I like to think of myself as thrifty. Or at least cautious with my funds. So you might be surprised to learn that I have memberships to a LOT of places. This is because I’m one of those people that businesses lose out on when I get a membership. So I was reflecting on what are the best memberships for a family. I love to do activities and have fun with my kids and memberships to places are a way to expand your options. I mean, how often have we asked ourselves, is a zoo membership worth it?
I live in Colorado, so maybe my list should be best Colorado memberships for families. Or even Denver Metro memberships to get this year. Many of my list will be specific to this area. However, it can give you a starting place for you to do some research in your own area as well. This list is also compiled with young children in mind, but I will make an effort to highlight when I think there are best age ranges to keep in mind. And of course, it always depends on your family.
Memberships and Money
My claim to thriftyness wouldn’t be very convincing if I didn’t save money on my memberships. Doing fun things can be expensive. A good membership will grant you entry to the place, as well as some other perks. These are some tips to get the most out of your memberships.
Count Your Visits
Sometimes a membership will cover you and the whole family, sometimes you have to get a membership for each of you. Before running forward and buying a membership, make sure you know how many entries that one membership would get you. A lot of memberships seem to only require you to visit twice in order to make your money’s worth. Other memberships require more visits. Do the math and be sure that you will go enough times to make it worth it. You can even put the dates on your calendar in advance to ensure they get their use.
Pack a Lunch
My guess as to why memberships are often so affordable is because everything else is not. Save yourself some money by packing your lunch. Sometimes you can bring it inside, other times you may have to picnic in the car. It doesn’t even have to be complicated. Sandwiches, chips and some dried fruit. Plus snacks. Always pack snacks.
Dodge the Giftshops
If you thought food was expensive, don’t doubt how overpriced the junk in the gift shops is. I find if you don’t have to walk through this space at all it can save energy, and the wallet, for everyone involved. Your children won’t ask for things and you won’t have to temper your own desire to drop money if you never walk through at all.
Bring What You Need
When I purchased my Get Out Pass I quickly found that there were plenty of places I could get into for free but would still have to do rentals for shoes or socks or other items. Find out if you need to have anything to enter the place you are planning to go and bring it yourself instead of renting or buying there. A great example is the jump socks you need for those trampoline places (Get Air and Urban Air are just two of many in our area). They usually aren’t expensive, but if you never bring them back, the cost can add up over time.
Use Your Perks
One of my favorite things about memberships is that they often come with perks. Most of the perks I know of are ones that get friends or family in for free once or twice. Whatever your membership comes with, look it up and be sure to use it!
My Favorite Memberships
Finally, it’s time to break down some of my favorite memberships. As I have said, many of these memberships are specific for the Denver, Colorado area. But I am sure if you look around your area you can find something similar.
Aquarium
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I will admit that of all the memberships I’ve held, the aquarium was one of my least favorites. I am very aware of animal well fare in places such as zoo and aquariums. At least in my local aquarium, the place is okay at best. Be sure yours is large enough and diverse enough to hold the interest of you and your children going multiple times in a year.
Cost
The cost for the Denver Aquarium ranges from $95-$210 depending on what you get. This will land you at needing to go about 4 times in a year if you get the single pass.
Botanical Gardens
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I enjoy the Denver Botanical Gardens for a nice, relaxing afternoon in the Spring or Fall. I will say that in the height of summer, it’s not my favorite place to be. It’s plenty educational and offers a nice slice of nature. I particularly love the Botanical Gardens at Chatfield Farms though. This huge, open space that is much less frequented than it’s City of Denver counterpart is perfect for people with families. It’s beautiful and there is a park area for playing and more than enough shade to help you enjoy the day. There are animals and since it is a real, working farm, there is a lot to learn about where food comes from. My children sat and watched a tractor work a field for 30 minutes once, and when the man was done, he drove his tractor over to the kids and let them climb up onto it!
Cost
The gardens range from $75-$10,000. I suspect if you are reading my blog, you probably aren’t in the $10k price bracket though. The more realistic higher end is $185. This means you would need to go 5-8 times (depending on which gardens you go to) in order for this pass to pay for itself on the low end.
Butterfly Pavilion
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I actually very recently invested in a membership to the butterfly pavilion. This space, completely committed to invertebrates, is actually really cool, if a bit small. There are rooms with spiders, some sea creatures, and of course, butterflies. There is also a cute indoor play place for kids where they also do activities. I especially love this place for the children who are still napping, since it’s easy to get through in just a few hours, ensuring you can still get home in time for lunch and rest. You will have to walk through the gift shop to leave, just as a warning.
