The holiday season is here, and while there’s not much that brings more happiness to a parent’s soul than seeing their kids excitedly open presents, there’s also the reality that… well, do our kids really need 17 more toys that will create more clutter and mess that we will inevitably have to clean up? So for many moms, family memberships have become a great alternative to physical gifts.
Instead of giving your kids a toy or some clothes, they can have a year’s worth of experiences at a local museum or amusement park. And around South Central PA, there are so many options, from year-long memberships to season passes. These often don’t just get you in the door, too; usually, members get all kinds of extra perks, from discounts at the gift shops to members-only events and extra hours. So if you’re wondering what your options are, read on! Our guide has you covered.
READ: 2024 Guide to Christmas Tree Farms in South Central PA
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Family Memberships in Berks County
- Reading Public Museum, Reading: This museum offers fun learning opportunities for kids and grown-ups alike, ranging from art and history to science. $75 gets you four passes to visit for an entire year, and includes members-only events, admission to Planetarium Star shows, a discount at the gift shop, and more!
- Berks History Center, Reading: Explore the history of the Reading area; kids will especially love the transportation exhibit! Family memberships are $75, and include admission, discounts at the gift shop, one free Second Saturday program each month, and more.
- Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, Boyertown: Automobile lovers will have a blast here! Family memberships are $50, and includes free admission and a 10% gift shop discount.
- Reading Railroad Heritage Museum, Hamburg: Who doesn’t love trains? Your kids will love visiting with free admission for a year to the museum for just $53 for the entire family.
- Reading Science Center, Reading: Enjoy over 50 interactive exhibits with a family membership for $100.
- Daniel Boone Homestead, Birdsboro: Spend a year enjoying the natural wonders of Berks County, learning about history, and enjoying hands-on learning opportunities with a family membership for $60.
Family Memberships in Cumberland County
- Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle: Explore permanent galleries, and other offerings like the Carlisle Indian School, folk art (including Wilhelm Schimmel), and more, all for just $55. Membership includes a discount on facility rentals, early-bird access, and more.
- Mechanicsburg Museum Association, Mechanicsburg: Visit several historic buildings throughout Mechanicsburg and get a peek into what life was like in the 1860s with a family membership for $50.
- The Trout Gallery, Carlisle: The Trout Gallery is the art museum of Dickinson College and offers memberships giving you access to the museum for a year.
Family Memberships in Dauphin County
- Lake Tobias Wildlife Park, Halifax: Go on an open-air safari, feed giraffes, visit the new reptile center, and more with a season pass, starting at $90 per person.
- HersheyPark and ZooAmerica, Hershey: Take your kids to the sweetest place on Earth with a season pass! There are different tiers of passes with different benefits, but all of them also include access to ZooAmerica!
- The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg: Get your membership to a museum on all things Pennsylvania, located next to the Capitol Building. A family membership is $75, and includes admission, gift score discounts, and reciprocal memberships to historical and science museums across the United States.
- Pennsylvania National Fire Museum, Harrisburg: Bring your little firefighters here to check out the history of firefighting in PA, including vintage fire apparatus, artifacts, and more. Memberships for families are $35, and include admission, gift shop discounts, and invitations to special events.
- The Hershey Story Museum, Hershey: Learn all about Milton Hershey and his many accomplishments, have fun with interactive exhibits, make your own candy, indulge in chocolate tastings, and more with a $135 family membership for the year.
- Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg: A $125 family membership gets you access for a year where your kids can learn about art, take classes, and help your kiddos to be inspired to create.
- Whitaker Center for Science and Arts, Harrisburg: Did you know this is the first complex of its kind in the United States to use science as an entry to the arts? A family membership is $149, and will offer interactive fun all year long.
- AACA Museum, Hershey: Learn everything there is to know about automobiles, from permanent exhibits including the Hershey Kissmobile, drive a Model T, take a behind-the-scenes tour, and more with an $80 family membership.
- Fort Hunter Mansion and Park, Harrisburg: A family membership is just $35, and includes admission to the mansion and its multiple parks, as well as discounts on select festivals and the museum shop.
- The Pennsylvania State Police Museum, Hershey: Learn about the nation’s first constabulary at this fun museum with a $50 family membership; exhibits include vehicles, uniforms, rodeo footage, crime scene paraphernalia, and much more.
Family Memberships in Lancaster County
- Tiny Town, Lancaster: Play all year long with season passes! You can choose either monthly or seasonal “Keys to the Town” to keep the fun going as much as they want.
- Wolf Sanctuary of PA, Lititz: Visit the sanctuary through guided tours and events; family memberships are $200.
- North Museum of Nature and Science, Lancaster: See dinosaurs, get to hold real fossils, and let your kiddo’s inner scientist come out to play. Family memberships are $140 and include admission to the museum and the planetarium, as well as discounts on the gift shop, museum events, and birthday parties.
- Hands-On House, Children’s Museum of Lancaster, Lancaster: This museum is dedicated to helping kids learn through play, with memberships ranging from $150 – $195.
- Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, Lancaster: Living history museum that collects, conserves, exhibits and interprets Pennsylvania German material culture and heritage between 1750-1940, using artifacts and the presentation of authentic traditional farming, village and industrial life, skilled craft demonstrations, and historical animals and plants. A family membership is $75 for the year, and includes access not only to the museum, but the events they hold throughout the year.
- Demuth Foundation, Lancaster: A household membership is $90, and gets you access to the museum, which features the art and legacy of Charles Demuth, as well as other local art and traveling exhibitions.
- LancasterHistory, Lancaster: Learn about the unique history of Lancaster County, including tours of President James Buchanan’s Wheatland. A family membership is $75 and includes admission to the museum, discounts to the museum store and special classes and events, and more.
- Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata: Visit a historic religious community established in 1732 and learn about architecture, historic music, and art with a membership for $60.
- Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Strasburg: Your little train lovers will LOVE seeing all the trains here! Membership for a child is just $15 and gets them access to railroad-fun and learning all year long.
- Lancaster Science Factory, Lancaster: This hands-on, interactive science museum has tons of fun activities for kids, with family memberships starting at $160.
Family Memberships in Lebanon County
- Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum, Annville: See military items and weapons from the Civil War to the Gulf War, as well as items that depict the history of the Pennsylvania National Guard and Fort Indiantown Gap with a membership for your entire family for just $35.
- Stoy Museum, Lebanon: See numerous early shops, offices, and buildings, including a one-room schoolhouse and doctor’s office. A family membership is $60, and gives members access to the museum for a year.
Family Memberships in York County
- Historical Society Museum, York: Family memberships are $70 and give access to educational programming, cultural events, exhibits, collections and archive that show, tell, and incite pride in the York community.
- Greater Hanover Fire Museum, Hanover: Located in a historic fire station, and a $50 family membership will let your kids see things like how firefighters used early leather bucket brigades, hand drawn carts and pumps, horse-drawn apparatus, and motorized equipment — all real, and used the greater Hanover area throughout the past two centuries.
