooled in the county) in the fall of 2017, can enter to win prizes, including a Samsung Galaxy tablet or a Kindle Fire.

The Heritage Trail kicks off June 17, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Bernhard and Gold Rush museums and the historic Benton Welty School Room in Auburn, and ends Sept. 3 with a free weekend at the Forest Hill Divide Museum in Foresthill.