https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 07 May 2026 08:12:59 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it/page/2#post-2688249 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 17:27:58 +0000 birdofafeather 2688249@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we have zoo memberships and it pays for itself within 3 visits. we've already "made up" our money within a few months. it's a 30 minute drive, but more worth it because we can just go for a couple hours without feeling like we have to see it all in one go. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it/page/2#post-2688227 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 16:51:46 +0000 JenGirl 2688227@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a zoo membership and we love it! Initially it was mostly just a place that we (my husband and I) enjoy walking around outside because my son was too young to care, but liked being outside. Now he's just getting old enough to start paying attention to the animals and it' even better! I'd say we went 1-2 times per month when the weather was good. Plus a couple trips around Christmas time. Agree that it's nice to be able to just got for an hour or two. I think we'd go even more if we didn't WOH. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2688201 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 16:24:32 +0000 Mrsbells 2688201@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Bao: For us it wouldnt be because we arent the type to go to the same place over and over </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2688200 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 16:23:04 +0000 PawPrints 2688200@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Depends whether you'll use it! (Obviously.) We were given a subscription to the children's museum when DD turned one and I have loved having it. I appreciate having an outing option that's guilt free from a cost perspective, and that we can go for short visits. Her use of everything at the museum increased a lot over the course of the year, so I would maybe hold off until LO is 18 months or so. It wasn't really useful when she was still on two naps. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2688120 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 14:34:09 +0000 caterw 2688120@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: We also use passes from the library to go to our local children's museum- you can check them out and bring up to 4 people (infants are free) so I will usually invite another mommy and toddler friend to go with us for free! We can also get passes to the local National Park with a cool backpack full of binoculars and nature guides. I'm glad we have those resources because our children's museum is pretty lame but DD does like it occasionally.</p> <p>We are considering getting a membership to the science museum- DD absolutely loves it and we would probably go at least 4-5 times which would cover the cost. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2688109 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 14:20:19 +0000 krispi 2688109@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it depends on how convenient it is and how often you'll go. We have an annual pass to our local zoo. It's less than 10 minutes from our house, so that's nice. Several of our other parent friends also have memberships. We can meet up first thing in the morning before it gets too crowded, spend a couple of hours there, and leave to grab lunch together. By nap time, the kids are all fed and in the car on the way home. :)</p> <p>Because we have a membership, it's okay if we only see a few of the animals each time, and we don't have to force the kids to stay an entire day if they're feeling cranky or whatever. We know we'll be back again, and we can see different animals the next time. But if I was paying a full price admission each visit, I'd want to maximize the day and make sure we saw as much as possible. I feel like the membership helps us be more casual and flexible. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2687297 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 13:55:21 +0000 Boogs 2687297@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't have any because we don't necessarily want to keep going to the same places over and over to make the membership worth it. We have a local amusement park I would maybe buy memberships for the kids at when they are older. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2687264 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 13:37:31 +0000 My Only Sunshine 2687264@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our zoo membership pays for itself in 3 visits. We go a ton so it's so worth it for us. Also you get in the secret fast line for "Boo at the Zoo" so that alone is almost worth the money! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2687171 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 11:44:37 +0000 lamariniere 2687171@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've always gotten good use out of ours and made them worth it. Around here, it seems membership is worth it if you go at least 3 times in one year. I think we only have the zoo and the technical museum memberships right now, but we also used to have the acquariam and the natural history museum. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2687139 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 11:08:39 +0000 Pollywog 2687139@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Toad: It's at the Fairlington Community Center. It's a room full of giant foam structures to climb on and over. It's so much fun! </p> <p>Https://parks.arlingtonva.us/community-center-drop-in-activities/fairlington-pint-sized-indoor-playtime/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2687049 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 09:34:44 +0000 LuLu Mom 2687049@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We used to have children museum and zoo, this year I think we will just do zoo, we love that we can go for an hour and walk around to burn off some energy. And even better with our local children's zoo membership we get 50% off at Henry Doorly Zoo (which is about an hour from us) and we like to hit it up 1-2 times a year, it helps cut down on the cost a lot there, as it's very pricey (but totally worth it in my eyes!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2687046 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 09:29:26 +0000 travelgirl1 2687046@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had memberships to a museum, aquarium and science centre at one point and we used them a ton, they were all easy for me to get to on public transit, good for the kids to play in and a fab way to get out in the winter when it was too cold and icy for playgrounds. That said, they only worked because they were so easy for me to get to. Also, one allowed me to split a membership with a friend so that was amazing value. We could also bring guests and unlimited children, so we could have play dates there instead of home. They were amazing for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686954 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 07:26:30 +0000 looch 2686954@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have mixed feelings about memberships. I do not like the situations where you sign up for something, like camp, but then have to buy a membership to the place. </p> <p>But for other stuff, when the break even makes sense, it's a good deal. We got a lot out of our childrens museum membership, but now that my son is a little older, we haven't renewed.</p> <p>And look at the library, they sometimes have passes you can use. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686865 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 21:38:29 +0000 skipra 2686865@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a zoo membership and it's been worth it for us because it is only 10 minutes away. The membership is actually for 2 zoos and the other zoo is inarguably better but we've only been once in the two years we've been members. We get the membership where we can bring in 2 other adults and a total of 4 kids so it's nice for play dates too. Other museums are mostly in the city so it's a challenge for me to just bring the kids on a whim. To visit those we will choose a day where we can get discount passes from the library. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686861 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 21:18:19 +0000 Grace 2686861@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our zoo is 10 min away and we go at least 2x a month in the summer. It's nice out right now and I've never been in the winter. Maybe we'll go this weekend. Anyways, the bonus is that we can go for a couple of hours and home for lunch. It's not a big drama to do it. We're also going to get one for the museum because it pays for itself after 2 visits. