The Benefits of Family Membership

My wallet is overflowing with membership cards from museums, zoos and gardens. Although I hate carrying around an overstuffed wallet, I love supporting local institutions, having special access and enjoying all the added perks.

There are many benefits, the main appeal being unlimited access, which is great when you get tired of the local playground or your apartment. But another perk is the more you go, the more confortable your kids feel. Mine feel like they're at home at the Brooklyn Museum and in their own backyard at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

And let's not forget the economical benefits of joining up. Many offer reciprocal membership with museums around the country. When we were in Baltimore last summer, we used our Brooklyn Children’s Museum membership card to get into the Maryland Science Center at the Inner Harbor. We’ve also used the same card to get into the Hall of Science in Queens.

The cache of being a member, and attending "member's only" events, is also enticing. The Botanic Garden has member’s picnic nights and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum features hours for members only.

Here’s a roundup of local member benefits.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

If you’ve had to battle the tons of camp trips when visiting this museum in the summer, you might enjoy member Mondays. Starting Monday, July 11 and running through Monday, August 29, the entire Museum is open just for members between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. In addition, there are many other member events throughout the year and discounts on birthday parties.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

I feel like all city parents must become members of this local garden. My kids started to eat so many more vegetables after harvesting in the garden’s Seeds and City Farmers classes. However, the reason every Brooklyn parent should join is for the member’s only summer picnics. On July 27 from 6 - 8:30 p.m., the Garden hosts the Member Sunset Picnic Night for Children.

Brooklyn Museum

All Brooklyn kids should head to this gem of a museum for an Arty Facts workshop. Depending on your membership level, you can either take this Sunday drop in class at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. for free or for $5. The educators are fantastic and after a tour of the museum, kids are invited down to the art studio to create their own work. I love knowing that any Sunday, we can simply head up to the museum and take this class. The museum also hosts an annual Inside/Out family event with Museum educators and curators.

Wildlife Conservation Society

A membership to the WCS offers unlimited access to both the New York Aquarium and the Prospect Park Zoo. It also includes parking passes for the aquarium and the Bronx Zoo. You also get free admission to the Queens Zoo and the Bronx Zoo. On Tuesday, July 12 and Thursday, July 21 from 4 - 7:30 p.m., members get exclusive access to the Bronx Zoo. Both evenings include a host of free kid activities. Members also get a newsletter listing member activities throughout the year.

Transit Museum

With membership, you get unlimited admission to a museum that is in the neighborhood, (). The museum recently had member only tours of the old City Hall subway station. This summer, the museum is hosting outings on historic trains and buses. Trips include rides and tours to Coney Island (ajuly 23, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) and the Rockaway (August 20, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) These trips are discounted to members.

If you’re a member, these events are free: On Fridays, the museum has a Transit Tots at 11 a.m., a drop-in program for 2 - 5 year olds with their caregiver. On July 16 and 17 at 1:30 p.m. the museum hosts a kid-friendly event, ELECTRICITY LIVE!, a show about electricity.