One of the greatest things about having memberships at local museums is that not only do they help support museums in your hometown, they often have reciprocal membership to other museums (free entry!) when you travel. We only had an hour to spend at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science but we probably wouldn’t have gone had it not been for our Seattle Pacific Science Center Membership. And it was quite a cool museum.
At first I was a little scared because there were a few too many stuffed animals at this Denver Museum for my liking. There were rooms and rooms of lifelike animals and all of my pictures of them turned out blurry probably because these things creep me out and I just wanted to rush away.
But, then we went to the dinosaur exhibit and it was so amazing with real bones and not just the mechanical replicas we usually see.
There was even a real-life excavation lab.
I wish more places thought to show you what’s really inside your escalator. It seems like this would be an easy exhibit to make.
And the boys loved playing with the infrared machine.
(I’m thankful no one thought to moon it. I’m so not ready for teenage boy.)
They also loved this giant air-vent thing in the kids’ area.
But the top floor of this museum is priceless. There was a sign that boasted that the museum had the best view of Denver so we had to go and check it out.
But what the sign didn’t mention is that the museum also has what is probably the best bathroom with a view in Denver. (The hubby humored me here with a fake and fully-clothed picture.) The bathroom also looks straight out to the same view.
Seriously, one of the best bathrooms I’ve ever seen. And if I never had a Science Center membership, I never would have seen it….you might want to check out your local museums for reciprocity before you travel. You don’t know what gems you might get to see.
I’ve been a fan of reciprocal memberships for years! We always seek out museums and zoos when we travel that allow us to get in free or for a reduced fee.
I’ve been a fan of reciprocal memberships for years! I often seek out free and reduced rate museums and zoos when we’re traveling as a way to stretch our dollars. Also, once your kids are older, you may find that the memberships are at times cheaper than paying regular adult admission prices. We’ve found that to be true for us.
4 seems to be the magic number for having to pay at most places and I totally didn’t think about weighing that into the membership price. Good advice:)
That infrared machine does look like fun! What a cool place for the kids to visit. Nice find!
Thanks! It was pretty fun:)
We enjoyed that museum, too, a few summers ago. Reading this post reminded me how fun it was for the family. I once came across an infrared machine when I was pregnant, and it was interesting what a little hot zone my belly was.
I never knew you could go to the roof! I love it and will definitely have to check it (and the bathroom) out on the next free day!!
We’ve only had a museum pass once before and I did find it quite handy. There are surprising perks that go along with them usually.