We love to be out and about with the girls on the weekends. We enjoyed a membership at Marbles Museum when our first daughter was a toddler and I took her almost every Thursday afternoon. This year and last, we enjoyed being members of the Museum of Life and Science in Durham.
Here are five reasons we love being a member of our local museum:
1) Discounts at other museums, zoos and aquariums
We’ve been able to take advantage of great savings this year by being members at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. We went to a wedding in Wilmington and saved half off admission for all four of us at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (savings of $24). We took an impromptu trip to the North Carolina Zoo the other weekend and were also able to save half off admission (savings of $26).
There are various organizations to which zoos, museums and aquariums can belong and many share special discounts. Check out the websites of your local favorite place to explore and see where else you can enjoy savings.
2) Early access to special events
As a member, you usually get first dibs on special events and programs as well as a few dollars off ticket prices for those events.
3) It pays for itself and may be tax-deductible
Most of the time, if you purchase a membership and go at least twice, you will save money on admission prices! Many museums and zoos operate as nonprofits so you may be able to count your membership as a charitable donation.
4) There’s always something different to discover
The first three times we visited the Museum of Life and Science, we stayed outside the entire time. We’ve still only been inside once. There are so many exhibits to see just on the outside that becoming a member of your local museum, zoo or aquarium allows you to go back time and time again and see different exhibits. My kids could stay in the tree houses all day, but at different times of the year, it’s nice to be inside with AC.
It takes a full day to see most of the NC Zoo. We’ve been three times in the last three years and each trip is different. The polar bears have been hiding from us the last two years. But we did make it to feed the giraffes last year. This year, we saw alligators in the swamp for the first time and took some time to enjoy the Kids Zone. I honestly didn’t think we would convince the girls to get out of the stream there.
5) Your kids (and you) learn so much!
I m a visual and auditory learner, so museums and zoos are my favorite places to go to learn new things. You’ll also realize how much you thought you knew when your kids ask you about the difference between a monkey and gorilla. My mind was totally blown this year when a zookeeper explained that bears can mate, but the female can essentially control when her body implants an embryo to ensure the highest survival rate. What?!
The look of excitement and wonder on kids’ faces as they see so many amazing animals is priceless (but it sure is made even better when you can save some money with a membership).
