Memberships: More Fun for the Money By Lynn McCormack, Triplet Mom Originally printed in July 2004 I am a big fan of memberships. Memberships get me out of the house and provide an economical way to visit places. They allow you to visit for an hour or three hours (or 15 minutes on a really bad day). Memberships are also good for little ones. Children learn through repetition, so seeing the same thing over and over is great for them. Many memberships also provide reciprocal agreements with other institutions. Therefore you can get a membership to one location and you have free or reduced entry fees to other similar locations. Memberships are generally offered as individual, couple, family, and family plus levels. Usually an admission price paid can be applied to the membership fee either on that day, or within a certain timeframe. This enables you to try things out before you commit. A membership will normally pay for itself in two to three visits. We have had the Zoo New England membership for the last three years. We started when the kids turned one. It was a great place to walk with the kids in the stroller. It is now a nice place to take the kids alone or as a family. You can bring your own picnic lunch into the zoo, so it is a great place to spend the day. Last summer, when the kids had just turned 3, we started with a membership to the Children's Metamorphosis Museum in Derry, New Hampshire. We also purchased the additional Association of Children's Museum (ACM) membership. The Children's Met is relatively small and manageable for me alone with the kids. We have also visited the Children's Museum of Maine, the Cape Cod Children's Museum, Children's Museum of Portsmouth, and the Providence Children's Museum as a family. Here are some popular memberships in the area: Museum of Science Science Park Boston, MA 02114 (617) 723-2500 www.mos.org The Museum of Science offers Exhibit Halls, the Nichols Gallery, the Mugar Omni Theater, the Hayden Planetarium, and Laser Shows. Family memberships cost $89. It includes exhibit hall admission, subscription to member publications, a variety of discounts, free ticketing reservations, and reciprocal agreements through the ASTC Passport Program. Some of the ASTC sites include: the Berkshire Museum, The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and EcoTarium in Massachusetts, the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium, SEE Science Center, Mount Washington Weather Discover Center and the Children's Museum of Portsmouth in New Hampshire, and the Thames Museum in Rhode Island, the Maine Discovery Museum, the Children's Museum of Maine, the Maritime Aquarium and the Science Center of Connecticut. The Children's Museum 300 Congress Street Boston, MA 02210 (617) 426-8855 www.bostonkids.org The Children's Museum is a hands-on, interactive learning and playing center for children. It includes an under 3 play area, exhibits, climbing structures and a kid stage for live, participatory plays. Family memberships for up to six people cost $90. This includes admission to exhibits, members' only hours, members express admission line on busy days, and a variety of discount offers. The membership also includes a similar reciprocal agreement with the ASTC as the Museum of Science (but the MOS is not included in that list). An Association of Children's Museum (ACM) family membership is $125. This adds virtually all of the Children's Museums across the country. The New England participants include: the Kidcity Children's Museum, Lutz Children's Museum, and Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Connecticut; the Children's Museum of Maine and Maine Discovery Museum in Maine; the Cape Cod Children's Museum and Children's Museum in Easton in Massachusetts; the Children's Metamorphosis and Children's Museum of Portsmouth in New Hampshire; and the Providence Children's Museum in Rhode Island. Zoo New England One Franklin Park Road Boston, MA 02121 (617) 541-LION www.zoonewengland.org Zoo New England includes both the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston as well as the Stone Zoo in Stoneham. Each location has free parking and is a great place to walk with strollers. The 72-acre Franklin Park Zoo is home to more than 220 species of animals. The park includes the Franklin Farm, Giraffe Savanna, Lion Kingdom, Butterfly Landing, a tropical forest, Australian Outback, and more. The Stone Zoo is a smaller zoo featuring coyotes, flamingos, jaguar, llamas, and snow leopards. A family membership (two named adults and up to four children) to Zoo New England is $55. This includes admission to exhibits, Wild Words newsletter, members express admission line on busy days, and a variety of discount offers. There is a reciprocal agreement with over 140 zoos nationwide including: Beardsley Zoo in Connecticut, Capron Park Zoo in Massachusetts, and Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 465 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02115 (617) 267-9300 www.mfa.org The MFA offers art exhibits, concerts, films, gallery talks, studio art classes, and programs for children, teens and families. Dual/family memberships cost $95. Children under 17 are admitted free. The membership includes admission to view all museum collections, the Preview magazine, members-only preview of major exhibitions, and a variety of discount offers.