Tips & Uncategorized admin | 18 Jan 2010
Dreaming of Free Entrance to Children’s Science Centers?
Today, for Monday Dreaming, I am dreaming of free admission to children’s science centers and museums. We do not live in a city full of amazing children’s museums. We have a few small museums that we enjoy and the Naval Aviation Museum, but sometimes I wish we had a large children’s museum dedicated to science and technology. The Gulf Coast Exploreum sits about 45 minutes away from us in Mobile, Alabama. It is not a difficult drive and there is a fabulous shopping center a little over halfway between me and the Exploreum. My kids love the Exploreum. However, like most things in life, there is a price…and it is not that cheap. It costs about 50 dollars to take my family of four to the Exploreum. They do offer a year long membership for 100 dollars. If I take my family twice, it would at least pay for itself. I imagine spending some of the summer at the Exploreum, but then I wonder…will I really get in the car and drive 45 minutes one way more than once or twice? And the membership doesn’t cover the admission price for special exhibits (like the Dinosaur Downtown going on right now).
Upon further research of the Exploreum Membership, I found that they are a member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) Passport Program. Next month I am heading to Virginia where I will be nearby three other science centers that participate in the ASTC Passport Program. This seems like it would be a cost effective purchase. I asked around to see if anyone had ever used this passport program and got no response. So, I am asking you…
What is your experience with the ASTC Passport Program? Have you found that it was cost effective? Have you ever had trouble using the passport at other participating museums?
Any information would be much appreciated!
Stop by Mother of All Trips to see what she is dreaming about…but be prepared to be green with envy!
on 18 Jan 2010 at 8:08 pm 1.Amy @ pitstops for kids said …
I don’t know if it’s the same program exactly, but membership to our (smallish) children’s museum is partnered with about two dozen other museums throughout the northwest (our region). For a lower fee (or in some cases, free), we can gain admittance into all these other museums when we travel. I remember getting our family of 5 into the large Portland children’s museum for under $15! If you travel a lot (which you do), I’d say the $100 annual fee is worth it…not just for the museum in Mobile, but all the other opportunities.
on 19 Jan 2010 at 7:47 pm 2.sue rodman said …
Here’s a post I did on the Atlanta Children’s Museum memberships. With this one membership you have admittance to 160 other museums. They have to be part of the network, but the post gives links so you know who’s in the network. Here’s the link: http://www.fieldtripswithsue.com/2009/12/childrens-museum-of-atlanta-memberships.html. Look at the comments too. Linda of Travels with Children left a great comment about other reciprocal museum societies.
on 19 Jan 2010 at 10:05 pm 3.Carolina said …
I think it’s worthwhile if you can get into many other museums for free or reduced price. I have a membership for a small kids’ zoo, that gets me in free or reduced at zoos and science museums all over bay area and throughout. Totally worth it.
There’s only one membership I have that’s exclusive to a single place, but worth it because we love to go there so much and that’s to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
on 17 Apr 2010 at 9:28 pm 4.Albert said …
We have a membership at the McWane center in Birmingham and have used to ATSC membership to go to the Exploreum in Mobile and the US Rocket Center and SciQuest in Huntsville and haven’t had to pay anything.