Finding fun and educational things to do with the kids is always a top priority for me. My children are hands-on learners who love to be out in the world, exploring wherever they go. If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll have seen many of our adventures. Over the years, I found that we often return to the same places, so I decided to purchase annual memberships to the places that offered them. It just made sense! The memberships have been invaluable, not just for financial reasons, but for the memories we create and how many times they save my sanity. Hello!
Some benefits of having memberships are:
Saves money The cost of taking a family on an outing can be expensive! Personally, we’ve been places where the cost of a one-day visit for myself and three children could purchase an annual membership. Even if we only visit once a month or once a quarter, the cost of the membership is worth it financially.
Lowers stress I know how it is as a mom out with her children ALONE, in a place with lots of things to do and feeling the pressure to do ALL THE THINGS. With a membership, you don’t have to cram everything in at the same time. You can allow for the inevitable dawdling, frequent potty breaks, and kid drama because you know you can come back another time without any additional admission fees.
Focused, fun learning Returning to a place that’s familiar makes everyone feels at home, welcoming deeper, more focused learning opportunities. If a child goes to a museum once, there’s little time to slowly explore and look deeper into what’s in front of him. When able to go over and over, he will see things in ways he hadn’t, even though he’d seen them many times before. It has been delightful to have seen how my children learn, explore, and find more hidden gems each time we return to somewhere familiar. It makes our frequent trips (and the cost of the membership) so worth it.
Over the years, we’ve had various memberships and they have been invaluable, not just for financial reasons, but for how many memories we created there…
Here are five local spots that we have found value in purchasing a membership, as well as lots of other options that are favorites of other homeschoolers, too.
- Annual Family Membership — $109 ($10 off for tri-county residents (Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties))
- Added Benefits and Perks include free daytime parking, advanced event ticket sales, and discounts to other zoos and aquariums nationwide
The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village
- Annual Family Membership — $185-$260 (get a 25% discount by going to the link within this post)
- Check out their current events for preschool, elementary, and teens here.
- Annual Family Membership — $75-$170
- Includes monthly homeschool workshops and admission to ATSC museums
- Annual Metropark vehicle pass — $35 ($59 for a combined Metropark and Oakland County park pass)
- See all of the parks here.
- Annual Recreation Passport — $11 when renewing license tabs; $16 when purchasing at a park ($5 convenience fee added)
- See an extensive list of Michigan state parks here.
Some other fantastic options are below. Click each link to find out all of the benefits you’ll receive with a family membership.
- Cranbrook Institute of Science — $75
- We vlogged one of our visits. Watch it here
- Detroit Institute of Arts — $110 (Admission is FREE for tri-county residents (Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties)
- Outdoor Adventure Center — $50
- SEA Life Michigan Aquarium and Legoland Discovery Center — various membership price options
- We vlogged one of our visits. Watch it here.
- Ann Arbor Hands on Museum — $80-$150 (Family Plus Premium includes a combined membership to the Leslie Science and Nature Center)
- We vlogged one of our visits. Watch it here.
- Toledo Zoo — $99-$109
- Charles H. Wright African-American Museum — $65
- We vlogged one of our visits. Watch it here.
Note: A tip for getting the most out of your membership is to check for reciprocity between your home base and similar categories around the nation. Check out the links below for more ways to use your memberships.
Lastly, Christmas is less three weeks away and memberships make great family gifts to give and receive. They’re truly the gift that keeps on giving and can be enjoyed all year long. You can’t say that about most gifts these days!
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The Intuitive Homeschooler 