Museum and zoo membership calculator
A family membership pays for itself at a certain number of visits. This works out that number for you. Put in what one day out costs your family, say how often you will really go, and see whether you come out ahead.
Run your numbers
Nothing is sent anywhere. It all works out in your browser. Prefilled with a typical big-zoo day out, so change anything that does not match yours.
Worth it
- Tickets per visit$91.80
- Parking per visit$10.00
- Paying at the gate, 3 visits$305.40
- Reciprocal savings$0.00
- Membership, plus what members still pay$180.00
- Difference$125.40
How to use it
- Enter your family. Count only the children who pay. Most places let babies and toddlers in free, so check the age cut-off before you count them.
- Enter one visit at the gate. Ticket prices, plus parking. Use the normal weekend price, not a discount day you rarely make.
- Enter the membership price. Pick the level that covers everyone who will go, including a grandparent if one usually comes.
- Be honest about visits. This is the number families get wrong. Count how many times you went last year, not how many times you meant to.
The four costs families forget
Parking
Members usually park free. At $10 a visit that is a saving on every trip, and it often decides the whole question on its own. Tick the box only if the membership really includes it.
Reciprocal entry
Many memberships get you into hundreds of other places free. Those trips pay down the price before your first home visit counts.
The membership level
The cheapest level often covers two named adults and no guests. If a grandparent or a friend usually comes, price the level that covers them.
What is still extra
Special exhibitions, theater shows, rides and timed tickets are normally charged on top, for members too. Leave them out of both sides.
How reciprocal programs change the answer
A membership at one museum or zoo often gets you into hundreds of others free, through a shared program such as ASTC Travel Passport, NARM or the zoo and aquarium reciprocal list. Two trips on someone else's ticket can cover most of a membership before you use it at home once.
Check what your own card includes before you trust the number: ASTC's passport rules and NARM's FAQs both spell out what is covered and what is not.
Common questions
How many visits does it take for a membership to pay for itself?▾
Divide the membership price by what one visit costs your family at the gate, including parking. For a family of four paying about $102 a day, a $180 membership pays for itself on the second visit. The calculator above does this for your own numbers.
Is a zoo or museum membership worth it for one child?▾
Often not, unless you go a lot. A single-child family pays far less at the gate, so the break-even point moves further out. Run your real ticket prices and your real visit count before you buy.
Does parking count toward breaking even?▾
Yes, and it matters more than most people expect. If members park free, you save that amount on every single visit, so it comes off the cost of each trip rather than once a year. On a $10 lot it can cut a whole visit off the break-even point.
Do reciprocal visits count toward the membership paying for itself?▾
Yes. Free entry somewhere else is money you did not spend, so it pays down the membership price before your home visits count at all. Enter the trips you will really take and what each one would have cost.
Why does my card not work at the museum down the road?▾
Reciprocal programs exclude places close to the one where you are a member. ASTC uses 90 miles and NARM uses 15. The benefit is built for travel, so only count trips far enough from home.
What is not included in a membership?▾
Special exhibitions, theater and planetarium shows, rides, timed tickets, camps and store discounts are normally charged on top, for members as well. Guests are not covered unless the level you buy says so.
Should I buy the cheapest membership level?▾
Only if it covers everyone who goes. The lowest level often names two adults and no guests, so a visit with a grandparent costs extra. Price the level that matches how your family really turns up.
Not sure which membership to buy yet?
Look at the places first. Find what is near you, see what a visit costs, and come back with real numbers.