Museum education is a growing trend in the homeschooling community. Museums around the country offer programs rich in the arts, history and sciences to supplement the interests of homeschooling children. Today it's not uncommon for a homeschooling family to travel from state to state visiting museums, historic sites, zoos and aquariums. A reciprocal admissions program offers a way to visit hundreds of museums nation wide in a cost effective manner, attractive to any family budget.
Purchasing a membership at a museum offering a reciprocity program would allow your family free admission to other nation wide museums participating in the same reciprocity program. Reciprocity is for general admission only and does not apply to school group visits or special educational programming. There are reciprocal admission programs for Science & Technology Museums, Children's Museums, Art Museums and Historical Sites. Each reciprocal admissions program has very specific rules for participation and all offer a great deal of savings to a family on a budget.
AZA: American Zoo & Aquarium Association - Become a members of your local zoo or aquarium and receive free admission to any of the other AZA member zoos and aquariums that participate in the Reciprocal Admissions Program.
ACM: Association of Children's Museums - Individuals contributing at least $100 annually to any participating museum and Individual Members of ACM are eligible to participate in the ACM Reciprocal Membership Program. .
History Time Travelers - This program includes museums and historical societies in 42 states. Membership to one of the affiliate museums provides a family with a variety of special benefits, such as free admission or gift shop discounts, when they visit Time Travelers affiliate museums, some of which include multiple sites.
Outdoor History Association - This one is a little different - There are 18 Nationwide Living History Museums listed on this website. If you click on each museum, you are given a discount coupon for admission to that museum. I have found that many of the sites will waive admission fees for each other's members. The rest of the website has no organizational contact information to confirm discount rules. You have to call each museum and ask if they will honor your membership from another museum on the list.
When considering a family membership to a favorite museum, ask about reciprocity. In addition to reading the information on the web sites listed above, be sure you understand the rules for reciprocity participation for each separate organization. For example, not all reciprocity participating institutions located in close geographic proximity to each other are required to offer free admission to each other's members. Once you become a member of a reciprocity museum affiliate make a habit of calling affiliate museums before your planned visits. Confirm the affiliate is a current participant in the reciprocity program of which you are affiliated. Be sure your current museum membership is recognized in their reciprocal admissions program. Make inquiries about the number of visitors you are allowed, additional fees for special exhibits or events and gift shop discounts. Careful selection of a reciprocity affiliate membership could stretch your budget and allow you access to some of the most enriching educational opportunities available in museum education across the country today.
