5 ways to save money on your Children's Museum Membership

If you are a toddler owner, local children’s playspaces are a treasure trove because littles can run, jump, explore, paint, drip water, and play without you doing any chasing or cleanup (well, maybe clothes and hands). An annual membership can save headaches about who has a meltdown when and cut our visit short. Not naming names, but ummm… you know what I mean.

I have some mom-tested ideas for saving on admission prices and I know that at least one of them will work for you.

Leverage another membership (zoo? science museum? student discount? AAA? affiliate children’s museum) to see if it can save you money on a yearly pass or daily outing. My zoo outing got me into a smaller hands-on wildlife preserve for the day.
Split a membership with a friend. Our friend Darci used this sneaky strategy with terrific results. If you and a buddy are both on maternity leave or similar schedules, do this!
Borrow a membership from the library. Our local Discover+Go program gives FREE day passes to these destinations with certain restrictions. Superhero Andrea likes to do this.
Ask for a membership as a big gift. Birthday or holiday? A huge YES PLEASE for a year of outings rather than one more noisy toy. I coordinated a group gift for my sister and her toddler son when they were living in a Manhattan apartment.
Look for deals on Group Deals sites. They happen pretty regularly. You might make a trade-off in your reciprocity benefits, but it may be worth it. My Oakland zoo membership didn’t include free ride passes but it was about half off, so, yay!

I’d love to know if you have any other tips for saving cash at kids’ museums (beyond packing your own snacks)!

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RookieMom Heather

RookieMoms co-founder & mom to 3 boys in Berkeley, CA. Bossy big sister and project manager turned blogger. Find me on my other site on 510families.com or hiding in my minivan eating dark chocolate.

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