If you’re a resident of the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, it may be hard to find the time to check out everything this town has to offer — life can get busy with all kinds of affairs, after all.

But, if you happen to have a bit of downtime this month and have always thought about checking out the local museum, now couldn’t be a better time.

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum is once again opening its doors to visitors this February, offering free admission from 1 to 5 p.m. until the end of the month.

With regular admission at $5, waiving the fee helps draw visitors in during what can be a slow, snowy time of year, said Amy Klassen, the museum’s interim executive director.

“The free in February definitely helps increase the traffic,” she said.

The museum is also expanding programs for families, offering free EarlyON sessions three mornings a week, along with free learning “for everyone in the family.”

Klassen said the museum typically attracts older visitors and tourists and wants to reach more families.

“It’s really worked quite well,” she said. “They’ve had great turnouts and a lot of new people that we haven’t seen that didn’t know that there was a museum here.”

She said families are also exploring the exhibits while attending EarlyON programs.

The museum has additional events scheduled this month. On Feb. 23, it will host a discussion about Gus Calderone as part of its Famous and Infamous series. On Feb. 25, Kerry Abel will speak about the life of Elizabeth Simcoe during a virtual lecture.

Alongside these activities, the museum is also in the midst of fundraising: Miller Waste Systems will match donations to its capital expansion project up to $75,000. Klassen said the partnership with Miller has existed for the last year.

The expansion project aims to raise $10 million to add features including an elevator and new exhibition and storage space.

Klassen said the museum will provide a fundraising update in the spring. She added it is “hard to have a completion date at this time” because of several variables.

For example, the museum must wait until spring for an archeological assessment. Klassen said plumbing and foundation permit approvals should be completed “very, very soon.” She hopes there will be “significant work going on” by fall.

To donate, visit notlmuseum.ca/donate-now. For a list of EarlyON times and upcoming events, visit notlmuseum.ca/whats-on/upcoming-events.