The cost of traveling the United States can feel prohibitive for so many of us in these unique economic times. But travel is one of the most enriching experiences, and worth every penny. We can help you maximize your travel budget with a very valuable money-saving travel membership! Get a membership to the Boonshoft Museum of Discover, and explore all this country has to offer. 

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
(Dayton Society of Natural History)

You don’t have to call Ohio your home state to purchase a membership to this museum, and the benefits will blow you away! A family membership will cost you just $155 for the year, and gets you two named adults and all related (or living in the household) children/grandchildren under 18.

Bonus: They use the app eMemberships (available in the Apple Store and Google Play) to allow you to have a digital card on your phone, so there’s no need to keep track of a physical card. This way, you’ll always be ready for your next adventure, and this money-saving travel hack is only as far away as your phone.

As a member of this establishment, you will not only have access to their 2 local Dayton sites (Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park), but also:

FREE Reciprocal Entry to any ASTC location throughout the US:

Having a membership to an Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) Passport Program Participating Location allows you some really great perks such as free general admission to other participating locations. You can see all the participating locations here.

50-100% Discounted Entry to AZA Participating Zoos & Aquariums:

Your membership with the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery will also give you 50-100% off admission to zoos and aquariums throughout the US that are members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). You can see al the participating locations here.

FREE Reciprocal Entry to Participating ACM Museums:

Once again, you can enjoy free entry to participating Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) throughout the U.S. To see what locations participate, make sure it has a red “R” on this site to indicate their participation.

That’s science centers, zoos & aquariums, and children’s museums all under ONE membership! Always call ahead for special events–membership may not apply to things like “zoo lights” or specialty times.

This weekend alone I saved $36 at the Oregon Zoo (50% off tickets!) & $47 at Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (as a science center, we got into this one for FREE!)

Here’s a quick sampling of just some of the locations we’ve visited with this membership:

• Birch Scripps Aquarium (San Diego, CA)
• Arizona Museum of Natural History (Mesa, AZ)
• Museum of LIfe & Science (Durham, NC)
• Evergreen Air & Space Center (McMinnville, OR)
• Wildlife Safari (Winston, OR)
• Idea Museum (Mesa, AZ)
• Space Foundation Discovery Center (Colorado Springs, CO)
• Denver Museum of Nature & Science (Denver, CO)
• Arizona Science Cetner (Phoenix, AZ)
• Fleet Science Center (San Diego, CA)
• Turtle Bay Exploration Park (Redding, CA)
• SEA LIFE Aquarium (Tempe, AZ)
• Saint Louis Zoo (Saint Louis, MO)
• Greensboro Science Center (Greensboro, NC)
• Port Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (Tacoma, WA)

…and there’s SO MANY MORE!

With unlimited entries into each reciprocal location, our membership with Boonshoft Museum of Discovery saves us right about $1000 each year – for real! It’s my favorite money-saving travel hack by far!

Anytime we are going on a trip, or even just need something different to do, I simply check those links for what is nearby or on our route, and add them to our itinerary.