Members Only

My last couple of posts have been a little heavy, so here’s something a bit lighter: My dad tip of the day is to become a member at some place you like going with your kids.

I’ve been a member at the Nashville Zoo and the Adventure Science Center for a couple of years now. In both cases, the math was easy. It costs about as much to join as it does to visit twice in the same year. At the zoo, one adult and two kids runs $35 for a single visit, while the cost for a single-adult-plus-kids membership is $75. At the ASC, it’s $32 for a single visit and only $65 for the comparable membership.

More importantly, becoming a member means the pressure is off to get the most out of a single visit. Instead of thinking thoughts like, “I just shelled out $35 for this, we better see every last animal to get our money’s worth,” now I say to myself, “Hmm, the girls are getting a little tired–we’ll just come back in a week or two AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE. Ha ha ha!” (That’s triumphant laughter there.) It makes going to these places way less stressful. We just see what we feel like seeing, knowing we can come back anytime.

It’s this de-stressing effect that led me to join Cheekwood Botanical Garden this past weekend. The math doesn’t work out as well there: $22 for a single trip, $75 for a one-year membership. (They don’t have a single-parent discount, unfortunately.) But twice now I’ve taken the girls to an event at Cheekwood (first the Chihuly glass sculpture exhibit, later a dog show of sorts) when it’s been insanely hot. Now, as members, we can go whenever the weather’s good and not have to worry about getting the most out of every visit.

(For my Nashville readers, the current treehouse exhibit at Cheekwood is well worth a visit, whether you’re a member or not!)

All three of these places offer members-only special events, and all three give a 10% discount to members at their gift shops. But knowing that we can come back anytime? And knowing that I’m supporting three Nashville attractions that bring so much pleasure to me and my family? That’s the real win.

Next up: Maybe a membership at the Belcourt Theatre. We’ll be spending a lot of time there this month for their “Castles in the Sky” series featuring the films of Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Ponyo, The Secret World of Arrietty). I took the girls to see Kiki’s Delivery Service yesterday, and they loved it. It’s pretty much the perfect film for Hannah, who is looking for magic in the world while she’s also figuring out her place in it.

How about you? Where are you a member?

Image: “The Cause,” Shavar Ross, Flickr (CC)