Cost
Membership ranges from $50-$250. The family membership, which comes in at $100 is actually a really good asking price in my opinion. If you have just 2 adults and 2 children in your family, this membership pays for itself after just 2 visitis!
Children's Museum
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I’ve been to a number of Children’s Museums in the United States and even one in Canada. I will admit the quality of them varries significantly at each location. The Denver Children’s Museum is a pretty exceptional museum with fun for all ages (myself included!). The place is huge and it is easy to spend an entire day there. Warning for those of us that are crowd sensitive though, it gets packed on the weekends.
Cost
Coming in at one of the more expensive locations, the memberships here run from $140-$265. However, since you always have to have at least two of you (child and adult) you only need 4 visits to make this worthwhile on the low end. And since the place is so large, you’re going to want to go at least that many times.
CityPASS
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I am not sure if every city has a pass like this, but Denver has one and it is pretty remarkable. The idea is that there are so many cool places to visit in the city. So instead of having a membership to every single place, you get a one time entrance to your choice of 3, 4, or 5 locations. The locations are listed on their site. I love this as a sampler option to see what places you love and want to go to again and which ones aren’t a great fit at this time. The discount is huge depending on the places you select.
Cost
This pass ranges from $36-$59 and is priced according to age. You can select 3, 4, or 5 different attractions to visit, most of which are on this list!
Elitch Gardens
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Elitch Gardens is Denver’s theme park. If I were in Michigan, I would be putting Michigan Adventures on here instead (went recently and really loved the space, rides, short lines, and the SHADE!). Anyway, it’s your typical theme park with overpriced food and a fair number of lines. I especially like Elitch Gardens while my children are pretty young though. The kids section at this park is great with a lot of ride options and almost no waiting. Check your child’s height before committing to this membership though because you want to be sure they can enjoy the rides.
Cost
I can’t really post the cost of memberships here because they vary so significantly. Wait until they are running a great deal though. For example, it is early fall while I write this and currently membership for the rest of this year and all of next year is only $10 more than the cost of one day admission. That’s a pretty great deal! Plus each membership comes with some bring a friend passes. All you have to do is go twice in a year and this pass more than pays for itself.
Get Air (or Urban Air or any of those places)
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This type of place is great if you have children with a lot of energy. We invested in a membership a few years ago and would go almost every week. It’s a great indoor option for rainy days. These places are built for running and jumping. Many of them have separate areas for extra little kids, so look into that depending on the age of your child.
Cost
These memberships run $140-$160 per person depending on height. I will say it’s nice because if you aren’t planning to ever jump, you can buy memberships just for your kids and you don’t have to pay to get in for yourself. I always appreciated that since I would go with a friend of mine and the kids could go play while we chatted. Day passes are typically sold by the hour and you have to go about 10 times to get your money worth, so be sure this is one you will use!
Museum of Nature and Science
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The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is another one membership that I had for years. My kids and I would go pretty much every month. Because the space is so large and there is always so much to learn, it is easy to either go for an entire day or pick one are to go to for an hour or two each time. There is so much learning to be had in this space!
Cost
This membership can run from $65-$175 per year depending on how many people you want to get in each time. I always got the more expensive one so that I could bring all of my friends. And since this Museum is not just for kids, I’ve even had a birthday outing with a group of friends on more than one occasion!
Recreation Center or a Gym
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I truly believe that we have to take care of ourselves in order to take care of others. Going to a gym is one way to do that. Of course, many times if you have a local recreation center as well you can take your kids to do fun activities like dance and swimming as well. Memberships will vary significantly by center and town. Look into them though, it is more than worth it!
Cost
Many recreation centers offer family plans. Be sure you are bringing your children often enough to make a family plan worth it for you. If you are mostly going by yourself and only bring your kids a few times in the year, consider getting a membership for yourself and just paying the handful of times your go with the family.
Zoo
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A warning note here, not all zoos are created equally. Look into your local zoo and make sure it’s part of the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums). This accreditation ensures that the animals are being properly cared for and given humane environments. It matters where you spend your money.
The Denver Zoo is an amazing zoo, decently sized (I always felt Omaha was great but a little too big). The animals are well cared for and the staff is knowledgeable and engaging. It’s easy to spend a full day here, or you could do just half a day if you have a membership. This year they even started a membership week!
Cost
One of the feel goods for me is that my zoo membership goes towards conservation support and more. This is one of those places where if I could afford to give them more money, I definitely would. General admission is $24 per person so a membership can very quickly pay for itself depending on the size of your family.
