Oct 01 2008
Frugal Travel
Going on adventures with kids doesn’t necessarily mean spending a lot of money on admission. Here are some tips for seeing the world without breaking the bank.
- Find out if the location has free or discount days. Many museums will have free admission on a weekly or monthly basis; check their websites for details. Amusement parks may offer discounted “twilight” admission.
- Purchase a museum membership. Many museums provide reciprocal free or discounted admission to other museums within their associations. It’s a great deal if you’ll be visiting several museums during the year. The Association of Children’s Museums (www.childrensmuseums.org), Association of Science-Technology Centers (www.astc.org), and American Zoo Association (www.aza.org) are examples. Some museums are members of more than one organization so you can really get a bang for your buck. This year, I invested $224 in museum memberships, and if I had paid regular admission at those sites, it would have totaled $391. I still have 4-6 months left on my memberships, so I’ll save even more before they expire. (Hint: You can purchase a membership at an out-of-state museum via the Internet without ever visiting the museum. Memberships rates vary greatly from museum to museum, so doing some homework can really pay off. Be aware, though, that some museums have residency restrictions for reciprocity, so it’s always a good idea to call ahead before going.)
- Broaden your horizons. Even though I’m not an avid art lover, we’ve gone to art museums on free family days and had a great time while exposing the kids to something new.
- If you’re a member of certain organizations, you may receive a discount on admission. AAA and Farm Bureau are some examples. Your employer may also offer discount tickets to attractions.
- Scour websites for other details. Some museums offer free memberships or greatly reduced admission to families within certain income guidelines.
- Go while the kids are young.
Many places offer free or greatly reduced admission prices for children under 3, under 6, or even under 12. Other places will give a family rate that is a better deal than paying for each individual. Doing your homework ahead of time, especially via the web, can ensure that you get the best price available. - Look for coupons in visitor’s guides and welcome packets.
- If you live in Minnesota, check out a Museum Adventure Pass for free admission to many metro-area museums. See www.melsa.org/museumadventurepass for details.
On occasion, I do pay full price for admission, and it’s well worth it!
1/28/2008
What’s in a Membership?
With a large family, a museum membership pays for itself pretty quickly. I purchased our three museum memberships in April and June of 2007, so I still have a few months left on them. In that time, here’s how it’s panned out for us:
Membership to state historical society: $55
Membership to children’s museum, includes ACM reciprocity: $100
Membership to science museum, includes ASTC and AZA reciprocity: $69
Total spent on memberships: $224
ACM/ASTC/AZA reciprocity used at 11 sites; if we had paid admission, total of $377.30.
MNHS reciprocity used at 11 sites; if we had paid admission, total of $140.
Total savings in 9 months by using our memberships: $293.30, not including gift shop discounts and other membership “perks.”
Now, I realize $224 sounds like a lot of money (and that it doesn’t include travel expenses, lodging, or meals along our adventures), but I prefer to think of it this way: For our family of six, with the youngest still being free, one day in one park only at Disney World would cost us $322. I think the memberships are a great deal!
Published by minnemom
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I like the way you’ve made your “business case” for the memberships. We have a couple that get us into 5 local museums plus the Association of Science-Technology Centers. We go to museums even when we’re not sure how long we’ll last because there is no direct tie between the money we spend and the “value” we need to get out of it on a single visit. This lack of stress means we don’t push our daughter from one exhibit to the next and if she is tired or cranky we can leave without worry. Mostly we spend crazy amounts of time because we aren’t trying too hard. For some museums (like the Calgary Science Centre), it is cheaper to buy a membership for the Canada Science and Technology Museum here in Ottawa and never use it, than to buy a single day’s admission for a family of 5.
Our local library has admission cards to various local museums that can be borrowed just like a book so that families can see what is on offer free of charge.
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We bought our zoo membership through the zoo in Green Bay, WI for $59/family http://www.newzoo.org/zoopass/
And our Children’s Museum membership came from Half Price Twin Cities for a Passport Deluxe (get a free guest every time to the one in StP) & paid about $70 after their fees & shipping
And this summer I will get a membership to our community pool. Last year I pd $75 but it would have cost us $150 during a cool summer (we have reasonable admission rates), but now DD is older & will cost more, so we will save even more this summer.
And we pay $35 to a nearby nature center & we get in free to 2 special events (which would normally cost $36 for our family) plus we get to do a bunch of classes & other events for free or discounted & rental fees are discounted.
Memberships are dfinitly the way to go if you think you visit a place more than once a year.
Thanks for the tip about Boonshoft. I will have to remember that for next year. I just got the ACM reciprocity one in January and AZA reciprocity one this month.
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[...] zoo, big families often find it cost efficient to buy a membership pass. As Minnemom points out memberships can have their perks including reciprocal admission or discounts at other [...]
Hi – I found your site last year and accordingly purchased a Boonshoft membership, even though we live out in California.
Today my wife was embarrassed to see a sign at the Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose (where we live) that said that Boonshoft memberships would not be honored without proof of residence (I’m assuming they’re looking for an Ohio driver’s license).
Looking at the Boonshoft website, this appears to be a recent policy change, and the Portland Children’s Museum is also not honoring reciprocal privileges.
http://www.boonshoftmuseum.org/membership/reciprocity
The Boonshoft membership is a *great* deal for frugal parents. We’ve used it to get into various children’s museums, as well as science museums and zoos.
But even so, when we go, I feel a lot more comfortable spending money on overpriced food and even gift shops to make up for the money I saved on admission.
I hope this is not a trend.
Darryl,
I’m sorry to hear of your wife’s experience, but I thank you for bringing it to my attention. When I was researching reciprocal memberships a few years ago, there was a museum in Anniston, Alabama, that had very inexpensive memberships, but many museums explicitly said that they would not honor reciprocity from that location.
You may have also noticed that the AZA reciprocity program is changed; at some zoos you now get only a 50% discount. This change has come about in the past six months or so, I believe, so if you’re planning to visit a zoo with any AZA reciprocity program, check the fine print carefully before you go.
It’s interesting that they’re looking for proof of residency now with a Boonshoft membership. The very first membership I purchased was to a museum 7 hours from home. We went there on a day-long visit, and by the time I paid the regular rates, I was only about $30 short of a membership, so I purchased it to test the membership waters.
As my kids grow older, we are visiting children’s museums less and less, and with the AZA changes, it may soon make better sense for me to buy a membership to a more local science museum with ASTC reciprocity, but get the benefits of free parking and gift shop discounts at our home museum, which we visit two or three times a year.
It’s too bad that membership programs aren’t more equal in price and benefits; if it were not for the large cost/benefit disparity, everyone would support their local museums, I believe.
Thank you for your comment.
Please note that the intent of the ASTC Travel Passport Program is to reward families who support the science centers/museums in their communities. Several venues restrict free admission based on residence–call ahead to confirm your benefits before hitting the road.
Safe travels!