"Treasures of the Pharaohs" opens at the de Young with timed entry and a $40 ticket, while the homegrown photography show "Boom and Bust" closes Sunday, Aug. 2. Here's how to time a visit — and what's actually free.

Two shows change hands at the de Young this weekend, and they could not be more different. "Treasures of the Pharaohs," roughly 130 royal artifacts from ancient Egypt, opens Saturday, Aug. 1, and runs through Jan. 31, 2027. At the same moment, "Boom and Bust: Photographing Northern California" — the museum's own survey of San Francisco through the camera, from the 1906 quake to South of Market's rebuilds — takes its final bow Sunday, Aug. 2. If you want both, this is the weekend.

The details. de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park. Open Tuesday–Sunday, 9:30 a.m.–5:15 p.m. (closed Mondays). Treasures is a timed-entry, ticketed special exhibition: $40 general, $28 discounted; a limited run of untimed tickets sells for more, and a $35 "Late Night Edition" runs after hours. Book a slot in advance — a blockbuster on opening weekend is exactly when walk-ups get turned away.

What's free, and what isn't. Every Saturday through Dec. 31, 2026, general admission is free to residents of the nine Bay Area counties (advance reservation plus a valid ID; a driver's license or a postmarked envelope does it). That free admission covers the permanent-collection galleries; ticketed special exhibitions are not included. Treasures is one of those — it needs its own paid ticket, $40, on any day. If you're planning your visit around the free Saturday, know going in that the Egypt show sits behind a separate paywall.

While you're inside, the new Arts of Indigenous America galleries are open, anchored by Rose B. Simpson's "LEXICON" (up through Feb. 7, 2027) — she parked a rebuilt 1964 Buick in the museum to make her point.

If you've got two hours: see Boom and Bust first — Sunday, Aug. 2 is its final day. Then ride the elevator up to the Hamon Tower, the de Young's free top-floor observation deck and one of the best no-cost views in the city. Save the $40 pharaohs for a return trip when the opening-weekend crush thins out.

Times, prices and closing dates confirmed against Mission Local's August museum guide and de Young/FAMSF listings as of Saturday; special-exhibition tiers can shift, so check famsf.org before you buy.