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686860 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 21:10:54 +0000 Mrs. Microscope 2686860@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a zoo membership and use it all the time. Since I get a friend free, we do play dates at the zoo, and my friends with passes to museums etc reciprocate and invite us to their membership locations. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686857 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 21:07:42 +0000 babypugs 2686857@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have memberships to our zoo and state museum. They're both within ten minutes of our house. We go to each at least once a month. My daughter loves running around and getting some energy out even if she's not that into the displays! They both pay for themselves in two visits. Well worth it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686847 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 20:46:35 +0000 Mrs. Toad 2686847@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Pollywog: What and where is the free soft playroom? I haven't heard about that.</p> <p>We have no memberships, but usually stay home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686842 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 20:38:15 +0000 snowjewelz 2686842@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Depends on a lot of things personally... Age of kid(s), climate, distance of these places... </p> <p>For us, our library loans out free passes to a few museums so I would never pay for a membership, tho I don't always get the date I'd like. </p> <p>For the zoo, the closest one to us (half hour) might be worth it as DD1 gets older and we have DD2 now. It's a small zoo so it's very doable for a short day trip and it has a farm area too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686836 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 20:30:42 +0000 Iced Tea 2686836@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have two memberships: one is worth it but the other is not. The aquarium membership is for sure worth it; we only needed to go twice to make it worth it and have been more than that. My LO is totally fascinated. A really big bonus is that it gets us a 50% discount at the zoo; we've also used that. </p> <p>The other membership is to our small local children's museum. It would take more visits to make it worth it but the big problem is that they have very limited hours and close down every time the surrounding park has an event. I did not realize that when I bought the membership. We haven't been able to use it as much as expected. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686825 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 20:06:08 +0000 Pollywog 2686825@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't have any. We live in the DC suburbs and have a free zoo, free museums, and a free soft playroom. There's no need for a membership </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686818 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 19:54:03 +0000 mrs.kiwi 2686818@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kids are 32 months and 11 months and for us NO it is not worth it right now. At these ages i just want them to have lots of free play and opportunities to explore and observe the world. They can do that at parks. The weather is pretty good here in california so we are only rained out a few weeks a year.</p> <p>I was debating a membership to the children's museum (which is 15 min away) but each time i go it would be $5 parking. If parking was free i think i would consider this one since it's geared towards younger kids.</p> <p>There's a zoo/amusement park 15 min away too.. But I don't like amusement parks too much. And the zoo it not that good I heard. If there was a good zoo 15 min away maybe i would consider a membership to that.</p> <p>I decided whenever I feel "bored" as a SAHM or feel like the kids aren't thriving or aren't "stimulated" enough I will reconsider. Also I am considering homeschooling in the future and I would definitely get a membership to the children's museum then when they would really benefit educationally from it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686812 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 19:46:21 +0000 hitchhiker 2686812@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, definitely, although our neighborhood is adjacent to many museums so we have very easy access. We are members at 2-4 per year. I also think memberships are good things to request as gifts--we suggest that some of our family members forgo Christmas gifts for all of us and instead get us a membership somewhere. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686807 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 19:38:00 +0000 erinbaderin 2686807@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our zoo membership is the best money we've spent, I think. Going 2+ times makes it worth the money. What I love about the membership is that we can go in the morning, spend a few hours there, and go home for nap - I don't feel like we have to spend the whole day there to get our money's worth. We went every other weekend all summer. Even in the winter we go to spend time in the pavilions and let B run some energy out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686767 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 18:28:26 +0000 newlypregnantlady 2686767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it depends on how close it is, your kids ages, and how good the place is. Our local zoo is amazing (San Francisco Zoo), and about 45 minutes away. I've been several times during weekday mornings (I'm a SAHM) and it's great, no crowds and almost everyone else there at that time has small kids or are just there to draw! I keep hinting that I'd love a membership for this year but no one has taken the hint yet. </p> <p>But the children's museum is more like an hour away, has a difficult parking situation, and is better for the 5+ crowd. So I would not use that membership, but I would use the zoo one! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686720 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 17:15:32 +0000 Cole 2686720@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have several and they have all been worth it. The zoo is about half an hour away so we go for two to three hours once or twice a month during decent weather. We also use the reciprocal benefit to go to a zoo about 75 minutes away a couple of times per summer. We definitely go more than we would if we didn't have a membership, the are a lot of times we pop in for an hour after running errands. </p> <p>Our science center is closer but mediocre so we don't go much but it's cheap for a membership and we traveled a lot this year and used the reciprocal benefit at 4 other museums which easily paid for the membership by itself. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686704 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 16:54:31 +0000 Bao 2686704@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anya: I guess I'm just comparing to ours, I think it's 2-3 times and it pays for itself. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686703 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 16:54:16 +0000 HappyBaker 2686703@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have one to our science museum and love it! It's only half an hour away so we go at least 6 times a year, plus it includes the grandparents for free. But the best part is it gets us in to almost all other science museums in the U.S. for free and children's museums for 50%. We use that feature lots when traveling. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686702 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 16:53:12 +0000 Anya 2686702@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Bao: I don't really feel that it is. It's at least a once a month activity for us so I've already more than made up the cost. Right now I only have one LO but if I were bringing 2 children with me each time I'd only need to go 5/6 times a year to make up the cost. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-memberships-worth-it#post-2686700 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 16:53:00 +0000 littlejoy 2686700@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes. We have a membership to our local science museum (that is very toddler/kid friendly). We got at least once a month, and way more in the winter. </p>