Coming out of their Shell - The Zoo and Discounts

 While on our road trip, I asked those I knew in the area if they had any connections to get us into anything fun.

I had several people reply and was grateful they did.

One such person was my Step-mother. (I only used that term for clarity as she is a wonderful addition to our family and I happily call her mom!) She said she had a "Grandmother pass" to the local zoo. She said she could get one adult and up to 11 children in at a time. She didn't want to go into the zoo with us but was willing to meet us there and get us in. 
 
For me to take the girls, it would have cost us $12.75 each. Children up to 12 are almost $10 each. I was thinking that would be $60 for a day at the zoo which doesn't include any food or the train or merry-go-round rides.  

I thought that the Zoo membership was the way to go if you are thinking of going more than one time in the year especially if your kids are over 12. The pass she has is $131 a year.  It also gives you discounts on the rides and other things sold at the zoo. It would pay for itself very quickly if you were a grandparent with more than a few grandchildren. As long as the kids are under 18, you are good. 

Or, if you are going to go anyway, ask your parents if they are interested in buying a grandparent pass. If they are, tell them you will give them your admission money to put towards the pass. It may pay off in the end as the grandparents may take your children and let you have a day off several times a year.
 
A few years ago when our kids were younger, my mother bought a year Grandparent pass to the Children's museum and with the 50 or so grandchildren she has, that was probably in her favor. We went with the cousins a few times and that was fun.  I bet there are a few more places that sell family or grandparent passes which could give you lots of fun. The planetarium is another place where that can come in handy. 
 
If you are planning a trip, this can be invaluable as many of the attractions are on the nation wide association which allows you to use your membership at other planetariums or the zoo has a similar association.  Even if it doesn't allow you in free, it offers discounts on other museums etc. 

My sister when she was taking her children on vacation called for tickets at the destination city. The tickets were very expensive. She ended up buying a season pass for $149 to her local planetarium and that allowed them in to most of the places for free on their trip.  It also allowed them to enjoy the different movies that came through on the IMAX at the planetarium all year and gets others in at a discount when we went to town.
 
Science museums are another good find that way. 
I think I may have mentioned this in a post awhile ago but when we lived in the Boston area. The library offered passes to the science museum, Plymouth plantations, Eadaville Railroad (Cranberry bogs with a railroad ride) and many other places such as the children's museum. When we were planning a visit back to visit the area, we called and asked our friend to reserve the passes from the library for each specific day we would be going. 
If you don't have friends in the area, try going online and finding a home school group in the area. Parent's in those groups often utilize their library and have other resources that can help you know what would be fun in that area. They may even be willing to sign out the passes for you in exchange for your taking them something from your area to show their children as they are into learning about different areas and people.    

If that doesn't work for you, call the park or destination you wish to attend and ask them directly on the phone how to get discount tickets or free tickets to their park. They are often willing to give you help and information. Some will even send you coupons in the mail. 

Local discount books for the area are often sold through schools for about $10 but may save you more. Search online for "coupon books" and the area you are wishing to visit. My sister did this when going to Hawaii and saved on every attraction using the "Happenings Book."

Call the "Travel Council" for that state or city. I was looking to go to CA a few years ago and called a hotel looking to make reservations and visited with the worker online for a few minutes and asked if she knew of any discounts I could get and she told me to ask for a specific special when I called to reserve and that helped me save quite a bit as it was a few day special if you booked over a specific weekend night. 

Lastly, check into AAA if you aren't a member. Visit their online site or call and ask about discounts to area attractions for that state. I have been a member since 1986 and LOVE my membership. It has given me many discounts over the years and has saved me a few times. I got a large discount by buying a five park hopper pass when we went to CA. Also, booking hotel and rentals with them gives significant discounts. 

I broke down in CA and they paid for my hotel while my car was fixed. That one event alone with the free tow and hotel paid for about 4 years of premiums not to mention the discount that I got on all the parks. 

I hope this post hasn't put you to sleep but it is something that has blessed our family over the years. Who's up for a road trip?