I am a self confessed Museum, Zoo, and Botanical Garden Nerd. If I’m driving down the road and see a sign for any of such mentioned, I’ll likely turn around to check it out, or atleast make a mental note to Google it for a future visit.

Growing up in San Diego, I visited many incredible museums, the San Diego Zoo & Safari Park, and had a Master Gardener for a mom. Once I had kids of my own, I looked forward to introducing them to all the things I loved, and hoped they too would have at least some of the same interests as myself. Luckily, they do!

As we all know, visiting museums, zoos, and botanical gardens is not usually cheap. Depending on where you visit, taking a family of 4 can be a big expense, nevermind visiting multiple establishments on a regular basis. I knew that if I wanted to continue to take our kids to such that I would have to find a reasonable way to do so.

After doing a good amount of research, I learned about reciprocal memberships. What is a reciprocal membership? A reciprocal membership is one which can be used at multiple places to gain either FREE or discount entry. For instance, a membership to a science center in San Diego would likely allow you free or discount entry to a science center or natural history museum in Orange County, Los Angeles, or even Boston. A reciprocal membership to a children’s museum, zoo, or botanic garden would do the same. There are some stipulations, such as distance between establishments, or establishments participating in the programs, but for the most part, these memberships are awesome! Check with each individual establishment prior to purchasing a membership, and prior to visiting one of the reciprocal establishments to make sure they will accept your card.

I took roadtrip with our kids in 2011, and visited Children’s Museums in San Luis Obispo, multiple destinations in Oregon, Washington, and had many more on our list that we would have stopped at if we’d had the time. I planned our stops around these museums and Costco gas stations. It worked out great, and our reciprocal museum pass paid for itself within a few days. After our trip we continued to enjoy visiting museums in Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego the reminder of the 11 months our pass was active.

Some of the different establishments in SoCal that participate in reciprocal membership programs at the time this post was written include the following:
• Reuben H. Fleet Science Center (gain access to the Discovery Science Center in OC, the La Habra Children’s Museum, the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, etc…)
• The New Children’s Museum (gain discounted access to Kidspace in Pasadena, Noah’s Ark at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, the Temecula Children’s Museum AKA Pennypickles, etc… Make sure you purchase the ACM Reciprocal Membership for discounted entry!)
• San Diego Botanic Garden (gain entry to the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park, L.A. Arboretum, Descanso Gardens, etc…)
• San Diego Zoo (gain either free or discount entry to the L.A. County Zoo, the Santa Ana Zoo, the Living Desert, etc…)

Some good resources for info about reciprocal memberships are as follows:
• Association of Children’s Museums
• North American Reciprocal Museum Program
• Association of Zoos and Aquariums
• American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admissions Program

One of the many things my parents taught me was to enjoy experiences, and that they can be a much better gift than a material item. Investing in a reciprocal Family Membership can allow you and your family access to many neat establishments that can be fun, educational, and get you out and about, having great experiences together! Perhaps we’ll see you at a museum, zoo, or botanical garden that participates in a reciprocal membership program soon!