Visited the Discovery Center in Binghamton today. These hands on children’s museums that they have today are amazing. I would have loved to have a place like that to play. The one here in town can actually be a pretty good deal.
The price for a child, per visit, is $5.50, an Adult is $4.50. So for me and both kids to go it is $15.50. The year membership, which includes both the Discovery Center and the Ross Park Zoo is $55. So if I am going to go more than 4 visits in a year, a membership pays for itself. I got the “Family Plus” for $65, which means I can bring two guests (that one works out to 5 visits-not counting the savings on the guests). Since I have family in the area who I might want to have along, as well as the possibility of bringing DD’s friends along etc, that made more sense to me. The “Family Plus” does not include entrance to the Zoo. Both memberships include a reciprocal membership to 5 upstate New York Museums and Science Centers. That means my membership in the one museum entitles me to get into all of the other 5 for free as well. Now that is a bargain!
Speaking of reciprocal memberships many science museums across the country have them. You can check out the Science Museum Reciprocals here at the ASTC Passport Program page. Museums within a 90 mile radius of each other are excluded, so if you lived near me and wanted to be able to visit the Discovery Center in Syracuse , Museum of the Earth at the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, the Roberson Center here in Binghamton, Science Discovery Center of Oneonta, and the Sciencenter in Ithaca you wouldn’t want to pick any of those for your primary membership. It would be better to pick somewhere you probably never want to visit another museum in the area of-like lets say the Anniston Museum of Natural History, in Anniston AL. Their family yearly membership is only $35 and would make you eligible to visit all of the ones in our area for free. Don’t forget the same reciprocal membership also will allow you to visit any of the other 257 museums on their list!
This same principle pertains no matter where you live. Choose a museum to become a member at that is somewhere you probably won’t go so you don’t have to worry about the exclusions.
We have loved visiting all the museums with our Anniston Museum membership, too. When our local zoo membership expires, we plan to purchase another one through the zoo in Abilene, TX–or any of the lower-priced options listed on the American Zoological Association’s reciprocal visit list (AZA). With preschoolers, we wouldn’t use the local “members only” events anyway.
Also, check your library to see if there are Friends of the Library sponsored museum passes. Not all libraries do that sort of thing, but my library has an extensive list (http://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/library_info/museum_passes.html).
As for summer activities: The library is good for that too, even my parents’ library in a smaller town has some neat sounding events, with Professional children’s entertainers on Summer Saturdays at 11:00 (http://www.tadl.org/index/localint.html)
At ASTC, we encourage families to support their local science centers and museums, and use the Travel Passport Program benefit when traveling outside their hometown. Admissions staff at Passport Program sites are aware of “bargain shoppers” and will take measures to stop the abuse of the program’s intent. –ASTC Membership Director