When taking your family to one of our many fabulous Tampa Bay area museums, zoos, or aquariums, you’ve likely seen references to “memberships”. You may have wondered what these memberships are all about, how you benefit from them, and just what they entail. We want to outline the 6 reasons you may opt against getting a membership to any one of these places. Trust us, you’ll definitely want to reconsider after reading our full list.
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1. You only want to go once – If you only plan on visiting the zoo, the museum, or the aquarium once, you might not want to opt for the membership option. Typically, a membership pays for itself after two visits, and begins benefiting you financially on the third visit, so a membership may not be the best choice if you plan for your visit to be once and done.
If you seriously are ONLY visiting once or you have visitors in town and they want to visit some of the popular Tampa Bay attractions, then you definitely want to check out Tampa Bay City Pass and save 50% or more. It is definitely one of the best options for a one and done visit to a Tampa area attraction.
Florida Resident? Then definitely get yourself a family Fun Pass to Busch Gardens. Make sure to visit their website to check out the latest deals,.
2. You don’t like discounts – These memberships typically include various discounts, like those for the discount, for special programs, for food, and for kids camps. If you don’t think you could benefit from any of these discounts, or you simply don’t want a discount, you probably don’t want the membership.
Did you know that MOSI offers discounts up to 25% discount on camps for your children? You definitely may want to reconsider and take advantage of membership discounts/
3. You don’t take vacations and visit other museums – If you don’t take vacations to visit other local museums, zoos, or aquariums, you might not benefit from everything a membership has to offer. With a membership, you can often visit other locations and use all of your existing membership benefits.
Reciprocal programs are often included in your membership price, and they can get you as much as 50% off admission to other nearby museums, zoos and other fun attractions. When you purchase a membership you’ll get a full list of all the places that accept the reciprocal memberships and you’ll get discounted or even free admission.
4. You’re not interested in guest passes – If you have guests that come to visit you, and you’re not looking to take them to these locations, a membership might not have the benefit you want. Guest passes and discounts are often included in these memberships.
5. You’d prefer to pay for parking – Membership programs for local museums, zoos, and aquariums take care of parking for you in the form of free or discounted parking at these locations. If you’d prefer to pay for parking, skip the membership.
6. You don’t need planning ideas – If you’re all set planning things to do for your family during weekends and weekdays, then you may not need the extra help a membership can provide. These locations will often offer special programs and events for members that make planning activities much simpler.
Did you find all the reasons why your should NOT get a membership? As you can see, memberships to museums, zoos and aquariums can be super beneficial. Make sure to look at all the benefits before deciding and then go and use it.
