Last year for the boy’s birthday we asked our friends and family members to contribute towards memberships to some of our favorite museums and gardens locally instead of purchasing them toys. This is probably one of my greatest parenting hacks!
We currently have a membership to the Missouri Botanical Gardens and to The Magic House. Not only does this mean we have unlimited admission to these places, we also have some really great benefits you might not have thought of.
Easier Entrance
To some, this isn’t even a huge deal, but to me, trying to get two little ones into a building by myself, this is so easy! I just walk in, go to the short membership line, they scan my card and we’re off!
Multiple Locations
We bought a membership in Missouri Botanical Gardens so we could go to the children’s garden, but we also have access to the Butterfly House and to Shaw Nature Reserve which are two separate and amazing attractions!
Member Only Hours and Exclusive Events
Sometimes, especially during spring breaks, summer, or rainy days, the Magic House can get full fast. What I love about having a membership, is there’s specific events for members where they’re ticketed events. This leads to less people! The Garden has some really amazing exclusive member events, most of those are geared more towards adults than children, but we still love a good date night!
MY FAVORITE HIDDEN PERK
The Reciprocal Benefits
Most museums are apart of a reciprocal network and offer benefits like free or half priced admissions at other museums all over the country! This has worked out for us so well when we went to Chicago, to visit the Chicago Children’s Museum 1/2 priced, and to Fort Worth to visit Fort Worth Museum of History and Science for free! We visited the Dallas arboretum and botanical garden and Texas Discovery garden for FREE thanks to the reciprocal benefits of our memberships. If you’re planning any road-trips or vacations, it’s super easy to see what attractions are available for you to visit in each city! I’ve never had a problem with other museums giving us any of the benefits, in fact, all of them have been happy to have us there.