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QOTD #37: Ever had a season pass?

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by genuinemommy, Nov 29, 2015.

  1. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    Have you ever had a season pass, membership, etc?
    To where - ball games, museum, zoo, climbing gym, state parks, national parks, etc?

    Did it motivate you to go frequently?

    We recently chose to get a season pass to a natural science museum, and we love it. We go every weekend that we possibly can. It takes a lot of pressure off, we don't have to worry about seeing everything at once, we can just go and enjoy one section at a time.
     
  2. fflowley

    fflowley Don't just do something, stand there!

    A recent discovery for us as a family of 5:
    If you are traveling to see museums, family attractions etc. it is often cheaper to buy a family membership than to buy 5 individual admission tickets.
    So we are currently members of several museums in NY city for example.
    We do have a local farmer's museum, and we have an annual membership because the kids love it and it is nice to be able to go spend and hour or two when they want to see something without worrying about the entrance fees.
     
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  3. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    We had one for Texas state parks, a long time ago. Used it fairly often, sometimes for camping (still had to pay extra fees, but at a reduced rate), frequently for day trips (no charge with AP). Our lovely politicians decided to nearly double the cost of the annual permit, & increase other state park fees.
     
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  4. Stan

    Stan Resident Dumbass

    Location:
    Colorado
    All sorts, over the years.

    Presently, I have a US Interagency Pass (formerly Golden Eagle) that gets me into National Parks and pretty much anything outdoor and federal. I also have a season pass at Loveland ski area, it takes 5-6 days of skiing to break even and I typically get 25-30.

    I've had zoo and amusement park passes when my daughters were the appropriate ages.
     
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  5. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    I've seriously considered a membership in the Museum of Fine Arts. It's not cheap--much depends on the level--and would need to be used often to make it worth it. Networking at some of the special invitation only GTGs might be worth it for some folks, but not really for me. Perhaps for my wife, but getting her out of the house on a weeknight is nearly impossible.
     
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  6. While we were homeschooling the children, we had yearly subscriptions to the science museums around Detroit. One family subscription got us in to several great venues in SE Michigan. We've also had season passes to the Detroit Zoo and Metro Parks from time to time. As stated above, when you can leisurely take in one or two specific areas, make it both entertaining and educational, without feeling pressured by time to try to do it all at once, it makes sense to go for it. The additional guest pass features these subscriptions included made them an even better value.
     
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  7. CinnamonGirl

    CinnamonGirl The Cheat is GROUNDED!

    My dad had season tickets to Reds games when I was a kid...not "mine," but I very much reaped the benefits :)

    We also had season tickets to King's Island, the local theme park (usually given as Christmas presents.) My favorite thing about having a pass was that we didn't have to spend all day at the park to "get our money's worth." We'd wait until later in the day, when many other people were leaving, and then stay until close. This was especially awesome at the water park, when we could go for a couple hours and not wait in line for anything.

    As an adult? Hmm. I'm an Amazon Prime member. The free two day shipping makes it more than worth it, or if it's not something I need for a week, I choose "no rush" shipping and then use the account credit to buy Kindle books. Win-win. No theme park/museum/zoo memberships, though...if I still lived in Ohio, I would most likely have a Cincinnati Zoo pass, but the closest zoo where I live now is about two hours away :( I've been vaguely considering a membership to the science center or the local historical society for the upcoming year...the monetary contribution vs the benefits aren't very balanced, to be honest, but at the very least, a membership would make me get out of the house more.
     
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  8. POPEYE

    POPEYE Very Tilted

    Location:
    Tulsa
    Doesn't fit my life style, work and home work and home for me.
     
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  9. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Yep. Growing up, my family had memberships to several museums.

    I am going to treat myself to an aquarium membership for my birthday. We go at least once a year, and I want to support their conservation efforts. I would also consider a membership to the science center in Portland and for the Japanese Garden there, as it is one of my happy places.

    We have had season tickets for college football in the past, and we're alumni association members.
     
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  10. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    When I was in high school, my friend and I used to get a season's pass to Canada's Wonderland (a big, rollercoaster filled amusement park just north of Toronto). We started going because it was the summer and it was cheap (once you had the pass). At the time they also had a $4 concert series. If you had the season pass, you could see some amazing concerts for $4. Off the top of my head, we saw: The GoGos, The Stray Cats, Huey Lewis and the News, Teenage Head, and INXS (there were more, but it was a long time ago). Interestingly, that same friend now works at Canada's Wonderland.

    When we first had my son, we bought a family pass to the Toronto Zoo, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum. Best money spent. We went frequently. The zoo was a big hit and always a great time. When we moved downtown, the Gallery and Museum were our regular goto places with my son (we let the Zoo membership lapse as it was harder to get out there). One weekends, both the Gallery and Museum had activities for kids that were either included or exclusive to members. My son and I would also spend hours just looking at paintings and sculptures and talking about art.

    When we moved to Singapore, one of the first things we purchased was a family pass to the Zoo and Night Safari. We kept it active for the first couple years we were there as our four-year-old daughter thought it was the coolest thing (so did we). As she got older, the lure of other activities drew us away.

    I really miss going to the art gallery with my boy and when I visit him in Ottawa, I always try to go to the National Art Gallery with him.
     
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  11. redux

    redux Very Tilted

    Location:
    Foggy Bottom
    I've had an annual FONZ (Friends of National Zoo) and Smithsonian Resident Associate membership for years. The biggest benefit is the special food and wine/beer events at the zoo and advance access to some exhibit openings at Smithsonian museums and discounts on concerts, lectures, etc.
     
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