The Mathematics of Museum Membership Programs!
April 3, 2017 Family Travel Tips

The Mathematics of Museum Membership Programs!


We’ve learned through our travels to take advantage of Museum Membership Programs.
Why? There are certain things that I’m just ‘cheap’ about.

Museum Membership Programs

Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely understand the importance of organic, no hormone milk. However, I’m not paying $3 for a poster board that I can buy for .79 at The Dollar Tree. Punky is in first grade so if we assume 2 poster boards a year through the 12th grade, I’m saving….oh who am I kidding? I don’t do math! But you get me, right? Why overpay if you are receiving the exact same quality product or experience. Which leads me directly to the value of Museum Membership Programs.

Membership Programs = Savings

It was through my cheapness that I discovered the amazing benefit of Museum Membership Programs.  We were visiting the The Children’s Museum of West Hartford, CT when the kind young lady provided me the total cost for our entrance. Now, again, I’m cheap! I paused for a moment and quickly did the math in my head (I’m lying, I pulled out my iPhone).

Museum Membership Programs
I’m saving how much?

Upon reviewing the membership specs it somehow seemed like it made more sense to buy the membership, which at every level includes the ASTC Travel Passport Program. For an additional $20 you can add ACM Reciprocal Benefits.  What does all of this even mean?  It’s means that for $145 a year, we gain access to reduced and even FREE admission to hundreds of museums across the world.

We don’t live in Connecticut so we only visit The Children’s Museum of West Hartford, our “home museum”, once a year when we’re visiting Abuelo & Abuela. We stop in to renew in November, spend the afternoon there then reap the benefits all year long.

Wondering where we’ve been?

In November, immediately after leaving CT, we spent a day at Boston Children’s Museum. Conveniently enough, they are members of ASTC so we saved $64. (we teased Cal for about 2 hours for “flirting us in” but it turns out it was  the ASTC reciprocity)

Museum Membership Programs
Divas in STEM


Then in January, heading home from Savannah, GA we made a “pit stop” in Huntsville, Al. Where you can find and MUST enjoy,
U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

I promise to dedicate a post to this gem of a museum so stay tuned. Yet again, our museum membership programs came in handy. We saved $80.  No mathematician here but with just these two visits I’m only $1 short from paying for my total membership (not even counting my visit to our ‘home museum’).  Of course, we blew our savings in the gift shop but sometimes we get suckered by our kids…happens to the best of us.

What’s the take-away?

Get yourself into a few museum membership programs and get traveling! We use our reciprocity lists to plan visits to places we haven’t been. In writing this, I just convinced Cal that we’re going to Oklahoma City. We also have memberships at our local Zoo and The Art Institute of Chicago, which bring their own perks.

P.S. Cal told me to use frugal instead of cheap. There is a reason why I say cheap. As a kid my mom used to say that my dad was like a bird, “cheep cheep cheep”. I’m proud to be cheap! #daddysgirl

Comment below and share some of your favorite membership tips, we’d love to hear from you!

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